Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

!!!Content Warnings!!!

Violence, Panic and Mentions of Death

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An arrow whized right past Aax's head. They turned back to stab a skeleton and watched as it crumbled into dust. He walked over to the lever on the wall and pulled it down. The floor underneath the skeleton spawner suddenly shifted and the spawner disappeared into the floor.

Aax walked around the room and picked up all the scattered bones and threw them into a nearby chest. They walked up the stairs and put his trident on the weapon rack before entering the house again.

The house was warm, just the way Aax loved it. It was December now and it was snowing. It had been snowing off and on for a week. Aax was glad that they didn't have to leave the comfort of their partner's house.

Aax heard a noise upstairs and backed up. Nobody was supposed to be home. Rae was supposed to be working at the library and Caspian was either at the mechanic shop or the Golden Clove.

"Caspian? Rae?" Aax whispered, backing up into the hallway.

He blindly grabbed their trident again, but froze.

"Atlas. You scared me sweetheart"

The german shephard came running down the stairs and towards them. Aax quickly went back inside before Atlas tackled them to the ground. She started licking Aax's face and knocked their glasses off.

"Atlas! Get off! C'mon" he laughed.

After getting her off and putting their glasses back on, they walked over to the sofa and sat down. The man picked up the remote for the TV and turned it on. The Akashic News was on and the story piqued his interest.

News Flash!!!

"Hello, my name is Raza Records and we are currently as the scene of a murder. Here we have Officer Oceana Golden"

"Thank you. It was a pleasure to join you on behalf of the department"

"Officer Golden, what can you tell us about what just happened?"

"What can I say? It was another murder. Same as all the other victims"

"Are we talking about a serial killer here?"

"Officer Golden?"

"What seems to be the issue?"

"Well, I...uh, you see..."

"Here you have it, Officer Golden is refusing to acknowledge the truth"

"No! That's not...you don't understand"

"Then help us to"

"The way that we find the victims, there is a specific mark on every single one of them that suggest something supernatural"

"Supernatural? What are you suggesting?"

"Vampires"

Aax froze. Ocie. I thought we agreed to keep the bloodsucker issue a secret. Great, now we have to deal with Icarus. They won't be happy we broke the contract

"Officer, vampires do not exist. At all. I should be the last person telling you to not spread panic throughout the city"

"Believe me or not, I don't care. Now if you can excuse me, I have a crime scene to attend to. This interview bullshit is over"

Officer Golden walked away and back towards the bright flashing lights. Raza turned back towards the camera.

"And there you have it. Officer Golden thinks that 'vampires' are causing this. Now, a thing for speculation. Does she know the identity of this killer? Is she covering for them? Do we have a corrupt cop? Find out o....."

Aax turned the TV off and threw the remote. How could they lie about Ocie? She wasn't corrupt. She was probably the only higher officer with any knowledge of the situation.

The door opened and Caspian walked in. The brunet tossed his bag on the floor and put his keys on the hook. He looked up to see Aax glaring at the TV.

He quickly walked over to Aax.

"Aax, love what's wrong?" Caspian asked, gently putting a hand on his partner's shoulder.

Aax jumped at his touch, but then immediately hugged Caspian. The mechanic hugged him back.

"Aax love, what's wrong?" he asked again.

"The news is painting Ocie as an accomplice to the murders! She doesn't have anything to with it Cas!"

"Well technically....."

"Just because she is also a vampire hunter like us, doesn't mean she has to get blammed for everything! She isn't involved!"

"I know. I know. I'm sure it'll be fine. We have a meeting tonight anyways. We can talk to Ocie and everyone else"

"When does Rae get off work?"

"Uh, I think he texted saying he was staying late tonight to work on a project. So I don't know"

"Maybe one of us should stay behind then"

"Aax. He's going to be fine"

"Caspian. That's the seventh body in two weeks! They only kill at night!"

"Then why don't we tell him? We haven't exactly been truthful about our true lives Aax. He deserves to know that vampires exist"

"I...I agree...but...."

"You don't want to see him hurt?"

Aax shook their head. Caspian nodded and led Aax back to the couch.

"That's understandable. One day though. One day he has to know"

"One day" the smaller man repeated, "How mad do you think Icarus is going to be?"

"If I know anything about them, they're going to be pissed. Might want to give Ocie a wolfsbane pill before we meet up"

"Agreed"

========================================

"Hey Arisanna?" Athena asked.

"What kid?"

"First, I'm not a kid. I'm 17. Second of all, do you know where Rae is?"

"No"

The woman walked away holding a stack of books. Athena stared angrily in Arisanna's direction. The two of them had never like each other. Always seemed to get on each other's nerves

"Rae's in the back. Binding another book" a black haired girl said from behind the center desk.

"Thanks Addie!"

"Of course 'thena. By the way, I'm closing up with Rae tonight. So you can go home whenever" Addie mentioned.

"Thanks. I could use a short day. School wasn't fun today"

"Since when is school fun?"

Athena laughed and walked back towards the office n the back. They opened a door to another big room that was fulled with boxes of bookds. There was another door in the corner and she opened it.

"Rae? Rae! Are you down there?"

"Athena? Yeah I'm down here!"

Athena started walking down the stairs leading down. He gasped as they saw the room. It was different from the last time she had been down here. The walls were painted a dark purple and the floors had finally been carpeted. A large table sat in the middle of the room, covered in book-binding supplies.

There standing over the table with a book in his hands, was Rae. His raven hair had been tied in a messy bun. He was wearing the same white shirt and black pants, but he was wearing a dark purple vest over the shirt.

"Hi Athena. What's up?" he asked, not looking up from his work.

"What are you wearing? I've never seen you wear that!"

"Oh this? It's new. Found it at a thrift store. I wasn't going to get it, but Caspian convinced me to"

"I'm glad he did. It improves your style!"

"Thanks. Do you need something?"

"Um....have you seen the news?"

"Yep. Vampires? As if"

"I thought that out of everybody, you would believe the officer"

"And why would I do that?"

"Well, you believe in pixies and runes"

"Well those I've seen. I literally have books filled with different runes from my mother. And I have personally seen a pixie!"

"You've seen a pixie?"

"Yeah. Want to see them?"

"Yes!!"

Rae put the book down and headed over to a bookself. He pulled a book out and smiled.

"You can come out Auxteta"

A blue shaded pixie flew out and perched themself on the librarian's shoulder. They grabbed onto Rae's hair with their tiny little hands and giggled.

"They're so pretty!"

"Auxreta, meet Athena, she won't hurt you"

The pixie looked at the teen and flew over and sat on his shoulder. Athena grinned as Auxreta started messing with their hair.

"I found Aux outside in the rain a couple days ago. Wolf helped me dry them off. I don't think I would have saved them if he didn't show up"

"Wolf Nightingale? The business man?"

"Yeah. He stopped by to return some books and they offered to help. He helps out every once and a while"

"I'd be careful around him Rae"

"What why?"

"Bad vibes. They seem dangerous"

"I highly doubt that Wolf is dangerous. He's really kind. Why don't you go home Athena. Also tell Ari that she can go as well. I don't really need any help around the library today" Rae said, motioning for Auxreta to come back.

The pixie floated back over and into their little hiding place. Athena watched as Rae turned his back and went back to work. Athena sighed and walked back up the stairs and back into the main building.

Athena told Ari she could go and the woman eagerly grabbed her things and left. Addie could tell something was wrong and hugged Athena. She offered to listen, but the teen insisted that he had to go home.

Addie looked around and locked the doors. They went back towards the storage room and hesitated. She knew that Rae was working and didn't like to be interupted except if it was family. They knew something must have happened to make Athena upset

"Rae! Is it okay if I come down?"

"No! Go home Addie. I'll close up, it's fine!"

"Uh...what?"

"Go home!"

Rae sounded like he was panicked. Addie was worried. Binding books wasn't a stressful thing. The man insisted that would do all the book repairs because it calmed him

Addie cursed themself, but slowly walked down the stairs. Something was wrong. A purple light came out from under the door. The girl opened the door and stepped back.

There was a rune book laying open on the table. And around Rae's hand were black rune circles. Rae looked up and freaked out. The light in the room went out and Addie screamed.

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A police car pulled into the parking lot of the Golden Clove. Two officers stepped out, the one who was driving slammed the door. The other jumped and glared at her.

"Ocie! Hey, what is going on?" Jerry asked.

"Nothing. It's fine" she replied coldly.

Ocie tried to walk towards the building, but Jerry grabbed her arm.

"Jerry" she hissed.

"No. We aren't going to that meeting until you tell me what's wrong"

"You didn't hear the news today, did you?"

"No. I was busy trying to keep the civilians from contaminating the crime scene"

"I slipped up about them"

"You did what!?"

"I wasn't thinking! They were pressuring me! Now they think I know who the killer is. They think I'm involved!"

"But you're not. You would never work with a vampire"

"Of course not. I...I'm just angry that my life could be ruined because of a stupid reporter"

"Let's go inside. That's Caspian's car. So he and Aax are here"

The two of them walked inside and were greeted by two bar tenders.

"Beginning to wonder if she would show up" Casus snickered.

"I told you she would be here" Vorago countered.

"Hey guys. Business is good?" Ocie asked.

"Good as it can be. Losing the night people because of your vampire issue" Vorago replied, "They're already here"

"Take this Ocie. It's wolfsbane. Just to be sure Icarus doesn't rip your throat out" Casus said, handing a dark purple pill to her.

"Wonderful. I'm sure of the wanna-be-alpha wants to remain in my good graces, they won't try anything"

Ocie swallowed the pill and her and Jerry walked into the back rooms. Inside was Caspian and Aax, both had hands on their sheated weapons. On the other side of the room were two large wolves.

"Greetings Icarus"

The two wolves growled and suddenly shifted. The wolves turned into people. One had blonde hair and was wearing black pants and an olvie green hoodie. The other had brown hair and was wearing black pants and a dark grey shirt.

"Hello Oceana. Care to tell me why you revealed their unfortunate existence to the public?" Icarus snarled.

Chapter Text

"20 bucks the wolf prince tries to take a bite out of Ocie" Casus said, slamming a bill on the bar counter.

Vorago looked up at her and just laughed.

"You're betting that our friend gets mauled by a dog?"

"It's funny! Plus, either one of us get extra cash!" Casus sang out, putting glasses away.

"Fine. But don't tell Ocie. Or if you do, tell her the truth this time. I bet that she doesn't get mauled. Don't twist the truth" Vorago surrendered.

Casus laughed and put the money in a jar and shook hands with Vorago.

"It would be funny to hear that Icarus dropped dead to a police officer. That, I would love to see. I don't like those wolves"

"I know you don't. But who do you like more? Vampires or Werewolves?"

"Neither"

=====================================================

Icarus and Easton glared at Ocie, not really paying attention to the others in the room. Jerry had a hand hovering over his gun, ready to protect his partner. Caspian and Aax were also at the ready in case this went south.

"Look Icarus. I understand why you're angry. I broke the contract to keep the vampires a secret from the public. That's on me" Ocie stated, her hands were in the air as a sign of peace.

"Why would you do it then? You didn't have to say it" Icarus snarled.

"I was being pressured okay! I hesitated trying to find a way to respond without being suspicious. But don't worry, I may lose my job soon because of this"

"I don't know if I love that or hate it" they stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're our ticket into knowing things inside the city. But I guess if you get kicked out. We still have your partner" Icarus replied, turning to Jerry.

"T..T...That's true" the officer stammered.

"How about, we all sit down and actually talk instead of standing around threateningly?" Caspian spoke up.

"Now, that human has some common sense" Icarus said, dragging a chair over.

Caspian glared at them, but turned to grab a chair as well. Everyone let go of their various weapons and grabbed chairs. The humans all sat together on one side while the wolves sat on the other side.

"Before we begin, Caspian?" Icarus started.

"Yes?" the brunet asked.

"How...how's Rae doing? I haven't talked to him in a while?"

"Your brother is doing fine. He's been spending more time at his library"

"Okay good. Do you all still put..."

"Hawthorn in our drinks? Yes. Rae doesn't know and he can't even tell when we put the herb in"

"Good. I don't want him falling victim to them. I can't lose him. I just can't"

"I understand Icarus. We don't want to lose him either. But, Aax and I wanted to discuss something with you"

"Go for it"

"We want to tell Rae everything"

Icarus' eyes shifted to golden wolf eyes. "No. We agreed to keep him in the dark. So that he remains safe. We keep him out of this"

"I don't think you have much choice in this matter. He's our partner and he deserves to know!" Aax snapped.

"I'm his brother! I think I have more power in this situation! If Rae doesn't know, he remains safe!"

"I disagree with that" Ocie interrupted.

"No one asked cop" Easton snarled.

"I agree with Icarus" Jerry mumbled.

Everyone turned to look at him. Icarus smirked, glad to have a human on their side. Ocie looked at him with confusion written all over its face.

"Look, we want to protect as many people from the vampires as possible, right? So, telling Rae the truth would put him in danger. These vampires stalk their victims. If Rae know, he'll be more cautious and any vampire would be able to tell. He'll become an easy target"

"Exactly! Thank you Jerry! I'm glad to know I'm not going crazy about this" Icarus exclaimed.

"Fine. We won't tell Rae. For now. But Icarus, he needs to know. He deserves to know that his partners are hunters, that his own brother is a werewolf" Caspian surrendered.

"And I agree. When it's safe" Icarus said, they turned to Easton, "You alright?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry, Jamie just texted me. Athena came home upset. They said that she won't talk to him right now" Easton replied.

"Okay. We will deal with that later. Maybe he had a bad day at school. Those kids aren't nice to them"

"They were working at the library today. She got sent home early" Easton pointed out.

"That doesn't make sense. Rae wouldn't send them home. He loves having them around" Caspian mentioned.

"It's probably fine. We have more pressing matters. Those vampires are causing more panic. More and more people are dying. We typically wouldn't care about humans, but since my brother is one, I do care. Plus the vampires are starting to encroach on our territory" Icarus informed, bringing attention back to the problem.

"Is there any news about their leader? If we take down the leader, the others will leave" Aax asked.

"Not really. One of our scouts came back injured. We had to put them in isolation to see if they became hostile, but they're fine. They said the vampires that attacked them were headed back towards Ender Jewels" Eaton replied.

"Ender Jewels? Enderian's fashion company?" Jerry asked.

"Yes. But I doubt she's a vampire. It wouldn't be possible" Icarus cut in.

"Why not? It would fit her cold personality" Ocie asked bitterly.

"Because Rae is human" Icarus explained.

"That's true"

"I take after my father. Fable is a werewolf. Rae takes after Enderian. We don't know about our mother. She wasn't a vampire that's for sure. And no one is stupid enough to fall in love with a cold hearted monster"

"So what were they doing at Ender Jewels?" Caspian asked.

"I don't know. We might need to send scouts. Any volunteers?"

"I can go tonight. If anyone wants to join?" Ocie volunteered.

"I'll go. See what you actually can do besides be little miss loose lips" Icarus said, with a slight growl.

"I'll go as well" Easton and Aax said at the same time.

"Alright then. Let's arm up in case we come across any bloodsuckers" Icarus smiled, standing up.

Everyone else stood up as well. Ocie handed the car keys to Jerry and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and walked out of the room. Caspian nodded and was about to leave, byt Aax grabbed his arm.

"Be safe please. Make sure he actually comes home this time? I don't want him staying late at the library anymore" they whispered.

"Don't worry. I'll head straight over. I'll be safe, I promise. You be safe yourself" Caspian whispered back.

Aax nodded and let go of Caspian. The brunet walked back into the bar and smiled. Vorago was laughing as Casus handed his money and hers over.

"What did you two bet on this time?" Caspian asked, sitting on one of the bar stools.

"I was really hoping that Ocie might be missing an arm and that Icarus would be dead" Casus replied, glaring at Vorago.

"Icarus is smart enough to not attack someone who has wolfsbane in their system. They aren't like those stupid vampires" Vorago stated.

"Jerry told us what happened before he left. Do you want something to drink Caspian?" Casus asked.

"Uh, not this time. I need to go home and make sure my other partner gets home. Rae's car is in the shop, so he's been using the buses" Caspian replied.

"Safe drive" Vorago said.

Caspian nodded and walked out of the Golden Clove. And right into the bitter cold. Caspian got to his car and stuck the keys in the ignition. He went to turn the keys, but a hissing sound stopped him. He looked behind him and screamed. Glowing purple eyes met his gaze. The vampire bore its fangs and lunged at the brunet. But the vampire never touched him. It wasn't even there. Like it had never existed. Like an illusion.

=====================================================

"Addie? Addie!? Oh my god. P..p...please wake up! Addie!"

The girl was lying on the floor unconscious. Rae was by her side and was shaking their shoulders. Tears were streaming down the man's face. Terrified of what he did. Suddenly Addie started coughing. She opened her eyes and tried to back away from Rae. But the librarian was quicker. He got up and walked far away from the girl.

"I...I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I...I...I..I did....didn't mean to!"

"Rae, it's okay. I...I don't think I'm hurt"

"No..pl...please just go"

The pain in his voice made the girl wince. She had never heard Rae sound so guilty about something. Addie managed to stand up and they started to walk towards Rae. He stepped back, but then rushed to catch Addie as she fell.

"Addie? I'm so sorry. Did...did I hurt you?"

"I don't think so. Just....disoriented"

Rae scooped Addie up and into his arms and carefully walked up the stairs. He walked into the main library and set Addie on one of the couches. He left for a minute to grab a water bottle before returning. He handed Addie the bottle and sat on his knees.

"Addie I'm sor...."

"Stop apologizing Rae. I'm not angry at you. I know you didn't mean to do that"

"That doesn't excuse the fact that I did it!"

"I'll be fine. Are you okay. Rae, your hands...."

Rae froze. In all the panic, he had been worried about Addie and not himself. He hardly ever thought about himself. The man looked down at his hands and gasped. His hands were burned. The veins in his hands were slightly black as well.

"I...I didn't do the spell correctly" he whispered.

"Spell? What was that?"

"I have these rune books. I've read all of them. And I feel like I have a connection with them. So I decided to try it. To see if I could create a rune"

"Well, did you?"

"Sort of. I was trying to use a summon rune. It would allow me to talk to anyone who is dead. I probably should have started with a more simpler rune like air or fire"

"Who were you trying to summon?"

"My mother. Isla Morningstar. She....died several years ago"

"That's fair. You do realize that magical runes take a toll on a person. I also have read the books, without proper training they could hurt the user. Rae maybe don't use these runes"

"But...."

"Rae, your hands!"

Rae looked back down and froze. The black started to spread further through the veins. It started to change the man's skin to a black wither-like texture. He looked up at Addie with terror across his face.

"Call Wolf. Ple...please call Wolf" he whispered.

Addie nodded and managed their way to the center desk. She picked up the phone and dialed. She kept glancing at Rae while telling Wolf to come over quick.

"He's on his way. It's gonna take a couple minutes though"

She sat back down and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her and she smiled. With the other hand, they carefully grabbed one of Rae's blackened hands. He winced as the sudden touch stung his hand. Addie didn't let go, knowing full well that Rae wouldn't let her help if she did.

A couple minutes later, Wolf arrived calling out for them. Addie reluctantly let go of Rae and walked over to open the doors. Wolf came running inside and rushed over to the man's side. He fell to his knees and hugged Rae.

"What happened Rae?"

Silence.

"Rae? I need you to look at me. Rae, focus on me please"

Rae slowly made eye contact with Wolf. They smiled and brushed the librarian's hair out of his face and smiled.

"Hi, it's going to be alright. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I...uh...I...Addie...I hurt...umm..." he stuttered.

"He tried to use a rune. He can do that apparently. He didn't complete it and accidently retaliated against me. I'm not hurt" Addie explained.

"Runes. Okay. I have a little knowledge of runes. This was a shadow class, wasn't it?"

Rae nodded.

"Okay. It's not going to kill you, I promise. This can be fixed" he explained.

They pulled out a black pouch with an eye of ender embroidered on it. He reached in and pulled out a potion.

"This might sting. But it will help get rid of this"

Rae nodded and held his hands out to Wolf. The man poured the potion over Rae's hands. Rae seethed as it seeped into the burns. Wolf put the empty potion back and brought the man into his arms again.

"Can you go grab some bandages Addie?" Wolf asked.

"Yeah, be right back" Addie replied.

Addie returned with some bandages and handed them to Wolf. They carefully wrapped Rae's hands. Wolf could tell that Rae was shutting down. How many times had this man tried something and failed to do it? How many times had he blamed himself for a mess up?

"Rae? Do you want me to call Caspian?" Wolf asked.

Rae nodded and Wolf pulled out his phone. Keeping the librarian in their arms, they called up the man's partner. Addie sat back down and kept quiet, not knowing what to do.

Rae could hear Caspian's worried voice through the phone. He tried keeping himself from crying, but tears started to fall down his face. He didn't know what to do. How would he explain to Caspian what happened? Would Wolf and Addie come up with a cover story? Would Caspian even believe it? What if he found out the truth? Would Caspian still love him?"

"Rae?"

Wolf's voice pulled him out of his own thoughts. He looked up at their golden eyes and managed a smile. Rae always felt safe around Wolf. No matter what anyone said, he would always trust Wolf. There was nothing they could do to drive Rae away.

The door opened and Caspian walked in. He quickly rushed over to Rae. Wolf tried to move away so that Caspian could take care of Rae, but he grabbed their arm.

"Rae-" Wolf started.

"Stay. Please. You're not making it awkward" Rae whispered.

Wolf nodded and returned to his side. Caspian smiled and carefully hugged Rae on his other side.

"Are you okay love? What happened?" Caspian asked.

"I...uh..." Rae started, trying to figure out whether to tell the truth or not.

"Runes. He attempted to do a rune. It backfired" Wolf answered.

Rae looked at Wolf and then at Caspian. He rested his head on Cas' shoulder and closed his eyes. Caspian nodded and with his free hand, gently took one of Rae's.

"I'm not mad Rae. I just want to make sure you're okay" answering the unspoken question.

Rae's body shook as he sobbed. His mind finally realizing that Caspian wasn't angry at him for having magic. He felt Wolf let go, allowing Caspian to hold him.

"Can we get you home now?" Caspian asked.

Rae nodded. Caspian and Wolf helped Rae up and led him out to the car. Addie turned off the lights in the library and locked it up. They all said goodnight and went their separate ways.

=====================================================

The street lights outside the library flickered. They kept flickering until a figure stood in the light. The figure was wearing a hood over her head. Her blonde hair flowing from under her hood. She smiled and then vanished into the cold winter night.

Chapter Text

A red wolf and a brown wolf bounded over the hill. Both were running through the snow covered forest without a care in the world. They reached the base of a mountain and stopped. The red wolf started to climb the mountain, but the other growled.

Athena get down. It's not safe

That's the fun part about it Jamie!

Please get down

Fine

Athena jumped off and into the snow. The brown wolf let out a sigh of relief and brushed its head against the other. The wolves turned back to their human form. Jamie held out a hand and Athena took it. He pulled her up and into a hug. Athena buried his head into Jamie's sweater and closed their eyes.

"Thank you for getting me out of the house"

"No problem. You haven't left since Rae sent you home. You do realize you've missed a bunch of school, right?"

"I'm aware. But I just haven't felt like going anywhere. Rae and I hardly ever get angry at each other. How many days has it been?"

"Three"

"That's not that bad"

"Sure. Let's head back and see if my mom wants to make hot chocolate. Or we can stay and talk about what happened?"

"Talk and then hot coco" Athena decided, sitting on a rock. Jamie joined them. "Rae believes in pixies and runes, but not vampires. Which is good. He doesn't know they exist. But then we got to talking about Wolf Nightingale. I don't trust him. Something about them sets me on edge. Rae trusts him a lot. And I mean a lot"

"What about them sets you on edge?"

"That's the problem! I don't know. They seem perfectly safe, but when I'm near him, it feels like my skin is crawling"

"Don't worry. Rae's a smart person, he wouldn't hang out with someone who wasn't a good person. Why don't we go inside?"

Athena nodded and both got up. Athena start running and eventually shifted into their wolf form. Jamie shifted as well and raced after them. Both wolves weaved around all the frost bitten trees. They jumped over the frozen creek and landed on the other side. Athena bounded over the boulders and jumped in front of Jamie. She made it to the cabin in the clearing first and howled in victory.

They walked up the stairs of the cabin and shifted back. Jamie opened the door and walked in, Athena following behind them. The cabin was warm and secured, just like the teens liked it to be. A Christmas tree was placed in the corner of the main room right next to the fireplace. Athena walked over to it and smiled.

"I wonder what we'll get for Christmas this year" he said.

"I'm hoping to get a new ax" Jamie added.

"Well, you guys have to wait. Christmas isn't for another three weeks" woman spoke up.

They turned to see Momboo standing in the doorway. Her orange hair was tied in a braid that draped across her shoulder. The woman was wearing a pink sweater that Jamie's sibling, Easton had gotten her last year.

"Mom!"

Jamie ran over to hug her. Momboo hugged back, while motioning for Athena to join as well.

Momboo was human. Well. Partly human. She was blessed by the gods with the healing rune. She had the ability to regrow the world around her. She could heal those who were injured. She could also bring life back to those who were dead.

Athena had arrived in Momboo's care at a young age. Their parent, Netherum was a werewolf and mysteriously vanished. Athena's mother left a little after. Fable had discovered her secret and cast her out. The woman was secretly a vampire. Through different tests, they were able to confirm that Athena was just a werewolf and not a hybrid. He wished that they could remember their mother's name and what she looked like.

"Would you two like hot chocolate? You were out in the snow for a while" Momboo asked.

"Yes please! We were coming to ask you that anyways" Athena replied.

The teens ran into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Momboo shook her head and laughed. They started pouring the hot water into two cups while the teens muttered something behind her back.

"Don't hurt each other"

They ignored her comment and started to arm wrestle. A couple weeks ago, Easton had challenged them to multiple different games to win some ancient artifacts. One was an arm wresting tournament. Easton won. Jamie agreed to practice with Athena because there was a specific artifact she wanted.

"I said don't hurt each other" Momboo chastised, carrying over the hot chocolate.

"We're not" Athena replied, pinning Jamie's arm to the table.

"I think you might beat Easton after all. They're gonna owe you a Nether Star for Christmas!" Jamie exclaimed.

"Here you go kids" Momboo said, handing them their cups.

The graciously accepted the cups and took a sip.

"This is really good mom. Thank you!" Jamie smiled.

"Of course"

"Hey Momboo? When do you think Icarus will get back from scouting?" Athena asked.

"Not for a while. Wait, how did you know they went scouting?"

"I might have sneaked a look at your phone before we left"

Jamie snickered, trying not to choke on their drink.

"They're checking Ender Jewels. I'm not sure why though" Momboo said

"It makes perfect sense" Athena countered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, counter to what Icarus' keeps saying. You know their own father lied to them? Yeah Fable hasn't told the complete truth. I know because I like eavesdropping. But anyway, Enderian is a vampire. She's their queen. And even though Rae is human, he's technically their prince"

=====================================================

The boy screamed as Centross sank his fangs into his throat. The vampire unlocked his jaw from the boy's throat and let the dead body collapse to the ground. Centross wiped the blood off of his face and smiled.

"Feel better Mistvale?"

"Much. Much better. Animal blood only gets you so far"

"I agree"

"What about you Perix? Do you need a fresher meal tonight?"

"I wouldn't pass it up. Dispose of the body first. Put him somewhere for the pathetic police to fine" she replied, scanning the area.

"I think outside the police station would be nice. Maybe have a little message saying, 'Thank you Officer Golden for accusing us as non-existent creatures' that would be funny" Centross joked.

"Do it. Except replace the 'us' for 'me'. We don't want to give away that there are more of us. We already have to deal with the hunters and those pesky wolves. We don't need the police to catch onto us"

"Will do. Meet up at the station in five?"

"Three. I'll feed there. Let my food know their fate before hand" Perix corrected.

"Sounds like you, my lady. I'll see you very soon"

Centross picked up the dead body and vanished into the night. Perix started to walk into the city. She was glad it was dark out, otherwise feeding would be more difficult. They cast an illusion over themself to look like a frail old lady. Perix started to walk slower to keep up their appearance. To their delight, a middle age woman came by and offered her arm in support. When they were sure no one was around, Perix dropped the illusion.

"What are you!?" the woman exclaimed.

"Have you never heard of a vampire before?"

The woman ran, but Perix caught up to her. She screamed, but the vampire put a cold hand around the woman's throat, silencing her screams. Perix and the woman vanished and reappeared in front of the station. Centross was there. The boy's body was cast aside onto the stairs with a letter in his hand. The vampire turned and smiled.

"That was two minutes. You didn't take long"

"I'm very hungry Centross, you should know" they stated, indicating the body.

"Then by all means"

Perix let go of the woman's throat. Centross could see the terror on her face. He could see her eyes pleading for him to rescue her. He grinned, exposing his own fangs. The woman's attention returned to Perix as the vampire hissed. She screamed as Perix sank their fangs into her throat. The moment the blood touched her lips, the vampire felt a rush of relief. She felt more awake, more alive for a vampire. When they were done feeding, they let the woman go and she fell next to the boy. Perix wiped the blood of her face and looked back at Centross.

"I feel better now. Shall we head back?"

"We might need to" he replied, staring past her.

"Shit"

Two wolves were growling at them. With a police officer and a civilian behind them, armed with a sword in one hand and a stake in the other.

"Well if this isn't a nice surprise. Hello Ick. Nice to see you again. Too bad you missed dinner" Centross taunted.

It's Icarus to you David. I thought I warned you to stay away

"You did. I didn't listen. Now if you can excuse us. We'll be on our way. Oh, and by the way, Officer Golden, what an honour to meet you. Have fun explaining this to your higher ups" he jeered.

Perix and Centross took off running and quickly vanished into the night. Icarus started to chase after them, but Easton growled not to. Ocie ran past them and to the bodies on the stairs. She checked their pulse and hung her head.

"Dead. Both of them. The bodies are still warm, which means they were just killed" Ocie announced, pain lacing its voice.

Aax came up and put a hand on her shoulder. The two wolves shifted back to their human forms and joined them.

"It's not your fault Ocie" Aax said.

"But it is Aax. It is my fault. I outed them to the public and this is their retaliation. 'Hey, thanks for exposing us. You know the one body every couple days? Here's two more!" Ocie shouted, tossing aside her weapons.

"At least you admit it" Icarus mumbled.

Easton elbowed them in the side and was returned with a growl. They simply brushed off Icarus' threat and knelt down next to Ocie.

"Yes, it's your fault. But it's also theirs. You didn't decide that two people would be killed tonight. They decided that. They could've ignored your outburst on the news. It's a combination of both of your faults" Easton comforted.

"Since when did you learn how to comfort people?" Ocie asked with a laugh.

"Your sister is my adoptive mother. I learn from my surroundings" Easton grinned.

Ocie nodded, "I need to call this in"

"I'll stay with you. You two should go. Maybe try to see where they went" Aax offered.

"Sounds good to me. We'll track them down. Confirm if Ender Jewels is the location of their base. Ocie, you might want to change out of your uniform. It'll look very suspicious if you are in your uniform this late at night when you aren't on duty" Icarus replied.

Icarus and Easton shifted back into the wolf forms as Ocie went inside the station. Icarus made eye contact with Aax. While in their wolf form, they could sense irritation, anger and fear in the hunter.

What trouble's you?

"Jesus! You scared me!"

I'm sorry. Have you never had someone speak in your mind?

"No. It's not like I hang out with you wolves all the time"

Sorry. You seem on edge, are you alright?

"Centross. I...I didn't know he was a vampire. I knew Perix was, but him....."

Do you know him? Personally?

"Yes. And you'll hate this. He's Rae's best friend"

Aax was right. Icarus' golden fur on their back pricked up. Their pupils narrowed and a low growl sounded from their throat.

He's what?

"Friends with Rae. Those two hang out a lot. Well, him and Wolf Nightingale. Those three are really close with each other"

Is this Wolf a vampire?

"Not to my knowledge"

Great. A vampire is friends with my brother. This is wonderful

"He hasn't done anything to Rae. I think we'll be alright"

As long as you keep putting hawthorn in his drink, he'll be safe from Centross' influence

Ocie returned dressed in civilian clothing. She nodded to Icarus and pulled out its phone. Icarus and Easton bowed their heads and then took off running the way the vampires took off in.

The two wolves sprinted through the cold night. Towards Ender Jewels. They ducked into any alleyway and watched the back entrance to the building. It was quiet. Too quiet. Icarus made a move to get closer, but all of a sudden the doors burst open. They stepped back and kept still. A woman stepped out and angrily threw Centross out. She looked pissed.

"I thought I told you to not cause trouble. I don't care if you follow Perix, we stick to what we've been told. We don't go around mindlessly killing humans"

"You and the others don't understand. Humans are meant for us to feed on!"

"Bullshit! You just can't control yourself! You need to learn self control like the rest of us! The police are starting to catch on due to that officer. Stay low Centross"

"You do not tell me what to do" he snapped.

"You will listen or I can go get them"

Centross shut his mouth.

"My apologies Arisanna. May I be let back inside?"

"By all means. Just think about where your true loyalties lie. Because I can guarantee you that Perix is not where your loyalties lie" Arisanna stated, moving aside.

Centross hissed at her and then walked back inside. She looked around and then went back inside as well.

Who is Arisanna?

I don't know Easton. I've never heard of her

Should we go back? We've confirmed they're lair is at Ender Jewels

Yes. Let's go home. We both have families to go back to. No more blood needs to be spilled tonight

Chapter Text

The world went black. He couldn't see anything. Rae stumbled around blindly trying to figure out where he was. His wandering hands found someone's arm. He let go and backed away, but that someone grabbed his wrist.

"Hey! Let me go!"

"Rae"

"How do you know my name? Who are you!?

"You...you do not recognize me?"

"How can I? I can't see! What did you do to me!?"

"It's me. Isla"

Rae froze.

"Mom?"

"My son. You have connected us. That rune you tried, it has tied our souls together"

"What? What do you mean? Why can't I see anything?"

"Because you won't allow yourself to see. Push through the magic barrier and open your mind. Only then, will you be able to see me. Godly magic is not easy for a mortal to posses. I should know"

A thundering sound sounded behind him and lightning hit right beside him.

"Go my son. This connection won't be safe until you can complete the rune. Wake up Rae! Wake up!"

Caspian jolted awake as Rae screamed. His partner shot up and was flailing his arms around as if he was being attacked.

"Rae! Rae! Rae, look at me! Hey, it's okay. It was just a nightmare" he comforted, grabbing Rae's shoulders.

The librarian's eyes were frantically trying to focus, but they couldn't keep eye contact. Caspian lifted a hand to cup Rae's face. The man melted into his touch and closed his eyes, his breathing slowing and eventually steading.

"I'm sorry. I...I..I di..didn't mean to wake y..you up"

"You don't have to apologize Rae. Are you okay?"

"I think so. You were right, it was jus...just a nightmare. I think. I don't know. It was confusing"

"What happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" the brunet added quickly.

"I saw...well, I couldn't see anything. I heard my mom"

"Oh. How...how is that a nightmare love?"

"It got worse. She was saying things that didn't make sense to me. And then there was a loud thundering sound and lightning almost hit me. She started yelling at me to wake up"

"Okay. That does sound scary. But, it's over. I'm here"

"Where's Aax? Did he already wake up?" Rae asked, looking back to see his other partner gone.

"I don't know" Caspian replied, lying though his teeth.

========================================

"How many time do I have to tell you? Ocie and I went out on a late night run. We wanted to get things off our chests. We were running by the station when I noticed two people on the stairs. I thought they were sleeping until we noticed the blood. Then we called you. What part do you not understand?"

"Are you positive that Oceana did no..."

"Ocie didn't kill them. Why would she? I cannot believe you aren't listening to your own officer. Stop listening to the the news for once! She's not a killer" Aax snapped.

Aax didn't know what time it was. Ocie had called the bodies in and then both were taken in for questioning. The two of them had been separated into different rooms. Aax was praying to whatever god was out there, that Ocie and him had the same cover story.

"Fine then. Let me go see if you can go. Just sit tight Mr. Lush"

The officer gathered their notes and stood up. They walked out of the room and closed the door behind. Aax got up and started pacing around. They had taken Aax's belongings for search before the interrogation. Luckily for both Ocie and Aax, the man had an ender bag and shoved their swords and stakes in before the police showed up. They would've been in more trouble if they had been caught with weapons. The officer walked back in and motioned for Aax to leave. They took no time and walked out and grabbed his other things and went to the lobby.

"Where's Ocie?"

"She's gonna be with the chief for a bit longer"

"What? Why?"

"That is none of your business Mr. Lush. Please leave"

"I'm not leaving until she's done"

"I'm afraid that you have to. Please do or I will have you escorted out"

Aax sneered and shoved his way past the officer and left the building. They groaned as they realized that he would have to walk all the way home in the freezing cold. Several months ago, he would have just called a taxi; but since their discovery of vampires, they had been cautious about driving with people he didn't know.

They looked at their phone and sighed.

Hey Aax, where are you?

Aax?

Love, are you alright?

Caspian isn't getting a response from you. Are you okay?

Aax covered their mouth to stifle a sob while reading Rae's panicked texts. He looked at the time and was surprised to see that it was already seven in the morning.

Hi Rae. Sorry. I was....It doesn't matter. I'm on my way home.

Oh thank gods! We were starting to worry. I was about to call Ocie

You wouldn't have reached Ocie either. We're okay though

Just get home soon, okay?

Of course. I'm on my way

Aax took off running in the light snow. It would be about ten minutes before he got home. Less than five if he had a car. The cold was starting to slow them down, the cold air putting pressure on their lungs. Suddenly a cop car rolled up next to them.

"Need a lift?" Jerry asked.

"Please" Aax replied.

Aax hopped on with his friend and gave Jerry directions to their house. Jerry and Aax kept silent most of the way. The officer asked if Ocie was alright and Aax answered that she was going to be. Just not at the moment.

A couple minutes later, they pulled up to Caspian's house. Aax stepped out and bid Jerry goodbye. They watched at Jerry drove away before making their way to the house. The lights had been turned on and they could see their partners through the windows. He opened the door and walked into the comfort of the house.

"Hi, sorry I was gone" they greeted.

Rae set down his coffee and rushed to hug the smaller man. Aax hugged him back. Something was wrong. The grip Rae had on them felt wrong. He broke the hug and grabbed Rae's hand. The librarian gasped and pulled his arm away from them.

"Rae what happened. W..why are your hands bandaged?"

Rae looked at Caspian and the brunet nodded. He joined his partners and wrapped his arms carefully around Rae.

"Why don't we sit down. It's been a rough couple of hours for him" Caspian offered, leading Rae back to the couch.

Aax followed after, concern now covering their face. What happened while I was gone? They all sat down and both of Rae's partner leaned against him.

"I'm alright Aax. I just....um...I..."

"Hey, I told I wasn't angry. Aax won't be either" Caspian comforted, realizing Rae's hesitation.

"Yeah, you can tell me" Aax said, this time gently grabbing one of Rae's hands.

"I...I tried to use a rune. I didn't complete it and it....backfired. My hands are burned. Wolf came and helped. I'll be okay"

"You have magic?"

"Y...yeah"

"That's so cool!"

Rae and Caspian laughed. Aax smiled, relishing in the sound of their partner's laughter. It was something that had been really absent in their house. With the vampire issue becoming worse and with Rae spending more time at the library; none of them had had time to be themself.

"I'm sorry for not being home so much. I've been locking myself away in the library a little too much" Rae apologized.

"Why have you starlight? It wasn't like you to do that" Caspian asked.

"Since I found the rune books in my mother's old things, I've felt a connection. I started reading them and have been practicing them in the basement of the library. Yesterday was the first time I actually had a rune, I just couldn't complete it" Rae explained.

"What spell did you try? What type of spells are there?" Aax asked excitedly.

"There's a lot. There are different rune classes. I tried one from the shadow class. It's called a summon rune. I tried to talk to my mother, the one that died" Rae continued.

"Oh. Th..that's cool. Definitely not a little terrifying. Talking to the dead. I still love you! But it's a little terrifying" Aax said, quickly adding comfort for Rae.

The librarian just laughed. Caspian was glad to hear Rae laughing. When he got to Rae last night, the man was barely keeping himself together. He was so scared of what anyone would think of him. The brunet wished that Rae would realize that no one would ever think differently of him.

"Enough about me. Where were you Aax?" Rae asked, switching topics.

Aax let out a sigh, "Police Station. Ocie and I went on a late night run and we came across another body. The police questioned me all night"

"Another murder?"

"Two actually. Whoever is doing this, is certainly getting more dangerous" Aax corrected, making eye contact with Caspian.

The brunet nodded, understanding what Aax was silently saying.

"Well, I promise I won't be staying so late at the library anymore. I...I just didn't want to practice runes in our house without you guys knowing" Rae said, leaning over to kiss Aax's forehead.

"Thank you. That would make me feel better" they replied.

"You can practice here love. We've got our basement. And we could try to help, I'm not sure how, but we can help" Caspian offered.

"Thank you" Rae smiled.

"Are you going anywhere today love?"

"Uh, I don't know. Library is closed for today. I might go bug Centross"

Aax froze. Caspian noticed and gave them a concerned look.

"Later" the smaller man mouthed.

"Okay. Yeah, that should be fine. Just take care of yourself. Maybe let us see how bad your hands are a little later?" Caspian offered.

"Yeah. Wolf poured a type of potion on my hands. It burned for a moment, but he said it would help" Rae agreed.

"Does it feel any better?" Aax asked.

"A little bit. It still stings when someone touches" Rae replied.

Aax and Caspian let go of Rae's hands. The librarian laughed and grabbed his partners hands. He gently interlaced his fingers with theirs and smiled.

"It doesn't hurt that bad when you guys do it" he said.

Rae kissed both of his partners before getting up and heading upstairs. As soon as Rae shut the door upstairs, Caspian turned to Aax. The man was still staring in Rae's direction.

"Hey, Aax what's wrong?"

"We...we ran into Centross last night"

"Oh? Was....was he one of the one's killed?"

"No. He ran off with Perix. He's one of them Cas"

"Fuck. Centross is a vampire?"

"Yeah"

"I wish we could tell him. It isn't safe for Rae to be hanging around with a vampire

"Icarus said as long as we keep putting hawthorn in our drinks, Centross can't influence him"

"Good. And I swear, if Centross does anything to Rae. I'll fucking kill him myself" Caspian stated, slamming a dagger onto the table.

Chapter Text

"Fengari? What's wrong?" Ven asked.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right"

"Okay. We can go home? We don't have to keep walking around?"

"Yeah. Home sounds good"

Ven squeezed Fengari's hand and smiled. The other man nodded and turned around, back the way they came. The two of them froze. A woman was standing in front of them. Ven couldn't see who it was because the woman was wearing a scarf around her face.

"Um, excuse me ma'am. If you could...."

She removed her scarf and stared them in the eyes. Ven felt a wave wash over him as he let go of his fiancée's hand.

"Ven?"

Ven stepped back as the woman stepped forward. The two men gasped as she smiled, exposing her fangs. Ven tried to move, but his feet wouldn't move.

"Feng run!"

Fengari turned to run, but the vampire grabbed him and sank her fangs into his throat. She released her hold on Fengari, but not before ripping his throat out. He collapsed to the ground, dead.

Ven tried to scream, but it felt like his tongue was tied. She turned to face Ven. Her emerald green eyes met his frantic green ones. She ran off into the night and released her influence on Ven's body. He fell to the ground as well. He scrambled over to Fengari's body and screamed out. His world was torn from him, in one single night.

========================================

"Ven? Ven wake up. Ven!"

The man woke up and screamed. He frantically looked around before settling his gaze on his roommate.

"Ulysses. Sorry. I...it was just a nightmare:

"Don't worry about it Ven. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. What time is it? What day is it?"

"Uh, its like nine in the morning, and it's Thursday"

"Thursday!?"

"Yep"

"I though it was Tuesday!"

Ulysses shook his head. He picked up a couple of empty bottles and sighed.

"How much have you had to drink? And be honest"

"Apparently too much"

Ulysses grabbed the rest of the empty bottle scattered around their apartment and tossed them in a sack. Ven glanced around at their messy apartment and sighed. Cleaning was not on the man's agenda this morning.

"Are you okay Ulysses?"

"Just tired. The Golden Clove has gotten really busing during the day. We still get people coming at night to drink, but hardly any show up. I don't blame them, being out a night with a serial killer on the loose isn't safe"

"Vampire. I'm telling you it's a vampire"

"Yeah yeah yeah. I think you're still drunk Ven"

Ven glared at the man cleaning up the apartment. The younger man had moved in with Ulysses a couple months after Fengari had been killed. Ulysses had lost his partner as well, but it was just a car accident. Ven tried explaining that a vampire had killed his fiancée, but not even Ulysses would listen.

"Hey, why don't we head over to the cafe? Get some coffee?"

"Yeah sure. That doesn't sound bad. I haven't seen Momboo in a bit"

"Same. Let's go get you out of the house"

========================================

"Momboo, I'm telling you, David is one of them! Why would I lie about that!?" Icarus exclaimed.

"Then Wolf is one as well. They both live with each other and are in a relationship with the other" Momboo countered, "But that wouldn't make sense, because I can tell that they aren't"

"Look, can you just check again? Use your weird magic thingy?"

"Runes. They're called runes. And yes, if it makes you feel better, I can check again. Wolf stops by every once and a while. He might be here today"

"Thank you"

"Of course. But why the sudden concern about Wolf?"

"Centross is apparently Rae's best friend. And I'm making sure only one vampire is hanging around him and not two. I would like to keep David away, but it would raise too much suspicion"

"You are just paranoid"

Icarus rolled their eyes and drank the rest of their tea. Momboo walked out from behind the counter and over to the door. She flipped the sign from [CLOSED] to [OPEN] and went back.

"Did you like the tea?"

"I did. You know, I'm willing to pay"

"Call it an early Christmas gift. Now, I think you have places to be"

"Yeah, Athena and Jamie want me to train them some more. They sort of ordered me to because school got canceled for them today. Those two are really insistent on being stronger than Easton, aren't they?"

"You know my family Icarus. When Easton sets a challenge, they want to win"

"Then off I go. Text me when you do your 'rune' check please?"

"Keep bugging and I won't!"

Icarus laughed and walked out of the cafe. Momboo smiled as she shook her head. They went back to making sure the cafe was presentable before Icarus had showed up. She didn't mind them hanging around. The wolf prince had made her an honorary member of their pack a year prior. Momboo had pledged her allegiance to them and promised to protect them as best as she could.

A couple minutes later, people started coming in. Momboo greeted every single one that came and went. She secretly rune check everyone. They had figured out a way where she could preform a rune without exposing it to society. All she could sense were humans and a werewolf in human form every once in a while. Momboo looked up as the door opened again and she smiled.

"Well well well. As I live and breath. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up again Ven"

The young man yawned in return and gave a sleepy smile. Ulysses clapped him on the shoulder and sat down at the counter. Ven joined as well and stared lazily at the menu.

"Good morning Momboo. Can I just get herbal mint tea please?" Ulysses asked.

"Of course. And would you like a coffee Ven?" Momboo replied, giving Ven a knowing look.

"Yes please" he muttered.

Momboo chuckled and turned to go make the tea and coffee.

"So, want to tell me where you've been Mr. Atlan?"

"Atlan? Since when did you use my last name?"

"I use it every now and then"

"He's been drunk, moping around like a depressed person" Ulysses cut in.

"Ven, how many times do I have to tell you? Getting drunk doesn't take your problems away, it only prolongs when you actually deal with them" Momboo scolded.

"I know, I know. I should deal with things and not ignore them. It's just....Christmas is coming up and it's my first one since he passed"

"That's understandable, but I'm glad you're learning" Momboo said, handing Ven his coffee.

"Has anything exciting happened as of late?" Ulysses asked, accepting his tea.

"I wouldn't say exciting. My sister called me saying she might lose her job because she claims that non-existent creatures are going around killing people"

"See? I told you! Vampires do exist!"

"Keep your voice down! I don't need you scaring away customers!" Momboo hissed.

"Sorry" he apologized.

"They do not exist, Ven. This is just your imagination" Ulysses stated.

The door opened again and the three of them looked to see who it was. Wolf Nightingale walked in after brushing off some snow off their suit. He walked up and sat down at the counter next to Ven and grinned.

"Glad to see you out of the house" Woolf greeted.

Ven glared at him while Ulysses tried to choke on his tea.

"Hello Wolf. Would you like anything to drink?" Momboo asked, "It's on the house"

"Nothing to drink, but a croissant would be nice"

Momboo nodded and went to grab one. "Can you just check again? Use your weird magic thingy?" Icarus' words rang through her head. She had already checked months ago. Wolf was human. But anything could happen in months.

The things I do for you Icarus. You're lucky nobody realizes I do it.

Momboo handed a croissant to Wolf and wrote the rune. To the rune mage, a light washed over the man. She smiled as the light remained white, indicating he was human.

"Momboo? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry, I was just thinking" she quickly responded.

"You're good. Uh, Arisanna is stopping by soon"

"Oh wonderful. How has she been?"

"Great. One of the people I work with hired her as another fashion designer. She's happy or so she tells me" Wolf replied.

"I am happy, thanks by the way"

Ven jumped when he registered that Arisanna was standing behind him.

"You got here quick" Wolf noted.

"Well duh. You get through traffic quicker when you're on a motorcycle" Arisanna stated, "Hi Momboo"

White. No. Pale blue? White. Momboo rid herself of the rune and shook her head. Some charm must be interfering with her magic. Arisanna was human. She knew that.

"Hi Ari. It's good to see you again" Momboo smiled.

"Before you ask, I'm good. I already ate, but thank you" she quickly stated before Momboo could ask.

"So, now that we have the group here; what's everyone been doing during these cold winter days?" Ulysses asked.

"I've been busy running a cafe and trying to find gifts for the kids. Jamie wants an ax for Christmas" Momboo replied.

"I've been drinking" Ven mumbled.

"Of course you have. Get a life Ven" Arisanna smirked.

"I do! I write for the paper. When I actually get a story"

"Point taken. I've just been working on new designs or working at the library" Arisanna said.

"I've been taking care of him" Ulysses stated, pointing at Ven.

"What about you Wolf?" Momboo asked.

"Hm? Me? Oh, nothing really" Wolf replied.

"Liar. There is no way that you, who owns like ten businesses doesn't have anything 'exciting' going on in your life" Ven challenged.

"I own three Ven. Three"

"Still, what have you been up to?"

"Uh...." Wolf stammered.

Arisanna noticed Wolf's hesitation. She looked over his shoulder and saw him looking at his phone. They were on their notes and on that specific note was, [Check on Rae. (Maybe ask Caspian and Aax about relationship things]

Arisanna snatched his phone away.

"Ari-"

"What's up with Rae? Is he okay?" she asked, seeming to ignore the other note.

"He...he burned his hands in the mini kitchen you guys have in the staff lounge at the library" Wolf explained, hoping to hide the true situation.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good" Ulysses said.

"Yeah, he called me up the other day to help"

"OH! Wait! There's more to this note!" Arisanna exclaimed.

"Hey no! That's personal!" Wolf exclaimed, trying to get his phone back.

Arisanna moved away, holding the phone up in the air. Wolf groaned and put his face in his hands. The others looked at Arisanna with curiosity written across their faces.

"Oh? Wolf hiding something from us? That's not like you" Momboo poked.

"I'll be nice. Do you want me to tell them?" Arisanna asked.

"Sure. Whatever. It's not like he....it's not like he shares the same feelings"

"It says, [Check on Rae. (Maybe ask Caspian and Aax about relationship things] Does someone have feelings for Rae?"

"So what if I do? It...it's not like he shares similar feelings. Towards me. Besides, I have Centross"

"You can have more than one partner. Rae has two" Ulysses pointed out.

"Fair, but still. He doesn't...." Wolf started.

"And how would you know?" Ven interrupted.

"I don't"

Arisanna started laughing. She handed Wolf his phone back and sat down. "Oh, I know he has feelings for you. The way he looks at you when you stop by. The way he talks about you. Please, Rae definitely has feelings for you. You both are just cowards when it comes to telling each other"

Ulysses, Ven and Momboo started laughing to Wolf's dismay.

"Look, I'll make you a deal brother. You tell Rae and I'll leave you alone. If you don't, I'll tell Rae and make your life miserable for as long as I like"

Wolf glared at her while the others continued laughing.

"Fine. If I don't tell him in....in a week. Then you can, just don't be a bitch about it. Please?"

"I can agree to that. I'm your sister, I'm supposed to be mean to you. But I'm also supposed to be nice. Don't make me tell Rae. Please. I might throw up if I hear him gush about you one more time"

"Deal"

Wolf and Arisanna shook hands. Momboo smiled, watching the interaction between her friends. She was glad to have friends like them.

Chapter Text

"Look Icarus, I've interacted with some of the vampires. Not all of them are monsters! Why don't we leave them alone? Maybe they'll back off" Haley tried to explain.

"Clearly you haven't been using hawthorn. They've influenced you Haley" Icarus snarled.

"I've been using hawthorn. I haven't stopped"

"Then what makes you think they aren't monsters?"

"See I knew you wouldn't understand"

"Take a couple days off of vampire watch"

"Oh, I'm taking more than a couple days. I quit"

"You can't just quit hunting them"

"Watch me"

Haley tossed her weapons on the forest floor and turned away. She started to walk away from Icarus. The wolf prince growled and shifted into their wolf form. They bounded after Haley and then growled louder. She continued to ignore Icarus' warnings. They started to get angrier, the clawed at Haley and forcefully off the trail and thrown against a tree.

Haley slumped to the ground, blood dripping down her face. She gasped for air as her body had been thrown at a force unknown to a human.

'I'm going to get Momboo. I...I...I'm sorry Haley'

Icarus ran off back the way they came. Haley was dying. She couldn't move. She couldn't feel her arms or her legs. She kept trying to intake air, but her vision started to go blurry.

"Haley? Hey! Stay with me"

"Arisanna? Just kill me now"

"If that's what you want. But, I can save your life"

"Can't fix a broken neck bloodsucker"

"I can turn you"

"Why? Why would I want to be a vampire?"

"Because you would continue to live. I heard you. You don't think we're monsters anymore. And I'm glad someone finally understands us"

"Will I be able to move? Or am I just stuck like this?"

"It will heal you. Your body will repair itself"

"Do it"

"Not gonna be an easy process"

"Don't care"

Arisanna nodded and pulled out her dagger. She cut her wrist, blood flowing from it and brought it to Haley's lips.

"Have to have vampire blood in your system before you turn"

Haley coughed when the metallic taste of blood touched her tongue. Arisanna took Haley's head in both her hands.

"This is gonna hurt for a second. I'm sorry"

The vampire snapped the hunter's head and Haley dropped to the ground, dead. Arisanna waited a minute before turning her attention back to the hunter.

"Welcome back Haley. Now you're one of us"

====================================

Haley was pacing back and forth in her house. She kept glancing at the clock on the wall. The hands on the clock seemed to be taking forever to move. She kept fiddling with the chain around her neck, waiting for the jewel that would allow her her freedom.

Ever since becoming a vampire, Haley had been imprisoned in her own home. Unable to set foot in the sunlight, the woman had become restless. She was waiting for a specific jewel called an Eye of Ender. This jewel allows a vampire to walk in the sun without burning.

"Hey, you wanna leave or what?"

Haley looked at the door and smiled. She walked over and unlocked the door, she went to open it but realized the sun would flow in.

"It's unlocked" Haley informed, stepping away.

Arisanna opened the door and quickly closed it when she got inside.

"Well? Do you have it?"

"I have it. Here, attach it to your necklace. And then, you can be in the sun"

She grabbed the jewel and attached it to the chain. The metals fused together and jewel glowed. The light dimmed and Haley looked at the closed blinds.

"So, it won't burn this time?"

"Correct. Open them"

Haley hesitated. The first time she had been exposed to sunlight after turning into a vampire was painful. She gained the courage and opened the blinds. The sun hit her skin and she wasn't burning. Haley laughed and ran outside. The sun felt warm against her skin. She spun around and Arisanna watched from the doorway.

"Enjoying your freedom?"

Haley jumped at the sudden voice behind her.

"Perix! Good to see you again. And yes, I am. It feels so good to be in the sun again!"

"Good. Now, you do remember what I told you about mages?"

"Yes. To stay away from them as much as possible. They can cast a rune to check what species you are. My old friend Momboo is a rune mage. She's rune checked everyone who ever comes into her cafe"

"What?" Arisanna asked.

"Yeah. When she comes across a vampire, she'll slip nightshade into their drinks. She modifies the poison so that it takes effect after they leave so their death doesn't lead back to her" Haley explained.

"Is something wrong Arisanna?" Perix asked.

"I was hanging out with Momboo the other day at her cafe. I didn't have anything to eat or drink. Does...does that mean she knows? About me?" Arisanna panicked.

"Possibly, which means you have to be more careful" Perix stated.

"Wonderful, I have to cautious around one of my best friends" Arisanna mumbled.

"At least you still get to see her. Everyone in Icarus' pack knows that I'm now a vampire. I can't ever go home. I can't ever see Jamie and Easton grow up together, I can't ever see Momboo again. I'm alone" Haley countered.

"Sorry Haley. You have me though. Should we head to Ender Jewels to report back to Enderian?" Arisanna suggested.

Perix nodded and looked around before running towards the city. Haley stared after in awe at how quickly the vampire ran. She wondered how much fun it would be to run so fast that humans couldn't see them.

"We'll get to that later. Hop on" Arisanna said, walking towards her motorcycle.

Arisanna got on and stuck her keys in the ignition. Haley slid on behind her and wrapped her arms around the vampire's waist. Arisanna smiled and began to drive off towards the city.

====================================

"Enderian? Are you there?" Alerion called.

"Yes! You can come in!" she answered.

Alerion opened the office door and walked inside. He paused in the doorway watching as his sister paced around her office. He walked over to her and grabbed them by her shoulders.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing"

"Liar. You forget that I can tell when someone is lying"

"It's nothing Alerion"

"Enderian, what's wrong? You can tell me"

"I'm supposed to be heading out for lunch with Rae soon"

"And what's wrong with that? Did you and Rae get into an argument recently?"

"No. He...he asked if Athena could join and I said yes"

"Oh"

"Yeah, oh" she said, pacing again.

"You out of everyone are allowing a werewolf to join you?"

"Well yes. I can't exactly tell Rae why I don't want Athena to join us. He doesn't know about our world. I want to keep it that way. He remains safe not knowing the truth. So I had to say yes"

"Well, you know Rae never asks for anything. Athena must have asked to come. Which means she might want to speak to you"

"And that's what I'm afraid of. The young wolf has their own agenda no matter what their alpha says. I don't know what their thought process is right now"

"Athena isn't a stupid kid. They won't try anything in front of Rae"

"I know"

A knock on the door diverted their attention from their conversation. Enderian took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Oh, to what do I owe the pleasure Perix and Arisanna?"

"We've come to report that Haley has been given her Eye of Ender" Arisanna replied.

Enderian looked over Arisanna's shoulder to see Haley. The woman nodded and then met Enderian's gaze.

"Wonderful. I am glad to see you have made the transition well. You know Miss Gar, I offer all of the newcomers a position here at Ender Jewels. A way to keep all my coven protected from the outside world. You can work here if you wish" Enderian offered.

"Thank you ma'am. I really appreciate your offer and I accept" Haley replied.

"If I may interject real quick, ma'am you seem stressed. Are you alright?" Perix spoke up.

"I'm quite alright. My personal life is none of your concern Perix" Enderian stated, "You all are dismissed. I have lunch with my son. If you will excuse me"

The three vampires nodded and left. Alerion handed Enderian her bag and smiled. She took it and then grabbed her keys from her desk.

"Be careful. Please"

"I will"

Enderian walked out of her office and started to walk through the building. Typically she would use her vampire speed to get places, but her business had human employees. She started to walk down the stairs when she felt someone watching her. She turned around, but no one was there.

====================================

"Thank you for letting me tag along Rae. And I'm sorry for the argument last week" Athena smiled.

"Of course, and Athena, I should be apologizing. I didn't mean to snap at you. You were just looking out for me. I love you sunshine" Rae apologized.

"When is Enderian going to arrive?"

"She's on her way. Ender Jewels is about a ten minute drive from here"

"One minute if she wanted" Athena mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Sorry"

Athena was glad Rae brushed it off. They didn't mean to say that out loud. Trying to cover for that slip up would have ended in disaster.

"Mr. Morningstar? Your mother has arrived, shall I direct her here?" a waitress asked politely.

"Yes, thank you"

The waitress nodded and left. Rae looked in the direction where she had gone. He smiled as soon as he saw his mother. Athena forced a smile and secretly curled their fists. Enderian smiled back then make eye contact with Athena. She hesitated but smiled at them before sitting down.

"Hello you two. How are the both of you?" she asked.

"I've been better" Rae laughed.

"I'm good" Athena replied.

"What do you mean Rae?" Enderian asked.

"I burned my hands a couple days ago, but I'm doing better"

"What? Can I see?" Athena asked.

Rae nodded and held out one of his hands. He had taken the bandages off that morning. Deciding it would draw attention to him and he wanted to avoid that.

Athena took his hand looked up to see Rae wince. They looked back down and looked over his weird burn marks. They had seen what burn marks looked like, these burns weren't from fire or a hot surface.

"How did you burn them?"

"Burned them in the mini kitchen at the library. It's fine"

"Y..yeah okay"

"Is something the matter Athena?" Enderian asked.

"No, I've just never have seen burns like this"

"Oh, excuse me one minute. Caspian's calling" Rae said.

Rae left the table and answered his partner's call. Athena and Enderian went quiet. They didn't make eye contact with each other. Tension kept building up between the two.

"Why did you want to come here Athena?"

"I wanted to talk to.....to you"

"About what? Do you personally have a question or are you hear per Fable's request?"

"You think I listen to Fable? You really don't know me"

"He is your alpha"

"No he's not. My parent is my alpha. Netherum is only one I answer to. And since my parent is gone, I answer to no one"

"Fair enough. What can I do for you?"

"I want you to tell me about her. About my mother. Fable won't tell me shit. And I know she's your friend"

"You still remember her?"

"Sort of. I remember her being around, but I can't remember her name or her face"

"Soul. Her name is Soul. She is one of my closest friends. She's kind and brave. Very loyal. You look like her"

"I do?"

"Yeah. She misses you. Believe me, Soul wished she could have stayed with you"

"That's good to hear. Thank you for telling me. I know we don't like each other, but I appreciate you allowing me to join. Do...do you think I can meet her?"

"Possibly. I can ask her if she wants to see you. I am trying to make peace with Fable so that our societies can reunite like they used to centuries ago, but it is getting me nowhere"

"Peace? What? I didn't know that"

"Fable has not told you? That lying son of-"

"Hey, keep it down"

"Sorry"

"Enderian, did you see Rae's hands?"

"Yes"

"Those aren't from a kitchen incident"

"What? How can you tell?"

"Those burns are from a rune. Momboo, the rune mage I live with had some burns when she started learning magic. They looked just like Rae's"

"Rae has rune magic? That....that can't be possible"

"I know what I saw. I don't know why he's lying to us"

"We should discuss this at a later date. He's coming back"

Athena turned to see Rae walking back to their table. The waitress also returned to take their order. She smiled and walked away.

"What did Caspian want? I'm nosy" Athena asked.

"I know you are. He was just wondering where Addie lived. He wanted to go check in on her in a couple days" he replied.

"Did something happen to her?"

"Uh, no. Caspian's just wanting to visit her. She doesn't have a lot of friends"

"Okay"

A couple minutes later, the waitress returned with their food. Rae had to remind Athena that they were in a restaurant and not some fast food restaurant. Enderian smiled, watching the interaction between her son and her nephew.

"So Rae, how's life been except for the burns?" she asked.

"Pretty good. The library just got approved to get new books thanks to Soraza. She's been a huge supporter of the library, her and Alerion" Rae replied.

"That's good. Has Wolf Nightingale talked to you about offering his help? I know he said he was going to"

"Yeah, Wolf offered to help set up some type of book sale. The library could use the extra money to expand and Wolf is good at that type of thing" he replied grinning.

"That's awesome Rae. What's up with the grin?"

"Um what? Oh, no I'm just happy because the library is getting upgrades"

"Are you sure about that? Is that the only reason?"

"Uh....."

"Rae? Is there something going on between you and Wolf?" Athena asked.

"No"

"Answered that pretty quickly"

Rae started to stutter. Enderian and Athena laughed. They looked at each other and paused but then smiled.

"You can tell us Rae. We are family" Enderian said.

"Well look, I might have feelings for Wolf"

Athena froze. He really didn't listen to what I said. He trusts Wolf that much to fall in love with them. I'm not sure who Wolf is, but I need to find out before he hurts Rae.

"Well, have you told him? Have you told your partners?" Enderian poked.

"No. Not yet. It's only been recently that I realized I had feelings for them"

"Are you going to do something about it?"

"I don't know. Feelings are confusing. It took me a long time to even ask Caspian out! And then forever to ask Aax and to see if Cas was okay with it. I don't know what to do about this!"

"Sounds familiar. I was nervous about asking your mother. Looks like you got it from me. But, if he makes you feel comfortable, then I say ask. Nothing happens unless you ask"

"I know"

The three of them finished up their lunch and went their separate ways. Enderian watched as Rae drove away and smiled when Athena waved goodbye. She had made a connection with the wolf child. Somehow they had bonded in the little bit of time. Enderian went back to her car and the same feeling returned. But no one was there. She ignored it and drove back to Ender Jewels. She walked back into her office and saw that Soul had joined Alerion.

"How did it go?" Alerion asked.

"Good, I think. Athena and I seemed to bond a little. They were right about something"

"Oh? What of?" Soul asked.

"That Rae was lying. He claims he burned his hands in the kitchen. Athena says that the burns are from a rune attempt"

"Rae's a rune mage? Is that even possible?" Alerion asked.

"Anything is possible with the gods. And Soul?"

"Yes?"

"They asked about you. She remembers"

Soul let out a shaky breath, "Does he hate me?"

"Quite the opposite. She wants to meet you"

Chapter Text

There was a rune book laying open on the table. And around Rae's hands were black rune circles. Rae looked up and freaked out. The lights in the room went out and Addie screamed. It felt like her body had been crushed. Thrown against the wall at a powerful force. How was she alive? How did they not break anything? What did he do to her?

Addie opened her eyes and glanced around. I'm at home. I'm not at the library. Rae isn't here. He's not....he's not dangerous. It was an accident.

The girl got out of bed and opened the curtains; allowing the morning light to flow in. Addie smiled as she opened the lid of a glass tank. She put a hand in and her pet tarantula slowly stepped on. She pulled their hand out and sat down at their desk.

"I think I'll stay home, again. It's been what? Almost a week since Rae hur...since the accident? God, I don't think I've ever felt this shitty. What did he do to me?"

A knock coming from the front door drew Addie's attention. She put the spider back and walked out into the living room. They opened the door and laughed.

"Wolf? What can I do for you?"

"Can we talk? About what happened at the library?"

Addie took a deep breath and nodded.

====================================

"Alright, I'm headed out!" Caspian called.

"See you later, love!" Rae called back.

"Where are you going?" Aax asked, giving Caspian a hug.

"To check on Addie after what happened with Rae"

"Oh okay. You take care of them, I'll take care of Rae. He's....he's not using the burn cream that Wolf told him he need to use"

"I didn't think he was. Thank you Aax. I'll be back"

Caspian kissed Aax goodbye and then walked out of the house. The brunet walked down to the road and opened the car door. He slipped into the front seat and yelped.

"Hiya!" Athena chirped.

"Jesus! Athena, what are you doing here!?"

"I was bored"

"You're supposed to be at school right now"

"I know and I don't care"

"Athena"

"Can't I just hang out with you today? Please?"

"'thena, I need to go check in on Addie"

"Okay, then we can go together"

Caspian let his head fall against the steering wheel. Athena laughed knowing they had won.

"Fine. Buckle up"

"Yes! You're the best!"

Caspian sighed, but eventually started laughing. He started the car and drove off. Athena had taken Caspian's phone and began rummaging through it. They laughed as they saw Caspian's work photo, they blurted out how stupid he looked in a mechanic jumper. Caspian groaned as Athena continued to bully him the rest of the drive.

They pulled up to a small neighborhood and Caspian told Athena to look for the house that Addie lived at. Athena spotted it by the amount of black and red roses in the garden bed outside a window. Caspian pulled into the driveway and looked at the other car there. It wasn't Addie's.

"Who's car is that?" Athena asked, getting out.

"I have no idea....oh wait, that's Wolf's car" he replied.

Athena stepped back.

"You okay?"

"I don't like him"

"Your wolf sense tingling?"

"I guess you can call it that"

"Will you be alright? You aren't gonna freak out and shift to wolf form, right?"

"I hope not. I can sense he's human, just something is off. Rae trusts him. A lot. So I think I'm the only one who is uneasy"

"Okay, let me know if you need to leave"

Athena nodded and the two of them walked up to the door. Caspian knocked on the door and waited. They both heard shuffling inside and then heard the click of the lock. The door opened and Addie peered out.

"Hi, Addie Web right?"

"Yeah, who's asking?"

"Uh, sorry. Caspian Solcrest. I'm Rae's partner"

"Oh, come in. Hi Athena"

"Hello! Is it alright if I come in? I'm hanging out with my uncle today" they asked.

"Yes of course"

Addie opened the door all the way. Caspian and Athena walked in and Addie closed the door behind them. Wolf stood up from the couch and held out his hand. Caspian shook it and then both men sat down. Athena sat down on the floor next to Caspian, wanting to be far away from Wolf.

Addie limped back over to the couch and sat down. Caspian noticed that her breathing was staggered. Bandages on her shoulder peaked out from under her shirt.

What did Rae do to her?

"Um, hi Mr. Solcrest. Is there something you need?" she asked.

"Call me Caspian. I was just coming over to check on you. After what happened at the library. Rae wanted to come as well, but didn't want to put you on edge"

"That's what I was here for actually" Wolf laughed.

"Glad we're on the same page then"

"What happened at the library?" Athena asked.

"I walked in on Rae doing runes in his workshop in the basement. I must have scared him and the spell was thrown at me" Addie explained.

"What? So he does have magic. I knew it"

"How did you know?" Wolf asked.

"Had lunch with him and...and Enderian yesterday. I saw that his hands were burned, they looked like rune burns but he lied to me. He actually lied about you Addie, he said you were fine"

Caspian put his face in his hands and groaned.

"You alright?" Wolf and Addie asked.

"I'm fine. Just....it's just another thing Rae is lying about. He hasn't been using the burn cream that you told him to. He said he's been but Aax told me that he wasn't. And now he's lied to Athena about what actually happened. Does anyone know if something happened to him recently?"

"No, besides, no offense but isn't he your boyfriend? Shouldn't you know?" Addie stated.

"None taken. I don't know and I'm really worried"

"Well he's been distancing himself from us since finding the rune books in Isla's things" Athena mentioned.

"Athena's right" Addie confirmed, "Hey Wolf? Can you....can you look at my shoulder real quick?"

"Yeah, is something wrong?" he replied, getting up.

He sat down next to Addie as she moved her sleeve off her shoulder. Wolf carefully removed the bandages and froze. Wither-like skin was covering their shoulder, and spreading. The same texture and appearance as Rae's hands the previous night.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It wasn't there that night. It appeared two days ago? Three days? I don't know"

"Athena can you hand me my bag please? I have some potions in there that will help" the man asked.

Athena hesitated but nodded. They got up and grabbed the black bag and handed it to Wolf. His hands brushed against theirs and she shuddered. A flash of purple and white crossed their vision. He could feel their canines starting to sharpen and their nails shift to claws.

Caspian grabbed Athena's arm and dragged her back over. He hugged his nephew as Wolf helped Addie. The brunet was glad that Wolf hadn't seen the beginning of the shift.

"Calm down. You're alright" he whispered.

Athena nodded and buried her head into Caspian's chest. Their claws went back to human nails and their canines returned to regular human teeth. Caspian continued holding them as their body relaxed. He was grateful Momboo had taught him what to do in this type of situation.

"Alright. Now the wither skin will go away tonight. Please use this burn cream. It will help" Wolf said, rebandaging Addie's shoulder.

She nodded and pulled the sleeve back over and took the burn cream. They already felt better. The dark, cold feeling had left the second the potion touched her infected skin. What magic create such a horrible feeling?

"Is...is Rae okay?" they stammered.

"He's going alright, I think. He worries about others before himself though, so I can't be certain" Caspian replied.

"He's....he's not dangerous, is he?"

"No" the other replied in unison.

"No, he's not. Rae would never intentionally hurt someone" Athena stated.

"Okay. I....I didn't think he w...was, but I wanted to make sure"

"That's alright. Rae feels really guilty about it. He's been practicing in our basement. It's really cool what he can do" Caspian added.

"The same summoning rune?" Addie asked, panicked.

"No. He's tried and air rune and it worked. He's tried a fire rune, he almost had that one down. There's other that he wants to try. Aax and I stay down there behind him in case he gets injured again. He doesn't want to mess with anything from the shadow class"

"That's good, I guess. The shadow runes are the most dangerous. The books provide little information because of how deadly they are" Addie mentioned, "Please make sure he doesn't use them"

"I will. I promise" Caspian acknowledged.

"Can we go?" Athena whispered.

"Yeah" he whispered back, "Well if Wolf is here then is it alright if we go? Someone isn't feeling good"

"Yeah that's alright. Feel better Athena" Addie said, giving the kid a smiled.

"Thank you" Athena mumbled.

"Caspian, can I talk to you? Alone for a minute?" Wolf asked.

"Uh, sure" he replied.

"I'll be back Addie, you sit and relax" Wolf ordered.

Addie nodded. Athena ran outside and to the car. Caspian sighed as he and Wolf walked outside. The brunet watched as Athena slammed the car door and started to look at Caspian's phone again.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Well, I don't think so. I know don't know what their issue is. Give him time, she'll come around eventually. Their not the most comfortable with people they don't know very well"

"If you say so. Can I talk to you about Rae?"

"Yeah, is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's uh...um...god how do I say this?"

"Just spit it out"

"I think I have feelings for Rae"

Caspian took a moment to register what Wolf had blurted out.

"Okay. Definitely not where I thought this conversation would be going"

"Are...are you mad?"

"Wha....why would I be mad?"

"Well...."

"Rae feels really safe around you. Just like how he feels around me and Aax. And to be honest, I think Rae likes you as well. He hasn't admitted anything to us, but everytime we see you in public, he gets a little red"

"He does?"

"Yep"

"I wanted to talk to you and Aax about this because as you are aware, communication is important in relationships. I didn't want to overstep and seem like I was intruding on your relationship with Rae"

"I'm okay with it and I can talk to Aax when I get home. As long as you don't hurt him, I think both of us are fine with you dating Rae as well"

"I would never hurt him, I can promise you that"

"Then, when are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. I'm nervous about it. Centross and Arisanna keep calling me a coward"

"Well in this case, I agree with them" Caspian said, ignoring what he knew about Centross.

"Not you too"

Caspian laughed, "I'm not trying to be an asshole about this, but I think you should tell him"

"I know and I will. When the time is right"

"Well then, good day to you good sir. I have a nephew to go take care of"

"Yes of course"

Caspian walked back towards the car as Wolf walked back inside. He slipped into the front seat and looked at the empty passenger seat. He heard a soft whine from the back and sighed. Underneath some greasy towels was a red wolf.

Athena had shifted.

"Hey kiddo, are you alright?"

No. I..I don't know what happened

"That's okay, do you want me to drive out to Momboo's?"

The wolf nodded its head. Caspian nodded and started the car. He drove away from Addie's house and towards the forest. He remained silent the rest of the way. He didn't want to overwhelm Athena in any way. The brunet had no idea what had happened to them to begin with.

Was there a possibility that Athena wasn't just a werewolf? Was she like Rae? A rune mage? Had they seen something?

Several minutes later, he pulled into the long driveway that led to a cabin in the middle of the forest. He turned off the car and called for Momboo. She came running out. He opened the car door and Athena stumbled out. Grease coating their fur.

"I'm not sure what happened. No one saw them, I made sure of that"

"Thank you Caspian. Come inside Athena, let's get you cleaned up. You can come in as well Ghosty"

The brunet chuckled at the nickname, but followed suit. Athena stayed at Caspian's side and flicked their tail against his leg, glad to have him by their side.

Chapter Text

"Lennarius? Are you home?" Soul asked, letting herself into his home.

A light turned on and off and she nodded. She walked down the hall and slowly opened a door. Inside was Lennarius, who was sitting at his desk and working on another painting. Several electrical boards and switches were scattered around. And electrical board with switches laid on the table next to him.

"Working on a new project?"

He flipped the switch and the light flickered again.

"Is it for someone?"

He flipped the switch again.

"Can I know who it's for?"

He flipped a new switch and the light flickered black and then returned to the warm golden glow.

"I see how it is Len. Sure, don't tell your best friend who the painting is for"

Lennarius set the brush down and glared at her. She chuckled. Soul reached for the switch board, but Lennarius hissed at her. Soul withdrew her hand and backed off.

Lennarius was non-verbal and used sign language to communicate. Recently he had figured out how to communicate through lights and currents. He would use electrical switch boards or remotes to answer questions. He was very protective of his inventions as they allowed him to communicate in the world around him.

He connected a small device to an implant on the side of his skull. It was hidden by his white hair so as to not draw attention. He pushed a small button and the device light lit up.

I have told you repeatedly, not to touch my switch boards

"I know, but I'm curious. No scientist has ever managed to do....whatever this is"

I'm a shadow mage as well Soul. I can engrave my magic into objects to allow such things

"Fair enough. How long have you been here?"

A couple days, give or take. Why?

"You look sickly. Have you had blood recently?

No

"Where's your blood stash? You know what happens when vampires go through blood withdrawal. We become violent and chaotic"

Basement fridge. Behind a couple of boxes

"I'll be right back"

Soul left the room and went back into the hall. She made her way into the kitchen and opened the door that led down to the basement. She turned the basement light on before walking down the stairs. Soul spotted the boxes and moved them aside. She opened the fridge and grabbed a blood bag and placed the boxes back to hide the fridge.

Soul started walking back towards the stairs when the lights flickered. The lights turned off, surrounding Soul in complete darkness. Suddenly, wisps of magic appeared and formed the shape of a person. Soul stepped back as the magical figure stepped forward.

"Who are you?"

You can see me?

"Yes? Sort of. An outline"

Forget you ever saw me Soul. I cannot explain right now

"Wait! How do you know my name? Who are you!?"

The wisps of magic vanished and the lights flickered back in. Soul ran upstairs and closed the basement door. She pressed her back against the door in fear of it returning. Lennarius stepped into the kitchen and stared at the strange movements of his friend. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she screamed.

Soul. Hey, it's me

She stopped screaming and wrapped her arms around him and he gladly returned the embrace.

Shh. It's alright. What happened?

"I...I...th....there was something in the basement. A magic figure. It knew my name"

What?

Lennarius let go of her and opened the door. He cast a rune, but to him a magical presence had not been there. Nothing was there. He closed the door and hugged Soul again.

There's nothing there. Maybe your mind is playing tricks on you. Have you also had blood as of recently?

"Yes"

Maybe not enough. Let's sit down, shall we?

Soul nodded and Lennarius led her to the couch. Lennarius could tell that she was on edge. She had seen something. Something that not even he could detect.

She handed him the blood bag and he grabbed it. Color returned to the vampire as the blood touched his lips. It had been a while since he had last tasted blood. Soul was right, he had been going through withdrawal. It was why he hadn't been seen by anyone in a week. He was afraid of lashing out at innocent people for his own ignorance.

"Are you feeling better?"

Much. Here. I didn't drink all of it

"Thank you"

Soul took the bag and drank the remaining portion of blood. Lennarius got up and took the bag and disposed of it. He stopped as he glanced at an old photo pinned on the fridge.

"Len? Are you alright?"

Sorry. J...just...

Soul got up and walked over to her friend. He was starting at photo of him and Vorago. The day that his brother opened the Golden Clove with his girlfriend and co-owner Wanda Tuskley.

"You miss them, don't you?"

Everyday. I wish that I could talk to him. Let them know I'm not a monster. That I'm not a monster. That I'm not like the others. I'm peaceful, I refuse to hurt people

"I know. Why don't we go? Right now. It's dark out, so you two can talk without humans overhearing our conversation"

Do you think it would be safe? Casus hates vampires. My brother hasn't told anyone about me. But when she finds out, Casus will not hesitate to kill us both. And not to mention that cop friend of theirs

"We won't know unless we try. Besides, we just fed, we are stronger now. None of them are wolves, they can't stop us both"

That is true. Care to join me for a drink?

====================================

"ULYSSES!"

"Oooh! Someone's in trouble!" Casus laughed.

"Shut up" Ulysses snapped, "Be right there Wanda!"

The bartender finished putting glasses away and then walked towards the storage room. He nudges Casus out of the way and she just continued laughing. Vorago gave a playful salute to Ulysses as he froze in the doorway.

"H...hi Wanda"

"Don't 'Hi Wanda' me. What is this? Hm? I'll tell you what it is. Unorganized and unlabeled. The lot of it. This here?" she said pulling out a bottle, "This is wine and this" pulling out another, "Is vodka. Two different beverages, in the same crate!"

"M...m...my mistake. It won't happen again Wanda. I...I promise"

"It better not. Mess this up again and I'll have your ass out the door before you can even say 'Nether Special'. Do ya hear me?"

"Yes ma'am"

"Good. I'm going home. I don't care who runs the bar tonight. As long is nothing is broken and the place remains standing, I'm happy. Goodnight to you all" Wanda stated.

She grabbed her purse and smacked Ulysses on the back of the head. Vorago covered his mouth to stifle a snicker. Casus unashamedly burst out cackling. The three of them watched as the short, stubby lady walked out of the bar and to her car.

"Someone got in trouble" Casus sang out.

"Yeah yeah, don't need to rub it in. Thanks Casus" Ulysses mumbled.

"No problem" she smiled.

"If you want Ulysses, Casus and I can take the night shift again. You look like you could use some sleep" Vorago offered.

"What? Hey! You ain't volunteering me for anything!" Casus exclaimed.

"Too late, I already did"

"Thank you Vorago. I appreciate it. Goodnight to you both" Ulysses said, grabbing his keys.

He shook hands with Vorago before leaving the bar. Vorago looked back at Casus to see her glaring of them.

"We were supposed to go home. I wanted to go cuddle and watch a movie, not stay here in the bar where hardly anyone shows up anymore"

The door opened and to Casus' delight, Ocie and Jerry walked in. The two of them had discarded their uniforms and retired to civilian clothing. Vorago noticed the hidden gun tucked in both of their back pockets.

"Hide your weapons a little better. I can see the outline of both guns" they whispered as he walked past them.

Ocie and Jerry nodded and mess with their shirts to better conceal their weapons.

"Pfft. Amateurs" Casus stated.

"Like you have ever had possession of a gun and had to conceal it" Ocie snapped.

"Gun? No. Crossbow? Yes. Those are harder. So, like I said. Amateurs"

Ocie rolled her eyes and sat down at the bar, Jerry following suit.

"So, what brings you here tonight? Looking for a way to ignore life, or are you here on a more....bloodier mission?"

"For once, ignoring life. Forgetting that that mess even exists. Got anything to help?"

"Came to the right place my dear friend. Anything for you Jerry?" Casus asked.

"Just some water would be nice. I have to drive us home after and make sure it doesn't do anything she'll regret later" Jerry replied.

"Are you sure?"

"As much as I would also like to ignore the current situation, there has to be one responsible person in this relationship, and that's me. So, I'm good"

"Hey! I'm responsible!" Ocie cut in.

"I didn't say you weren't. When you've been drinking, that's when you're not. We both know that" Jerry comforted.

"Aww so cute. Why don't you ever say something like that to me?" Casus asked, turning to Vorago.

"I do. You just ignore me and then pretend I didn't say anything"

Ocie and Jerry started laughing as Casus grumbled. The door swung open, drawing everyone's attention to the two figures in the doorway. Vorago froze, he silently grabbed a knife from the shelving behind them.

"Is the bar still open?" Soul asked.

"Yes it is. What would you like to drink?" Casus asked, handing Ocie her drink.

"'bout time" she mumbled, taking a sip.

Uh, just some wine would be sufficient

"Right away"

Casus disappeared into the storage room. Lennarius and Soul walked up and sat at the bar. Lennarius hesitated but met Vorago's gaze.

Hello brother. It's been a long time

"Brother? I didn't know you had a brother" Ocie said.

"I...I do. We don't talk much anymore. Hello Lennarius" Vorago confirmed.

I was hoping we could talk, but it seems like you have friends over

"We can talk now. They know about your kind"

Lovely. I'm in a room full of vampire hunters. This won't go over badly at all

"Vampire?" Ocie asked, setting her drink down.

Soul watched as the officer's hand drifted down to her pocket.

"If you're reaching for a weapon, I suggest you forget that plan" Soul hissed.

"Here's your wine. Oh, everyone is tense. What tea did I miss?" Casus interrupted.

"Casus, meet Lennarius. My brother, the vampire I thought left town" Vorago replied.

"Vampire? Really? Must be dumb coming here" she said, her hand drifting as well.

I wouldn't do that Casus. I'm not here to cause trouble. I just want to talk to my brother

"Why? Why would you want to? You know what I told you. You come back and I'll kill you" Vorago said, exposing the knife he held.

I am aware. I just wanted to try and explain that I'm not a monster

"Really? Try ex...explaining that to the families of the people you and the rest have murdered" Ocie said, passing Casus its empty glass, asking for more.

That wasn't us. It might have been other vampires, just not us

"I would love to believe that, I really would Len. But I can't" Vorago said.

"Then, you know what? We should go. Clearly we aren't welcome" Soul suggested.

Yes. Clearly. Goodnight brother

"Goodnight Len"

Soul and Lennarius got up and walked away. Vorago lowered the knife only for Casus to grab it and throw it at Lennarius' head. He stopped and threw up a fist. A rune surrounded the knife and it shifted flight and threw itself back at Casus. She ducked and the knife lodged itself in the wall behind her.

Can't kill a shadow mage that easily

Then they disappeared. Casus pulled the knife out and slammed it on the bar counter. Vorago hugged her from behind and she took a deep breath. They looked back at Ocie and laughed.

"Finished it again. Can I get....another, oh, the world is staring to spin"

"No. No more. We're going home" Jerry said.

"Noo! No home!"

"A little help here you two?"

"Ha, nope" Casus said.

Jerry sighed as he tugged the drink out of Ocie's hands. Vorago and Casus laughed as Ocie tried helplessly to get the drink back.

If only they could all ignore the world around them forever.

Chapter Text

Momboo rushed outside after hearing a series of growls and barks. She prepared a rune but didn't cast it until she could assess what was happening. They left the run fade away when she saw what was happening and let out a sigh.

"Really you two? This again?"

Two wolves were fighting in the clearing. The blonde wolf had its front paws on the red wolf's body, pinning them to the ground. The red one kept growling while trying to fight off the other.

"C'mon Athena! Push them off!" Jamie shouted from the side.

"Jamie!" Momboo exclaimed.

"Oh, hi mom. Go back inside. Pretend you didn't see anything"

"What do you me...."

Momboo was cut off when the blonde one howled. They looked back to see that Athena had locked their jaws around the blonde one's paw. They released Athena and back off. Athena got up and pounced, pinning the other to the ground. They laid on top and howled in victory.

Alright, alright you win! Get off me!

Athena nodded and shifted. The other shifted as well. Easton groaned as now Athena just sat on their back. They shoved her off and got up. Jamie and Momboo ran over to them. Jamie hugged Athena and Momboo checked on Easton's bloodied leg.

"Damn, you didn't have to bite so hard Athena" Easton stated.

"You were being a jerk. You could have won, so I took your own ego and used it against you" Athena smirked.

"Icarus taught you that, didn't they?"

"Maybe"

"I swear to the gods, I'm going to murder them"

"Thanks Easton, I really appreciate that" Icarus said.

"Fucking hell, when did you get here?" Momboo jumped.

"Two minutes ago. I came by when you rushed out of the house. Good job Athena, you improved" they replied.

"Thank you!" he giggled.

Jamie helped Athena up and she ran to hug Icarus. The wolf prince retuned the embrace. Jamie pulled out a roll of bandages and chucked them at Easton's face.

"Bullseye!" he laughed.

"You two are lucky mom's here right now" Easton warned, starting to wrap their leg.

"Mom, Easton threatened us again" Jamie said, turning to Momboo.

Momboo and Icarus laughed again. She started to write a healing rune, but Easton stood up and backed away.

"No runes"

"Easton, I can heal it right now"

"Nah, Athena won fair and square and that bite is gonna leave a scar, so I'm keeping it"

"Awww, you're keeping a scar for me? I knew you loved me!" Athena poked.

"I tolerate you"

Athena started to mumble in protest. He ran towards Easton and started poking them. They started to run away, the two of them reverting back to wolf form to chase the other around.

"Not again" Momboo sighed, "Jamie, no....Jamie"

Jamie had already shifted and began to join the chase as well. Icarus held out a hand and pulled Momboo up. The two of them watched as the three wolves chased each other around the clearing, playfully attacking each other.

"Are you alright Momboo?"

"Yeah"

"Really?"

"Positive. I just really enjoy watching them get along. It's something nice to see. They all act like kids again. It's almost like they never grew up and that is one of the best things I could ever ask for"

"Agreed. I'm glad Easton still hangs out with them. Those two deserve an older sibling who sticks around"

"Where is this coming from?"

"Sometimes I feel like I'm not there for Rae enough. He doesn't really have friends. Just his boyfriends. His only friends are Wolf and Centross who is a vampire. I don't spend time with him anymore"

"Soon it'll only be Centross"

"What?"

"Wolf's human. I checked. He also has feelings for your brother, but you didn't hear that from me"

"See? My point exactly! Rae just has boyfriends! Besides them, he's alone. I wish we could be like them, kids again. When we were closer. He's alone now and I can't let him into my world that he doesn't know exists"

"I think you're doing enough. You're protecting him. That's what sibling's do. Just because you two aren't as close as my kids, doesn't mean anything"

"I just wish things were different"

"Then make it happen. Do something different. Go do something with Rae that you two have never done before"

"That means I have to drag him away from his library. You know how hard that is. Caspian and Aax already have a hard time doing that"

"I believe you can do it. You two deserve to spend time with each other. Your brothers after all. Got anything in mind?"

"You know, there is something. Remember that cavern we stumbled across last year?"

"The one that was filled with geodes, half filled with water and covered in skeletal remains of ancient creatures?"

"Yes. What if I take him there? Rae loved talking about geodes and fossils when he was a kid. It was a boring subject to me, but he could go on and on about it"

"That sounds lovely. I'm sure he would appreciate it"

"Now to convince him to leave his little book cave"

"Out of one cave and into another"

"You're not wrong"

Anytime you want to join in and stop them from bullying me would be nice Icarus

They looked at Easton who stood there as their siblings were climbing all over them. Jamie playfully nipped at Easton's ear and the blonde wolf growled. Icarus laughed and turned to Momboo.

"You wanna go back to being a kid? To relive those memories with Rae? First step is to act like one. To be around them. Let them show you. Go. Have fun. Be a kid Icarus"

Icarus smiled and they shifted. The golden wolf bounded across the clearing and tackled Athena off Easton. He howled in excitement and started to wrestle them back.

Game on Icarus!

Can we play capture the flag? Please?

Sure Jamie

Really Icarus? Why? I'm injured

You could have let Momboo help, but no, you want scars. Capture the flag, lets go

The wolves looked at Momboo and she sighed.

"Really? Why, why is my family like this? Why are you guys like this? Fine. Icarus and Athena versus Easton and Jamie, no arguments! I'll send out the flags. No seriously harming each other please"

No promises

Momboo laughed when all four wolves had telepathically said that at the same time. She wrote a rune and placed a hand on the forest floor. The forest seemed to brighten and magic ran through the clearing into the trees, splitting off in two different directions.

"Game begins, in three"

The wolves lowered themselves closer to the ground.

"Two"

They started to growl, hind legs skidding back to race off.

"One. Go!"

The wolves took off into the forest, howling in excitement. Momboo shook her head and sat down on one of the fallen trees. She wrote another run and again placed her hand on the forest floor. Magic roared through, but this time, sending the forest floor into eruption as obstacles broke through the ground.

"Good luck. Please don't hurt each other too much"

====================================

Easton and Jamie ran off to the left while Icarus and Athena ran to the right. Even with a slightly injured leg, Easton was still faster than Jamie. They kept running to their flag and waited for him to get there.

You're slow

Well I'm sorry

You should be

So, uh....let me guess. I'm protecting the flag?

Nope. I know how Icarus plays this game. They'll send Athena to get the flag because you always guard. They'll use her because you are too in love with them to lay a claw on them

What? N..no I'm not! I...I c..can do it!

I'll guard, you run the flag. I promise I won't hurt your little love too much

You're mean

I know

Easton walked back towards the flag but stopped. They walked back over to Jamie and brushed their head against his. Jamie closed their eyes and returned the loving gesture.

Easton howled and Jamie took off running when Icarus howled back.

Good luck Jamie. I believe in you

====================================

Can I run? Can I? Can I?

Yes Athena, you can

Yes! We are going to win

Yeah, when Easton gets here, they won't stand a chance

I'll be quick, Jamie doesn't put up much of a fight. I wish they would. I wouldn't be angry at him

Jamie cares for you a lot. He won't hurt you even if it is a game

I know. I'll be off then

Goodluck 'thena

Icarus watched as Athena bounded off towards the other side of the forest. They paced around, silently watching for any movement. They knew Easton's tactics. Stay quiet and pounce when it is least expected.

Icarus turned around as Jamie clawed them across the face. Icarus stumbled back, suprised to see Jamie instead of his sibling.

What? Easton is defending?

Yeah, new plan of theirs

Rules still apply Jamie, you know how I play. Want the flag? Got to spill blood first

Well I already caused you to bleed, step aside

Not that fast

Jamie dodged Icarus' claws and climbed up some of the magical obstacles and jumped over the other wolf. They grabbed the magical flag in their mouth and ran off, Icarus chasing after them.

====================================

Easton laid low, waiting for Athena to arrive. They did. She came walking up and the froze when spotting Easton. He backed up and pawed anxiously at the ground.

C'mon Athena. You just beat me, do it again

Jamie distracted you last time. I didn't beat you fairly. I...I can't beat you

Yes you can. I know it. C'mon. Attack

Athena shook their head and then pounced. Easton ducked and watched as Athena tumbled into the bushes.

Again

Athena ran up and clawed at them. Easton clawed back. Their claws grazing Athena's back. The red wolf let out a whine, but growled and snapped their jaws. They attacked Easton again and again, causing the blonde wolf to take a couple steps back. Athena took advantage of it and grabbed the flag and ran off. Easton gave chase, not wanting to just let them get the win, but to fight for the win.

Easton picked up their pace and tackled Athena to the ground. They dropped the flag and flailed around. Easton pressed harder and she let out a whine.

Fight Athena. I know you can. Fight me. Dig for your strength. You are the child of Netherum, one of the greatest wolves of all time. Fight back. Throw me off

Athena closed his eyes and then mustered all their strength and threw Easton off them. The blonde wolf tumbled into the trees and watched as Athena picked up the flag again and ran. She did it. They beat Easton. Athena didn't look back, they just kept running. Jamie came into view with the flag in his mouth and Icarus chasing after them.

Go Athena! I won't let Jamie get back to Easton. Go!

Athena ran faster. The world seeming to disappear from around them. They were free. Free to run. Free to do whatever they wished. The flag capture zone came into view. The wolf shifted to their human form and ran into the zone. They placed the flag in the flag stand and small fireworks shot up around him. They howled to let the others know that the game was over. That they had won. The prince of the Nether Wolves had won.

They shifted again and ran back to Momboo. The others joined them and all shifted back to their human forms. Momboo cast a healing rune to close the gash across Icarus' face. Easton, again, refused to let their mother heal the wounds Athena had given them.

"Congratulations Athena!" Jamie exclaimed, bringing them into a hug.

"Yeah good job kid. You got Easton real good. And you as well Jamie, got me pretty good" Icarus congratulated.

"I'm sorry, does it hurt?" Jamie asked.

"A little, but I can take a lot. Good attack though, a vampire would definitely be running for their life"

"Athena"

Athena turned to face Easton. They held out a hand and the young wolf shook it. Athena looked down when they felt something warm press into their hand. She gasped when they realized what it was. A Nether Star. The rare artifact that he had been after for months.

"Congratulations kid, you deserve it"

Chapter Text

"Oh my god, you're so gay" Caspian teased.

"Shut up" Rae shot, covering his face.

Rae had finally told his partners that he had feeling for Wolf. Caspian was making fun of him in the most loving way possible, while Aax was quietly enjoying themself as Rae's face kept getting redder.

"No, stop covering your face. You look cute when you're blushing" Aax said, gently pulling his boyfriend's hands away.

Rae's face seemed to brighten with embarrassment. His partners were doing this on purpose now. Teasing him lovingly to get him to blush and stammer.

"Are you going to tell him?" the brunet asked, brushing Rae's long hair out of his face.

"I..I don't know. What if he doesn't.....what if he doesn't like me back? I...I...I don't want to ruin our friendship...."

Caspian leaned in and kissed Rae. The librarian laughed when he realized why Caspian had done it. Spiraling, he was beginning to spiral again. Aax got closer and also pulled Rae into a kiss.

"Better?" they asked.

Rae nodded.

"Rae, baby. Why would you ruin your friendship with him?" Caspian asked.

"If I tell him and they don't share the same feelings, I'm gonna look like an idiot. Things between us will be awkward and I don't want to lose him"

"Well, I personally don't think that would happen. You know what? Go talk to Centross about this"

"What?" Aax and Rae asked in unison.

"Go talk to Centross, talk to him about this. He's gonna make fun of you, we all know that. But he can help in this situation"

"You're right. I know I said I would stay home from work today to spend time with you, but would it be alright if I go talk to him, today?"

"Yeah. That's fine"

Rae nodded and got out of bed and went to his side of the closet. Caspian got up as weell and helped grab one of Rae's shirt after seeing his boyfriend's hands tremble.

"Thank you"

"Are you alright love?"

"Yeah. My hands are still a bit....sore. It's healing, but very slowly. I'll be fine"

Rae took the shirt and the rest of his clothes and went into the bathroom. Caspian turned to Aax who was staring at the floor.

"Aax, are you okay?"

"Why, why would you suggest going to Centross?"

"Well, he is dating Wolf. So who better to ask then him?"

"Centross is a vampire Caspian! And you want to send Rae to him!?"

"Rae doesn't know. Okay? Centross and Rae have been friends for years. They were friends before we started dating him. Centross has never done anything to Rae. As much as I don't trust him, Centross won't hurt Rae"

"And what about Wolf? Are they also a vampire?"

"No. Athena could sense he's human. Now does Wolf know about Centross' true identity? I have no idea. But he'll be fine Aax"

"You can't guarantee that"

"Trust me on this. If anything he'll be safer. I highly doubt that Centross would let anyone hurt Rae"

"I know, but that doesn't mean I trust him"

"Neither do I. But Rae does"

A couple minutes later, Rae came out and Aax offered to braid his hair. Rae agreed and the smaller man eagerly ran his fingers throught the taller's hair. It was something Aax loved to do when they were stressed about something. The calming, repetitive motion of braiding someone's hair calmed their nerves.

Once they were done, they all walked downstairs where Atlas greeted them. The German shepherd completely ignored Caspian and ran straight into Rae's open arms. The brunet muttered a protest and Rae gave a smirk.

"Well, I'm off then. Is it alright if I take your car Cas? Mine's still in the shop" Rae asked, reaching for the brunet's keys.

"Yeah, go for it. I promise I'll have your car fixed this week"

"Thank you. I'll see you later. I love you both"

"I love you too" they both said.

Rae grabbed the keys and left the house.

"I thought you already fixed his car?"

"Yeah. Like two weeks ago. But since its just my car, it means he has to come home when we want him home"

"Smart"

"I know"

=================================================

"'You just can't control yourself. You should learn self control', gah! I swear I'm gonna strangle her!" Centross exclaimed.

The vampire paced around the living room relaying the conversation he had had with Arisana a couple weeks back. Hope watched as the man paced back and forth. She whimpered to catch his attention and he came over to her dog bed.

"Sorry Hope. I'm not usually like this, but her words won't leave my head"

She pawed at the floor and he sat down next to her. Hope walked over to him and rested her head on his legs. Centross smiled and patted his dog's head.

It was a common thing for the two of them to argue. Especially about the true purpose of human life. As part of the coven, Centross swore to follow every order that Enderian and Alerion declared. But his own mindset always seemed to challenge their orders.

Perix had somewhat of a fault with that. It had been her to explain how there was a whole world full of humans and killing a couple to feed wasn't going to hurt society. He knew deep down, it wasn't right to mindlessly kill people; but the thrill of the hunt flooded his mind once more.

He stood up and went to the window and looked outside. A couple kids were playing ball in the neighborhood street. He watched as one kid ran into another. The kid who had fallen started crying and held their knee.

His pupils thinned as he could smell the blood all the way from his house. Centross could feel his mouth water at the sight of the glistening red liquid pooling around the kid's wound.

Hope whined again, breaking her owner from his bloodlust trance. His eyes returned to normal and he looked back. He stepped away from the window when seeing a car pull into his driveway. Rae stepped out and instead of coming to the door, ran to help the kid.

Centross hissed and ripped his gaze away from them. Why was he here? Of all time now? How could he possibly control himself around his best friend when he had considered running out to attack the kid.

The doorbell rang.

He froze. Centross didn't know what to do. He wasn't blood deprived at all, but he was in a blood craze. He knew that the slightest movement from Rae could trigger his more violent side. The thought of hurting him scared him. Not just because Rae's partners would come to kill him, but because he had promised Enderian that he would protect Rae at all costs.

The doorbell rang again.

"Centross? I know you're in there. Open the door! Please, I need to talk to you"

Centross took a deep breath and breathed out before opening th door. He smiled and moved aside and Rae walked in. He motioned for the couch and Rae made his way over. Centross closed the door and silently asked Epros for help to control himself.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit Mr. Morningstar?"

"Really? Can't I hang out with my best friend? Or is that not allowed Mr. Mistvale?"

"Don't"

"You called me Morningstar"

"I was joking!"

"I know! I was joking back! You can't expect to joke around and not get any repercussions from it"

"You got me"

Rae laughed as Centross came over and sat down on a chair across from the couch. Hope got up again and hopped onto the chair and laid down on Centross. He looked down and took a moment to realize it. Her collar, for a moment look like that of the void.

Voi had heard him.

"You needed to talk?"

"Y...yeah"

"Okay, I'm all ears"

He watched as Rae began fiddling with his braid. The man was absolutely avoiding eye contact and began to mutter under his breath. Something was wrong.

Centross closed his eyes and then opened them. He stood up and went over and sat next to Rae. He placed a hand on his shoulder and tightened his grip when Rae flinched.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I...I....."

"Is it something you think will hurt my feelings?"

Rae nodded and let a tear slip down his face. Centross sighed and gently wiped the tear from Rae's face.

"Stop crying. I'm not going to get angry at you. I don't think I ever could. Just tell me. You can tell me anything"

"I have feelings for Wolf"

Centross' worried face turned to a grin. He started laughing and clapped Rae on the shoulder. Rae shoved him into the pillows on the couch and glared at him.

"Shut up David"

"You were worried I'd be angry at you for having feelings for Wolf? Rae, oh my god. I already knew this"

"What? No. How?"

"How? Really? As if it isn't obvious. I'm suprised Wolf hasn't noticed the way you look at him"

Centross laughed again as Rae began to mutter in protest. He felt his face getting warm again. Completely embrarrassed that he had been stressing how to tell Centross all for him to already know because he wasn't subtle about it.

"So, when are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know! Look, I've already had this conversation with Caspian and Aax, okay"

"Please tell me they made fun of you as well"

Rae mumbled something.

"They did, didn't they? Holy shit, you really are an idiot"

Centross looked at Rae, before a pillow met his face. Rae laughed as Centross pulled the pillow off his face. The librarian stopped when Centross smacked him in the face with the same pillow.

Before Rae could grab the pillow back, the front door opened. They looked up to see Wolf walk in carrying his bag and another bag that Centross oculd smell had food in it. He glanced back at Rae, who's face tinged pink. He snickered and Rae smacked him with the pillow again.

"Oh, hi Rae. I was wondering who's car was in our driveway" Wolf said, setting his bag down, "Centross I brought us some lunch"

"Thanks" he said, before turing to Rae, "Looks like you don't get anything"

"On that note, Rae would you like this instead? I think Centross can find something in the fridge" Wolf snickered.

"I..uh yeah sure" Rae said.

"Hey now!" Centross exclaimed.

"We have our friend over and you're not going to offer anything? I can't believe you" Wolf said, handing the bag to Rae.

As Wolf walked around the couch, Centross nudged Rae in the arm and grinned. Rae glared at him and pushed him away. Centross did it again and Rae raised the pillow again, but Centross raised his hands in surrender.

"Is everything okay?" Wolf asked, sitting next to Rae.

"Yeah" Rae quickly said.

"Are you sure? You seem tense"

"I'm alright"

"Oh my god. Rae just tell him already" Centross blurted.

"Centross. Shut. Up" Rae hissed.

"Tell me what?" Wolf asked.

Wolf grabbed the bag from Rae's shaking hands. At the touch, Ra looked up at the man and managed a smile. Wolf's eyes locked on his, seeming to try and see what was wrong.

"Wolf....I..."

"Rae, what's wrong?"

"I have....I have feelings for you. R...romantic ones...I...I think"

Wolf laughed.

"What? What's funny?"

"I just talked to Caspian the other day. Telling him that I had feelings for you as well"

Centross threw his hands int he air and Rae glared at him.

"I told you!"

"Shut up"

"Is that why you're here? To talk to Centross about....Rae-"

"Look, I didn't want to overstep"

"And I told him that it was already obvious" Centross mumbled.

"I know. I had a feeling" Wolf said, interlacing his hand with Rae's.

"I feel like an idiot now" Rae blushed.

"Well, you are a pretty idiot to me. Is it alright if I kiss you?"

"Would that be alright with....I don't want to...."

"Rae! Just kiss him already!" Centross exclaimed, laughing at how worried Rae was about the relatioship he now shared with him about Wolf.

Wolf leaned in and kissed Rae.

"There"

Wolf smiled as Rae leaned against him. He gladly held the man he had feelings for for so long. He mouthed a thank you to Centross and his other partner nodded.

Wolf rubbed their thumb over Rae's hand and felt something rough. He looked down to see that the burns hadn't healed over. They picked up Rae's hand brought it into the light. Rae tried to bring his hand back, but Wolf held firm.

"W...what? I know Caspian said you weren't using the burn cream, but this? Rae, please tell me you haven't tried the summoning rune again"

Rae looked away.

"You did, Rae...."

"Please Wolf. I don't want to talk about it"

"Summoning rune? You're a mage?" Centross asked.

Rae nodded.

Wolf let Rae's hand go and the librarian curled in on himself. Wolf brough him closer and just held him.

"Do I need to go get anything to help?"

"The burn cream in storage and some bandages please"

Centross nodded and left the room. Wolf turned back to the man in his arms and rested their head against his. He was glad to have him close. Glad to be able to express his true feelings around him. But he also hated that the man he loved was in pain Hated that Rae's one flaw was that he was so engross in perfecting everything that even at the risk of hurting himself, he would still do it.

"I'm sorry" Rae whispered.

"I'm not angry Rae. I love you. Just let me take care of you okay? And please, please don't use that rune ever again"

"But...."

"I know. You want to talk to your mother again. And I would help you. But I can't condone you hurting yourself to do it"

"I....I know"

"Promise me you won't do it again"

"Wolf-"

"Please Rae"

"I...I promise"

Centross came back with the supplies. Rae kept quiet as the two of them began wrapping his hands again. He knew he shouldn't have done the rune again, but he wanted to know what Isla had meant by the dream.

He had to know.

When the others weren't looking, Rae uncrossed his fingers.

Chapter Text

"Jerry do you hear that?"

"No?"

"It sounded like crying...."

Ocie walked down the alleyway, her hand hovering over her gun. She rounded a corner and froze. Jerry came around it put a hand out to stop him.

A kid was cowering in the corner covered in blood. Two bodies were on the ground, blood pooling around them. A figure stood over the kid. Ocie heard it hiss, a sound not natural to a human.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" Ocie yelled, drawing her gun at the figure.

The figure turned and Ocie and Jerry gasped. Blood was dripping from its mouth, fangs exposed. Ocie fired her gun as it ran towards them. But the figure kept running, seeming to ignore the bullets as they peirced its body. The officers moved aside just as the figure swiped at them. It hissed and turned to Ocie, cornering the officer on the ground.

But the figure dropped to the ground, with a wooden stake in its back. Ocie looked up to see Vorago and Casus standing over the dead figure.

"Good riddance" Casus snarled, kicking the body.

"Ocie are you all right?" Vorago asked, helping it up.

"Yeah. I think. What was that?"

"A vampire. Can't explain now. Grab the wolf cub and lets get out of here"

"Wolf cub?"

"The boy"

Vorago pointed at the little boy in the corner.

"It's just a kid"

"Right now he is. But he's a werewolf Oceana. Like I said, can't explain now. But hurry. We need to go before we draw attention you can't resolve"

Ocie nodded and walked cautiously over to the boy. The boy's eyes shifted to golden wolfish eyes and growled. The officer noticed the boys cainines and claws and stepped back.

What was this kid?

"I'm gonna take you somewhere safe. Okay? I won't let anyone hurt you"

The kid hesitated, but took Ocie's hand. She helped him up and to her suprise, the kid hugger her. She hugged him back.

===================================================

"Oscar! C'mon kid. We need to go! You're gonna be late for school!"

"I don't wanna go!"

"Oscar"

"Stay home with mommy"

"Mommy has to go to work"

"Liar. You got fired"

Jerry snicker and Ocie glared at him.

"Care to help here?" she asked.

"Let me try" Jerry said, walking up the stairs.

Ocie paced around and a couple minutes later, Oscar was running down the stairs with his backpack. Jerry followed beind with a smirk on his face. Ocie stared as the two of them walked out of the house. She threw her hands in the air and sat down on the couch.

She looked up at the shelf aboive the fireplace and sighed. Its gaze locked onto a framed photo of her and Jerry in their police uniforms. The day both had graduated from the police academy and joined the force.

But now, those days were gone.

Ocie had been forced to give up her service weapon and badge to her chief. Not because it had done anything reckless, but because she was trying to bright the truth to the situation that was plaguing the city.

She had outwardly said out of pressure of the news that vampires were causing the deaths; but to others she was making things up to cause panic. Her higher up were trying to decide whether to fire it or to keep her. But when they had been called the another murder scene, reported by Ocie, they called it.

'Your placement of the past four murders is too coincidental. You're fired for the safety of the city'

Ocie's phone buzzed. She turned her phone on and to its suprise, Ven's number appeared on the screen. It couldn't remember the last time she had talked to the wanna-be reporter.

Ocie. I need to talk to you

About what Ven?

....

Ven, if this another one of your attempts for me to get you a story, forget it. I got fired

Oh shit! I'm sorry. But no, that's not what this is about

Then what?

I believe you about the vampires. Can we meet somewhere?

Ocie froze. Someone with absolutely no knowledge of the world she had been thrown into, believed her.

Meet me at the Golden Clove

In?

Can you get there in ten minutes?

Yes

Good. Be there. If you're not there when I arrive, I'll leave

Meet you there

Ocie got up and grabbed her keys and left the house. She texted Jerry that it was going to meet up with Ven. She hopped in the car and started the engine. Someone believes me. If I tell him the truth, he could be in more danger. Ocie pulled out of the driveway and drove towards the city.

Everyone is in danger these days. Telling him won't make a difference in safety. Not anymore

===================================================

I knew it. I knew it! Ocie wasn't bluffing to that reporterr. They are real! Why else would she agree to meet me? I knew it!

Ven drove through the city, keeping an eye on the clock. 'If you're not there when I arrive, I'll leave'. He wasn't going to lose his one chance at getting answers for what happened that night. He was going to find out why Fengari had been murdered by the vampire one way or another. And Ocie possibly had those answers he had been searching for.

He pulled into the parking lot of the Golden Clove. He turned off the car engine and put his keys in his pocket and looked around. Ocie wouldn't have the cop car if she got fired, so she probably has the jeep. Ven looked for the navy blue jeep he knew the ex-cop owned. It wasn't in the parking lot, which meant he got there in time.

Ven got out and walked up to the doors. The doors swung open and Ulysses was standing there. Ven gave a weak smile when Ulysses glared at him.

"Really? A drink this early in the morning? We don't even open the bar for another fours hours. Get lost Ven"

"I'm not here for a drink. I'm here to meet up with Ocie. Now let me in"

"Uh huh. Meeting with Ocie? I though you two got into a fight last time you both talked"

"We did, but something of importance has come up"

"Like your little 'vampire' issue? Beat it Ven. I want none of that bullshit in this bar"

"Move aside Ulysses, or I'll get Vorago to let us both in" Ocie snarled.

Both men jumped. Ven backed away from her as she walked up to face Ulysses. He hesitated, but stepped aside. Ocie walked in, nudging the bartender aside. Ven quickly followed after it and Ulysses sighed and closed the doors behind them.

"Let me guess? You still don't believe me about the vampires?" Ocie asked, sitting at the bar table.

"Not in the slightest. Vampires are myths. Nothing more. There's a reason why you lost your job, Ms. Golden"

"Mention my job again and I'll make sure you regret everything" she snarled.

Ulysses walked away and into the storage room.

Ocie waited until he was out of earshot before turning to Ven. The man had sat on a bar stool next to her. She could see the genuine look of interest in Ven's eyes. He truly did believe her.

"Tell me what you know so far"

"I know that vampires exist. One killed my fiance. I made a report to the police about it and everything"

"Right. The case where they dismissed it because they thought you were intoxicated and mistook a mugger as a 'mythological creature'"

"You know about that case?"

"Well yeah. They were going to give it to me, but realized my connection with you and gave it to someone else. Sorry I couldn't help"

"It's alright. I'm just glad to know I'm not going crazy and that someone believes me now"

"Anything else?"

"No. I've been keeping up on the murder cases and the same puncture mark on the bodies are the same as the one that was left on Feng"

"Well. They do exist. I've personally seen them and killed them"

"Killed them? You kill vampires?"

"Yes. I'm a vampire hunter. So is Jerry. And....and you better keep your mouth shut. So is Vorago and Casus"

"Oh damn. I did not see that coming"

"No one sees anything of this world coming your way until you are forced into it. I got thrown into this world when Jerry and I came across one trying to kill Oscar"

"Oscar? So he knows about them as well?"

"Well yeah. He's....he's a werewolf"

Ven's mouth dropped open.

"We...werewolves exist as well?"

"Yes Ven. Pretty much anything mythical or magical exist. Except ghosts. There are spirits, but no one has seen a spirit before so....eh. But that's besides the point"

"S..so how does....how does Oscar remain human? He doesn't look like a wolf"

"He can shift between forms you idiot"

"I'm gonna be more of an idiot for asking, but I'm really curious. How did you and Jerry manage to raise a werewolf kid? In all the things I've read, werewolf cubs learn from their pack, from their alpha. Does he consider you his alpha?"

"No. I'm just his mother to him. I can't tell you who is alpha is for the safety of the pack. If I divulge such information, the pack will not hesitate to kill me"

"So there are multiple werewolves? In the city?"

"Yes. I work with them in order to.....well in hopes to stop the vampires from killing more people in this city"

"That....that's so cool. But it sounds dangerous. Aren't you afraid that if something happens to you or Jerry that Oscar won't have anyone?"

"No. If something happens to us, he'll go like with someone in the pack" Ocie said. She glanced behind her as someone came in and turned back to Ven, "Keep your voice down. We don't want anyone knowing right now"

"Okay. Well at least Oscar has somewhere to go. If you don't mind me asking, have you ever seen him in wolf form?"

"All the time. He's got this aubrun color fur. He's very playful and will run off to hte forest to meet with the pack before returning home"

Ven nodded. He felt a sudden chill run up his spine. A smiliar feeling to what he felt the night of Fengari's death. The vampire who had killed him was there. In the same building he was in.

"Ocie, please tell me you have something to kill a vampire on you"

"I always do. Why?"

"The person in the back. They're one"

"How can you tell?"

"It's the same feeling I felt before Feng died"

"So, we meet again Atlan"

Ocie and Ven froze. The person in the back was suddenly behind them. They put a hand on Ven and Ocie's shoulders and leaned in.

"A pleasure to meet you again, Officer Golden. Or should I say, ex-officer Golden"

"If you want to keep your life, I suggest you take your hand off me Perix" Ocie snarled.

"You're no fun"

Perix removed her hand from Ocie's shoulder, but continued to hold onto Ven. They tighened their grip on his shoulder and Ven tensed up. He glanced at Ocie with tears pricking his eyes.

"Let him go Perix"

"And why would I do that?"

"Like I said. You want to keep your life? Let. Him. Go"

Perix hissed and stepped back. Ven let out a shaky breath but kept still. Ocie kept still as well, but its eyes darted around the room; trying to see if she could find any sign of Vorago or Casus. No sign. She would have to defend herself and Ven against a bloodthirsty vampire.

"It would be quite foolish of you to hunt this early in the morning Perix. Your little eye of ender necklace might allow you to walk in the day, but hunting this early is dangerous, even for you"

"Are you sure you know me Oceana? I am always wanting to hunt and I will hunt whenever the hell I want to. Your little attempt of intimidation won't work on me"

Perix went quiet and grinned as Ven's eyes clouded over. Ocie didn't move, knowing full well what trap the vampire had set. If she moved to help free Ven of the vampire's influence, it would expose to much of herself to Perix. Ocie slowly reached into her jacket pocket and wrapped her hand around a small stake.

It would do the job. But she'd have to aim it just right.

Ocie turned and swung at Perix. She thrust the stake into Perix's shoulder, missing the vampire's heart. Perix hissed and their influence on Ven broke. He shook his head and lept away. He watched as Ocie grabbed Perix by their throat and dragged them outside.

"I catch you near here again and next time, I won't miss"

Perix pulled the stake out of her shoulder and hissed again before running off. Ocie turned back to Ven, who was cowering in the corner. She rid herself of the memory that came roaring back to the surface and held out a hand. Ven took it and she helped the man to his feet.

"Sorry you had to see that"

"It's alright. You saved me, I think. Thank you"

"Of course. You really think I was just going to let her influence you like that? I know their tricks and her traps. They can't fool me that easily"

"I...I think I want to head home now"

"That's fair. I'll make sure Ulysses didn't hear anything. No need for him to overhear shit that he doesn't even believe in. Before you go home though..."

Ocie dug into her pocket again and pulled out a small black bag. She opened it and dug out a pill and handed it to Ven.

"This is a nightshade pill. I don't trust that Perix will just leave you alone. In case she comes around this will protect you. It will make your blood very bitter and poisonous to a vampire. And this" it said, pulling out a bottle, "It hawthorn. Put this in your drink every morning. This will prevent a vampire from influencing your mind"

"Thank you Ocie. I really appreciate this"

"Be safe out there Ven"

"What of she does come around? What do I use to defend myself?"

"Anything wooden. Aim for her heart"

"Okay. Anything wooden. Got it. Thank you Ocie. For everything. Tell Oscar I said hi please"

"Sure. See you around Ven. And don't tell anyone about this"

"I promise. This is one thing I won't write a story on. I swear"

Ocie nodded and went to the storage room. Ven swallowed the pill and stuffed the bottle of hawthorn into his pocket. He looked around outside before making his way to his car.

He slid into the driver's seat and closed his eyes. He opened them and before sticking their keys into the ignition, they noticed a note on the dashboard. Ven reached over and grabbed the note.

"You've got to be kidding me. Ocie, I'm gonna need more than a wooden weapon if your gonna see me alive next"

He set the note down and drove away.

'Watch your every move Atlan. Because once I start hunting, I don't stop until my victim is drained of every, single drop of blood. And your next on my list'

-Perix

Chapter Text

"Momma? Why are you crying?"

"You don't need to worry sunshine"

Soul continued putting things for Athena in a bag. The young wolf cub sat on the bed, watching as her mother frantically ran around the room packing items. She kept glancing at the door everytime something made a sound.

"Okay. Athena, we need to go"

"Go where? What about....where is...?"

"Your parent? They....they'll be with us soon. I promise. They'll find us"

Athena nodded and jumped up. Soul picked her child up and into her arms. She grabbed the bags as well and walked out of the bedroom. When walking into the living room, she backed into the hallway. She hissed at the man blocking the door. She quietly laughed when Athena growled to imitate their mother.

"Get out of my Fable!"

"Let Athena go and then I will"

"No! They are my child"

"Really? Last I checked, they are a werewolf and you are a vampire"

"That doesn't matter. He took after their parent"

"Vampire's are not welcome in my pack"

"That's why I'm leaving. Now if you will excuse me"

Soul moved around Fable, but he stepped in front of her.

"You better move before I make you"

"Athena belongs with their pack. You cannot provide the right care for him. She belongs with the other wolves"

"Who are you to tell me how to raise my child? Clearly you aren't trusted to raise Isla's son and so she brought him to the vampire coven"

"If you leave with Athena, I will not only kill you, I will kill her" he threatened, ignoring the vampire's jab.

Soul stepped back. She looked at her frightened child.

"I don't wanna go with him momma" Athena mumbled, burying his head in Soul's hair.

"If I leave them with you, promise me she'll live. You won't kill them for the decisions Netherum and I made"

"I give you my word Soul. Your little cub will not be harmed"

Soul turned back to Athena.

"Momma?"

"My little sunshine....I'm sorry. I really am"

"I...I don't wanna go. I wanna stay with you! You said my parent was going to find us!"

"This if for your own safety sunshine"

Soul let the bags fall to the ground. She kissed Athena's forehead and then walked up to Fable. Athena screamed as Fable grabbed them. He stepped away from Soul and ignored as Athena started to hit and kick.

"You made the right decision Soul"

"Just make sure they remain safe. That's all I ask. Send her to live with Momboo. I trust the mage more than I trust you"

"I will. They will remain safe. As long as you stay away. You re enter their life, and I will not hesitate to end his"

Fable walked away before stopping again.

"And about Netherum? Foolish of you to fill your child's head with lies. We both know they aren't coming back"

Soul watched as Fable walked out of her home with her child. She fell to her knees and cried. First she had lost her partner and now her child. She was alone.

=========================================

Soul jolted awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She groaned as she realized she had fallen asleep at her desk, again. Soul gathered the scattered papers across her desk and put them in the folder and sighed. She ran her fingers over the folder title and let a tear fall down her cheek.

"I really am no closer to finding you, am I Netherum?"

She looked behind her and stared blankly at the wall of notes and pictures. A whole bookshelf had been set aside for all the folder, files and notes she had collected about the disappearance of her partner.

Netherum Starfire had vanished one night without any trace. Leaving Soul to raise Athena alone. Since their disappearance, Soul had been searching for anything about the whereabouts of Netherum. If she found Netherum, she could get Athena back.

Netherum was the alpha over the wolves. Despite being a vampire, Netherum had brought Soul into their pack. Saying that they loved her and that their differences could not seperate them. But now that they were missing, Fable took over as alpha. With him in charge, Soul was forced to leave and was forced to leave Athena behind. She always suspected that Fable was responsible for Netherum's disappearance. Either for power or just to get rid of Soul. Or both.

"Quite the opposite. She wants to meet you"

Those words had been ringing in her mind for the last week or so. Soul wanted more that anything to go see them. To hug her child once more. But she knew that if she did, Fable would kill Athena. And she could risk losing more of her family.

"Soul?"

"Oh. Hello Alerion. You can come in"

Alerion nodded and walked into her office. He shut the door and turned back to her. He could see how exhausted his friend was. Files and papers were scattered on the floor, notes and pins were falling off the bookshelf. He looked at Soul and could see that the usual spark in her eyes were now gone.

"How long have you been in here? When is the last time you had blood?"

"Uh....I don't know. I had blood this morning. I feel fine"

"You know, you're starting to take after Enderian's son"

"Rae? What do you mean?"

"Sleeping at work. Messy office space...I could go on"

"He still does this? I thought that Enderian managed to convince him to stop?"

"He did. For like two days. After we close up, Enderian always goes to the library to check on him. And he's down in his office, repairing books, writing checklists, writing god know what. And right now, I would bet that your office looks like his"

"Then I should clean up before Enderian sees this"

"Too late"

Soul groaned as Enderina pushed the door open. Alerion snickered and crouched down to pick up some fallen files. Enderian walked over to Soul and placed a hand on hers.

"Why don't we take a walk? You've been in here for days. Len has been asking about you"

"Shit. I...I...I didn't mean to...."

"We know you didn't mean to ignore him. Or us. Let's get you some fresh air? At least a new change of scenery" Alerion cut in.

Soul let the folder in her hands fall to the desk. She stood up and Enderian led her away from her desk. Alerion held the door open and smiled as they walked out. The three vampires walked out of the office and into the main building. Soul kept glancing over her shoulder at her office door, wanting desperately to keep working; but Enderian suddenly pulled her into the stairwell.

"What the hell?" she hissed.

"We're going down to the bunker. Alerion, if you'll do the honours? I don't have my ring on me at the moment" Enderian said grinning, showing her ringless hand.

Alerion nodded and when he was sure no one else was around, placed a hand on the wall. A rune appeared around his hand and it attached itself to the wall. A neon blue light shot across the wall revealing a series of runes hidden within. A doorway appeared, opening the stairwell to another secret stairwell.

"I will never understand runes" Soul muttered.

"Neither will I, but they keep us safe" Enderian replied.

"You've probably already told me this, but how do the others get in here? Only you, Soraza and Len are rune mages" Soul asked, following Enderian into the new stairwell.

"Me and Soraza managed to create a way for others to open it. We embedded this rune into a ring. A ring that all members of the coven have. So that if there is ever an emergancy , they can come here for safety. Everyone is supposed to have the ring" Alerion explained, glaring at Enderian.

"I know, I know. It's in my office. I took it off for a moment and then came to check on Soul. Its fine brother" Enderian stated, rolling her eyes.

Alerion closed the wall and walked down the stairs to catch up with the others. Soul had only been down here once before. She didn't like how the bunker had been set up. Rusty, modly metal wallks and dim hanging lights was what she had been greeted with years before.

But to her surpise, the bunker had changed.

The walls were still metal, but they had been cleaned of any rust and mold. The flooring had been changed out to furnished wood. Glowberry vines and hanging lanterns hung from the rafters. To one side of the bunker was a medbay set up. Shelves of potion ingredients and other remedies lined the walls.

The rest of the bunker was filled with chairs, sofa's and desks. Pin boards lined the walls with information of the werewolves and of the police force. Soul noticed a whole section dedicated to her family. A photo of Netherum and Soul holding Athena when she was a baby hung in the middle of the board. Next to the board was a small table. On the little table was a photo of Netherum, multiple lit candles and a wither rose.

"Not expecting this were you?" Alerion asked.

"N..no. Who did that?" she replied, pointing at the little table.

"I believe that Len set that up" Enderian replied.

Soul made her way to the table. She picked up the rose and smiled. Around the stem of the rose, was a ring of gold with a ruby in the center.

"I thought I'd never see this again"

She slid the ring off and lifted it to her other hand and watched as the ruby lit up. She looked down at her own ring and laughed as her ruby lit up as well. The rings that Netherum had made themself. A symbol of their love to her.

"Where did you guys find their ring?"

"I'm not sure. You'd have to ask Lennarius. Seems like everything related to your family here was his doing" Alerion said.

"I will" she said, placing the ring and rose back on the table, "Is this why you brought me down here?"

"Yes. I thought you needed some comfort. I know you've been stressing over everything. How are you handling the news about Athena?" Enderian replied.

"I want more than anything to see them. But I know I can't. I can't lose him as well"

"Do you want me to pass a message to them the next time I see her?"

"Please. Tell her I love them. More than anything in the world. Tell them that for their own safety I can't see her. Athena can't know that Fable is keeping us apart. They take after their parent and have Netherum's anger"

"If she finds out that Fable is responsible for your seperation...." Alerion started.

"They'll confront him and he'll kill them" Soul finished.

"Okay. I'll make sure to be descreet about it. And I'll see if they know anything about Netherum. Who knows what Fable has let slip around her" Enderian said.

"Thank you Enderian. I really appreciate it"

"Of course. Do you want to stay here for a bit or...." Enderian started.

A loud, mechanical sound filled the room. The hidden door lit up, exposing the runes. The rune circles started to spin, unlocking the sealed door. The wall swung open and a rush of excited voices filled the room.

"I knew he liked you! I called it, didn't I?" Arisanna exclaimed, jumping down the stairs to the next platform.

"You should have seen Rae's face, Ari. Red as a tomato" Centross joked.

Centoss tumbled down the stairs as someone behind him shoved him. Arisanna burst out laughing and Alerion turned away as he snickered. The ones on the stairs turned to notice the others in the room. They got to the main floor and bowed their heads towards Enderian and Alerion. The two coven leader nodded in return.

"Care to share why you are making fun of my son, Centross Mistvale?"

"Uh...I...I mean, I always make fun of Rae. It's kind of how we both treat each other. Jokes, harmless jokes" Centross replied quickly.

"I see. Are you making fun of him for expressing his feelings for another person?"

"Yes. Absolutely. I knew it all along. He was just being an idio.....uh, he was being rude for not sharing with his friends" Arisanna blurted, catching herself.

Enderian glared at the vampire and Arisanna backed away.

"And how do you feel about this Centross?"

"I'm not angry if that's what your implying. I already knew that Rae had feelings for my partner and vise versa"

Enderian turned to the third person. Her green eyes locked onto their golden eyes.

⌇⍜, ⊬⍜⎍ ⋔⟒⏃⋏ ⏁⍜ ⏁⟒⌰⌰ ⋔⟒ ⏁⊑⏃⏁ ⋔⊬ ⌇⍜⋏ ⊑⏃⌇ ⏃⋏⍜⏁⊑⟒⍀ ⌿⏃⍀⏁⋏⟒⍀?

⊬⟒⌇

⏃⋏⎅ ⟟⏁ ⟟⌇ ⊬⍜⎍?

⊬⟒⌇

⟟ ⊑⍜⌿⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⎍⋏⎅⟒⍀⌇⏁⏃⋏⎅ ⋏⟟☌⊑⏁⟟⋏☌⏃⌰⟒, ⟟⎎ ⊬⍜⎍ ⊑⎍⍀⏁ ⊑⟟⋔, ⟟ ⍙⟟⌰⌰ ⏁⊑⍀⍜⍙ ⊬⍜⎍ ⍜⎍⏁ ⏃⋏⎅ ⌰⟒⏃⎐⟒ ⊬⍜⎍ ⎎⍜⍀ ⏁⊑⟒ ⍙⍜⌰⎐⟒⌇

⟟ ⟒⌖⌿⟒☊⏁ ⋏⍜⏁⊑⟟⋏☌ ⌰⟒⌇⌇

"Was it really necessary to speak Ender? You know we can't understand it?" Alerion asked.

"Yes. Because I want Wolf to understand what happens if he breaks my son's heart. And that goes for you too Centross, your mission to make sure Rae remains safe doesn't just fall to Wolf now"

"I understand"

"I understand as well. I would never hurt him" Wolf said.

"Good. Has anyone detected you?" she asked.

"No. Momboo did a rune check and thinks I'm human. Love her to death but she needs to learn how to hide the rune better. I spotted it more easily this time. And a little while back I overheard Athena telling Caspian that they could sense I was human. Which means Vikesh's magic is still working"

"That is really good to hear. At least some of us are able to remain hidden from the wolves and hunters. Unlike your partner over here, exposing himself to Icarus like that. I still haven't decided on your punishment for disobeying orders, again" Enderian hissed.

"You know, I did tell you that following Perix was going to get your ass kicked out of the coven" Arisanna mumbled, leaning over so Centross could hear.

"What was that?" Enderian asked, turning on Arisanna.

She looked at Centross and he waved a hand in defeat. She stood up straight and met Enderian's gaze.

"I said, I told him that following Perix was going to get his ass kicked out of the coven" she said more confidently.

"Perix? What do they have to with this?" Enderian snapped.

"No offense, but it seems like you aren't aware who is really leading this coven. Perix has been going around and....convincing them that we deserve more than just animal blood to feed on. The murders around the city, all led by Perix"

"I see"

Enderian clenched her fists.

"It seems I need to have a chat with Perix. I have things to go and do. Carry on"

Enderian walked past them and up the stairs. Soul tossed up her ring so the furious vampire could leave before anyone in the room got hurt. Centross and Arisanna hung their heads. Wolf put a hand on his partner and sisters shoulder. Centross brushed them off and left as well. Arisanna flinched away, feeling bad for ratting her friend out. Wolf went to go after Centross, but Alerion stopped him.

"Leave him Wolf. Maybe this will finally open his eyes to reality" Alerion said kindly.

"I know. I just wish he could have seen reality sooner. Before this all went out of control"

"Right now, you just need to focus on your new love. Keep Rae safe from all this bloodshed. I have no doubt that when Perix is confronted about this, she'll lash out. I pray to Epros that they are not foolish enough to attack Rae to get back at Enderian"

"I won't let them get the chance" he hissed.

"Keep our world safe Wolf and that includes Rae. Even if he's not a vampire like us, he is apart of this coven"

"You can trust me Alerion, nothing will happen to Rae. They all think I'm human, which means they trust me. I'll be able to keep an eye on their movements against us"

"You...you wouldn't use Rae to find out, right?" Soul asked.

"Never. He means the world to me. I'd rather let Icarus tear me to shred before I use Rae. Like you said Alerion, Rae is apart of this coven. He is apart of my family. And I keep those is my world safe, no matter the cost"

Chapter Text

"There is no way he's at the library. Caspian, are you sure?" Icarus asked, opening the door to their car.

"Where else would he be?" he replied from the phone.

"Its Sunday! The library is closed!"

"Not to him it isn't. He got a new shipment of books from Soraza. You know, his employer? So he's probably over there organizing everything"

"Gods, does he even know what the word 'break' means?" they asked, sitting behind the wheel and starting the engine.

"He's your brother. You should know by now that he doesn't"

"Thanks Caspian"

"Yeah no problem. Have fun Icarus, with whatever your gonna do"

"I'm gonna force Rae to take a break, whether he wants to or not. That's what I'm gonna do"

Icarus hung up the call and tossed their phone on the passenger seat. They backed out of their driveway and drove off down the street. They continued to drive into the busy, yet phenomenal beauty of the city.

The wolf prince had moved back to Lodestar last year per the request of their father. They had originally moved away from the city because of the vampire's heavy influence in the popularity of the people. Enderian and Alerion both owned one of the most popular fashion businesses in Lodestar. Icarus didn't want to be involved with it at all, but was asked to return to resolve the vampire issue plaguing the city.

They only agreed because of Rae. His brother had recently moved back to move in with his partners on the outskirts of the city. By returning, they could protect Rae again from a world of magic and danger.

Icarus growled as they passed by Ender Jewels. The mark of the vampires were written all over that building. It wasn't clear to them a couple weeks back, but now? It was very, very clear that this was where the vampire's took up their safe home. They growled again as they drove away after swearing that the sign had switched to ender and then back to English.

"Go ahead Enderian. Taunt me all you want. One of these days you're going to regret it"

They eventually made it to the library. They pulled into the driveway and parked next to Caspian's truck. Icarus got out of their car and looked over at the truck. It was clear that Rae had been driving it, empty coffee cups were on the floor and Rae's jean jacket was lying on the passenger seat. They were about to walk away when something caught their attention. Underneath the jacket was the corner of a big book. The pages and cover that was exposed looked very old and worn out. Icarus looked around before pulling the door handle and to their surprise the truck was unlocked and the door swung open. They moved Rae's jacket and stepped back once reading the title.

Ancient Magics: Runes and Artifacts

"No. Tha....that's not possible. How...how does he....how does he have this book? Fable.....dad said this was destroyed years ago"

Icarus grabbed the book and their fingers ran over the embroidered orchid on the spine of the book. They opened the book to where a bookmark was and then immediately closed it and tossed it back in the truck. They grabbed Rae's jacket and re-covered the book and shut the truck door. They leaned against their car and tried to keep calm.

"Shadow runes? A....a summoning rune? No. This....this isn't possible"

"Icarus?"

They jumped at their brother's voice. They looked at Rae and managed a smile. He smiled back and walked over, forcing Icarus into a hug. They hesitated but closed their eyes and hugged their brother back.

"Is everything alright? You seem like you just saw a ghost"

"Uh, yeah. Just saw that you have a book in the truck. You didn't hide it very well"

"Yeah and it looks like someone broke into the truck. My jacket's not exactly where I left it"

Icarus looked away, but Rae just laughed.

"It's alright. You've always been the nosy one. I was actually coming out to grab it"

Icarus opened the truck door and dipped into a playful bow. Rae laughed as he grabbed the book and stepped back so his brother could close the door again. Rae started to walk back to the library, but when noticing Icarus didn't follow, he grabbed Icarus' wrist and dragged them along. He dragged them into the library and then let go of their wrist. Icarus looked around in awe at the library. They had never actually stepped foot into the library. It seemed like a place taken right out of one of Rae's fantasy books. Row and rows of bookshelves, the walls were all lined with books, posters and maps. Potted plants sat on the railing of the second floor. Their vines flowing over were intertwined with lights that cause the magical appearance to become present in the library. Icarus spun back around to see Rae walking up the spiral staircase in the center of the room. They followed after him and was amazed at how much more the upstairs held.

In one corner there was a map hanging on the wall that looked familiar. Icarus looked over it and walked away when realizing it was a map of the forest that merged into the city. The one that held the secret of the werewolves hidden within. They went to grab a book from the shelf, but yelped and scrambled back as something emerged from the bookshelf.

"RAE! Rae what is this thing?!" Icarus yelled, raising the book to attack.

"No! Don't hurt them!" Rae exclaimed, setting the book down and rushing over. He stepped in front of Icarus to shield the thing from the bookshelf.

"Them? Who is them? What is it?" Icarus asked, stepping back.

Rae turned to the thing hovering in the air. "Hi Auxreta. I thought you were downstairs in the workshop little one. What are you doing up here? It's dangerous Aux, people could see you" Rae said, holding out a hand.

The pixie flew over and landed on the librarian's hand. They pointed at Icarus and then raised an eyebrow.

"This is my brother. They won't hurt you or tell anyone about you. I trust them, just like I trust Athena. You remember him don't you?"

The pixie nodded their head and grinned. They pulled out a piece of folded paper from their pocket and dropped it on Rae's open palm.

"Now Aux. What did I say about stealing pages from the books?"

Icarus watched as Rae was completely calm talking to a very small creature. They watched as the pixie shook their head and jumped up and down several times. They kept picking up the folded paper and dropping it until they grabbed it and chucked it at Rae's face.

Rae sighed and then grabbed the paper and Auxreta flew up. He unfolded the paper and read it over. A grin spread across his face and eyes brightened in excitement. He looked up at Auxreta and then back down at the paper. The pixie started flying around Rae's head, chittering something that Icarus couldn't understand. A shared conversation happened between the two with no words having been spoken.

"Uh, Rae? Hello? Brother over here"

"Oh. S..sorry. Um. This is Auxreta, they're a pixie. Aux how did you find this?"

The pixie threw their hands in the air and spun around until pointing out the window.

"You went out of the library?"

The pixie nodded and flew over to the table where Rae had set down his phone. He walked over to see the pixie point at Wolf's name in his contact list.

"You went to get help from Wolf? That's understandable"

"What does the paper say?"

"I'm trying to help Aux find their way......um"

Rae refolded the paper and slipped it into his pocket and shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. Nothing you'd find interesting. Um, wh....what are you doing here? You never come visit me anymore" he stated, changing the topic.

Rae walked away from Icarus, but they grabbed Rae's wrist. The sudden panic and pain that shot across their brother's face made them let go immediately. The librarian retracted his arm and gently rubbed his wrist. Icarus gasped as they noticed the burns that covered Rae's hands.

"Rae-"

"I don't want to talk about. It's fine, Icarus. I'm fine"

"No you're not Rae. What is going on?"

"Caspian set you up to do this? Didn't he? I told him I'm fine"

"No actually. He just told me you were here. What is going on Rae?"

"You'll hate me"

"I don't think that's true"

Rae walked back over to the table the book laid on. He ran a burned hand over the cover and lowered his head. Icarus watched as the pixie flew over to Rae and landed on the book. The put their hands on his hand and smiled. The brothers gasped as a sudden bright blue light filled the room. Rae laughed as he realized what Auxreta was doing. Neon blue runes spread across his hands, similar ones that now covered the pixie's skin. Auxreta was healing him. The runes slowly encompassed the burns and began to fade away, leaving his skin completely clean of any magical retaliation. The runes from Rae's hands and from Auxreta's body vanished and the pixie grinned. The flew up to hug Rae's face and then flew up and circled the librarian.

"Thank you Auxreta"

"They....they healed you. How?"

"Aux is a pixie, Icarus. They are literally made up of magic. They can do anything they wished. Auxreta here is one of the oldest magics that still exist"

"Th...that's cool. Now. What is going on Rae? I'm not going to hate you"

"Promise?"

"I promise"

"I....I have magic as well. I'm what's called a Rune Mage. If its not clear already, magic is real"

"What?"

"Magic is real Icarus! Mom's stories were true!"

"I...I know. I know that magic is real"

"You do?"

"Momboo, she's a rune mage"

"She is?"

Rae opened the book and started flipping through pages. Icarus walked over and looked over Rae's shoulder. He flipped to a page of all the different symbols of the rune classes and pointed at it.

"Which one is she?" he asked, excitedly.

"Uh.....that one" they replied, pointing to one of the symbols.

"Oh! She's a Spirit Mage! Oh my gods. Do you know how exciting that is? Spirit Mages are very rare when it comes to magic. Well, I mean now, being a mage in this time period its very rare. Magic was almost wiped off the earth centuries ago. But a Spirit Mage? That's incredible! She would probably be one of the most powerful mages still to exist! The High Priests of the olden times believed they could vanquish the more dangerous Rune Classes such as the Shadow Class. Does she live in a forest by chance?"

Icarus had started zoning out at Rae continued to ramble, but snapped to attention at his question. How did he know that?

"Uh. Yeah. Outskirts of the city, just more into the forest than others. Why?"

"Auxreta and I have been seeking out magical energy for our research. And we picked up some Spirit magic in that area!"

Rae ran towards the map on the wall and wrote a rune. Icarus watched as the white rune was created and pressed against the map. The magic embedded itself into the parchment and ran up to a spot in the forest part and that section became bright.

"There. That's where we saw the magic signal. Is that where she is at?"

"Yes"

Shit

The pixie flew back over and shook a fist in Rae's face and then pointed at his pocket.

"Gods above! Aux! The paper!"

Rae pulled out the paper and unfolded it. Icarus got a better look at the paper and stepped back. A strange language was scribbled all over the paper. Rae closed his eyes and slowly wrote a different rune. One that glowed almost void like. What magic did he exactly hold? Their eyes widened as they watched the burns slowly return to his hands. This rune was hurting him. The paper of the mysterious language shot up and melded itself with the map. Blue sparks erupted and shot into a different part of the forest. Rae looked at Auxreta and the pixie was flying around excitedly.

"Aux we did it! We actually did it!"

"Did what?"

"We found Auxreta's home"

"Their home?"

"I found Auxreta a couple months ago. They got separated from the other pixies and they didn't know the way back. I've been helping find any sign of magic from the forests. The paper was written in their ancient language called Vo'lete. Instructions for how to return. But I needed a magic source from the forest to activate a map back. So Momboo's usage of magic allowed me to pin point an area to base the spell on"

"You know. I was here to make you take a break. I was going to bring you to a cavern I found last year that I thought you'd enjoy. That cavern is right where your spell thingy pointed out. Auxreta's home" they said pointing at the cavern on the edge of the blue sparks.

"Can we go now?"

"Sure"

"Auxreta! I'm gonna bring you home! You're going home Aux!"

"With you being a mage, can you, I don't know, teleport us there?"

"I wish"

"What even are you? That sounds rude, sorry"

"It's okay. That's.....that's a good question actually. I've read mom's book all the way through multiple times. I've tried several runes, some of which I couldn't even create. But I have been able to use some runes from the Inferno Class, the Spirit Class and the.....the Shadow Class. There have been circumstances where a Shadow Mage can have special abilities from the other classes, so I'm leaning more towards that I'm a Shadow Mage. But I promise, I'm not going to hurt anybody with it. It's not exactly a safe rune class"

Icarus nodded and then silently cursed. Rae grabbed the book of ancient magics and ran down the spiral staircase. Icarus followed, laughing as Auxreta zipped down after Rae. Out of instinct, they growled as Auxreta stuck their tongue out at them. The pixie's eyes widened and they froze mid-flight. Icarus glanced over and was glad Rae hadn't noticed. The librarian rushed out of the library and Icarus pointed at Auxreta.

"Not a word to him. He doesn't know and doesn't need to know. Got it?"

The pixie nodded their head and flew away from the wolf prince.

"Hey, give me your bag" Rae stated, locking the library doors.

"What?"

"People are out, and no one is supposed to see Auxreta. I can't let people know magic is real, because if they know, all the magical creatures still left will be in danger"

"Fine"

Icarus handed him their bag and the pixie flew into the bag. The brothers walked over to their vehicles and drove off down into the city. Rae called Icarus on his phone so they could lead him to the cavern. He would tell Icarus what Auxreta was saying. Telling them that Auxreta was making fun of the things in Icarus' bag. The pixie kept tossing empty bottles out and grumbling to themself about how unclean the bag was. Icarus groaned as they listened to the pixie being so picky about their lifestyle choice.

The two of them eventually drove onto a dirt path that led further into the forest. Rae did his best to keep and eye on the makeshift road, but the beauty of the forest kept driving his attention away. He slammed on the brakes as he saw three large wolves make their way through the forest. The blonde one stopped and made eye contact with Rae and then they howled. The other two stopped and met Rae's gaze as well. Rae settled his gaze on the red wolf, something oddly familiar about them.

Icarus heard the howl and stopped their car. They looked back to see Rae turn off his truck and get out. They looked over at the wolves and cursed. When making sure Rae wasn't looking in their direction, they howled a warning to Easton. A warning to get Athena and Jamie out of there. That Rae didn't know about them still and that their visit to the forest was unrelated to them.

The blonde wolf bowed its head and growled at the others and the wolves ran off in the opposite direction. Rae sighed and went back to his truck. Icarus sighed in relief and began driving again. Rae started the truck and followed, making a mental not of the wolves deep in the forest.

Regular wolves are not that big. Could they be related to ancient magics. Connected in some way?

Icarus veered off the trail for a little while and then came to a stop. Rae followed suit. They got out of the vehicles and met up at the mouth of the cavern. Auxreta flew out of the bag and looked around.

"Do you sense anything Aux?"

They nodded and pointed at their glowing wings. Something nearby had very powerful magic flowing through it. Something so powerful that the pixie suddenly entered a trance-like state and flew off. Something so powerful that even Rae could sense it. Icarus looked down at Rae's hands again and saw rune markings reappear on his skin. They watched as Rae began to follow the pixie and they tried to grab Rae's arm but reeled back as an electric current shot back at them.

"Anything with magic is cursed" them mumbled, before running after their brother.

Rae's eyes widened as the cave expanded into a giant, never ending cavern. Geodes and magic covered the cavern walls. A waterfall, bigger than any he had ever seen flowed from an amethyst into the bottom of the cavern to provide a home to the abundant amount of magical creatures that lived there. Icarus smiled as Rae started to make his way to the bottom. Glad to see their brother in a place of his fascination. Rae reached the water's edge and froze. He met the gaze of a crystal wolf, its starry eyes looking back at him. The wolf bowed its head and went back to drinking from the lake. A baby deer nudged his hand and Rae smiled at the little fawn. It was a regular deer, no magic was tied to it.

"Icarus, look at this! The creatures thought to be extinct still exist! I knew it! Mom knew it! And they live among the wild! This is incredible!" Rae exclaimed.

Auxreta zipped past Rae and to a patch of glowberry vines. Rae followed them and brushed the vines aside. He gasped at what he saw. A whole secret passage into the cavern and inside were pixies, just like Auxreta.

"Aux, look! It's your family!"

The pixie chittered and the others chittered back. Several of them flew out and circled Auxreta, pushing them back towards their family. They flew away for a moment and back to Rae.

"Aux? What's wrong?"

The pixie rushed to Rae and hugged the side of his face. The librarian closed his eyes and gently put a hand to the back of the pixie. Rae felt small tears drop from Auxreta's face on onto his skin.

"I'm gonna miss you too Auxreta. But this is your home"

The pixie chittered again.

"I'll find my home someday. And I'll be sure to visit. One of these days, Aux. One of these days I'll find where I truly belong. Just not now. Thank you though. Thank you for helping me find a temporary one"

The pixie nodded and put a small hand over Rae's heart. They nodded again and pointed again and again.

"Right. I'm just supposed to be myself. I'm really gonna miss you"

The pixie flew back to their family. The others started to chitter and giggle as their family member had returned home to them. Some of the pixies thanked Rae for taking care of Auxreta and for returning them safely. The man continued to explore the cavern. All the magical creatures that would act hostile towards others, were calm around him. Helping guide the librarian around the dark and more dangerous, unstable parts of the cavern.

Truly a magical sight.

Icarus hadn't left the mouth of the cave. They were on their way down, but when overhearing Rae's conversation with Auxreta, they froze. One of these days I'll find where I truly belong. What had he meant by that? He had a whole family who loved him. No matter what side they were on, all of them welcomed Rae and loved him. How could he say that he didn't know where he belonged? And why did it seem that Rae was more comfortable around these magical creatures than with his own brother? Icarus continued to watch Rae and kept trying to ignore the thoughts that ran through their mind. There he was, acting like the same over obsessed fantasy-loving kid they had begun calling 'brother' all those years ago.

"If he's discovered magic and shadow magic at that....The vampires might not be that much of a threat anymore. I have to tell Fable"

Chapter Text

The wind and heavy downpour of rain was not making it easier for the brunet to run. Caspian seethed as he was thrown off balance and face-planted on the cement. The harsh impact with the ground flared up his lungs and coughed up more blood. He managed to stand up again and put a hand on the side of his ribs. He groaned as he realized the wet feeling against his skin was no longer just rain, but blood. The stitched stab wound on the side of his torso had reopened.

Caspian looked around to see if anyone was around. To his dismay, no one was in sight. He was alone in the middle of a storm, with someone after him. He spotted a toppled over tree and with what strength he had left, yanked a branch from the trunk of the tree. He kept a firm grip on the branch and kept walking.

An eerie calm voice arose above the rain, "And where do you think you're going?"

Caspian whipped around, raising the branch in a defensive stance. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. The rain was making it impossible to find anything. Suddenly a cold chill ran up his spine and he spun around to only be met with a fist to the face. The branch fell from his grip as he hit the ground once more. He made a move to grab it, but the figure stepped on his outstretched arm, breaking the bones beneath their foot. Caspian screamed in agony as the figure didn't let up, but continued to step harder.

"Now now now. Caspian Solcrest. Where do you think you're going? Hm? I haven't had my evening meal yet. It's quite rude of you to leave so soon"

"Let me go Perix! I....I won't tel....tell. I won't tell anyone what you are! I...pr..promise!"

"You really expect me to believe that? I won't fall for your tricks. I can't wait to taste how sweet you blood will taste. It has been wonderful hearing you scream for the last several weeks. But now? I'm bored of you. So..." she taunted, stepping off Caspian's arm, "It's time for my dinner"

The vampire fell to their knees and grabbed a fistful of Caspian's hair and yanked him up. He yelped at the sudden sting across his scalp. He closed his eyes and screamed as Perix sank their fangs into his throat. He choked on his own blood spilling out of his mouth. With no strength left, the brunet surrendered himself to the vampire and accepted death.

But death never welcomed him.

He reopened his eyes as Perix unlocked her fangs from his throat. The fear that was in his eyes was now in theirs. She slowly backed away from him with terror filling her soul and walked away from Caspian.

"I have never killed someone before, but if you don't leave, then I will make my first kill" a woman warned.

Caspian glanced up and all he could see through the rain was the woman's fiery red hair flowing in the wind. He could see what seemed to be a ring of light around her hands. The rings were pointed at the vampire.

"Let me go and then I will leave" she gasped.

"You be sure to do so. One suspicious move and you will find yourself dead"

The rings of light around the woman's hand vanished. Perix hissed at Caspian and ran off into the woods. As soon as they were gone, the woman rushed over to the dying man. She ran a hand through his disheveled hair to see the light in his eyes flicker back to life. A ring of light returned and he tensed up when she put a hand to his back. He gasped as he felt a warm rush flow through his body and watched as his wounds closed.

This woman saved his life.

"You....you're the man who disappeared a couple weeks ago. Caspian right?"

"Y...yes"

"I'm Strawberri Pine, some people call me Momboo. Don't worry, you're safe now"

"What exactly was she? What are you?"

"No need to worry about that right now. I will explain everything later. Let me get you back to a hospital. You can't tell anyone though. Do you understand?"

"Wh...why not?"

"Telling people would put thousands at risk. Please. Don't tell anybody"

"I....I won't"

"Good. Dear gods, your skin is ghostly white. Hm. Calling you Ghosty would be fitting"

"You can call me whatever you want Strawberri"

"Then, Ghosty. Let's get you back home. Shall we?"

===========================================================

Caspian locked the car doors and made his way into the house. The only one to greet him was his dog. Atlas cam running for attention and the brunet laughed and fell to his knees. The German shepherd sank to the floor and put her head on Caspian's knees.

"Hi sweet girl. I see Rae and Aax are out. Were you left here alone?"

The dog whined and got up. She walked over to the door that led to the basement. Caspian followed with a concerned look across his face. He opened the door and immediately closed it.

"What the hell? Why is the spawner out and not secured?"

Caspian reached over and moved a small painting aside. He flicked the lever and a secret closet emerged from behind the wall. He reached in and grabbed a sword and shield. He went back to the basement door and went in. Atlas followed, barking at all the skeletons that filled the room. The dog's jaws snapped, the brunet's sword swung and the creature's bows released.

After a couple of minutes, the last skeleton crumbled to the ground. Caspian went over and pulled up a different lever and the spawner melded into the floor. He let his sword and shield fall to the ground and began gathering the fallen remains. Broken bows, spare arrows, assorted bones, all tossed into the mini lava pool tucked behind one of the chests.

He went back for his weapons but froze when seeing that they were gone. He looked around, trying to see if Atlas had taken off with them. Nothing. Vanished into thin air. The brunet drew a dagger from his boot and slowly walked up the stairs. It would not be the first time that someone of his to vanish like that. The last several times it had Perix taunting him using her illusion specialty. Ever since he had escaped the vampire, she had done nothing but taunt him to let him know he could never escape them.

"Put the dagger away Ghosty"

He chuckled and lowered his dagger to face Momboo. She was holding the sword and shield with a smile across her face. She handed them back to Caspian and he turned to put them away. Once concealing the secret closet he turned back to his friend.

"You gave a scare. I...I thought they came back, again"

"Nope. Just me. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

"It's alright. I should have realized it wasn't her, Atlas didn't warn me. She would if Perix was anywhere near here"

"Smart dog"

Momboo sat down on the couch and Atlas trodded over and laid down at her feet. The woman noticed as the brunet shakily sat down as well. He kept rubbing his hands together and kept glancing at the window. She put a hand on his and his hands slowly stilled themselves.

"Hey, it's alright. You're safe. You had another nightmare last night, didn't you?"

The brunet nodded and lowered his head. Momboo smiled and leaned against Caspian. He chuckled and moved an arm around her and let his head rest against hers.

"C...Can we go somewhere Strawberri? A...a... walk around the block or just out to the woods? Just to get my mind off things?"

"Of course. You wanna get Atlas' leash and I'll text Rae and Aax that you're out with me in case they come home early?"

"Yes please"

"Okay. Hey Atlas, we're going on a walk"

The German Shepherd perked up and her tail started to wag. Caspian got up and called the dog over and she jumped up and followed him eagerly. Caspian looked over and smiled when seeing Momboo texting his partners for him.

He was so grateful to Momboo as his friend. As his sister. He couldn't imagine how life would've been unless he Momboo that night. There wouldn't have been a life if she didn't stop Perix from killing him that night. She had continued to stay by his side no matter what. She gave him a life and a family. She protected him and now he vowed to protect her and her family. No matter the cost.

"Ready to go Ghosty?"

"Yeah. Let's go"

================================================

"Hey! Kid, get back here!"

Easton continued running, looking back briefly to see if the police officer was catching up or not. They kept weaving in between the crowded plaza, pushing people out of the way, pulling people in to block the officer chasing them. They ran out of the crowd until making it to the busy street. They heard people crying out as now three police officers emerged from the crowd. They pointed at Easton and they froze.

"Stop right there thief! Put your hands in the air where we can see them!"

Easton looked around at all the people watching and simply grinned. People screamed as Easton turned and ran directly into traffic. They jumped up and grabbed onto a side handle attached to the side of a truck. The truck drove away with Easton hanging on, cheering as the escaped the cops once again.

They opened the truck door and slid inside, closing the door. The driver yelped at the unexpected company. He began to slow down, but sped up when Easton bore their canines and their eyes turned to wolfish eyes. A low growl coming from Easton as a warning.

"W..where t..to?" he asked, fear lacing his voice.

"Junkyard"

"Right away"

The driver headed towards the way the Junkyard was and kept quiet. He didn't understand this kid. What teenager would run from the cops and hold someone hostage without a weapon? And what was this kid? Why did they have wolfish features? He looked over and saw Easton pull out their headphone and put them on and began listening to their music. When he was sure the kid wasn't looking, or listening, the driver pulled out his phone and called 9-1-1, after talking to them very quietly and descreetly, he put the phone on speaker.

"So....why do you want to go to the Junkyard kid?"

"Does it matter?"

"No. Why were you running from the cops? Hm? I saw you as I was driving past, running from 'em"

"Eh, stole something from the mayor's office and very vividly expressed my opinions about the murders on Town Hall. Harmless pranks"

"Your opinions? You think you know something about the killings?"

"Yes. And my aunt knows about it. But they fired her for being correct"

"Your aunt is Oceana Golden? The one who believes vampires are real?"

"Yes, and?"

"You believe her?"

"No shit"

The driver noticed that the operator had hung up. He hoped they were sending backup. He didn't think this kid meant any harm, but he wasn't going to risk it. The driver didn't want to spend one more minute with this clearly deranged kid.

They arrived at the junkyard and Easton opened the door. They dug into their bag and pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to the driver. He was confused but gladly took the cash.

"Thanks for the lift"

"What exactly did you steal, kid?"

"Hah. What didn't I steal? Let's just say, the mayor's gonna need to make a trip to the bank for some extra cash. Got me a good five hundred or so. Thanks again!"

Easton got out of the truck and let the door shut. The truck driver simply nodded and drove away. Easton laughed and spun around. Another successful trip downtown. Their original plan was to just vandalize the place, but then decided last minute to bring home extra cash.

"I really didn't take you a thief, dog"

Easton froze. They slid the money back into the bag and removed their headphones from their head. Stuffing them into the bag, they curled their fists and turned around, claws now exposed.

"What are you doing here Perix?"

"Oh, you know. Stalking out my next meal. Was thinking about nabbing one of the workers over there in the office"

"Not anymore. I won't let you"

"No. You're right. Not them anymore"

"What?"

"Wolf blood tastes better"

"Shit"

Easton was about to shift when Perix lunged at them. They tried to keep her off them, but the vampire was much stronger at the moment. Traces of blood were still on her lips. She had recently fed. Perix bore her fangs and hissed. Easton growled and tried again to shift into their wolf form, but with the added pressure and panic, they couldn't. Perix sank their fangs into Easton's shoulder and the kid screamed out.

And then the crack of a gun sounded.

Perix let Easton go and screamed out a bullet shot through her arm. Easton didn't know who fired the shot, and didn't care if they were looking. They shifted into their wolf form and took the opportunity to clamp their jaws around Perix's other arm. They hissed and kicked the wolf off them. They scrambled away and laughed.

"Seems like you have bigger problems little dog"

Perix ran off into the woods, leaving Easton alone, bleeding from their shoulder. They shifted back to human form only to have a gun pointed at the back of their head. They lifted their hands in the air for the most part and kept still.

"What in the devil's name are you?" an officer asked.

Easton glanced up to see several more police officers all pointing their guns at them.

"If you want to keep all your limbs, I suggest you lower the guns"

"Nice try kid. You won't be able to move a muscle unless you want a bullet to the head" another snarled.

"What are you?"

"I'm a werewolf, dipshit. The one who ran is a vampire. You know, the same creature my aunt told you existed" Easton replied, with a grin.

"You're Oceana's nephew, aren't you?"

"Yep. Believe her now?"

"No"

"Sir, maybe she was right" another said, his voice sounding familiar.

"Jerry? What's up man? Wanna help out a bit?" Easton grinned.

"Not a good time Easton" he hissed.

"You know this kid?"

"I'm dating Ocie, remember" Jerry stated, "Easton, you need to go"

"No, they aren't going anywhere. And you, get back to the cars. Now" the officer ordered.

"Easton? Jerry? What's going on?"

"Mom? Ah shit. Everything's fine. Go home" Easton exclaimed quickly.

"Ms. Pine, I need to ask you and your friend to leave"

Momboo and Caspian walked up and shoved their way past the officers. Atlas growled, watching for any movement from the men. Caspian knelt down helped Easton to their feet. They slumped against him and watched as Caspian's necklace dropped to the ground. The brunet went quiet when seeing the puncture marks on their shoulder.

"Perix" they mouthed.

Caspian looked around and then tapped two fingers against his thigh three times. Atlas came to his side and began growling. She kept looking at everything that made noise.

"Look. I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding officers" Momboo tried to defend.

"One, your kid stole from the mayor and vandalized the Town Hall. Two, they....they turned into a wolf ma'am"

"You what? Easton...."

"What was I supposed to do? Let Perix kill me? I don't think so!" they shot back.

"Officers, I'm sorry" Momboo apologized.

"Ma'am, you have nothing to apologize fore. You didn't do anything wrong. Your kid did"

"I meant, I'm sorry for what is about to happen"

The officers raised their weapons at Momboo when runes circled around her hands. Caspian turned himself and Easton away from the spell; Jerry dropped to the ground and covered his head. The officers screamed out as Momboo cast the spell on them. They all fell to the ground, weapons scattering to the ground as well. She kicked one in the side and sighed. She walked over to Jerry and helped him to his feet.

"It's alright. I put them to sleep temporarily. We need to go"

"Sleep? Won't they know everything that happened? They'll come looking for us. Jerry is now in danger" Easton asked, wincing as they tried to use their arm.

"They went into a sleep because of the spell. The rune I used, it....it's a memory spell. I removed the memory of everything that happened. They won't know you stole or vandalized. They won't know about you and Perix, they won't know that Jerry knows something" she replied, grabbing Easton's bag.

She grabbed the money and put it next to the officer in charge. Easton mumbled a protest, but stopped after Momboo glared at them. She left a note saying that the "thief realized their mistake", in the officer's hand and walked away.

"Get on my back, Easton. I'll carry you back" Caspian said.

"I can walk home on my own" they snapped.

"Okay then. Your choice"

Easton walked away from Caspian, only to crumble into the arms of Jerry.

"Okay, fine"

"That's what I thought"

Easton hung onto Caspian and Jerry nodded when making sure the brunet had hold of their nephew. Caspian whistled and Atlas came running, still on alert for the vampire.

"I'll stay here when they wake up. I'll say that one of the telephone wires sparked and they passed out. Or something like that. You guys get out of here, safely okay?" Jerry said, shaking hands with Momboo.

"We will. Thank you Jerry. Be safe"

"Will do"

"C...can we please get out of here, Strawberri" Caspian muttered.

"Right. Yes of course. Sorry Cas" Momboo replied, quickly recognizing the brunet's panic.

"Are you okay Caspian?" Easton asked.

"T...this is where....uh...."

"This is where I found Caspian. This is the same place Perix almost killed him. It's a place neither of us really want to be in any longer than we have to"

"Fair"

The three of them plus the dog, walked away from the junkyard and into the forest. The part of the forest that was claimed by the wolves. A couple minutes later the officers woke up. They quickly gathered their service weapons and scanned the area. Jerry explained the lie to the head officer and managed to convince them the lie he spun. The head cop called for the rest of the cops to head back to the station with the stolen money. Jerry nodded and went back to his partner and drove away.

The head cop stayed behind to do another search. Something wasn't right. How did they end up here at the junkyard? Why did the thief give the money back. There was snap behind him and they spun around to see a woman injured and bleeding.

"Ma'am, are you alright? Who did this to you?"

"A fucking wolf bit my hand. The bullet wound is from one of your men's guns"

"What?"

The officer screamed as Perix grabbed the officer and sank their fangs into his throat. A wave of fresh relief flooded their system as her body began to heal itself. They let the body drop to the ground and grinned, the blood on her lips glimmering in the sun.

"Refreshing"

She bent down and picked up something half buried in the dirt. A ruby pendant attached to a silver chain.

"Caspian Solcrest. Your life will soon be mine. Say goodbye to your loved ones Ghosty"

Chapter Text

Icarus kept pacing around back and forth in their basement, fingers tapping against their leg as they went. They kept trying to rid themself of the image of the magic book they thought had been destroyed years ago.

"How does Rae have it? H...How? Where did he find it? He...sh...shouldn't have it! Nobody should!"

That day they wanted to take the book and destroy it. Fable had told them as a kid that that specific book was one of the most dangerous things to ever exist. They were never told the exact details of what it was exactly. Just that it was dangerous and should be destroyed. They had considered breaking into Rae's house the other night to take it and burn it. But decided against due to the truce and alliance they had with Rae's partners. Breaking into their house would definitely sever any ties they had left to some of the best vampire hunters they knew.

They stopped pacing in front of a pin board hung on the wall and curled their fists. Pictures of vampires they knew were hung on the wall. Several of them were crossed out in red ink, while other's were not. Icarus' gaze settled on one picture and they growled. They picked up a dagger on the table and stabbed the picture of Centross.

One of these days.....I'll finally cross your picture out. One of these days I will kill you

"Icarus? Are you down here?"

"Dad? Y...yeah, I'm down here!"

Fable walked down the stairs and stopped when noticing where Icarus was. He walked over and put a hand on his son's shoulder and with the other, pulled the dagger out and handed it back to Icarus.

"One of these days Icarus. Just not right now"

"I know"

"Tell me, what's troubling you? You only come down here when something is wrong"

Icarus hesitated, "Rae. Rae is"

"What do you mean? He hasn't found out......has he?"

"No! No, he hasn't. Not yet. It....it's the.....Dad he has mom's book"

Fable stepped back.

"What? That's not possible. I personally burned that book a decade ago, after your mother died. Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. It had an orchid etched into the side of the book. It's hers dad"

"How does Rae have it? How did it survive?"

"Wh....what exactly is that book? I know it's full of magic, but...."

"That book is one of the most dangerous things in this world. Only very powerful mages who had direct connection with the gods could unlock the secret texts beneath the surface ink. The secret text of the gods"

"Epros and Kinaxus"

"Exactly. Your mother was a very smart woman, but her curiosity drove her mad. She was a powerful mage, a Spirit mage if I'm not mistaken. And she believed in reuniting the vampires and werewolves and was determined to talk to the gods in the stars. Believing that if they would answer, they would put a stop to this war"

"Isn't that what we want though? To stop this war before it is exposed to the rest of society?"

"Yes Icarus. But Isla, she eventually chose the vampires over us. No doubt with the help of Enderian's influence. She wanted to us the gods against us"

"That's why the book was to be destroyed. So she couldn't turn on any of us"

"Yes. And I thought I got rid of it. But now your brother has it, and I would be lying if I said that doesn't scare"

"Because he's the son of a vampire"

"Exactly. While he might not yet know of our world, it is hard for me to not consider the possibility that he has already fallen under Enderian's influence"

"She wouldn't use her own son, would she?"

"I would hope not. But my sister is determined to get what she wants, when she wants"

"I don't think he's under any influence. Caspian and Aax told me they slip hawthorn into his drink every morning. So that no one can influence his mind"

"Good. That's good"

"Then why do you think Rae's looking into this?"

"I'm not sure. As a child his mind was filled with imagination, but he showed no signs of holding magical abilities like Isla. So it isn't a magical pull towards it"

"Actually, he told me he can use magic. He thinks he's a shadow mage with the ability to use runes from the Spirit class and Inferno class as well"

"What?"

"Yeah, he's got magic. I saw him use a couple the other day. Seemed really happy with that annoying pixie that was hanging out at his library"

"Pixie? They're starting to come out of hiding?"

"He said this one got separated from its family"

"Besides that, he's got magic? And shadow magic?"

"Yeah?"

"Icarus, do you not realize how dangerous that is? If Rae is in fact a shadow mage, we could all be in danger"

"What? I know magic is dangerous, but Rae isn't!"

"The Shadow Class is one of the most dangerous and deadliest classes in the world. You push to far into their magic and you become vulnerable to their will. Push too much, and you no longer control the shadows, they control you"

Icarus stepped back.

"How do you know?"

"That's none of your concern"

"O...okay"

"This is why Lennarius doesn't ever use his powers against us. Because of his fear of succumbing to the shadows will. Lennarius is one of the most pacifist vampires known to exist. If he had the utmost control over his magic, he'd be the most dangerous of them. We are lucky he doesn't try and control the shadows"

"What do we do about Rae then? How are any of us supposed to tell him, 'Hey, don't use your magic, it'll corrupt you' without sounding like we know something?"

"You tell Caspian and Aax, if they don't already know. I'm sure they can convince their partner to stop whatever research he's doing. And tell them to keep an eye on his actions"

"Is that really necessary dad? Rae doesn't like violence, at all. He would never hurt anyone, not on purpose"

"I know he wouldn't. He takes after Isla in that way. But Icarus, for our safety, for....his safety, he cannot learn how to control his shadow magic. The others are fine, they're useful. There is a reason why Shadow Mages were wiped out centuries ago, do not make any of us have to rid him from the picture as well. I cannot afford to lose another family member to the curse magic has on a person"

"Yeah. I would like to keep my brother alive as well. Speaking of family, jeez....."

"Is everything alright?"

"Athena. They keep texting 'Hey stupid' over and over again"

Fable laughed as Icarus clicked on Athena's contact and the texts started flowing in.

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] Hey stupid

[Athena] ANSWER ME

[Athena] RUDE MUCH

[Icarus] Hi Athena, what's up?

[Athena] ABOUT TIME YOU LOOK AT YOUR PHONE

[Icarus] Sorry Athena, I was talking with my dad

[Athena] Oh, your forgiven. Can you come over? I need to tell you and Momboo something

[Icarus] Can is wait? Fable and I are discussing.....things

[Athena] Perix almost killed Easton the other day

[Icarus] On my way

[Athena] Oh sure. Don't come over when I want you, but rush over when Easton's hurt

[Athena] I see how it is

[Athena] Jerk

"We....I need to go. Easton got attacked the other day. And Athena is a little upset at me right now. She wants to talk to me and Momboo about something"

"Is it alright if I come along?"

"Sure. I don't care. This way, it leads to a tunnel up to the forest"

Icarus shoved open the basement door and walked into the tunnel. Fable shut the door behind them and both shifted into golden wolves. They ran down the tunnel, plunging themselves into total darkness. Icarus kept glancing behind them to make sure Fable hadn't gotten lost through the different tunnels. Their alpha was right behind them during the entire travel. Making sure his son was in his sights.

Icarus reshifted when reaching the ladder up, Fable shifting as well. They went up the ladder and the wolf prince slowly opened the hatch and looked around. No one was around. They shoved it completely open and climbed out of the tunnel. They held out a hand and their father took it; helping him up. Icarus shut the hatch and reburied it with pine needles and moss laying around. The both of them walked through the forest and found their way to a clearing where the log cabin stood.

"Icarus!"

Icarus turned around and was tackled to the ground by Athena. Both of them had huge grins on their faces as one thing led to another and they shifted into wolf form. Fable stepped back as they two wolves began to play fight. He looked up to see Momboo and Jamie helping Easton out to the front porch. His grin quickly fell. Something was wrong.

"Ms. Pine. Is everything alright? Icarus said Easton got hurt, but..." he asked, quickly running over to the mage and her kids.

"Everything will be alright Mr. Gilded. They are healing. Runes can only do so much and I'm still learning what mine all entail" she replied, helping Easton sit on one of the chairs.

"What happened?"

"Perix happened. She bit me and tried to use me as her next meal. Their fucking venom is still in my bloodstream. Like mom said, runes can only do so much. But, I swear to the gods, the next time I see them, I'm ripping their head off their shoulders" Easton snarled.

"Patience young one. We cannot go rushing in. We will need a plan of attack. But yes, when the chance comes around, you are more than welcome to take her down" Fable said, calming Easton's rising anger.

"You're right. I'll get my revenge eventually. Mine and Caspian's"

"He'd be happy to hear you say that" Momboo pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah. He is family after all. No one hurts my family"

"Caspian? Caspian Solcrest?" Fable asked.

"Yes" Momboo replied.

"How is he doing? I have been made aware that Perix has been....taunting him more as of late"

"Not great. He's been carrying around his dagger more. The one laced with nightshade. He won't go anywhere without it" Momboo answered, snapping her fingers.

Fable hardly saw the rune be drawn and cast before hearing the whines from his son and nephew. Both wolves stopped fighting and Athena released Icarus' front paw from their locked jaws. Both sauntered over and shifted back. Icarus seethed as now their arm was broken and bleeding. Easton cackled and Icarus rolled their eyes.

"You deserve that"

"Excuse you. Why so?"

"Oh you know. Last night, when I was home alone and crashed to the ground and couldn't get up? Yeah. Right, well I called you, THREE TIMES. And you never picked up. Yeah, so you deserve that for not helping me. Good job Athena"

Jamie and Athena laughed while Momboo and Fable just shook their heads.

"Plus, you totally left me hanging"

"What do I do this time!?"

"You promised me that we would.....eh I already got in trouble. You promised me that we, WE, would go and colorfully express our opinions to the mayor and mayhaps bring in a little extra cash. But somebody ditched me!"

"You were supposed to do what now?" Fable asked, looking at Icarus.

"I never actually agreed to do that! You suggested it, but I never said yes" Icarus countered, wincing as Momboo cast a healing spell on their arm.

"You said and I quote, 'Yeah sure, just let me know when and I'll be there' Bitch" Easton stated, flipping Icarus off.

"You two done bickering about a failed theft attempt?" Athena piped up.

"Yes"

"Yeah. And hey. I didn't fail. I stole. Someone just gave the money back" Easton said, side-eyeing their mother.

"It wasn't yours to take" she scolded.

"Uh huh. Yeah. You absolutely stole"

"Like you could do any better Athena. You've never stolen anything before, little mx perfect" Easton remarked.

"Oh yeah? Check your pockets"

Easton's smirk fell. They quickly reached into their pockets and the kept searching their jacket pockets. Their hands fell into their lap and they looked at Athena.

"Where are my trinkets?"

"Right here" she replied, holding a bag of Easton's things, "Now who's the better thief?"

"That's enough you two" Momboo scolded, "Athena, you have something to tell us?"

"Yeah, here. You can have them back. I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to notice" they said with a smile.

Athena dropped the bag and Easton snatched it away. They shoved it into their pocket and growled.

"So what's up?" Icarus asked.

"I....I talked with Enderian a little while back"

"You did what?" Fable snarled.

Athena stepped back as Jamie moved in front of them.

"I talked with Enderian. She didn't hurt me. She told me that they want peace. But you aren't allowing it"

"Lies, all lies Athena. I want peace as much as everyone else. She is the one making these ridiculous negotiations that I will not agree on. Peace is in the making. But it's slow"

"You better be telling the truth"

"I am Athena. I promise"

"Is that all?" Icarus asked.

"No. My main thing is Rae"

Icarus went tense, "What about him?"

"He has magic. He wouldn't tell me tell me. I just saw the rune burns on his hands. Like the ones you used to have when you were first learning" Athena said, turning to Momboo.

"He has magic? Do you know what kind of mage he is? I...I could try and help train him so he doesn't hurt himself" Momboo offered.

"I don't know"

"He's pretty sure he's a Shadow mage with the ability to manipulate runes from the Inferno and Spirit class" Icarus added.

"You know as well?" Athena asked.

"Yeah. Rae told me a couple days ago. He thought I was going to hate him for having magic"

"That sounds like him" Momboo laughed.

"Shadow mage? Aren't those....aren't they supposed to be gone? Weren't the Shadow runes destroyed centuries ago?" Jamie asked.

"Supposedly. But I have no idea. He's got a book I thought was destroyed. It was our mother's" Icarus replied.

"Ancient Magics: Runes and Artifacts. Yeah. A couple weeks ago, I saw him have it laid out on his workshop desk" Athena said.

"Rae.....Rae isn't gonna....Shadow Runes eventually corrupt their users. Rae isn't....we aren't going to lose him. Right?" Jamie stammered.

"I won't let him learn those runes. I'll find a way to prove to him that it's dangerous so we don't lose him to the dark magics" Icarus quickly explained.

"You know about the rune's corruption?" Fable asked.

"Y...yeah. The books you gave me for my birthday a couple months ago had some information" Jamie chuckled.

"Well if he can use runes from the Spirit Class; I'd be more than happy to teach him. Just so he doesn't hurt himself or anyone while trying to learn. Even the Spirit runes can be dangerous if not used correctly" Momboo offered.

"I think that would be good" Fable agreed.

"Oh! Completely off topic. Icarus, you promised me that we'd go Christmas shopping" Athena said excitedly.

"We can go now if you'd like"

"Yes! Jamie, you coming with?"

"Sure!"

"Before you three go, Icarus, Athena. Can I ask you a favour?" Fable asked.

"Sure" they said in unison.

"Keep an eye on Rae"

"Will do" Icarus said.

"Sure. But.....um. What about Wolf?" Athena asked hesitantly.

"What about Mr. Nightingale?" Fable asked, confused.

"Rae and Wolf are dating now. He texted me the other day. Do we tell Wolf? He knows about Rae having magic. He was there when......."

"When what?"

"When Rae accidentally hurt Addie using a shadow rune" Athena mumbled.

"Shit"

Icarus started to pace around. He had already hurt someone using the cursed rune. Not on purpose, but still. They felt their father's gaze on them. Silently telling them that he was right. That Rae could possibly be a danger even if he didn't know it.

"Then if Wolf know, I say yes. I am not saying that Rae is dangerous, but that his power is. He just needs to know the power he holds could pose a threat towards everyone. Please keep him safe. We don't need the vampires to find out about this and use him against us"

Everyone nodded. Jamie and Athena shifted into wolf form and ran into the forest. Momboo helped Easton up and into the house. Before Icarus could run after the younger wolves, Fable stopped them.

"Protect your brother"

"I will. For mom"

"F...for Isla?"

"She asked me to watch over him when I first met him"

"Then do it for your mother"

"Always"

===============================================

A ghost like figure stood behind Fable and watched as Icarus ran off. Her blond hair flowing from under her hood. She removed said hood and let the air rush through her hair. Her sapphire eyes pierced into the man's soul.

Curse you Fable. Curse you for lying to all of them

Chapter Text

"Keep running!"

"I'm too fast for you to keep up Len! They'll catch you!" Soul exclaimed, stopping at the flat zone of the mountain.

Lennarius caught up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Tears fell down his face and Soul shook her head as she started putting the pieces together.

"No....No! I won't let you! You can't sacrifice yourself for me!"

"Soul. You and Netherum are my only friends. They are gone and I can't find them. Athena needs her mother still. Isla needs her sister; biological or not, Isla still needs you. Please, allow me to do this"

"How will you escape? You're a human Len! They'll tear you to shreds even with your magic. I ....I am a vampire, I can hold them off while you go...."

"No. You have a family to return to. I do not. My brother has disowned me for siding with you and your family"

"Len, you are my family! Don't do this! Please"

"I'm sorry Soul. I swore to Netherum that I would keep you and Athena safe. And that is exactly what I'm going to do"

Soul looked down at her feet when the mountain started to shake and crack open. A void-portal was starting to open under her.

"Len! Don't!"

"Tell Athena that I will miss them. She will grow to be a wonderful person just like his parents"

"LEN NO!"

The portal opened up and the vampire fell through, screaming out for her friend.

"Guide her home, Epros. I beg you"

The portal closed and Lennarius turned and faced the wolves who had just come up over the mountain. The golden wolf that led the others stepped forward, glaring at Lennarius.

'This is the end for you traitor'

"So it seems. But at least my family is safe"

Fable lunged at Lennarius and dug his claws into the human's throat. Lennarius struggled for air as the claws dug further into his throat, ripping at his vocal cords and windpipe; cutting off air circulation to his brain. The man fell limp and when deeming him dead, the wolf retracted his claws and walked away.

"S....o....oul....I....I'm s...sorry"

Lennarius closed his eyes and waited for the darkness to take him. But the darkness never greeted the man. A void-like hawk flew down and landed on the man's chest. It bowed its head and neon lights in the shades of purple, pink and black swarmed around the hawk and the man. The wisps of magic rushed over the man's injuries, stitching the ripped throat back together. As soon as the magic vanished, Lennarius' eyes snapped open and he abruptly sat up.

He looked at the hawk who had perched on a boulder and watched as it bowed its head. Lennarius opened his mouth to speak, but no words managed to form. His hand shot to his throat and was amazed that there was no scaring after what Fable had done to him.

Peace, you frantic one. You are alive

Lennarius' eyes widened. Did the hawk just speak to him?

Go. Find your people. I have given you a second chance. A second chance in which you must carry out two missions

Lennarius didn't know what the missions would be, but the newly created vampire nodded his head in agreement.

First, continue to protect the ones you call family. They will need you

The vampire nodded again and signed with his hands what the other mission would be.

And the last mission....

Protect the prophecy with your life

=====================================================

Lennarius jolted awake and put a hand to his throat. He let out a choked sigh of relief, when his hand touched skin and not blood. They closed his eyes and fell back onto his bed.

Just a memory. It happened then, not now. It's been years. You aren't in danger anymore. He can't hurt you.

"Len?"

The vampire shot up again and looked around. He couldn't see anything. He got out of bed and before opening his bedroom door, he cast a rune, ready for an attack. Opening the door, he slowly walked down the hall and into the living room. No one was there.

"Len"

He tapped the device on the side of his head, Who are you? Where are you? I better warn you, I'm armed with a force you don't want to know about

"Len. It's me. Pl...please. Rae can't see me. Neither can Soul. Please tell me you can"

He froze. Stopping to listen to the voice, he let a tear slide down his face. He recognized that soft, kind voice.

Isla? Wh..how is this possible? Where are you?

"In front of you know. Can you see me?"

N...no

I figured"

How....how can I hear you? I thought you died

"I did. I did die. Rae, he.....he um....attempted a summoning rune a while back"

Lennarius' rune faltered and then vanished. He stepped back, further into the hallway.

He attempted a summoning rune? Does he not know how dangerous that spell is? It could kill him!

"I know! I know!. He's tried it several times and every time I can't do anything but watch him get hurt. A....and.....the burns are already appearing....it's already starting to kill him. The only reason you can even hear me is because of him. He wants to summon my spirit to this world, to talk to me"

Why? Why would he summon your spirit here? We can't help you. We...we can't bring people back from the dead Isla. That's not in our power

"Rae doesn't feel like he belongs here anymore. He's been distancing himself from our family, from his own partners for months now. Ever since he found the book of Ancient Magics"

That books still exists?

"Yes and Rae has it. He found it my things in the old house"

But....but Fable destroyed it years ago

"The fake version was"

You clever mage

"I always have tricks up my sleeve Len"

Clearly. Here, follow me. I have an idea on where I might be able to see you

"Okay"

Lennarius walked into his kitchen and towards the basement door. He opened the door and walked down the stairs. He reached for the light switch, but hesitated. He left the switch alone and walked further into the basement.

"Aren't you going to turn the light's on?"

Soul was able to see a figure made of magical wisps down here after the lights shut off. That was you, wasn't it?

"Yes"

In theory then, with the amount of magic Rae has already tried to use to bring you here, your spirit might only be seen in dark areas. Or even sudden flashes of light. But we'll try darkness first

"Wisps of magic? She could see the void scars?

Void scars?

"Void scars. When I died, my spirit went to Epros. But I have been allowed to roam. These scars allow voi to know my location. In case something causes a disturbance within the magical realm"

That makes sense. Voi's marking. Wait....I...I see you

Magical wisps suddenly appeared and formed the outline of a woman. Lennarius laughed as Isla waved. He fell to his knees and removed his glasses. The spirit of his friend walked forward and put a hand on his shoulder. He let tears fall as he could feel her hand on his shoulder.

This....this shouldn't be possible. I shouldn't be able to see or talk to you

"My son is truly amazing with his gifts"

He certainly is. If he's using a summoning rune, then he's a Shadow mage. Like me. I can help train him. So he doesn't hurt himself. I can teach him how to control his power

"I would appreciate that. As his mother, I should be teaching my own son how to control his magic. I am glad that someone who also has the same power is still alive"

They can't get rid of me that easily

Lennarius' ears perked at the sound of his phone going off. He ran back upstairs and to his room to grab it. The vampire went back downstairs to Isla and even though he couldn't see it, concern spread across her face.

"What's wrong?"

It....it's from my brother. Vorago.....he wants to talk

"That's good! Right?"

I...I think so. Last time I tried to talk to him, he didn't attack, but he had a knife in his hand. Casus was a little trigger-happy and threw the knife for them

"Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

I'm okay. I was able to stop the knife mid flight and.....threw it back at her. I wasn't intending on hurting her, but it almost hit her head. Vorago might have taken that the wrong way

"Len-"

I know. I should have just let the knife drop. But I was also protecting Soul

"Fair. Are you going to meet up with them then?"

Yes. He wants to meet at the beach. Will you come with me? I know I won't be able to see you, but would you? Come with?

"Absolutely, my friend"

===================================================

Vorago paced back and forth, kicking up sand as they went. The man kept looking at his watch and phone. Looking for any text of cancellation. Any sign that Lennarius didn't actually want to meet them. A text came through, but not from their brother.

[Lucky] Be safe, please

[Vorago] I will. Don't worry. I know my brother. He won't attack me

[Lucky] Call me if he starts something

[Vorago] I will

Vorago put his phone away and turned towards the ocean. The sun was beginning to rise, reflecting a beautiful glimmer to gloss across the open water. The bright sun on the surface was acting like a mask to the ocean. To everyone, the ocean looked beautiful and peaceful. It was until you entered the waters and discovered how dangerous it really was. The vampire hunter kept telling themself to not be fooled by their brother's mask.

Lennarius may seem innocent and peaceful, but a single trigger could send him into a bloodthirsty frenzy.

Vorago yelped as something hard hit the back of his head. They turned around and saw a football resting in the sand. He picked it up and was about to throw it at some of the boulders, but froze. Lennarius was walking towards them, laughing. They laughed as well, catching themself off guard.

When was the last time they had laughed together?

"You actually showed up"

I said I was going to, did I not?

"I didn't really believe you would"

Fair enough. How far away do you want me?

That question threw Vorago completely off guard. The pain that hit their heart as their brother questioned how close he could be. Felt like a stab to the heart.

"You don't have to be that far away Len. Just far enough away tha-"

Then I'll stay back here, if that makes you feel comfortable

Another stab.

What.....what do you want to talk about exactly, Vorago?

"Where your allegiance really lies"

"Straight to the point I see. Be careful what you tell him"

Lennarius nodded his head, My allegiance lies with Soul. As it always has been

"And not with Enderian?"

No. I have come to the level of respect that she no longer sees me as a simple member of their coven. But.....

"But?"

"Len. Don't"

I haven't accepted it yet, but I have been offered a spot on her council. Just like Soul. A core council member that helps lead and make decisions for our people

"A Core Council member? Really Len? I thought you said you were staying out of this mess. You told me last time you had nothing to do with the murders!"

That is because I don't. Soul and I are not a part of the killings

"Then who is? Hm? You want me to welcome you back into the family, you better start giving me answers!"

I never said I wanted back into the family. It is clear I wouldn't be welcomed. But to answer your question......

"Len please"

My friend, new information has come to light

"Who are you talking to?"

To answer your question, Perix is the one leading these murders. Enderian and Alerion just found out via Centross. They were under the impression that a rouge was causing the killings. But apparently Perix is trying to overthrow our council to take things into their own hands

"A....are you sure?" Vorago asked, stepping back.

Yes. I was surprised when I found out

"I hope you are telling the truth"

I am

"Now. You didn't answer my other question"

I wasn't talking to anybody

"You said, 'My friend'. Who were you talking to?"

You wouldn't believe me. And besides, I am unsure who exactly it is

"Thank you Len"

"Len. I'm your.....brother"

You hesitated. You're just saying that. I'm going to go now Vorago

"Len-" Vorago said, grabbing Lennarius' arm.

The vampire turned to face them just as lightning struck out of nowhere. The flash of light heightened the vampire's cold features. His eyes seemed colder and more distant. What scared the hunter more, was the figure that was flickering in and out of existence behind Lennarius.

"Who is that!?" he exclaimed, pointing out where Isla was.

Shit. Run! Orchid run!

She vanished.

"Orchid? Who is Orchid?"

None of your concern brother. I need to go

"Lennarius"

Let me go Vorago. I do not wish to harm you

Vorago hesitated for a moment, but then whistled. They quickly shoved Lennarius to the ground and the vampire's back hit the sand. From behind the rocks along the beach, came Casus, armed with a wooden stake loaded in her crossbow. Lennarius' eyes widened and scrambled to get up. Vorago shoved him back down and pressed a foot on their brother's throat. The vampire reopened his eyes at the feeling of the crossbow's tip pressed against their head.

"Give me the word and he's dead" Casus stated.

Vorago, please. You don't have to do this

"Yes. Yes I do Lennarius. My job is to hunt vampire's down"

I'm your brother!

"Don't listen to him Vorago"

Vorago, don't make me hurt either of you

"Storm, give me the word" she insisted.

Vorago, listen to me. I am not the danger you are seeking to destroy

"Vorago!"

"Shoot him"

Lightning struck right where Lennarius was. The explosion that followed sent the vampire hunters flying. Casus screamed as her body flew and crashed into the boulders, her crossbow flying from her hands. Vorago was thrown into the depths of the ocean. The waters began to rage as a sudden storm came rolling across; plunging the bright sunny day into darkness. The waves kept sending him under, until he managed to reach the beach and they shakily stood up.

They screamed when seeing Casus slumped against the rocks. He ran over and quickly fell to their knees. Blood was flowing down her head from the blunt force trauma she had endured. They ripped their shirt off and put it to her gaping wound, trying to soak up the blood. Using their free hand, they shook Casus until her eyes opened.

"V....Vorag....Vorago?"

"Hey. Keep your eyes open for me Lucky. Please. I'm going to get help"

"W...wher....where is Lennarius?"

"He's dead, his body is right there-"

Shit

They looked back at where the vampire's body should be. But the only thing there was scorched sand, a tiny flame still dancing around. As the rain continued to fall, the flame eventually died.

"Whe....where did....did he go?"

"I don't know. What magic can conjure a storm like that?"

"Vorago"

"Yes?'

"Can Len summon a storm? Is that within his magical domain?"

"He was struck by lightning! If he can, why would he kill himself!?"

"Then where is his body?"

'I....I don't know"

"Think about it, could he summon a storm and use it to escape?"

"Yes. I think it is"

Vorago knew. They knew their brother's true powers. It was very possible for Lennarius to summon a storm out of nowhere and escape via it. The mask had slipped, exposing Len for what he truly was. A very dangerous rune mage. The most dangerous to ever exist. And now, he had to be eliminated.

Chapter Text

[Fenris] Good morning love, are you up? Or did I just wake you up?

[Starlight] Morning song. And no, I've been up for a bit

[Fenris] How long is 'a bit'?

[Starlight] .........

[Fenris] Love? That's not an answer

[Starlight] I.....may have.....

[Starlight] You know what? It doesn't matter

[Fenris] Star? When was the last time you got sleep?

[Starlight] Don't tell Cas or Aax

[Fenris] I won't

[Starlight] I haven't slept in like two days

[Fenris] Love....

[Starlight] I've been working on things at the library. I recently found Auxreta's home! I've been monitoring the magic deep in the forest as of recently! I....I'll sleep tonight. I promise

[Fenris] Where are you? And don't lie to me

[Starlight] At the cavern with Aux

[Fenris] Send me your location. I'll bring you breakfast <3

[Starlight] Thank you

Fenris waited for Rae to text him his location before turning off their phone. The vampire laid back down in their bed and closed their eyes. Not wanting to wake up and deal with the day. Not wanting to confirm his thoughts of what Rae had been researching for the last couple weeks. He reopened their eyes when the door to the bedroom swung open.

"Good morning" Centross greeted, holding a blood bag.

"Morning. Is that for me? You didn't have to. I could have gotten it myself"

"I know. Can't I be nice to my partner?" he asked, walking over to hand the bag to Fenris.

"Thank you"

"Yeah. You haven't had any blood in a couple days. Starting to starve yourself"

"I don't a lot of blood to keep me stable. I've been a vampire longer than most. I can control the blood urges better"

Fenris opened the seal of the bag and put the tube into his mouth. The blood touched his tongue and a wave of relief flooded their system. They handed the bag back and wiped the specks of blood off his face.

"Weird question. Random at that. But Arisanna and I were talking about it the other day; but how old are you? As in, if your sister didn't turn you into a vampire, how old would you be?"

"Ari has been trying to find out for years. If I tell you, you can't tell her"

"Your being a dickhead to her, aren't you?"

"Oh absolutely"

"I won't tell. Just means I have another thing to use against her. That I know your real age and she doesn't"

"Petty much aren't you?"

"Maybe"

"I 'died' at 23. Technically speaking, I'm 80. That is so bizarre"

"Damn. Okay. Yep longer than most of the coven"

"Aren't you technically 40?"

"Yeah. Wait. How old do you think Enderian is?" he snickered.

"That's your funeral if you ask"

The two of them burst out laughing at the thought, Fenris shoved the covers off and got out of bed. He stretched out, ears twitching at the sound of tight muscle and bones popping. He noticed that Centross had turned away and he chuckled. Then it clicked, the vampire wasn't wearing a shirt.

"And here you were, making fun of Rae for falling in love with me"

"Shut up. He deserves to be made fun of"

"Yeah? You know, I don't think he does"

"You're just biased Fenris"

"Maybe I am"

"Speaking of Rae, are you going to tell him?"

"That I'm a vampire and his boyfriends are vampire hunters and will want me dead the second they find out? No. For his safety, absolutely not"

"That's fair. I was talking about your name. You gonna tell him it's not 'Wolf'?"

"I should, shouldn't I?"

Centross grabbed Fenris' hands and looked him in the eyes. Fenris relaxed at his partner's actions.

"If you aren't ready to tell him, then don't. Either way, we both know that Rae wouldn't dig into it"

"Are you sure about that? Rae's been digging more and more into magic, Centross. How much longer do any of have before he finds out about everyone? We are running out of time"

"Rae wouldn't dig into you. He wouldn't search up information about you"

"I ...I know he wouldn't. It's just....if he searches it, he'll find that Fenris Nightingale died 57 years ago in a mineshaft incident"

"You're overthinking again, shooting star. Are you doing anything today?"

"I'm gonna go swing by Momboo's cafe and bring breakfast to a man who has not slept and has probably not eaten in two days"

"I love you, but I swear to Epros, I'm going to kill Rae for not taking care of himself"

"I know. Like I said, he's been digging into magic more. That's where he's been for the last two days. Maybe more. Researching magic"

"Go. Make him sleep for gods sake"

"I will. I'll see you later tonight?"

"See you later"

Before Centross walked out of the room, Fenris pulled him close and into a kiss. Fenris laughed as Centross mumbled something and walked away. They quickly changed and grabbed his keys. He left the house and hopped into his car and drove off towards the city.

=====================================================

"Hey! Paige! Give that back!"

Rae reached to grab his notebook from the pixie. She flew away after blowing a raspberry in the librarian's face. The other pixies around giggled and began grabbing pieces of Rae's things. He groaned as his pencils, pens, and papers were all in the hands of the pixies.

"Auxreta no!"

Auxreta laughed as they flew away, holding Rae's phone. He got up to chase the pixie, but tripped over one of the loose rocks. He was greeted with a face full of crystal-like fur. One of the crystal wolves helped him up and stayed by his side until he was on steady ground.

"Thank you. Now where is that pixie?"

Rae started to run through the cavern, looking for the pixies. He would spot one, chase after it and then they would disappear into thin air. He grumbled as they now above him, just out of reach.

"Aux, c'mon. Give it back. All of you actually. Give my things back"

They all just giggled and began tossing the items back and forth. The crystal wolf nudged Rae's hand and nodded towards the pixies. He looked at the wolf with confusion. The wolf nudged its head under the man's hands and then again, nodded at the pixies.

"You want me to use my runes?"

The wolf nodded.

"Uh, yeah sure. A hold spell. Right?"

Th wolf nodded again and laid down at Rae's feet.

Rae raised a hand and slowly wrote a hold spell. The area around them glowed white and a sudden blinding flash of light hit. The wolf jumped to attention as Rae fell backwards. When regaining his senses, he laughed. The pixies were all frozen in the air. He stood up and collected his stolen items and then released the hold on them. Several of the pixies grumbled and flew away, Auxreta flew back to Rae and started to giggle again.

"I didn't hurt you, right Aux?"

The pixie shook their head no.

"Okay good. I didn't want to"

"Rae? Love, are you in here?"

"Wolf? Yeah, I'm down at the bottom of the cavern. Be careful on your way down!" he called.

Rae quickly shoved his research into his bag, not wanting his partner to see the mess he had become. Auxreta started tugging at some of the notebooks, eager to tattle on the mage. Fenris made his way down, and watched as Rae was trying to grab his things from the stubborn pixie. He laughed as Auxreta tugged again, forcing Rae to lose his footing and he fell into the lake. The pixie burst out laughing. Rae resurfaced and groaned as now he was soaking wet. Fenris walked over and offered a hand.

"Need a hand love?"

"Yes"

Rae took Fenris' hand and the vampire pulled him up and out of the water. The librarian chuckled and then shot Auxreta a glare. The pixie continued to giggle as they handed Rae's notebooks to Fenris.

"You really don't take breaks, do you?"

"I...."

"Starlight, you can't do this to yourself"

"I'm fine Wolf. I am"

"Yeah? Then why is there a sleeping bag down here? Why are your notebooks and sketchbooks scattered around? Why aren't you at Caspian's house or at mine?" he asked sternly.

"I....uh...."

"You're not fine star. You've been overworking yourself. Can I take you home? Please Rae?"

"B...but..." Rae started, trying to move back towards his work.

Fenris' grip on Rae's hand tightened, pulling him closer and away from his work, "No. Rae, no more work"

"Wolf"

"Rae. No. Now, please. Come home with me. I have breakfast in the car. And you are soaking wet. I might have some towels in the car. Please Rae?"

"I...I...uh...alright. Lead the way"

"Thank you starlight"

Rae hugged himself and watched as his boyfriend cleaned up the mess of his research. A sudden dread came over him as it finally hit him of how long he had been gone for. He crouched down and picked up his phone and let tears fall down his face. There were multiple worried texts from his partners over the last week.

A warm hand cupped his face and Rae closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. The vampire wrapped the librarian in a warm embrace as Rae began to cry more. The rush of everything coming at once was too much; and for a man who couldn't keep it hidden anymore, it was overwhelming.

"You're alright now. I'm here. C'mon, just.....would it be alright if I carried you out?"

Rae nodded, burying himself in Fenris' chest. The vampire scooped Rae into his arms and smiled when Rae let out a little laugh.

"Yeah starlight?"

"Yeah....it's....uh...you know, in the books, the knights always carried the princess' this way"

"Yeah? You saying I'm your knight, my beautiful prince?"

"Maybe"

Fenris laughed and carefully carried Rae out of the cave. Auxreta chirped and a couple pixies grabbed Rae's things and flew out of the cave as well. They two men laughed as the pixies zipped past them and began to perch themselves on Fenris' car. He set Rae down and collected his boyfriends' things and gave the pixies each a small piece of candy. The pixies giggled and flew away, arguing over the candy.

"They seem to really like you" Rae noted.

"I have a way with magical creatures" Fenris stated.

"I think that's cool"

Fenris opened the trunk and smiled, "Knew it. Towels. Come here, love"

Rae walked over and let Fenris wrap a towel around him. He opened the passenger door and closed it after Rae slipped inside. Fenris shut the trunk and put all of Rae's things in the back seats of the car. He walked around the car to his side, but froze when spotting something in the cave. A pair of glowing white eyes appeared in the darkness of the cavern. Fenris nodded his head and the eyes vanished.

He's safe, Epros. I promise

"Everything alright love?" Rae asked, when Fenris got into the car.

"Yeah. Just making sure the pixies get back to the cave safely" they lied, starting the car, "Here, breakfast supplied by our lovely friend, Momboo"

"Danishes?"

"Of course"

"Thank you"

Fenris hummed as Rae reached into the bag to pull out a danish. The vampire drove out of the dense forest, while his boyfriend had breakfast for the first time in days. A hour later, Fenris got onto actual road and made his way into the city. He kept glancing over at Rae as he made his way down the highways, just to make sure he was alright. To their delight, the man had fallen asleep. When coming to a stop, Fenris took off his jacket and put in over Rae. The librarian subconsciously reached up and tugged it closer to him. Fenris laughed quietly and continued his way down, watching as eventually the sun began to set. The drive to get to the forest and back took several more hours than he had expected it to take. But the stars were starting to enter the night sky, giving the vampire an idea.

He took a different exit than the one that would take them home. Waiting at a stoplight, he quickly messaged Caspian and Aax that had found Rae and that he was with them. And then he messaged Centross that they would return with Rae later that night; but that he wanted to spend some time with Rae a little bit more.

Fenris eventually slowed down and came to a stop at the base of a hill. They pulled the keys from the ignition and smiled when settling his gaze on Rae. The moon's light hit right where his partner slept. He reached over and tucked some of Rae's raven hair behind his ear. The man stirred at the touch and slowly opened his eyes.

"Hi starlight. Did you get some sleep?"

"Mhm"

"That's good"

"Are we home?" he asked, yawning.

"No. I wanted to show you somewhere before we head home. Unless you want to go home and get more sleep?"

"No. It's okay. I want to see first and then sleep"

Fenris got out of the car and went over to open the door for Rae. He held out his hand and Rae grinned as he took it. They helped Rae out of the car and led him up the hill. The sound of laughter filled the air as Fenris and Rae raced to the top of the hill. Rae cheered and thew his hands in the air when reaching the top first. Fenris laughed, enjoying the sounds of his partner's laughed and getting to see the genuine smile instead of the fake one he would usually put on.

"It's beautiful Wolf" he said, looking over the sleeping town below.

"It's one of the best spots around. I'm glad the snow melted away so we could actually get here. I'd thought you'd like the view it gives" Fenris mentioned, putting an arm around Rae.

"I love it. Thank you song"

"Of course. You happy that I pulled you away from your work now?"

"Shutupwhydoyouhavetoberight" he quickly muttered.

"That's what I thought"

"Enough about me, what about you? Hm? What have you been up to these last couple days?"

"Oh, you know, trying to pry information from Centross about what he wants for Christmas. And maybe.....starting to poke you about what you want?"

"I don't need anything"

"I didn't say need. I said 'want'. What do you want?"

"I want you to kiss me"

"I think I can manage to give you that"

Rae turned and hung his arms around Fenris' neck and leaned up to kiss them. The vampire kissed back, smiling after as Rae's blush kept spreading across his face.

"You're beautiful"

Rae's blush brightened and he turned away. Fenris chuckled and ran his finger through his partner's hair. The librarian closed his eyes and continued to let Fenris play with his hair. His partner pulled away from him, only for him to sit down, pulling Rae with them. He sat down in front of Fenris, his back to him; allowing his partner to began braiding his long raven hair. Rae opened his eyes after a bit as he felt Fenris' motions slow.

"Wolf? Is everything alright?"

"Rae, can I tell you something?"

"Of course you can song"

Rae turned around and reached up to cup Fenris' face. He saw his partner tense up. His heart broke as he could hear the failed attempts of words coming from Fenris.

"My name isn't Wolf"

"What?"

"It's Fenris. My name is Fenris"

"Fenris. That's a beautiful name"

He laughed as he was not expecting Rae to say that.

"Fenris, why didn't you tell me before? You're name is lovely"

"I....It's not something I'm very comfortable telling people. Hardly anyone know my real name"

"Does Centross and Arisanna know?"

"Yes"

"So it's only people you trust?"

"Yeah. Exactly"

"Well, I love your name. I think it's a very pretty name"

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

"Um....you were being yourself?"

"I love you so much Rae"

"I love you more, Fenris"

"Oh. You love me more? I see how it is" Fenris taunted, sliding his hands down to Rae's side.

He move his finger and Rae jerked and started laughing as Fenris began to tickle him. His laughter rang out and Fenris' grin grew. He pulled Rae into his lap and continued until Rae tapped him as a signal to stop. Fenris stopped and helped Rae sit up. He let his boyfriend catch his breath before pulling him against themself. He wrapped his arms around Rae and the librarian settled against their chest.

"Do you want me to drive you back to Caspian's, or do you want to come home with me?"

"I want to stay out here for a bit longer. And then home with you, if that's alright?"

"Love, I just offered it. So of course it's alright"

"Is Centross alright with it? I don't want to overste-"

Fenris leaned down and kissed Rae to stop him from spiraling. They broke the kiss and smiled.

"You are always welcomed at our house Rae"

"Thank you Fenris"

"Of course"

"I might fall asleep if you keep playing with my hair"

"Then sleep, star. I'll keep you safe. Rest your mind, love. You'll need a fresh mind if you're going to continue with your research"

As Fenris continued to put Rae's hair into tiny braids, the librarian eventually fell asleep in his arms. He was glad that the man felt comfortable around him to sleep. He could see now how exhausted Rae was. And he hated it. Fenris gently pushed Rae's sleeves up and looked away. The burns on his wrist weren't worse, but they looked like they had healed over and then had been reburned.

"You didn't keep your promise Rae. You said you'd stop using that rune. What exactly are you trying to do starlight?"

You know full well what your partner is trying to do, Nightingale

Fenris looked up at the night sky and was met by the eyes of void.

"Epros. He's close, isn't he?"

You'll have to be more specific, Child of the Void

"He's close to finding out about us. About the existence of vampires and werewolves. He's already discovered magic. He's close, isn't he?"

Yes. He is close

"How....how do I drive him off course?"

You and the others, of either race, cannot keep your secrets hidden from the Child of Magic for much longer

"Child of Magic? What do you mean Epros?"

That is not for you to know at the moment. But for now, keep him safe

Chapter Text

"Momma, again! Again!!" little Rae exclaimed.

"Patience little one. You mother's magic can be a little hard on her. Especially the runes from that particular class. Give her a moment" Enderian said, picking Rae up and setting him on her lap.

"Is she hurt?"

"No Rae. I'm not hurt. Just a little exhausted. My magic takes a toll. Until I can learn how to completely control it, it's taxing" Isla explained, handing Rae his blanket.

"Do you have magic mom?" he asked, looking up at Enderian.

"No silly star. Only your mother does"

"Do I? I wanna have magic!"

"I don't know sweetheart. You aren't born with it. You can only be given it" Isla replied.

"How do you get it? I want it!"

"The gods spoke to me. The ones that reside up in the sky. And you can't ask for magic. It's like a gift from them"

"Are they scary gods?"

"No little star. Epros and Kinaxus are the protectors of our world. The one hidden from the rest of society. They help protect you mom from humans"

"Oh! Cause your a v...va....vampy...."

"Vampire? Yes. You know, it's getting on the late side. Why don't you get ready for bed Rae?" Enderian suggested, tying her son's hair into a little half-up.

"Okay! Will you come read me a bedtime story? The one about Thesyus?"

"Theseus. But yes. Go get ready for bed first"

The child slid off Enderian's lap and with his blanket in hand, rushed off to his room laughing. Isla put a hand on Enderian's and offered a kind smile.

"Is everything alright love?"

"Is it really safe for him to know what I truly am?"

"I think it's fine. What's going on?"

"You and I both know how your other son turned out because of their knowledge of my world. Fable has already dragged Icarus into hunting my coven down. He has ruined their childhood. All they want to do is kill vampire's and they are only ten! I don't want Rae mixed up with this. He's too young and innocent to be forced into this world"

"I....I haven't thought about it that way"

"Rae is a kind boy, unlike his sibling. I mean no offense Orchid"

"There is none taken. What would you have me do? I agree, Rae....he should not be involved in this. At all. I didn't want Icarus involved, but I didn't stand a chance against Fable"

"With your permission of course, I can......compel him to forget"

"What?"

"Compel him to forget that vampire and werewolves exist. Compel him to forget that magic exists"

"But magic is all he's interested in!"

"If magic stays in his life, when he's older he'll dive into magic books and find our world. Him forgetting.....means our world is kept secret and he stays safe from Fable. He can't hurt Rae if Rae doesn't know anything"

"You're right"

"So?"

Isla hesitated and closed her eyes as Enderian lifted a hand to her face. She wiped the tears falling from her lover's eyes and used her other hand to hold Isla's.

"Make him forget. Just promise me that it won't hurt him"

"I promise Orchid. Compelling him will not hurt our son in the slightest. But before, are you positive that we want to do this? Once it is done, I cannot undo it"

"Do it. He deserves a life. Not one full of danger that is forced upon him"

"Then I will do it. Shall we bid him goodnight my orchid?"

"Yes. We have a story to tell our little hero"

==================================================

"The client has asked for a slim white dress with a lace design over the fabric. But the top piece and the sleeves need to also be lace. So exchange the frill out for the lace please" Enderian said, correcting the mistake on the dress.

"Of course ma'am. Sorry for making that mistake"

"Thank you for correcting it"

"You seem to care a lot more about this dress than most. Is there a reason why?"

"Weddings are beautiful and precious things. And if you can recall, I never got to have mine because my fiancé died. Give the lady her dream dress. It will make her special day more special"

"Right. Of course ma'am. I'll fix it right up"

Enderian nodded and walked away from the designer. She tucked her papers and folders back into her bag. They walked up the stairs and towards her office, but stopped at one of the empty halls in the stairwell. She raised a hand and sighed upon seeing the two rings on her hand. One to unlock the secret base hidden within Ender Jewels; and the other was her engagement ring.

She placed that hand on the wall and waited for the magic to register its presence. The gems in the ring from Alerion lit up and bright blue runes appeared on the wall. A clicking sound came from the wall as the runes began to turn like gears. The runes finally opened a door and it swung open. She went through and closed the door from the other side, sealing it back up with the magic ring. They walked down the stairs, now fiddling with her wedding band......what was supposed to be her wedding band.

"Hey. You alright?"

Enderian snapped back to reality and stopped walking. Alerion had spotted his sister coming down and had gotten up to meet her. He gave a comforting smile before pulling her into a hug. She let their bag fall to the ground and wrapped her arms around their brother.

"Sorry"

"There is no need to apologize. Want to come sit and tell me what's wrong? No one is down here right now" he offered.

"S...sure"

Alerion grabbed her bag before she could and led his sister towards one of the couches in the bunker. She laughed as he handed her a cup of tea.

"I see you've talk to Len recently"

"He told me of your daily coffee runs. You and your son are too similar. Always overworking yourselves and drinking more coffee than you're supposed to. He got that from you"

"Oh shut up"

"You know I'm right"

"Whatever"

"So, what's going on? You're messing with your ring again"

"Just......we recently got an order for a wedding dress and it reminded me of.....well you know"

"Your wedding? The one I guess never happened?"

"Yeah. Guess the dress discussions brought back memories of Isla and I planning our special day. A....a...and it hurts. It hurts Alerion. She's been gone for years! She died twenty years ago, Luce, and I....."

"Luce? Sorry. You haven't called me that nickname in years"

"Slips out every now and then" she laughed, "Candle. God, it's been decades since I came up with that name for you"

"Yeah. It's been years since you've called me that. Why that name? Lucenare?"

"You always reminded me of a candle. Warm, kind, caring. Never too angry, never to exhausted to give advice and to help others. And calling you 'candle' was weird, well, Netherum would call you that to make fun of you. But, I went to the ancient magic language. So, Lucenare, or Luce, whichever I feel like calling you"

"I miss it. Don't stop"

"I won't"

"Keep talking. I didn't mean to interrupt"

"Mhn. She died twenty years ago and.....everytime I'm reminded of the wedding, my heart breaks all over again. It hurts"

"I think that is a valid emotion to be feeling"

"Twenty years! Twenty years she's been dead! I...I...I should be over it by now! Shouldn't I?"

"Enderian, a heartbreak like that doesn't just go away with time. It's something that sticks around. You loved her and she loved you. She was torn away from you and that isn't something that goes away over time"

"I....I....I know. It's just...."

"You still blame yourself for her death. Don't you?"

"Yes"

"It wasn't your fault En. We both know that"

"I could've prevented it from happening! I could've gone with her! I shouldn't have let her go to the forest at all that day!"

"We both know Isla. She would've gone no matter what any of us did to prevent her. It's not your fault"

"So you're saying it's hers?"

"I'm saying it's not either of your faults. Neither of you could have predicted what happened"

"Thank you Luce. I really needed to hear that"

"You don't have to thank me En. I'm always here to help. That's what siblings are for. Here to comfort and listen and the scold for bad habits" he smirked.

"Thanks for the tea. It's a......a nice change of drink flavour"

"Gods above Enderian"

"Maybe Rae and I are similar in that aspect"

"I'd say more than just coffee addiction and more in not knowing how to stop digging in things that should not be dug into"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you aware that Rae has been visiting the Cavern of New Magic?"

Enderian abruptly stood up, "What?"

"I went by the library the other day and it was surprisingly empty of a certain librarian. I went up to the upper level and the map he has on the wall was glowing in runes. Showing exactly where the Cavern of New Magic is"

"Shit"

"Yeah. You could say that again. He's digging En. He's going to find us out soon enough"

"That's impossible! I compelled him to forget all about us! Who we are! To forget about our world and magic!"

"You told me that he recently discovered that he has magic. Right?"

"Yes. What about out it?"

"Two things. One: Why would the gods give him it and when did they? Two: If he's got magic, then your compelling spell might have broken"

"I don't know why they gave him magic, or when. But, if that's the case, then why doesn't he remember that I'm a vampire? That his brother is a werewolf? He would know! I don't think he'd be exactly calm about suddenly remembering that!"

"Maybe he only remembers the magic portion of what memories were erased"

"For his safety, I hope that's the case"

"For who's safety?"

The two vampire leaders turned towards the stairs and Enderian curled her fists. Perix stepped down and stopped. They looked between their leaders and decided that something was wrong. Enderian opened her mouth to scold Perix, but the door opened again and two different voices filled the dead silence.

"I don't believe you, Ari. Not in the slightest"

"Think whatever you want Haley. I do not like her!"

"Liar"

"I will throw you off the roof"

"I'd like to see you try and.....oh. Enderian, Alerion. Afternoon"

Arisanna stopped on the stairs and gave a wave. Haley leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Enderian nodded and Alerion returned the wave with a smile.

"Sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt. I was just coming down here to show Haley the swords we have in the back. We can go and come back another time, if you'd like" Arisanna explained.

"No it's alright. We were just ending out conversation. I do need a word with you Perix" Enderian hissed.

"A word? Sounds more of a lecture. What I'd do wrong this time?" they asked, snarling.

"Watch you tone Warden. You don't want to get on my bad side this quickly in our conversation"

"Maybe we should go" Haley whispered.

"No. Stay. I actually want Arisanna's information on this certain topic. She was the one to enlighten me on this situation"

"Oh great. This situation. Thanks for dragging me into this. I shouldn't be here, Centross should" Arisanna stated, rolling her eyes and walking past Perix.

"What about Centross?" Perix asked.

"You've been leading the killings around Lodestar? I don't think either of us gave the order for you to do that" Enderian snarled.

"I'm going to murder Centross..."

"You touch him and Wolf will rip your head off your shoulders without any hesitation" Arisanna warned.

"So it's true? What in the gods names were you thinking!? I am trying to make peace so our worlds can reunite and you're over here, killing humans that destroys everything I have worked for! Everything!"

"I think the world can handle a few humans going missing so the rest of us can feed properly! Animal blood doesn't get you anywhere!"

"That's why we have the blood bags we get from the blood banks! We get deliveries every month! And most of us CAN survive off animal blood! We aren't monsters who just drain innocent life!"

"There are millions....MILLIONS of people in this god forsaken world! I think some can go towards our food source!"

"That's not the point Perix! We don't need to kill to feed! We have other ways to feed without causing death to follow us everywhere we turn! It's no wonder why the werewolves and hunters are getting angrier!"

"Then we get rid of the damn devil dogs and those pesky hunters"

"Absolutely not! Killing people will not get us anywhere! We aren't monsters, Perix. Unlike you"

Arisanna and Haley smirked and turned away to hide their grins. Perix hissed and stepped back. Enderian stepped forward and held out her hand.

"Give me your necklace. Now"

"My eye of ender?"

"Did I stutter?"

"I can't go in the sun if I don't have it!"

"Give me your necklace Perix"

"Enderian!"

"Hand it over. You will get it back after Christmas. Consider this your punishment for all the deaths that have occured at your hands. Hand it over"

Perix surrendered and reached behind to unclasp the chain. She begrudgingly handed over her key to the outside world. Enderian walked away from Perix with their necklace and handed it to Alerion. He nodded and wrote a rune over the necklace and it evaporated into thin air.

"You are free to go now Perix"

"The sun is still out. I think I'm good"

"Leave this room. I'm sure you can hide out in one of the office spaces. And if you attack any of my employees, I will throw you into the sun myself"

Perix growled before shoving their way past Arisanna and up the stairs. She was about to leave the room when Enderian spoke up again.

"And if I hear any word, any word that another humans ends up dead because of our kind; I will kill you. So you better tell those you've managed to turn against me to watch their backs. I will find them as well. You won't be the only one punished. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am"

Perix left and slammed the hidden door shut. Enderian began to pace around, soft hissing sounds coming from her. Sounds of anger and a warning to the others to watch their next moves very carefully.

"Ma'am, would you like us to leave to give you space?" Haley asked slowly.

"Yes actually. I would very much appreciate that. I am sorry Arisanna, I though I would need information you had. I was not expecting to have a yelling match with her. I apologize for keeping you"

"No need to apologize ma'am. It's not like I have anything to do today. I finished the custom order for that annoying celebrity's outfit"

"Thank Epros. I didn't want to deal with that disaster today"

"Before we go, I figured I should tell you something"

"Do I want to hear it?"

"I think so"

"Go ahead"

"My mother's letters arrived today. I put them on your desk alongside a package to you and one to Rae"

"Soraza? Good. I've been needing to hear from her. Thank you. I assume she sent you a letter as well?"

"Yes. It was good to hear from her again"

"I am glad. You two are dismissed. Enjoy your afternoon. And Arisanna?"

"Yes?"

"Never say never about feelings towards someone. Love somehow ends up working in the end of the day"

"See!? I told you! Sorry" Haley exclaimed, before catching herself.

"I am going to throw you off the building. I wasn't joking about that"

"You like her, you dumbass! I'm clueless about a lot of things, but this? Even a blind person can see that you like her"

"We're going to go now. Someone is going to die again"

Enderian and Alerion laughed as Arisanna chased Haley up the stairs and out back into Ender Jewels. Their laughter eventually died as they went out of earshot. Alerion put a hand on Enderian's shoulder and gave that same comforting smile again.

"Wanna go see what she got you?"

"That and......"

"And what?"

"Um...."

"You're going to open Rae's package as well"

"Yes"

Enderian looked at him and pointed at his magic ring. He sighed and wrote a rune that ripped a portal into the atmosphere. The two of them walked through the tear and into her office. The tear was resealed and Enderian walked over to her desk. After picking out Rae's name on the package, she began to open it.

"Well? What did she get him? A new book? Enderian?"

"We're running out of time Luce"

"What is it?"

Enderian picked the book out of the box and handed it to Alerion. His eyes widened and he looked back at the book. A black cover with void runes dancing over it and an End Crystal, the mark of Epros was embedded on the front of the cover.

"A Shadow Mage's Guide to Control. You're right. We are running out of time. He'll know about everything soon enough. What do we do?"

"I don't know Alerion. I don't know"

Chapter Text

"Mom? Mom? W...where are you?"

"I'm right here"

"No, I'm here"

"Over here"

Rae spun around as the dark void mist kept swirling around him. Several voices answered at once, all from different directions. He stepped back and his foot slipped off the edge of a cliff. He screamed as he began to fall, but a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him up.

"Rae! I'm here. Just calm down and breathe"

"I still can't see you properly! Where am I? What's going on?"

"I....I cannot tell you"

"What do you mean you can't tell me? Mom, please"

"When the gods want you to know, they will speak to you"

"The gods? What is going on!? Mom, please don't keep me in the dark like everyone else"

"I do not have a choice Rae"

"Mom, I know something in our world is not right. There are giant wolves deep within the forest. And not the crystal wolves in the caverns. I could tell that they knew me. And....and I remember that you had magic, that magic was something you would do often when I was a kid. Tell me what's going on"

"I cannot Rae. I wish I could"

"Mom!"

Lightning struck next to Rae and he jumped away. The same magical thunderstorm came barreling towards him again.

Another strike

Strike

Strike

Strike

"Rae run! Wake up! Wake up Rae!"

"No! I need to know what's going on! Please! Please tell me!"

"Wake up Rae! You are so close my boy. So close. Keep digging, you'll find out soon enough. No matter what anyone else tells you. Be careful with the summoning rune. Watch yourself. Using magic with no proper training....you.....you're dying"

"What?" Mom what does that mean!? MOM!?"

"WAKE UP!"

=====================================================

Fenris shot up and looked around for any sign of danger as Rae woke up screaming. The vampire grabbed Rae by his shoulders to attempt to stop him from thrashing around. Centross burst into the room and rushed to his friend's side.

"Rae! Rae stop. You're okay. It was just a nightmare" Fenris soothed, trying to calm his boyfriend's actions.

"I can't see! Fenris? Centross? I....I can't see"

"What? We're right here. Can you feel us touching you?" Centross asked, tightening his grip on Rae's arm.

"Y...yes"

"Okay. Just breathe. Focus on our voices okay?" Fenris continued, brushing hair out of Rae's face.

Rae stopped thrashing around and his hands wandered until he found his partner's and friend's hands. Both of them squeezed his hands to help ground him. Fenris cupped Rae's face with his other hand and then led Rae to lay against him.

"Hey, it's alright. We're here with you. Okay? You're safe"

"I...I can't see"

"What?"

Centross let go of Rae's hand and went to turn the light on. Both vampires started to assess the situation and to their eyes, Rae was fine. His eyes weren't clouded over or hazed.

"Can you see anything at all? Or is it just like you're blind?" Centross asked.

"Magic. I....I can see specks of magic. Like the void"

"Void magic? Uh okay. Starlight, what was your dream about?" Fenris asked.

"My dream?"

"Yes"

"I....I talked with my mother. Isla. She caught me before I fell off a cliff, but I couldn't see her clearly. She kept telling me to push forward. Fen, she told me to continue the summoning rune.....just to watch how much I try to do it"

"It's just a dream love. Isla is dead, she can't tell you anything. That rune is dangerous. I...I saw your burns. You've been doing it behind my back. Haven't you?"

Rae turned his head away from Fenris, giving the confirmation he needed.

"Was there anything else?" Centross pressed.

"She.....she told me that I'm dying"

The room fell silent.

"Just a dream. Y...you're not dying. I think you'd know"

"I...I believe her"

"Rae"

"Starlight"

"I mean come on. I can't see. What proof do you need that something is wrong?"

"We can fix this"

"You can't fix everything Song"

"You'd be surprised. Centross?"

"Yes?"

"Grab the Void Shard"

"You sure?"

"It's the only thing that will fix this"

Centross nodded and left the room. Rae blindly turned back towards Fenris' voice and furrowed his brow. The vampire brought the librarian into his arms and the smaller man relaxed as he listened to his partner's heartbeat. A couple minutes later, Centross walked back holding a Void Shard.

"Wh....what's a Void Shard?" Rae asked.

"It's an item that-" Fenris started.

"We can't tell him" Centross hissed.

"Tell me what? Why is everyone hiding things from me now? Did I do something wrong?" Rae blurted out.

"No, you didn't. But we can't tell you"

"David"

"Star, we can't"

"Fenris please. What is it? I can sense that it's magic. What is it? What are you two hiding from me?"

"We can compel him to forget this" Centross answered Fenris' unspoken question.

"Compel? What does that mean? What is going on!?" Rae snapped, pulling away from Fenris.

Rae smacked Fenris' hand away from him and slowly moved away from them. He couldn't see anything, but knew something was wrong and was aware that he was no longer safe around his friend and partner anymore. He had to leave.

"Rae. Stop. Please"

"No! Get away from me!"

Fenris grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, but Rae struggled against him.

"Fenris get away from me!"

Fenris let go and backed off as Centross moved in. The older vampire looked away as the younger one forcefully grabbed Rae's arm and dragged him closer to him. The librarian screamed as Centross kept struggling to pin Rae's flailing arms to his side.

"Fenris. A little help here?"

"Uh...."

"Fenris! Get him off me! Centross stop!"

"Fenris! Help me"

"I'm sorry starlight. It's for your own good"

"Wolf please! Don't!"

Fenris used his strength to pin Rae down and allow Centross to press the shard over his heart. The light went out and the shard began to glow brighter. Rae screamed as the magic from the shard pierced into his heart. The two vampires watched as the magic spread across Rae's body and finally swarmed around his eyes. For a second the room glowed like that of the void, before returning to normal.

Centross removed the shard and set it on the nightstand. Fenris hesitantly let go of Rae and he shot up and shoved them off him. He could see again. He could see Fenris and Centross exchange glances that scared him.

"Compel him. I...I can't do it" Fenris said, looking away.

"No!" Rae yelled, untangling his legs from the sheets.

Before he could get off the bed and away from the vampires, Centross grabbed him and again dragged him close.

"Let go of me David! Stay away from me!"

"Rae. Look at me"

Rae looked at Centross and stopped struggling. His eyes clouded over as Centross began to compel his mind to forget what had happened in the last five minutes. To forget the dream. To forget that he was dying. To forget what they did to Rae against his will.

Rae shook his head and groaned. After a couple minutes, he looked up at Fenris and smiled. He put a hand on the vampires hand and leaned in for a kiss. Fenris let out a shaky sigh of relief and kissed Rae.

"Good morning. Both of you. Is everything alright?" Rae asked, seeming to only remember just waking up.

"Morning. Everything's alright. You woke us up from having a nightmare. It's okay though. We calmed you down before you could hit me in the face" Fenris half-lied, giving a laugh.

"Sorry. I tend to only have nightmares these days. I guess digging into the shadow magic, it's all I have now"

"You don't need to apologize starlight"

"Are you......you don't have work today, do you?"

"Unfortunately I do. Alerion and I have had this meeting planned for a while now. But....I'll be back for dinner. And if you want to stick around, I'm cooking up some steak tonight. If you'd like?"

"I'd have to see if Cas and Aax are alright with me staying away for a little bit longer, but sure"

"Alrighty then. I'm going to go get ready and why don't you go find some cats in the living room? I need to talk to Centross for a moment"

"Are Howl and Ollie getting along now?"

"For the most part. Howl would love to see you though"

Rae kissed Fenris' forehead before climbing out of bed and out towards where the kitten was. The vampires laughed, hearing Rae giggle as he scooped the kitten into his arms. Centross turned to Fenris and put a hand on his shoulder.

"What's up?"

"Thank you for....doing that. I can't bring myself to do that. Not to him"

"Anything for you"

"Can you stay here and look after him? Please? I don't want him alone right now"

"I can do that"

"Thank you"

"Of course. Hey, he's not hurt anymore. He can see again"

"Yes, but....Centross he asked me to stop. To help get him away from you"

"And?"

"And I didn't listen to him. I just allowed it and then broke his trust by forcing him to suffer through something that he didn't agree to"

"He doesn't remember it, so it doesn't matter"

"That doesn't excuse the fact that it happened! He knows something is going on. He's getting close to discovering who we are. Us forcing him like that.....what if he remembers that and......"

"You can't undo a compelling spell. He can't remember even if he wanted to. Go to that meeting with Alerion. Go clear your head. I'll take care of Rae till you get back. And then we can figure out what to do next"

=======================================================

"So apparently, according to Enderian, it is possible for a compelling spell to break" Alerion said, moving a pawn forward.

Lennarius nodded and moved his bishop E3 to F4. Alerion scoffed and used his pawn to take out one of Len's pawns. The younger vampire then took the one next to it and killed that pawn.

"Why move the bishop? You could have killed the pawn first and your piece would be fine"

I have my ways of playing. You have yours

"Yeah, sure okay"

Is it a terrible thing that Rae is remembering that magic is real? He seems to be much happier with having the knowledge and memory of it

"Enderian is worried that with him remembering, he'll remember what we are. Who she is. And she's worried that the memory will drive him away from her"

Ah. That makes sense as to why she is worried. From what I've heard, Rae remembered that magic was apart of his life once he could create a little magical spark. Then expanded his research into it. And now he can use runes from three classes. Which sparked the memory

"I already know that"

So, by having magic is what triggered him to remember. So, as long as no one exposes themselves as a vampire, he won't remember. Or werewolf. I'm not sure if he was every aware of their existence as a child

"I never thought about it like that"

You always have to look at the situation through a different perspective. How else are you supposed to see the other side of the story?

"Maybe you could help then"

With what?

"What Perix's deal is. Why would she risk everything to overthrow Enderian's command? To go behind our backs and feed off innocent lives? To risk the lives of those in the coven who are still naive to her manipulation?"

They want more control over our.....your coven. They were hurt when denied the chance to become a council member. And now this is her way to gain a sense of control. The more she convinces to her side, the less power you and Enderian have

"But why use the others? They know full well what would happen to them if they got caught disobeying orders. She is lucky that no one in our coven is dead because of her actions. Enderian is being lenient for now. Why put so many lives at risk? For what reason?"

I may have a way to help you....understand Perix's thought process. Like I said, you have to see both sides of the story to understand the full one

"Then explain it to me"

Well, we are playing a game of.....

Lennarius stopped when a knock came from the office doors. Alerion moved his knight F6 to E4, before getting up to open the door. He opened the door and grinned. He held out a hand and Fenris shook it with a smile.

"Come on in my friend!"

"I hope I'm not interrupting something. I am a little early"

"Not at all! We just started a game, but that can wait"

Really? Wow

"Len"

I was busy working on things and then you ask me to come over to talk about magic and spells and to play a game of chess

"I can leave?" Fenris offered.

No. Stay. I'll just wait. Your move by the way Alerion

Lennarius moved his knight C3 to E4, grinning as he took Alerion's knight. He looked up at Alerion only to be met with a glare.

"You know what? We can talk Wolf, while I beat someone at chess" Alerion stated, giving into Len's taunt.

"Alright then. And, it's Fenris actually" Fenris said, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room.

Fenris? Fenris Nightingale?

"Yes. Wolf is just a cover name"

As in, Fenris Nightingale, one of the oldest vampires to ever live?

"That would be correct"

"That's right. You turned decades ago"

"Yes. Not huge on people knowing that, but I feel like I can trust the two of you enough with this information"

I won't tell anyone without your permission first

"And neither shall I" Alerion promised, moving pawn H7 to H6.

"Wonderful. You wanted to discuss what exactly? Business or coven related things?"

"Coven related"

Lennarius moved his pawn B2 to B3. Alerion rapped his fingers on the table before moving pawn E6 to E5. Len moved his bishop F4 to E5, taking the pawn; which Alerion took the bishop using knight C6 to E5.

"Is there something specific we need to talk about?" Fenris asked, pulling out a pen and pad of paper.

"One thing, what do you know of the Perix situation?" Alerion asked.

"Only that Centross has been following her as of late. And that they're the one responsible for the deaths across the city"

She's been ordering these attacks to attempt to gain control over the coven

"That's foolish of them. She knows full well that they wouldn't be able to overthrow Enderian and Alerion"

By convincing more and more of the coven, she takes Enderian's control away. If we didn't catch her when we did, Perix would have gained enough support to begin a coup

"But why risk all of the coven's lives? She knows full well what happens if a member disobeys a coven order"

"That's what I'm saying! Why would she?" Alerion exclaimed.

I can show the both of you through this game of chess. Pretend that my queen is Perix and the rest of the pieces are the one's she's convinced to their side. You are playing Enderian and yourself. And the rest of your pieces are the coven not following Perix

"Okay?"

Consider this game as an internal war between our coven. Try and win and I will show you Perix's thought process. Don't think, just play

"Alright. Is there anything you want to bring up Fenris? Since Len here is going to solve our situation through chess"

"Uh....."

Speak. Something is on your mind. I can sense it

"It's Rae. He won't stop using the summoning rune. And I don't know if you guys know that he has....."

"Magic. We know. Enderian has been freaking out about that"

"Same"

I have plans to meet with Rae in the future to teach him how to control his magic. So he does not hurt himself. Isla has asked me to help

Lennarius moved his bishop E2 to C4 and looked up to see confused faces staring back.

"Isla asked you? Isla is dead" Alerion stated.

Her spirit isn't. I can't see her, but because Rae has been trying to summon her spirit here, I can hear her

"Would.....would she be able to speak to him in his dreams?" Fenris asked.

More than likely. Spirits can connect to others more easily through dreams. Especially with one being a mage. And Rae is a mage

"He.....he had a dream this morning. He said she told him to keep trying to use the rune and...."

"And?"

"He said that she told him that he was dying. And he couldn't see anything but little specks of void magic when he woke up"

Alerion picked up his bishop D7 and froze. He refocused his mind on the game for a moment and placed the bishop on square C6, before turning to Fenris.

"He's dying? He can't see? Is he alright?"

"He is now. Centross used the Void Shard to help heal him. He had to....he had to compel him to forget what happened. It....It wasn't an easy thing to do. Rae got angry that we weren't telling him anything. He's getting closer to finding out"

We are aware. Are you alright? Rae's dreams must be connected to the void somehow, if he became blind because of a dream. And I don't think forcing your partner to experience void magic would be an easy thing

"I'll be alright. I'm just worried that he'll push me away if the spell breaks. But Centross said compelling spells can't break. So it's fine"

I'm afraid to disagree with that. Rae remembers magic being in his life when he was a child and Enderian compelled him to forget that twenty years ago

"What?"

"Fenris, Rae will not hate you"

"You can't know that!"

The vampire got up and started to pace around. Alerion got up and put a hand on Fenris' shoulder to still him. Lennarius moved his knight F3 to E5 taking Alerion's last knight.

"What the hell, Len" Alerion scoffed, moving his bishop C6 back to D7.

Come sit down Fenris. Tell us what you know about Rae's situation. I feel like something is wrong - moving knight E5 to D7, taking the bishop, Check

Alerion moved his queen E8 to D7, taking the knight.

"He's been researching more into magic. And I mean more. Spending more time at the Cave of New Magic. More time with the pixies. More time reading magic books"

Sounds like he's happy - moving his queen D2 to D7, taking Alerion's queen.

"Screw you" he snapped, moving rook H8 to D8.

Take out the queen, take out the second in control. Which is you. Take you out, and take second. One step closer to coven leader - Lennarius smirked.

"I...I have a question that either of you might have an answer to" Fenris said slowly.

Do ask - moving his queen D7 to E7, taking the last bishop.

"The other day when I basically had to pull Rae away from the cave and back home; I saw the eyes of Epros for a second. Voi was watching over him"

"Sounds like them. From what I know of the gods, Epros was always more keen on watching over Enderian and her son" Alerion explained, moving pawn F7 to F6.

"But then at the top of a hill that I took Rae to, Epros told me something"

Voi spoke to you? You must be someone special to receive a brief meeting with the void god - moving queen E7 to G7, taking another pawn.

"I think it was more of a warning. Epros said that we couldn't keep our secrets from the, Child of Magic for much longer"

"Child of Magic? What does that mean?" Alerion asked, moving pawn F6 to F5.

"I have no idea"

I may have a theory. Although I'm not sure I want to be right - Lennarius said moving bishop C4 to E6.

"Oh? And why don't you want to be right?" Alerion pressed, moving pawn F5 to E4, taking Len's last knight.

Because it would mean something bad. I became a vampire because Epros spared my life. Giving me two missions. One to protect Soul and the other....- he started, moving bishop E6 to C8, taking the rook.

"And the other mission?" Fenris asked hesitantly, watching as Alerion moved rook D8 to C8, taking the last bishop.

The mission is to protect the prophecy - he replied, moving rook H1 to E1.

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Alerion asked, confused just like Fenris.

He moved pawn C7 to C6 and Lennarius moved queen G7 to H6, taking another pawn. Lennarius went silent and Alerion took that as a que to not question for a moment and instead moved pawn B7 to B6. Lennarius hummed, moving pawn F2 to F3.

The prophecy is something that hasn't been talked about in decades. It was first fulfilled around thirty years ago, but then things changed

"What things? What.....oh, you mean that prophecy" Alerion said, putting the pieces together. He moved pawn E4 to F3, taking one of Len's pawns.

"What prophecy? I wasn't around here thirty years ago" Fenris asked earnestly.

"Not sure it's my place to say, but it is definitely Len's place"

"The one chosen by the gods will either be the destruction or the salvation of the races" That's the prophecy - he explained, moving queen H6 to H3.

"And what does that have to do with Rae?" he asked, fiddling with his rings.

Alerion moved rook C8 to D8 and Lennarius moved rook C1 to D1. The older of the two moved rook D8 to H8 with a grin. Lennarius laughed and moved queen H3 to H8 and called check again. Alerion quickly moved his king B8 to B7.

Epros has only called one person Child of Magic before, and it was the one that fit the prophecy before they were killed - moving pawn B3 to B4.

"And who was the one before? Are you even sure Rae fits the prophecy?" Fenris pressed, growing more anxious.

"I'm not sure Rae fits it. He only has three rune classes that he can draw magic from. The prophecy says that one can draw from every single class" Alerion butted in, moving pawn C6 to C5.

Watch carefully Alerion - he warned, moving pawn B4 to B5.

"Why move that?" he asked, rolling his eyes and moving pawn A7 to A6.

"Oh shit" Fenris smirked.

You see it. Don't you?

"Yeah. That makes so much sense"

I know right - Lennarius grinned moving rook D1 to D7, Checkmate

"Oh. Oh!"

See? Perix is the queen/king in this situation. They are willing to let others take the fall for her crimes. This rook that checked the king, or Enderian would be who they consider their second. Which would be Centross. She's over here, barely doing anything but letting others do her dirty work

"That makes more sense. Let the others take the fall so that they can take over. Thanks for this Lennarius"

Anything Alerion

"I don't mean to press Lennarius. But the prophecy?" Fenris spoke up, "You said the last one was also called the Child of Magic. Who were they?"

I'm not sure how the gods choose their prophecy, so I could be causing you anxiety for no reason. but the one who claimed the title of Child of Magic before Rae, was Rae's mother, Isla.

"What!?" Fenris exclaimed.

"She was killed trying to untie our worlds" Alerion said, lowering his head.

Isla started out with only being able to control two rune classes, but quickly soon after she gained control over all. It could just be that Rae has three. But if my theory is correct, Rae is the next prophecy. He's the next one to be chosen by the gods. Which means he'll become a part of our whole world soon. We cannot hide from him any longer. I am sorry Fenris. I know you wanted to keep him safe. But you cannot keep a Multi-Mage hidden and safe forever

"Who killed Isla before? If they know Rae could be this prophecy, he could be in danger"

"That's the thing, we don't know who"

Chapter Text

“Mom, Easton’s getting worse. The venom is spreading faster towards their heart” Jamie blurted, running into Momboo’s room.

She put down her crochet project and quickly got up. She followed Jamie to Easton rooms and rushed to their side. Athena was sitting on their bed, dabbing away the cold sweat on Easton's forehead. They looked very sick, they were sweating even though they were freezing, the veins from their neck had turned black, spreading across the top of their torso, and their skin was now a deathly pale white.

“Hey, Easton. Can you hear me?” she said softly.

“M-mom?” they muttered, not opening their eyes.

“Hi sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

“Like I just got crushed by a mountain”

“Okay, if the pain’s returned, I’m gonna do another numbing spell and-”

“Mom. Please, just have Icarus end this for me”

“No! We said no already. There has to be some way to help you” Athena blurted.

“A-athena….I’m dying, just let Icarus end it”

“No. I refuse to lose my sibling”

It was about a week after Christmas. Days after Easton told Icarus to kill them. But Athena had found out and told Jamie and the two of them managed to stop it. Athena begged them to live so that she could find a way to help Easton.

“Easton, you know that there is a way to get rid of this,” Momboo said.

“I know. But I’m not going to ask a vampire for help” they snapped.

“Perix wouldn’t help them, mom,” Jamie said.

“I’m not talking about Perix. I’m talking about Lennarius. He’s a shadow mage and shadow magic can remove any venom, any curse. But someone won’t let me contact him”

“He’s a vampire”

“And he saved Caspian’s life years ago when he was in this exact situation”

“I don’t…..trust him” they managed, before a coughing fit took over.

“Do you trust Rae?”

Easton spit up more blood before glancing up, “Of course I trust him. Why?”

“Rae has Shadow magic. Maybe I can help guide him on how to help you” Momboo suggested.

“That’s right he does! I completely forgot! Rae’s been practicing” Athena exclaimed, “I can ask him to come over?”

“Please. I’m not sure how much longer Easton has” Momboo replied.

Athena got up from the bed and left the room. They pulled out his phone and hesitated for a moment before calling Rae. What lie would she come up with? He couldn’t just tell Rae that Easton was dying from vampire venom. They would have to come up with something and quick.

“Hello?”

“Hi Rae”

“Hi sunshine. What’s up?”

“Are you busy right now?”

“Uh no? I’m just reorganizing books at the library”

“Great. Can you come over?”

“Uh sure. Is everything alright? You sound panicked?”

“We need your magic”

“What?”

“Easton…….Easton is dying from some magic curse they accidently came across in the forest. They need shadow magic to counter it. Can you please help?”

“A-Athena I hardly know how to control my magic…..what if I hurt them even more?”

“Momboo knows what spell you need to cast and she said they’ll guide you. Just please. They don’t have long”

“I’m on my way”

“Thank you”

Athena hung up and sighed. The wolf child sat down in the hallway and brought his knees to his chest. They didn’t know what to do. Her sibling was in their room dying. And she couldn’t do anything about it. Athena knew full well that using shadow magic without proper training hurt Rae. Deep down he felt guilty for asking Rae to help. To save their sibling, they were putting his uncle in more pain. A horrible trade off in her opinion. But what else could they do?

===============================================================

About fifteen minutes later, Rae knocked on the front door. He was nervous about this. He didn’t know what curse Easton was inflicted with and besides, he didn’t want to hurt Easton more. The librarian didn’t know what spell he would have to cast and if he even could. Rae couldn’t think too much before the front door was open and Athena was dragging him inside.

“C’mon” was all his nephew said as she dragged him down the hallway and into Easton’s room.

“Oh my god. Easton?” Rae gasped, rushing to their side as Athena let go, “What happened? Athena said some type of curse?”

“Y-yeah. You’re aware that some crystals hold different magical properties. They came across one that poisoned their bloodstream. It’s killing them and only someone with shadow magic can remove it” Momboo explained, coming up with a lie she hoped Rae would fall for.

“I’ve never heard of a crystal holding that type of magic before…..but it’s possible”

“That’s why we need you”

“Momboo, I would love to help. Honestly. But……I don’t really know how to use shadow magic yet. If you asked me if I could use runes that draw from the fire or the spirits then yeah, I could do it”

“Rae, I’ve seen this rune used before, I can guide you”

“Momboo”

“Please Rae. I don’t know how much longer they have”

Rae looked down as a deathly cold hand grabbed his hand, “P-please….help me….” Easton muttered.

He knelt down and took their hand in his, “I’m going to help you. I promise. I’m not going anywhere” Rae looked up at Momboo, “Tell what I need to do”

“First: Jamie, Athena? I need you two to leave the room and head out to the forest”

“What?”

“No”

“This is not up for discussion. This is going to hurt Easton and I don’t want the two of you seeing it”

“But-”

“Jam, ‘thena……go. I’ll be…..fine” Easton coughed.

“You better be” Athena snapped, tears beginning to cloud his vision.

“C’mon Athena. Mom and Rae will help them” Jamie whispered, taking Athena’s hand and leading them out.

As soon as the two left the room, Momboo closed the door and locked it, “They can’t see what’s about to happen”

“What is about to happen, Momboo?”

“It’s going to hurt them, and quite possibly you”

“O-okay”

“I don’t really expect you to agree to do this”

“Easton’s family. I’m not going anywhere. Tell me what to do”

Momboo walked back over to the bed and helped Rae to his feet.

“The spell you need to cast is called a Recovery Spell”

“Isn’t that a spirit rune?”

“Spirit and Shadow mages share similar rune spells. Such as Recovery spells. But this is a dark curse, only dark magic can remove it”

“Okay”

“To cast a Recovery Spell….you need to connect yourself to Easton. Typically a Shadow Mage would need a Spirit Mage to help, but since you are also one you can connect yourself easily”

“Could you-?”

“I’ll help connect. Don’t worry”

“Okay. And then what?”

“You need to draw the curse from them. It’s going to hurt both of you”

“Alright. Let’s get this done”

Rae placed a hand on Easton’s shoulder where the venom had taken root. He relaxed when Momboo held his other hand and smiled. Both their eyes seemed to glow silver as silver rings of light formed around Rae’s hand. Both him and Easton shuttered as the magic wove their souls together. They were now connected. Suddenly the room went cold and dark. The lights flickered off and the flame from the candles blew out. The rings of magic flickered and slowly black magic encompassed the silver magic. Momboo looked up at Rae and saw as his eyes threatened to turn pitch black. Patches of skin on his hands started tearing apart as the magic ripped and burned through his body.

“Rae?”

“I’m fine. Focus on Easton first. Now what do I do?”

“You need to draw it out and destroy it”

“Extraction spell mixed with a Recovery spell?”

“Exactly”

“Okay. Are you ready, Easton?”

“Yes” they replied, curling their fists preparing for more pain.

A scream ripped from Easton’s throat as the venom in their body burned. The venom seemed to expand for a moment before retreating up back towards their shoulder. Tears pricked their mother’s eyes as she watched her child scream in pain. The spell was almost complete as the venom only circled the scar of Perix’s bite. Momboo seethed and let go of Rae as a sudden phantom pain crawled up her arm.

“Rae let go!”

His eyes had turned black and the venom seemed to find a new victim to claim. Easton was no longer inflicted, but the venom started seeping into Rae’s bloodstream; the veins in his hands turning black. Tears started to fall down his face as panic arose.

“I-I can’t! Something isn’t letting me”

“It’s the magic, Rae. You need to sever the tie. Once you sever it, the ven-......the curse will be gone”

Rae gasped as a feeling of comfort and safety appeared behind him. A ghost-like figure put her hands on his shoulders. He glanced behind him and his eyes widened as he was face to face with his mother.

“Mom?” he whispered.

“Rae?” Momboo asked while calling up Caspian.

Let go, Rae

“I’m scared”

Don’t be my son. I will guide you. Just let go

The lights of magic vanished and Rae let go of Easton’s shoulder. He staggered back and braced himself on the nightstand. Momboo hung up and rushed to his side. She helped him sit on the floor and he laid back against the wall.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I don’t know”

“Oh my god, you're burning up” she said, putting a hand to his forehead.

“Mom? Is Rae okay?” Easton asked, sitting up.

“I don’t know. Are you alright?”

“I feel better. It’s like a weight has been taken off my chest”

“That’s good. Go grab the kids. Caspian is on his way”

“Okay”

Easton slipped out of bed and shakily stood up. They looked more alive than before. Color had returned to their face, no longer looking deathly pale. Their veins were no longer black, but an intricate scar covered their shoulder and chest. Easton left the room and a moment later, Momboo heard a howl outside.

Come home, there’s a problem

She did her best to keep Rae warm as she waited for the others to come. Rae began to shiver while his skin felt like it was on fire. Momboo examined his hands to make sure none of the venom had taken root.
There was nothing on his hands besides the fresh magical burns.

The sound of wolves running came into earshot that soon turned to human footsteps. Athena was the first to enter the room and they rushed to Rae’s side. Jamie and Easton followed behind, the younger
desperately clinging to the older.

“What happened? Easton said that he spell worked” Athena asked, covering Rae in more blankets.

“Something happened with the connection. He let go eventually but not quickly enough. The v-.....curse started to take root in his hands”

“But there’s nothing there except for the burns”

“I know. I don’t know what happened”

“Momboo?” someone called from the living room.

“Down the hall, Cas!” she called back.

Caspian came running in and quickly dropped to the ground next to Rae. The librarian reached out with a shaky hand which his boyfriend grabbed and intertwined their fingers. He pressed a kiss to Rae’s knuckles
and using his other hand tucked stray hairs behind his boyfriend’s ear.

“Hi love. How are you doing?”

“C-cold and tired”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. You did a lot of magic today”

“C-can we g-go home? And l-light the fireplace?”

“Of course”

“Wait. I don’t know what happened to get this reaction” Momboo said.

“Without proper training, shadow magic can turn on the user. I think he’s just reacting to what I was experiencing when we were connected” Easton spoke up.

“How do you know about shadow magic?” Athena asked, raising a brow.

“I do my research on my own time”

“Nerd”

“Shut it”

Athena and Jamie giggled as the Easton they knew was back.

“Alright then. You call me the second he gets worse” Momboo stated, pointing at Caspian.

“Yes ma’am” he chuckled, turning back to Rae, “Let’s get you home, love”

“Please”

Momboo and Caspian helped Rae to his feet and to everyone’s sorrow, he quickly shoved his burned hands in his jacket pockets. The Pine family said goodbye to Rae and Caspian and watched as Caspian took Rae’s car and drove off. Aax was in Caspian’s truck and drove off after them. Momboo shut the front door and turned back to her kids.

“Is everyone doing okay?” she asked.

“Yeah”

“Yep!”

“I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore, so yeah”

“Thank god” she sighed.

“Why don’t we just curl up on the couch and watch a movie?” Jamie suggested.

“I like the sound of that, Jam” Easton replied, hugging their sibling.

“I want in on this hug! Let me in!” Athena chirped, shoving her way into the embrace.

Momboo smiled as her kids were finally able to relax and enjoy the others' company. Easton held out a hand to her, which she gladly took. They pulled their mother into the family hug. The comfort and safety of family to protect them from the approaching storm.

Chapter Text

"Chorus, look! Look what I can do!"

Enderian looked up from her sketchbook to see Isla laughing, "I'm looking, my orchid"

"Look!"

Isla flicked her wrist and shadow butterflies flickered into existence. They fluttered around the mages and the child on the floor. Enderian laughed as her son giggled as he reached up with his chubby hands to try and touch one of the butterflies. Lennarius sat down and brought the toddler into his arms. Little Rae squealed in excitement as butterflies landed on his arms.

"Your magic fascinates both me and him" Enderian noted.

"I had a hunch someone would enjoy the more peaceful side to my magic" Isla smiled, watching her child.

You are gaining better control over the shadows, Isla. I'm impressed

"Of course I am. I've got a great teacher"

Lennarius rolled his eyes, Oh of course. I have one other thing that I want to see if you can conjure. Call it a final test

"Lay it on me. I'm ready"

Summon lightning

Enderian and Isla both looked at Lennarius, stunned. But they could tell by his facial expressions, he was not joking about it. The vampire mage was serious and he wanted Isla to actually summon lightning.

"I-Is that even possible?"

Yes. I've done it multiple times

"Is it safe for her to even try?" Enderian asked.

Should be

"Lennarius, is it safe for her to even try? Isla is Rae's mother. He still needs her. I don't want him to lose her because she tries to summon something dangerous"

"I'll be fine, Chorus. And besides, Rae has two moms. Me and you. Don't discount yourself, starlight"

Isla pressed a kiss to Enderian's forehead before stepping back. Lennarius handed little Rae to his other mother and Enderian put her hands over his ears. Isla looked up at the night sky, at the moon and closed her eyes. Enderian looked up as well to see the eyes of Epros appear in the sky as lightning illuminated the night sky. Isla laughed as she was able to control the lightning to strike wherever she wanted.

There you go. I knew you could do it. And with such ease. Truly a master at magic

"I did it! I actually did it!"

"That's amazing, love. But come take your son. He's crying and I don't know....just come take him" Enderian said, trying to calm down the crying child.

"Oh, come here little star"

Isla rushed over and picked Rae up into her arms. She began to sing to him in an attempt to calm him down. Enderian sighed as it worked. The baby.....her baby stopped crying.

"Sorry, Isla. I'm not very good with children"

"That's alright. I can teach you" she smiled, sitting down next to her partner, "Look. He's our son. And just because you struggle to care for him like I do, doesn't mean anything. You're his mother too"

"And what if I can't be the mother that he needs?"

"Chorus, you will be a great mother. I know it"

"You don't know that, my orchid"

But I do. Enderian if I may, a mother always knows what's right for her children. You've been there for him and for Isla every step of the way. You will be a great mother to Rae.

============================================================

Enderian kept tracing her finger over the swirls on the cover of Rae's book. Well the book he was supposed to have gotten weeks ago. But she was hesitant about handing a book full of dark magic to her son. Once Rae got his hands on this book, he would shut himself off rom everyone and study it. Study it until he knew every spell, until he perfected every spell. This was his key to learning how to properly control the dark magic he possessed. Enderian knew Lennarius had been able to overcome the overwhelming want for absolute control the dark magic offered him. But would Rae be able to ward off the same? Would he fall into the darkness? But that really wasn't up for her to decide. She knew full well that it was wrong to withhold this book from him. But as his mother, Enderian was supposed to protect him at all costs.

A true mother's job.

I can hear you overthinking

Enderian jumped as Lennarius entered the room, his magical enhanced voice filling the deathly silent room. He laughed at her reaction and walked over to her desk. He sat down and eyed the book in front of her.

A Shadow Mage's Guide to Control....Haven't seen that book in decades

"Apparently, Rae called up Soraza and asked her to find said book. And she did"

Why isn't it with Rae?

"Because I haven't told him it arrived yet"

Keeping secrets, now are we?

"Len, what else am I supposed to do? This will-"

Help him. This book, what lies within will teach him how to control the shadows and other dark magic. It'll help him learn so that he no longer hurts himself trying to figure things out on his own

"But what if he dives too deep? What if he lets the shadows control his mind?"

The shadows don't just take over. They meld themselves into your heart and mind. It isn't like a parasite whispering to like most people believe. It becomes a part of you. I let the shadows in. So will he, and Rae will be perfectly fine

"Are you sure?"

Positive. I wouldn't lie about something like this ma'am

"Alright, I believe you"

Then that means you'll give him the book?

"Y-yes. Yes I will. And I owe him an apology"

May I accompany you, ma'am?

"I don't see why not," she shrugged, getting up to gather her bag.

Enderian grabbed the book and strode over to her office door. But she paused. Lennarius wasn't following. Something was wrong. She could tell that there was something else on the mage's mind.

"Speak you mind, Len"

Where do I stand in this coven?

"What?"

Where do I stand? Am I just like the others? Members that follow orders? Or am I a council member? Because I can't tell. I've bee let in on council meetings even though I am not on the council. Where do I stand?

"It has not been officially stated but, Lennarius, you are a council member. I have always considered you one"

R-Really?

"Did I stutter?"

No ma'am

"You are a part of this council as far as anyone is concerned. I have approved it, Alerion has, Soul has, Soraza has. Even the gods have given their approval"

Thank you ma'am

"And stop it with the 'ma'am', it's just Enderian"

Enderian it is then. Or, Ms. Morningstar?

Enderian had reached for the door and froze, "That works as well. Shall we get going?"

Yes, we shall, Ms. Morningstar

============================================================

Eventually, Enderian pulled her car into the driveway and turned off the engine. Her and Lennarius got out of the car and both sighed in relief as the rain fell on their faces. The lack of Caspian's truck made it obvious that Rae was home alone. Which was great for the both of them as they knew Rae's partners were hunters.

Enderian rang the doorbell and waited for her son to answer the door. After a moment, she rang again. And again. And again. Still no answer. She looked at Lennarius and he nodded. He grabbed the doorknob and used his magic to unlock the door. The two quickly walked in and shut the door behind them. The fireplace was lit, cold coffee sat on the coffee table, open books and crystals were sprawled out as well.

Where is he?

"I don't know. Rae? Are you home?" she called.

A sudden whimper caught their attention and both vampires turned around. Atlas came trotting up from the basement stairs and ran towards Enderian as soon as she saw her.

"Hey, sweet girl. Where is Rae?"

Atlas whimpered and whined again before circling around Enderian. She then darted back towards the basement stairs. The German Shepherd sat at attention and pawed at the ground.

"Is he in the basement?"

Atlas barked and continued whining.

Something is wrong. Something feels wrong

"What?"

Lennarius ran down the stairs, Atlas bounding after him. The dog wagging her tail, glad they finally listened to her. Enderian tossed her bag and the book onto the couch and followed after them. At the end of the stairs was a closed door that Atlas started scratching at. Lennarius was about to open the door when he stopped.

"Len? Open the door. Rae's in there"

You need to stay right here

"What? No. If he's hurt, I'm going in! He's my son!"

Something.....magical is wrong. Please. Let me handle this

Enderian hated herself but nodded and stepped away from the door. Lennarius took a deep breath before opening the door. Enderian gasped and tears slipped down her face. The vampire mage rushed in and over to Rae's body. The librarian was unconscious on the floor, his hands covered in burns and blood. Atlas laid down at her master's side and rest her head on his chest. She whimpered, hoping Rae would acknowledge her presence. Lennarius wrote an Illuminating Spell and casted it over the room and he immediately backed off. Void like runes appeared around Rae and even on his burned and bloodied hands. He looked up at Enderian who was trying to keep it together.

"What's wrong? Why isn't he waking up? Why are his hands like that? Len?"

He's.....he's alive. Don't worry. Um. I have never seen this type of spell before. The markings, they're Ender, but....I don't know what spell this is

"You mean-?"

I mean that Rae tried a spell that not even I have tried or even heard of

"Can you help him? Please"

Without knowing what spell....I....if I cast a Recovery Spell, it might not work. Some spells don't mix with others. I don't know what spell this is! It could mess with the recovery spell or it couldn't and that's not a risk I'm willing to take. I could hurt him

He tried a Memory Spell. A Memory Recovery spell to be more exact. Your Recovery Spell will not interfere with the spell he tried to cast

"Epros?" Enderian whispered.

Thank you, Epros

Lennarius dropped the Illuminating Spell and cast a Recovery Spell over Rae. His burns healed over, leaving no scar in sight. The blood slowly evaporated into thin air. When deeming it safe, the vampire mage scooped Rae up in his arms and carried him back up the stairs. Enderian rushed after, the dog running past her to do her best to stay at her master's side. Lennarius set Rae down on the couch and stepped back. Atlas again laid her head on Rae's chest, desperate for him to wake up.

He will be alright, Enderian

"What is a Memory Spell?" she asked, sitting on the couch and running her hand through her son's hair.

A Memory Recovery Spell. It's a spell that brings back memories. Unlocks sealed memories. He knows he's been lied to. He's trying to figure out who lied to him and what he's forgotten

"But that's me. I made him forget. Everything about us. His partners, his brother, his cousin. Everyone has lied to him. Does he remember now? When he wakes up will he know that his mother is a vampire?" she asked, crying.

No. Epros said, 'tried' not 'cast'. Which means he won't remember. Not yet anyways

"This is getting out of hand, Len. What are we going to do?"

I think it's time he learns the truth

"What? Why?"

Rae is an adult. He cannot be shielded forever. Especially with his magic getting stronger. He needs to be told the truth

"I-I....."

Enderian, you know that I'm right

"I do"

Lennarius knelt down and took her hand in his, Rae will have a lot of questions and he will be angry at people for lying to him. But he will not hate you. I don't think he ever could

"You better give me one good reason why the two of you are in my house" Caspian snarled, slamming the front door behind him.

"Caspian, I was just coming to see Rae" Enderian replied, not moving away from her son.

He looked over and saw Rae unconscious on the couch with Atlas by his side. He grabbed a stake from his bag and whistled for Atlas to come to his side. She hesitated, but ran to her master's side and waited for his next command.

"What did you do to Rae?"

"I didn't do anything to my son" she hissed, baring her fangs.

Let's not get hasty here. I'd hate for an altercation to go down and for him to wake up to it. Lat I knew the deal was that Rae stayed out of our little feud

"What did you do to him?" Caspian repeated, walking closer.

I healed him. Saved his life. He tried a spell far greater than himself. And it nearly killed him. You're welcome, Solcrest

"You can get out of my house now"

"Not until he wakes up. He's my son, Solcrest. I think you can at least grant me that" Enderian stated.

"Sorry, but no. Get out of my house now"

Caspian-

"Get out! If you are not out in the next minute, I will call Icarus and I will call Ocie and you will have to deal with them. Because I will not have vampires in my house. Family to my boyfriend or not. Now leave" Caspian ordered, snapping his fingers and then pointing at the vampires.

Atlas growled at them and Lennarius backed away from her. He grabbed Enderian and her away from Rae. Caspian stepped back so that they could leave.

"Take care of him. That's all I ask" Enderian pleaded.

"Always"

C'mon. We're not welcome here

Enderian and Lennarius left the house and Caspian sighed and stuffed the stake back in his bag. The brunet rushed to his boyfriend's side, Atlas following behind. He made sure Rae wasn't suffering from any wounds before pressing a kiss to his forehead. He grabbed blankets and put them over Rae to keep him comfortable.

"Mhm....C-Cas?"

"Rae? Rae, hi. Are you alright?"

"T-tired. What....what happened? Where are we?"

"We're in the living room, love. I think you used your magic a little too much and you passed out. But it's alright. I've got you"

"Th-thank you"

"Of course"

"Cas, I-I think I remembered something"

"Oh? What did you remember, love?" he asked, playing with the man's hair as he started to drift off again.

"You know how I said a while back that I saw giant wolves in the forest?"

"Yeah?" Caspian replied, suddenly realizing where this conversation was going.

"I'm not crazy. I remember seeing them as a child. They were around. I hung around with giant wolves. One in particular. Two actually. A golden wolf and a red wolf. But I can't.....everything goes blurry after that" Rae said, groaning as a sudden pain hit his head, "Maybe I should go sleep. My head is hurting"

"Yeah. Let's get you comfortable down here as much as possible. I don't want to move you in case of a head injury after you passed out"

"Mhm"

"You just sleep, Rae. Okay? I'm not going anywhere. Aax will be home shortly. And we can cuddle up with them on the couch. And I can continue playing with your hair while you sleep"

"I like the sound of that"

"Alright. Just close your eyes, love. I've got you"

Chapter Text

[Momboo: Hey, are you busy today?]

[Arisanna: Um, no not really]

[Arisanna: Why?]

[Momboo: You should……..swing by the cafe]

[Arisanna: ….]

[Arisanna: Sure]

[Momboo: Great! I’ll see you soon?]

[Arisanna: Yeah, see you soon]

The vampire set her phone down on the desk and looked at her sketchbook. The page that originally was supposed to be art of the dress she was having to design, now had a started doodle of the redheaded mage. Arisanna didn’t understand how any of this could have started. She had been friends with Momboo for a while now. But it had only been recently that they realized there was something more. It was hard not to admit that Momboo always looked beautiful.

“You know, I think you have somewhere to be” Alerion remarked behind Arisanna.

The younger vampire jumped and scrambled to hide her sketch of Momboo. She turned around and looked up at Alerion and forced a smile.

“Uh….”

“Arisanna, I could see the way your face brightened. Someone has somewhere to be, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“I can go? But I have a job to do-”

“I think this order can wait a day. Go”

Arisanna grinned and gathered her things, “Thank you, sir”

Alerion smiled and clapped them on the shoulder as she passed by him. The young vampire grabbed her motorcycle helmet on her way out of the room. She briskly walked through the building and down the stairs to the parking lot. Arisanna put her helmet on as she made her way to her motorcycle. They hopped on and started the ignition and zipped out of the parking lot onto the highway. She hadn’t been this excited in a while. Yeah the new dagger set from Centross that she got for Christmas was amazing, but Momboo wanted her to come visit. She didn’t exactly know why Momboo wanted to see her, but it didn’t matter. Arisanna wanted to see her.

A couple minutes later, Arisanna drifted into the cafe parking lot. Out of the corner of their eye, she spotted a woman with red hair standing outside by the door. She shut off the engine, took off her helmet and tucked it under her arm. Arisanna walked towards Momboo with a smile, the mage grinning back.

“Hi”

“Hi Ari! Uh….Y-you look good” Momboo smiled.

“Thank you. Uh, you as well”

“Uh, come in! Cafe isn’t busy today, thank god” she said, opening the door for Arisanna.

“That’s good. Less stress for you”

“Right? Life has been a rollercoaster recently”

“Oh? Is everything okay? Are you okay?” Arisanna asked, sitting on a stool at the counter.

“Well, Easton’s been….well Easton was sick. Very sick. And they weren’t doing great”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry. Are they okay?”

“They’re fine now! Uh, I was able to find someone who could help. The doctors weren’t helpful. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Uh, tea or coffee?”

“Uh, coffee. You know my order”

“Yep. You know, speaking of orders….god I’m going to need to ban Rae from stepping foot in this place”

Arisanna burst out laughing, “On his coffee addiction runs again?”

“When did he stop?” Momboo laughed, turning to make up Arisanna’s drink.

“True. But um, what was wrong with Easton?”

Momboo paused and then shook her head, “Uh, we live out in the forest and Easton came across something that inflicted the illness. Some weird herb or something. A friend of mine was able to mix up something to help”

“Okay?” Arisanna said slowly, “But that’s good, at least. Are they feeling better?”

“I think so. They’ve been up and about at home. They just went back to college today. Winter break is over and they’re tired of being fussed over, so…..you know how Easton is” Momboo replied, handing Ari her coffee.

“Thank you. I’m glad they’re feeling better”

“Me too. Now, enough about that. What’s been going on with you? It’s been a hot minute since we’ve talked”

“Uh…nothing much actually. Just been working up at Ender Jewels”

“Oh, right. I forgot that you worked for Enderian” Momboo stated, rolling her eyes.

“Is that a problem?” Arisanna asked, eying her

“Uh, no. Sorry I didn’t mean to come off like that” she quickly caught herself.

“It’s fine”

“How’s the business going?”

“Things are moving along. It’s a fashion and jewelry business. Uh, actually, soon I’m gonna be learning how to make jewelry”

“Oh, how fun!”

“Yeah. I’m actually excited”

“You should make me a necklace or a bracelet”

Arisanna froze for a moment but smiled, “Yeah, I can do that”

The smile the mage gave seemed to brighten the room. Arisanna shook her head and lowered her head. Being this close to Momboo wasn’t exactly a smart thing to be doing. Yes, Momboo hadn’t detected them as a vampire when she had cast the spell a while back; but it didn’t mean Arisanna was safe here. She didn’t know how much Momboo knew of the vampire situation in the city. But she wasn’t about to risk it. She quickly tucked her eye of ender necklace in their shirt. Last thing Arisanna needed was Momboo recognizing the gem that allowed vampires to walk in the daylight and appear human.

“Ari? Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah I’m fine. Sorry. Zoned out for a sec”

“It’s alright. No need to apologize. What’s on your mind?”

“Uh….”

Everything. Innocent people are being killed. And my kind are being put in danger. I wish I didn’t feel when a vampire dies

“Well the uh….mysterious murderer that’s been lurking in the city. Quite dangerous to be alone at night. Can be scary at times, you know? My late night drives have been cut short”

“Two things. One, maybe one night you could bring me along on a late night drive?” Momboo asked.

“I wouldn’t mind bringing you along”

“Great. Second, I understand that these are scary times”

“You don’t seem too bothered by it”

“Don’t get me wrong, I am scared of the person going around killing people. But I’m not scared of being a target”

“Oh?”

“Let’s just say that I’m capable of defending myself”

“I believe you”

“You know, I feel like you could outrun anyone any day. You got that sick ass bike out there”

“Ha! I could. And besides, I got a new dagger set for Christmas and I’m pretty good at throwing a dagger”

“Oh that’s really cool”

“Yeah! It’s really pretty. Uh….” Arisanna said, looking around at the empty cafe, “Here, look”

Arisanna pulled out one of the daggers she carried around. She handed it to Momboo who ran her finger over the embedded sapphires in the dagger’s hilt. Another smile from the mage. The vampire smiled back as she watched Momboo examine the blade.

“This is a really beautiful blade”

“You can have that one if you’d like”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ve got plenty of others. It was a dagger set. I can let a singular dagger go”

“Thank you, Ari”

“Of course. So, about that necklace you wanted. What’s more, your style? Gold or silver? Or even rose gold? There is-”

Arisanna was interrupted as the cafe door opened and Easton came storming in with Jamie in tow. The vampire tensed up as Easton glared at her. They knew. She was about to be exposed.

“Easton, are you okay? I thought I told you to pick up Jamie and Athena from school and go home” Momboo asked, confused.

“Athena went to the library to study. And we were swinging by to pick up some food for them. But I see you have a visitor” they replied, not taking their gaze off the vampire.

“Yeah. Uh, this is-”

“Arisanna. Oh I know who she is”

“Nice to meet you as well” Arisanna said calmly.

Momboo looked between the two, clearly confused, “I’m sorry. I must have missed something. Is everything alright between the two of you?”

“Everything’s fine, Momboo. I should actually get back to work. Thank you for uh, inviting me to chat. We should do this again soon” Arisanna said, getting up to leave.

“Leaving so soon, little vampire?” Easton asked, quickly yanking Ari’s necklace off their neck.

Easton tossed the eye of ender necklace onto the counter in front of Momboo. Arisanna hissed as some of the sunlight flowing in through the windows hit her skin. Jamie immediately locked the door and switched the sign to [Closed]. Momboo picked up the necklace and her hands shook as she recognized the gem.

“Y-you’re a vampire” she mumbled.

“Yes”

“T-that’s not possible. It’s not possible! I-I checked! Your aura was white, which means you're human! And besides, your eyes are normal. They aren’t vampiric”

“Check again”

Momboo stepped back and looked Arisanna in the eyes as now her eyes glowed bright red. The vampire managed a smile to expose her fangs. Momboo felt a tear slide down her cheek. With shaky hands, she wrote an Expose Rune and casted it over Arisanna. Her aura was white…..with blue mixed in.

“How…..it’s both. Both white and blue. That’s not possible”

“Magic is truly a wonderful thing. Makes it so even the most powerful of mages can’t detect one’s true form. They just mistake it as a charm that is interfering. I’m sorry for deceiving you, Momboo. I really am” Arisanna explained, raising her hands in the air as a sign of peace.

“I thought I could trust you”

“And you can!”

“You're a vampire. You are far from being trustworthy” Easton snarled, their eyes glowing gold.

“Well, for your information. I’m not the one going around on a bloodthirsty ramage. You cannot blame me for that. You can blame Perix for that” she hissed.

“I can blame you for everything if I want. All vampires are the same. Bloodthirsty, monstrous creatures that just bring destruction in their wake”

“Clearly you haven’t really met us. We’ve become a big family”

“Well unfortunately for you, you won’t be returning to your family”

Easton held out a hand and Jamie handed them a wooden stake. Arisanna hissed again and backed away from the werewolf. She looked at their necklace which was still being held by Momboo. She couldn’t leave even if she wanted to. She would burn in the sun. Momboo held the key to her escape.

“Momboo, you aren’t gonna let this happen? Are you? I haven’t done anything to hurt you!” Arisanna asked.

“Don’t get my mother involved with this!”

“Easton, let her go” Momboo stated.

“W-what?” they asked, lowering the stake and turning to their mother.

“You heard what I said. Let. Her. Go”

“But she’s a vampire!”

“And she hasn’t done anything to warrant the death penalty that you’ve deemed on every vampire. Let her go”

Momboo held out Arisanna’s necklace and the vampire cautiously took it. She put the necklace back on and whatever illusion magic the gem held covered the vampire again. Her red eyes returned to pretty blue-gold. Momboo flicked her wrist and the door unlocked itself. Jamie walked behind the counter and stood at his mother’s side. Easton still blocked the door out.

“Easton, let her go”

“Easton, I never meant your mother any harm. And this altercation will not alter that. It was never my intention to hurt her. I am not the danger that resides in this city” Arisanna said.

“The second, and I mean the second I hear that you have become the danger is the second I’m hunting you down”

“Easton” Momboo snapped.

“Understood,” the vampire nodded and turned to Momboo, “I’m sorry I wasn’t truthful. It…..it was nice knowing you. But uh….I don’t think I’ll be coming around any time soon. Goodbye Momboo”

“Ari-”

“Keep the dagger to remind you of me?”

“Y-yeah”

“Goodbye”

Arisanna walked around Easton and left the cafe. Once the vampire had driven off, Easton rushed to their mother. She had collapsed to the floor, crying. She had just found out someone close to her was one of the monsters haunting the city. She never even considered for a moment that Arisanna was a vampire. But with this new information of the eye of ender’s being able to mask one’s appearance….who knew how many vampires she came in contact with. The gem was able to mimic the beat of a human heart, it was able to mimic human eyes. Vampires weren’t just walking in the sun, they were hiding in plain sight. And the one person who she thought she could trust…..had broken that trust. And now, any personal feelings she might have had for the vampire was gone. Maybe she truly was destined to be alone.

Chapter Text

The sound of screaming woke him from the deep sleep he managed to slip into. He sat up and saw as Rae shot up, flailing his arms around. They quickly grabbed his boyfriend’s shoulders to ground him. The door swung open and his other boyfriend came rushing in.

“Rae! Rae stop. You’re okay. It was just a nightmare” he soothed, trying to calm his boyfriend's actions.

"I can't see! Fenris? Centross? I....I can't see"

"What? We're right here. Can you feel us touching you?" Centross asked, tightening his grip on Rae's arm.

"Y...yes"

"Okay. Just breathe. Focus on our voices okay?" Fenris continued, brushing hair out of Rae's face.

Rae stopped thrashing around and his hands wandered until he found his partner's and friend's hands. Both of them squeezed his hands to help ground him. Fenris cupped Rae's face with his other hand and then led Rae to lay against him.

"Hey, it's alright. We're here with you. Okay? You're safe"

"I...I can't see"

"What?"

Centross let go of Rae's hand and went to turn the light on. Both vampires started to assess the situation and to their eyes, Rae was fine. His eyes weren't clouded over or hazed.

"Can you see anything at all? =============you're blind?" Centross asked.

"Magic. I....I===========specks of magic. Like the void"

"Void magic? Uh okay. Starlight, what was your dream about?" Fenris asked.

"My dream?"

"Yes"

"I....I talked with my mother. Isla. She caught me before I fell off a cliff,=====================================continue the summoning rune.....just to watch how much I try to do it"

"It's just a dream love. Isla is dead, she can't tell you anything. That rune is dangerous. I...I saw your burns. You've been doing it behind my back. Haven't you?"

Rae turned his head away from Fenris, giving the confirmation he needed.

"Was there anything else?" Centross pressed.

"She.================ I'm dying"

The room fell silent.

"Just a dream. Y...you're not dying. I think you'd know

"I...I believe her"

"==="

"Starlight"

"I mean come on. I can't see. ================= that something is wrong?"

"We can fix this"

"You can't fix everything Song"

"You'd be surprised. Centross?"

"Yes?"

"Grab the Void Shard”

"You sure?"

"It's the only thing that will fix this"

Centross nodded and left the room. Rae blindly turned back towards Fenris' voice and furrowed his brow. The vampire brought the librarian into his arms and the smaller man relaxed as he listened to his partner's heartbeat. A couple minutes later, Centross walked back holding a Void Shard.

"Wh....what's a Void Shard?" Rae asked.

"It's an item that-" Fenris started.

"========= tell him" Centross hissed.

"Tell me what? Why ========== hiding things from me now? ===I do something wrong?" Rae blurted out.

"No, you didn't. But we ==== tell you"

"David"

"Star, we can't"

"Fenris please. What is it? I can sense that it's magic. What is it? What are you two hiding =========?"

"We can compel him to forget this" Centross answered Fenris' unspoken question.

"Compel? What does that mean? What is going on!?" Rae snapped, pulling away from Fenris.

Rae smacked Fenris' hand away from him and slowly moved away from them. He couldn't see anything, but knew something was wrong and was aware that he was no longer safe around his friend and partner anymore. He had to leave.

"Rae. Stop. Please"

"No! Get away from me!"

Fenris grabbed his arm and pulled him forward, but Rae struggled against him.

"Fenris get away from me!"

The vampire tightened his grip on Rae and grabbed his other arm. Panic spread across the mage’s face. He kept fighting against Fenris, but they wouldn’t let go. As Rae kept fighting, anger rose and settled in the vampire’s chest. Fenris let out a hiss and his vision turned red. He threw himself at Rae and pinned the smaller man to the bed. Rae screamed out, begging Fenris to let go, begging Centross to help. A quick glance to the side and the vampire watched as Centross left the room and locked the door behind him. A hunger that only blood could fix rushed over him as he looked down at his lover. A meal, right there, waiting just for him. All he had to do was let the bloodlust take over and rip Rae’s throat out.

“Fenris! Let go! Get off me! You're scaring me! Please!”

“Shut up, Rae”

“Fen-”

“I said, shut up!”

The vampire leaned down, fangs exposed. Rae screamed out as Fenris sank his fangs into Rae’s throat. The second his lover’s blood touched his lips, he couldn’t hold back. They ripped Rae’s throat out and continued to feed off his dying partner. Seconds later, Rae went limp……he was dead.

===============================================================

Fenris woke up screaming and immediately woke up Centross. The other vampire sat up and took Fenris’ hands in his own. The touch of his boyfriend seemed to ground him and they stopped screaming.

“Hey, hey, you're okay. I’m here”

“R-Rae’s not here right? He’s not here? I didn’t…..I didn’t hurt him….right? He’s alive?”

Centross looked concerned, “Rae’s at Caspian’s house. You know that. He’s okay. Wha…what happened?”

“It was just a nightmare. It was just a nightmare”

“Fenris, what happened?”

“I ripped his throat out, Centross”

“Oh”

“What if….what if I go into a blood craze while he’s around? I don’t want to hurt him”

“And you won’t”

“But what if I do? What if this nightmare turns into a reality? What if I snap while he’s here and……I’m a danger to him”

“Yeah. And so am I. Rae and I have been friends longer than the two of you. I’ve been a danger to him and yet, he’s fine. You won’t hurt the man you love”

“But I-”

“Fenris, look at me,” Centross interrupted. Fenris looked at his partner and managed a soft smile, “You wouldn’t hurt him. I know you wouldn’t. You love him too much to hurt him. Do you believe me?”

“Y-yeah. I-I believe you”

“Promise?

“Yes”

“Good. Now, do you want me to grab you some blood from storage? Are you hungry?”

“Yes, but not…..blood. Not right now. Just the thought of drinking blood makes me sick”

“Understandable. Then, I’ll cook up some breakfast?”

“Promise not to nearly burn the house down again?” Fenris asked, laughing.

“I did no such thing. But yes” Centross chuckled.

He kissed Fenris before slipping out of bed. Fenris smiled as his boyfriend left the room to make them breakfast. The vampire fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and the image of his Rae’s bloodied body appeared again. Fenris sat back up and shook his head. A nightmare that wouldn’t stop haunting him. Times like this, he wished he had never been turned. Just the thought that he could hurt someone he loved made him wish his sister didn’t save him from the collapsed mineshaft. But before his thoughts could swallow him whole, the doorbell rang.

“Please do not let it be him” Fenris muttered, getting out of bed.

He trudged his way to the living room and to the front door. Centross stopped what he was doing to watch the hesitance of his partner. He sighed knowing how scared Fenris was now of himself. The younger vampire wished that the other wouldn’t be scared. But he knew no matter what he said would get to Fenris’ head. The front door opened and Centross tensed up, hearing the threatening hiss from his boyfriend.

“What are you doing here, Perix?” Fenris hissed.

“Is Centross here?” she asked, trying to look past the vampire blocking their way in.

“Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. Why do you care?”

“None of your concern”

“I think it is, seeing as he is my partner”

“May I come in?’

“No”

“Oh come on, Wolf. We’re business partners, let me in” they drawled, trying to walk past Fenris.

He hissed and shoved Perix back out, “Try that again and that necklace won’t be around your neck for much longer. I wonder how long it’ll take you to burn in the sun without it”

“Threatening me already?”

“You are in my territory. My ‘hunting grounds’. You are trespassing. I’m being nice”

“Nice?”

“Yes. If I wasn’t being nice, I would have made you regret stepping foot on my grounds. So, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see if Centross would like to join me on a hunt”

“You mean a killing spree?”

“Same difference”

“No. He’s not here. You’ll have to go look for him elsewhere. And you aren’t allowed back here. Step foot in my territory again and I’ll kill you” Fenris threatened.

“Hm. You really seem to care about this neighborhood all of a sudden. You never called it your territory before. What changed?” Perix asked, a sly smile creeping across her face.

“None of your concern”

“Really? It couldn’t be because a certain Morningstar has been visiting more recently?” Perix grinned as Fenris tensed up and started hissing. “Oh, it is because of him. How cute”

“Get out, Perix”

“So what? Involving yourself with the scum of the earth?”

“Scum? Humans are not scum of the earth. You are not above them at all”

“Hm. Fine. Then sleeping with your bosses son….risky play…its a power play but a risky one”

“You think I’m using Rae to gain favour in Enderian’s sight? You are full of yourself Perix. Get out”

“Does Enderian know that a killing machine is sleeping with her son?”

“She is aware that I’m dating Rae”

“And she allowed someone who can easily tear his throat out to continue being with him? Honestly, involving yourself with a human is only going to end in disaster. A blood craze sets in and your little pet is around and he’s dead. Not even you can protect him from yourself”

Before Fenris could lunge at Perix, Centross grabbed him and pulled him back inside. She laughed at how defensive Fenris suddenly became. Centross kept struggling to keep his partner from attacking. He finally stopped fighting, but Centross still stood in front of them.

“He is not my pet, Perix. He is my boyfriend”

“Keep telling yourself that, Wolf. You know, I really didn’t take you to be someone who had a blood servant just laying around”

“Okay that’s enough,” Centross snapped, turning to Perix, “What do you want?”

“I thought you said that Centross wasn’t home?” Perix taunted.

“Perix” Centross snarled.

“Ugh, whatever. It’s still dark out and not a lot of people will be out today as it’s starting to snow again. Want to go out and hunt?”

“Uh-”

“No. He’s not going anywhere” Fenris hissed, grabbing Centross’ wrist.

“Wolf”

“No. I’m done with you hanging around them. You know full well that you are on your last chance. Enderian will kick you both out of the coven and be left to die if you continue hunting”

“Who gives a shit what Enderian has to say? She does not control us. If we want to feed, we’ll feed. If we want to hunt, we’ll hunt” Perix hissed.

“I will not lose my partner because you keep twisting the situation”

“Oh, why not? You have a new little pet to dote on”

“Say one more thing about Rae, and I will tear you apart” Fenris threatened.

“Wolf. Back off. She’s just trying to fuck with you”

“They keep bringing Rae into this. He’s not my pet!”

“I know”

“He sure acts like one” Perix muttered.

Centross cursed but yanked Fenris’ necklace off him and shoved him away. He walked out the front door, shutting it behind him so he could talk to Perix alone. Fenris hissed as now he was trapped in his own home. He would not be able to step foot outside until the clouds were dark enough to cover the sun.

“Impressive. I didn’t think you would do that to your own partner”

“Are you trying to get yourself torn apart?”

“I’m just poking some fun around. Can’t I tease?”

“You know full well how defensive Wolf is of Rae”

“Possessive is the word I’d use”

Centross paused, “Y-you’re not…..wrong”

“Was he ever like this with you?”

“No. But I don’t like it when people fuss over me. So it’s fine”

“You sure his love for Rae is not taking precedence over you?”

“I….no. No, he wouldn’t….Wolf doesn’t love Rae more than me. He loves us both equally. We’ve all talked about how this relationship is going to work. We’re fine”

“Just thought I’d bring it up. Don’t want you finding out later that Wolf loves that pathetic human more than you”

“Thanks Perix” Centross growled.

“Anyways, do you want to join me in hunting?”

“Uh” he hesitated, looking back at the house, “Y-yeah. Actually. I wouldn’t mind a hunting trip. I could use fresh blood. But uh, I should give his necklace back first”

Perix grabbed Centross’ forearm before he could open the door, “You give that back, he will try and stop you from joining me. Hold onto it and he can’t follow nor stop us”

“But he’s my partner and-”

“Not our fault this fantasy of being human has consumed him so much to forget what we truly are. Why let his actions stop us from being vampires? We are made to hunt and kill”

“You’re right”

“I’m glad someone still sees it from my perspective”

“I’m not going to keep this on me, but I’ll put it on his car. So when eventually the clouds cover the sun, he can grab it. Buys us time to get out of here”

“You’re too nice to him”

“He’s my partner, of course”

Centross put Fenris’ necklace, his key to the outside world, on the hood of the car. He pulled out his phone and texted Fenris about what he was doing.

[Centross: Your necklace is on the hood of the car. The clouds will eventually cover the sun enough for you to step outside]

[Fenris: Centross, don’t do this]

[Centross: I’m sorry. But I’m a vampire, love. I need to feed]

[Fenris: We have blood at home! You don’t need to kill people!]

[Fenris: Centross]

[Fenris: Centross, answer your phone!]

[Fenris: Centross come home! Please!]

[Fenris: Centross don’t leave me here!]

Chapter Text

“Woah. Can you do it again? That was so cool” Addie asked, amazement written in her eyes.

“Of course,” Rae replied, smiling.

The librarian blew out the candles on the table and the two were plunged into darkness. Every light in the library had been turned off, the only thing emitting light was the little pixie that came to visit. Auxreta sat on Addie’s shoulder as the two watched as fire ignited in the middle of Rae’s palms. He made a circle motion and then blew the fire towards the candles and they ignited in beautiful warm flames. Rae smiled as he heard the two laugh at the magic he was creating. With a flick of his wrist, the flames sprang up and collectively formed into that of a phoenix. He bowed his head towards the phoenix and it chirped before flying around the room. It dove back towards the candles and exploded into a million tiny sparks and the candles relit.

“That is so cool!”

“Thank you, Addie. I’ve been practicing” Rae thanked as he went to turn the library lights back on.

“I can tell. You’re more comfortable using your magic”

“Y-yeah. It just took some time to feel comfortable using it after….uh…everything that happened last time”

Addie stood up and grabbed Rae’s hand, “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not mad at you for what happened?”

“As many times that I forget” Rae chuckled.

“Rae, look at my hands. There are no burns, no dark magic, no scars. What happened was an accident. I’m fine. You don’t need to continue to blame yourself”

“Maybe one day I’ll believe that”

“You better” she laughed, punching Rae in the shoulder, “You haven’t tried using that spell though? Right? Not after the accident?”

“Uh….I have. But I haven’t tried using that spell in a while. Wolf kind of got angry at me when I lied to him about it. Knocked some sense into me I guess”

“You got yourself a good man, Rae”

“I know,” he smiled as he picked up his phone, “Speaking of Wolf”

“It’s like he knew we were talking about him. If he asks, we were talking shit about them”

“We were not! Addie!”

“What? I think it’d be funny” she grinned, “So, what does Wolf want?”

“Uh, he’s just asking where I am? And if I’m okay?” he replied, sitting down to text Wolf back.

“Are they okay? Like I know partners check in with each other, but asking where someone is? That’s not normal. Right?”

“Yeah. He’s never asked where I am. One sec”

Addie leaned against Rae and without hiding it, was looking at Rae’s texts, “‘My Song’? That’s a little gay of you Rae”

“No shit” Rae scoffed, rolling his eyes.

[Rae: I’m at the library with Addie and Aux. Why? Are you okay?]

[My Song: No one else is there? You three are safe?]

[Rae: Y-yes? Love, what’s wrong?]

[My Song: Rae can you come home. To my house. Please]

[Rae: Yeah. Are you okay?]

[My Song: Just come home. And send Addie home as well]

[Rae: Song, what’s going on? Stop avoiding the question….are you okay?]

[My Song: Just come home]

[My Song: Please Rae]

[Rae: Okay. I’m on my way]

[My Song: Thank you]

Rae and Addie looked at each other and both could tell the other was confused and concerned. But Rae got up and started cleaning up the tables from the magic experiments. Addie got up as well to help Rae put away scattered books. The two cleaned up in silence, both unsure what to say. The moment Auxreta read Fenris’ messages, they had flown down to the library doors and had not moved since. Almost like they were guarding the door. Guarding the two inside.

“Um, well I guess you are free to go home, Addie. The library was already closed for today cause of….well I was working on magic research with you. It looks like it might rain. Or we’re getting more snow. I can’t exactly tell. You might wanna head home and I’ll lock up and head home” Rae offered, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I know Wolf asked for me to head home, but I have some homework I need to work on. History homework and I need library access. So I’ll stay for a bit and then head home”

“Yeah, that’s alright. Just stay safe. I’ll let you know if I find out why Wolf is so on edge”

“Thank you, Rae”

“Of course. Auxreta, you gonna head home or stay here for a bit?” Rae asked, turning to the pixie guarding the door.

The pixie looked at Rae and started chittering and then folded his arms and flew back over to Addie.

“They’re going to stay with you. Aux said and I quote, “You two mortals don’t know the dangers that walk out there. I’m staying with the one that isn’t a part of the world beyond you”. Aux that is a really concerning and cryptic thing to say. I’m going home. See you both later”

Auxreta and Addie waved goodbye to Rae and he walked out of the library. The younger librarian took a deep breath and kept watching until Rae had driven off. She would never understand how Rae could remain calm after everything he knew. The day she found out magic existed, she immediately was afraid. She locked herself in her house for weeks because she was afraid of accidentally slipping up. Wolf had asked her to keep it all a secret. No one could know.

“Hey, Aux?”

The pixie chittered.

“I know I don’t understand what you’re saying, but what do you mean by “I’m staying with the one that isn’t a part of the world beyond you”? I don’t understand”

Auxreta landed on Addie’s shoulder and lowered his head. She could see the pixie fiddle with their hands as they tried to figure out how to tell her. Their wings fluttered and Auxreta started to fly around Addie nervously.

“Is it something you aren’t allowed to tell me?”

Auxreta nodded.

“That’s alright. Don’t worry about it”

The pixie chittered and flew around Addie’s head. They laughed as Auxreta continued to chirp. She walked up the stairs to where she was working on school work beforehand. Auxreta flew up after and perched on the young librarian’s backpack. Addie had put on some music and zoned out to working. The little pixie kept watch over her as she worked. At some point, Auxreta had zipped downstairs and without Addie’s knowledge, cast a magic spell over the library. And just in time as Perix passed by the library. A quick glance inside and they glared at the pixie. Auxreta just stuck their tongue out at the vampire and giggled as Perix stormed off.

-Not today Perix-

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride home?” Caspian asked, turning to Fenris.

“I’m sure. I could use a nice walk out. I actually enjoy the rain. Besides I don’t want to take up your time” Fenris replied.

“Alright”

“You know you could stay for dinner? If that’s alright with you two” Rae suggested before turning to his other partners.

“It’s fine”

“Yeah, it’s fine”

“I appreciate your offer, starlight, but I have other plans tonight. Centross and I need to have a chat. So-”

“Is everything okay between you two?” Rae asked, taking Fenris’ hand.

“It’ll be fine. Just had an argument earlier that I want to settle”

“Okay. Promise to call me tomorrow?”

“I can do that, love”

“Well, we’ll see you around, Wolf,” Aax smiled.

“Yeah, see you around. And I’m sorry for abruptly taking our star from you”

“Nah, it’s fine. We understand”

“Goodbye, my starlight”

With that Fenris kissed Rae again and walked away. The rain felt nice on his face. The natural cold and relief it provided to the vampire was more than welcoming. He felt much better knowing that Rae was somewhere safe. The day that Perix had taunted him about Rae had set him on edge. The vampire wanted the librarian in his vicinity to protect him. When Rae had come home, he wouldn’t let go of him. But knowing that it had been a couple days since, he had to let his partner go. Besides, he really needed to talk to Centross and didn’t want Rae to be around when they had the conversation. But he wasn’t going back home. Not yet at least. Fenris was headed into the city, straight for Ender Jewels.

Fenris had to push the guilt away as he kept walking. He wasn’t headed to Ender Jewels for a business ordeal…..well technically he was. They were headed over to tell Enderian about Perix and Centross’ disobedience to the council. He had to push his love for Centross aside. This was now a matter of safety. Who knows how many people the two of them killed the other day? He was unable to find them once being able to step outside to grab his necklace. Fenris was a trusted member of the coven, he had a duty to do.

As he finally reached the city, he immediately could tell how many people fell victim to Perix and Centross. The blood that was still in the air was intoxicating. He had to stop himself from running towards the crime scene. He was so hungry for blood that he could practically taste the blood in his mouth. Fenris detoured and walked past the crime scene. The bodies had been collected the previous day, but the area was still blocked off and being guarded by police. He could see the drying blood in the store, the shattered glass, the tossed store…..it was revolting, yet alluring at the same time.

He kept walking. If he had stayed to examine it, he probably wouldn’t be able to resist the hunger any longer. Fenris shoved his hand into his jacket pockets as they wouldn’t stop shaking. Though he wouldn’t admit it to Centross or Arisanna, the vampire had started to deprive himself of blood. Human or animal. He hadn’t touched blood in a week and half now. And they were starting to feel it. More agitated, weaker, hungrier. How he had managed to keep himself from hurting Rae in this state amazed him. But unfortunately, Perix was right. With him basically starving himself of blood, he was putting Rae in danger. All it would take is Rae slipping up and cutting himself on accident and Fenris wouldn’t be able to stop himself.

The vampire reached Ender Jewels and took a deep breath before stepping inside. People inside nodded in their direction as he passed on through. Fenris walked briskly up the stairs and ignored as some of his employees tried to talk to him about things. He reached the third floor and pulled out his ring. He checked around the floor to make sure no one was around. They pressed the ring to a small crack in the wall and magical runes formed around it. They glowed and the wall opened up to another room. He walked in and closed the secret door. He sighed and walked down the stairs to the main room where he was surprised to actually see Enderian and Alerion there.

“Oh, perfect. I was actually looking for you, ma’am” Fenris said, holding out a hand.

“Oh? Were you now?” she asked, shaking his hand.

“Yeah, I need to talk to you and actually Alerion about something. Something that I……it's not great. And I have felt so many conflicted feelings coming over here”

“Oh. This is serious talk”

“Unfortunately”

“Well, you are welcome to sit or stand,” Alerion said, gesturing to the empty seats at the table.

“I’ll stand. I’m too on edge to sit down”

“What’s wrong, Nightingale?” Enderian asked, concerned.

“Perix showed up at my house just like a couple days ago. And….It took so much not to kill her. Centross had to stop me from killing them”

“What did she do this time?”

“Called Rae my ‘pet’, my ‘blood servant’. Basically told me how I was going to one day kill him. A-and….I-I don’t want to. But her words won’t leave my head. I wouldn’t hurt your son. A-and now-”

“Now you’re scared you're going to?” Alerion asked.

“Yes”

“Wolf, listen to me” Enderian spoke up, “I trust you to take care of my son. If I didn’t I would’ve said something and would have driven the two of you apart a long time ago. Rae is happy around you. I can see it. I can hear it in the way he talks about you. I had a human partner and I was scared to hurt her, but I never did. You won’t hurt him. Ignore Perix, she’s just trying to drive you apart. Out of all of my son’s partners, you are the one I am most comfortable being around him”

“T-thank you for that”

“And about Perix’s taunts….I will have a chat with them”

“I fear there is more concerning Perix”

“Oh great. Here we go” Alerion muttered.

“What now?” Enderian demanded.

“She originally came by to ask Centross to go on a killing spree with her. I tried to stop him, but he……he ripped my eye of ender off me and trapped me in my own home until the clouds were dark enough so I could retrieve it. He left it outside. He hasn’t come home yet, so he’s still with Perix. And there is a heavy blood smell in the city. When I was coming in, there was a store completely destroyed and covered in blood. Those two have yet again gone behind the orders of the council and have attacked innocent humans. I am here to report them”

Enderian took a deep breath and curled her hands into fists. Fenris stood still and didn’t dare move. She hissed and Alerion got up to place a kind hand on her shoulder.

“Get Perix and Centross in here. Now” she ordered.

“I will, if you promise not to kill them the moment they step foot in here”

“No guarantees”

“En-”

“Fine”

“I’ll be right back”

Alerion left the room, leaving Enderian and Fenris alone. The younger of the two, stepped back and pressed himself against the wall. He looked down at the floor and started fiddling with his ring. He had just sold his boyfriend out to their leader. He knew that Enderian would be angry. This was Centross’ last strike. Who knew what Enderian would do now? And would Centross be angry at him? Or would he understand why Fenris had to rat him out? Would Fenris even have Centross as a partner after this? Or would he just have Rae? What would that do to their relationship? Would Fenris and Centross breaking up, tear Centross and Rae’s friendship apart? He didn’t want to make Rae choose sides. But he knew the librarian would feel like he had to. Did he make the right decision telling Enderian? Did he make a mistake?

Before his thoughts could spiral even more, the secret door opened again. He tensed up as Centross was shoved down the stairs by Lennarius. Perix came down behind him, with Alerion and Soul holding her by both arms. Alerion had sought help apparently, and he was right to do so. The glares that Fenris received from both of them was enough to make him flinch. Perix and Centross were forced to sit down and both had their necklaces removed. Soul tossed the necklaces onto the table and Enderian took them.

“I thought I was perfectly clear on what would happen the next time either of you went against direct orders”

“Yeah, well-” Perix started.

“Did I give you permission to speak?” Enderian interrupted. She hissed at Perix before continuing, “I warned you both that you were on your last strike. One more step out of line and I would leave you for the wolves or I’d kill you myself. You’ve stepped out of line…..again. So now comes the decision whether or not I call the wolves over or I end you myself”

“Why not let Wolf decide? He is the one to rat us out” Perix snarled.

“It’s Enderian’s decision what your punishment is, not mine” Fenris replied calmly.

“Wolf” Centross finally spoke up.

“Yes?”

“I’m not mad at you. You did the right thing. I’m just sorry I forced your hand”

“Don’t apologize. He betrayed you” Perix hissed.

“No actually, he didn’t. I betrayed him” Centross corrected.

“It is my decision, but you are one of the few that I trust, Nightingale. What do you think would be wise in this situation?” Enderian asked, turning to Fenris.

“Honest opinion?”

“Of course”

“My honest opinion is for Perix to die and for Centross to be given one last chance”

“Of course you’d take pity on him” Perix snarled.

“You have done nothing to make me like you, Perix. You have relentlessly reminded me of how dangerous I am to be around Rae. You have called my partner names that I will not stand for. And Centross is also my partner. Which you have continued to manipulate to believe you over me. So of course I want you dead”

“And what is your…..opinion on the stance of the safety of our people?” Enderian asked.

“Both should have their necklaces destroyed and be cast out of the coven. Let Icarus and Ocie know that two heretic vampires are out of control. I’m sure Icarus would be more than willing to tear these two apart.
Let them suffer the consequences of their actions. They ended people’s lives by tearing them apart….let them die a gruesome death”

“W-wolf-” Centross started.

“I was asked for my opinion, Centross. One of us is still loyal to Enderian. I warned you multiple times. But I cannot put our relationship above the safety of our people. You don’t like my answer? Maybe you should have listened to me”

“Thank you, Wolf. I have made my decision concerning, Perix”

“Oh great” she muttered, rolling their eyes.

“Oh shut your mouth. I’m done hearing from you” Soul snapped.

“Perix, your eye of ender will be destroyed and you are no longer welcome within this coven. You will never be allowed to step foot into Ender Jewels. Your ring to this room will also be destroyed. I will send a letter to Fable letting him know that his wolves are allowed to kill one of the vampires without repercussions. Great hunting training for some of the new wolves you know”

“You are sending me to my death”

“Yes. Yes I am”

“Why not just kill me yourself?”

“And waste more of my time and energy on you? No. Alerion, if you would?”

Alerion nodded and grabbed Perix’s hand and slipped the ring off their finger. He took the necklace from Enderian and used his magic to shatter the two jewelry pieces. Perix hissed and was about to stand up, when Lennarius snapped his fingers and a pair of shadow hands shot up from the ground and took hold of the vampire.

You aren’t going anywhere yet

“Gee, thanks” she hissed.

“And um….what of me?” Centross dared to ask.

“I have conflicted feelings when it comes to you, Centross Mistvale. On one hand, I want to give you the same punishment as Perix”

“And on the other?”

“You are my son’s best friend. What am I supposed to say to him when he comes asking where you are? That you died? That you ran off with no warning? Am I supposed to just leave that to Wolf to figure out? How am I supposed to just leave him wondering what happened to you?”

“If you want to give me the same punishment, then I accept it. Just let me tell Rae that Wolf and I have come to an agreement that we are better off not being in a relationship and that I’m leaving Lodestar forever. He will recover from it. He doesn’t have to know that I died. Just that I left and am never coming back”

“Alerion, give Centross his necklace back”

“Wait…what?” Centross asked, confused as Alerion handed his necklace back.

“I wanted to see where your heart truly was. You are accepting of this, but even as you face death you are still trying to protect my son”

“You told me to. I may have gone against your orders of killing and feeding off humans. But I will always protect Rae”

“And that is why you get to live”

“I…..thank you, ma’am”

“One last chance. I will not be this merciful again. Hopefully, with someone manipulating others gone, you will be more mindful to actually obeying my orders”

“I won’t fail you again, ma’am”

“See to it you don’t”

“Seriously? He gets one last chance? He’s already had one last chance! This is just favoritism! This is an unfair show of judgement!” Perix shouted, struggling against Lennarius’ magic.

“Your manipulation against this coven are finally coming to an end, Perix”

“And may I remind you, you called my boyfriend my ‘pet’ and ‘blood servant’. I’ll have you know, I told Enderian” Fenris added, stepping forward.

“And you aren’t leaving here in one piece either. No one gets to walk free after calling my son derogatory words” Enderian hissed.

“You have no idea how much I am holding back from killing you myself” Fenris continued, standing over Perix.

When they looked up at Fenris, panic crossed over her face. Fenris’ golden eyes suddenly turned purple and white stars started to form on his face. But the stars vanished and his eyes returned to gold.

“But I am done here” he said, turning to Enderian, “May I take Centross home? Please?”

“Yes. You two are free to leave”

“Thank you, ma'am,” Centross said, walking over to Enderian and holding his hand out.

“I’ll see you around, Mistvale” she said, shaking his hand.

Fenris quickly grabbed Centross’ hand and dragged him up the stairs. Enderian watched the two leave and then turned her attention back to Perix. The heretic just glared at her with glowing red eyes. With Perix no longer wearing the necklace, the magic had dropped making them appear vampire again. No longer would she wear the illusion of a human form.

What do we do with them now?

“Lennarius, if you would escort Perix out of Ender Jewels” Enderian replied, “Throw them out in the back alley, it’s still sun out. And as much as I would love to see her burn in the sun, I cannot reveal to the public about our existence”

“What? You can’t leave me stranded out there!”

“Yes I can. You are no longer a part of this coven. I no longer care about your existence. Remove them”

With pleasure

Lennarius grabbed Perix’s wrist and the shadow hands holding them down, vanished.

“Get your hands off me”

No. Now get walking

“Before you leave, Perix. I have one more thing” Enderian added, standing up.

“What?”

“I told you that you wouldn’t be leaving here in one piece. You called my son Wolf’s ‘pet’. Which he isn’t. Neither is he someone’s ‘blood servant’”

“Are you quite sure about that?”

“Yes”

Enderian held out a hand and Soul handed her a dagger. Perix tried to back away but Lennarius held them still.

“This dagger is laced with nightshade, deadly for vampires. I hope you remember the cure to it”

Enderian dug the dagger into Perix’s side and then removed it. She gasped as the poison quickly took root and started to spread. Enderian nodded to Lennarius and he shoved Perix forward and she walked up the stairs. As soon as the two of them were through the door and into the main building, Perix tried to run. But she was yanked back and pain shot through their body. Lennarius laughed and as he held his arm up, Perix’s arm moved up as well. A magical cuff that Lennarius had created was hooked around both of their wrists. She hissed at him as they kept trying to pull free.

You really thought I’d just let you run? I always think ahead, Perix

“You are going to regret this, Lennarius”

I don’t think I will. Now walk, or I will drag you and it will be painful for just you

“I cannot wait for you to realize how much you are going to regret this,” she stated, walking alongside Lennarius.

Oh really? And what do you think you're going to do to make me feel guilty about this? Assuming you even survive the nightshade. You gonna go after my brother? They're a vampire hunter and we don’t talk anymore. You’re going to go after Soul? She’ll tear you apart herself. You’re going to go after Wolf? He’ll do the same thing. You gonna go after Athena? She’s a wolf. One of the strongest I’ve ever met. He will not hesitate to tear you apart. You have nothing against me

“There’s a pathetic little human the lot of you seem to care about. He doesn’t know the truth about his family. It will be easy to just kill him”

Ha! Going after Rae? Get through his vampire boyfriend and his vampire hunter boyfriends, his werewolf brother and cousin, his werewolf nephews, his vampire mother and get through me and then maybe you will. Not to mention that he is under the protection of the gods….you don’t stand a chance.

“That’s what you think”

Lennarius suddenly shoved Perix against the wall and stared her in the eyes. They tried to shrink in on herself as Lennarius started to hiss.

If you touch one hair on my son’s head, I will know. And I will find you and I will kill you. Do you understand?

“Rae isn’t your son”

He is my son, biological or not. I have been there for his mothers since before he was born. I have been there for him since he was a baby. Rae is my son. You touch him and I will kill you. Do you understand?

“I-”

Do you understand me?!

“Y-yes sir”

Good. Now get out and never show your face again

Lennarius removed the magical cuff and opened the back alley door. He grabbed Perix and shoved her outside. She quickly rushed under the awning as the sun began to burn their skin. Lennarius closed the door and locked it, locking the heretic out.

“You are going to regret this Lennarius. I will make sure of it. Maybe you should’ve taken better care of, your son”

Chapter Text

Open your eyes, my child. And see the truth that was taken from you

Rae opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around, curious and confused as he woke up in a cabin instead of in Caspian’s house. He got to his feet and was about to take a step towards the door, when he heard someone move. He looked over at the beds in the room. One was empty, the other had two children sleeping in it. Rae quietly walked over to see the children better, but took a step back. It was him and Icarus, but from when they were younger. Little Rae had his head on his brother’s chest; Icarus had their arms wrapped around their little brother. The librarian felt a tear slip down his face, the happy memory of the two rushing back to the surface.

A soft knock on the door caused Rae to jump. He went to open the door, but his hand went right through the door. He looked at his hands and realized that he was glowing like that of the Void.

“Icarus? Rae? Are you boys up?” a soft familiar voice asked.

“Mom?” Rae whispered.

The door slowly opened and Isla quietly walked into the room. Rae gasped and stepped back as he got to see her. Her blonde hair was tied up in a braid that draped over her shoulder. She was wearing a light blue shirt and blue jeans. A silver necklace with an amethyst pendant hung from her neck. Isla laughed softly as she saw her kids still asleep. She tucked stray hairs behind Rae’s ear and he groaned and clung closer to Icarus.

“Alright, you two. You can’t sleep in forever. It’s time to get up” she said, snapping her fingers and the light switch flicked up.

Rae laughed softly as his past self and Icarus groaned and slowly sat up. Icarus shoved Rae off them as he tried to go back to sleep. His response was to take a gold bird plushie and hit Icarus in the face with it. Isla rolled her eyes and took her kids hands in hers.

“Good morning you two”

“Morning”

“Morning mama”

“I think you two forgot what day it is”

“What day is it mama?” little Rae asked, making grabby hands up at his mother.

“Well, if I remember correctly, we’re supposed to be headed to Momboo’s to have a playdate with Easton, Jamie and Athena” she replied, picking Rae up.

“Oh yeah! We’re going to see Easton!” Icarus exclaimed, jumping out of bed.

“Mama….do we have to go?” the boy in her arms asked.

“Yes. Why do you not want to go?”

“They’re scary”

“What makes them scary?”

“They are ======”

“I’m also a ====” Icarus stated, “Are you scared of me?”

“N-no”

“Then it’ll be fine. Besides, I’ll protect you from the scary ======!” Icarus grinned, bringing a smile to their brother’s face.

“What do you mean? What are you, Icarus? What are you hiding from me?” Rae asked, reaching a hand out as the room around him went blurry.

Rae spun around as lightning struck behind him. He was right back on the edge of a cliff, surrounded by darkness and fog. He stepped away from the edge and looked up at the star-less sky. No light anywhere. He looked around, looking for anything to indicate where this was.

“Hello? Mom? Anyone?”

He kept walking around carefully before suddenly color returned to this colorless world. He stepped forward and he walked into a forest. One that was familiar to him. Rae laughed as he spotted Momboo’s cabin in the middle of a clearing surrounded by the forest. He started running towards it, hoping to see anyone at this point. He yelped and fell to the forest floor as three wolves darted through. He looked at them and saw the red wolf suddenly stop and lower its head at someone ahead. He got up and followed after. Rae froze and fell back against a tree, tears sliding down his face now.

His little self was clinging onto his brother as the wolves came towards them. The red wolf was lowering its head to him. Isla knelt down and pulled Rae away from Icarus. The librarian gasped as he watched his sibling suddenly turn into the golden wolf he had remembered the other day. The wolves all howled and started running around. Little Rae started running after them. Isla walked over to where Momboo sat on the patio. The two were laughing, watching their kids run around. Giggles from Rae and the howls of the wolves filled the forests.

“Y-you’re a…….a wolf. Werewolves…..they’re real. I-I remember this day” Rae muttered, walking into the clearing, “Icarus is the golden one. Athena is the red one. Jamie is the dusty brown and Easton is the blonde. M-my brother is a werewolf? And so is…..uh”

Now you see the truth, my child

“Epros?” Rae called out, turning around.

He was yet again, back in the colorless world. But this time, he could actually see the stars. The ground beneath him actually had a grey colour to it. Slowly the colour was returning to this world. Rae gasped as he was suddenly surrounded by the void sky. The eyes of the god looked at him and he stood there amazed.

“Hello”

Greetings, little void

“I don’t understand. How have I forgotten that my own sibling is not human?”

For your protection, you had your memories locked away. You were intelligent enough to realize that your mind has been meddled with.

“For my protection? What did I need protection from?”

It is not my place to say

“Then whose is it? I’m done being lied to. I’m not a child, I can protect myself!”

Your mother

“Then send me back. I’ll head straight for Ender Jewels and just wait for her to come in”

Is that wise, little void?

“I don’t care. Apparently if you're telling me to go talk to her, then she knows about this. And she kept this from me! I want the truth!”

Be safe, Child of Magic

“I will”

Then I shall send you back home

“Wait. Two things”

Oh?

“Is….is my mother alright?”

She is safe. She is at peace. She has been worried about you

“Sounds like her. What is this place, Epros?”

The Realm of Magic. I reside here with Kinaxus. We give magic to those worthy of it. The souls…..the spirits of those who have passed on from your world come here.

“Alright. Realm of Magic. Its…..peaceful here…when it’s not storming”

I apologize, little void. I had to test your mind. To see if you were ready to continue down this path

“Path? What path?”

Wake up, Void Prince

“Epros! Wait! What path!?”

Wake up

===============================================================

Rae shot awake and sat up in bed. The dog on the bed also woke up, but laid her head on Rae’s legs. He softly laughed at her attempt of comfort. The librarian pet Atlas’ head and her tail started wagging.

“Hi girl” he whispered.

Rae looked over at his sleeping partners. Caspian had an arm hanging off the side of the bed, while Aax was curled up in the sheets. He smiled at them and then laid back down. The second he did, Aax curled into him and put an arm over Rae’s chest. He stifled his laughter at his partner’s action. Rae closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. But minutes later, he opened his eyes. The librarian sat back up and looked over at the bedroom door. He sighed and carefully got out of bed so as to not wake his partners.

He needed to talk to Enderian. He couldn’t just ignore this.

The librarian quickly slipped on a hoodie over his shirt, not caring to change out of his pajamas. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and kissed both his partners on the forehead. Rae turned towards the door when Atlas let out a soft whine.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be back, don’t worry”

Rae slipped out of the room and quietly walked downstairs. He curled his hand into a fist and then uncurled it; a small flame ignited in the center of his palm. The small fire produced enough light for the mage to navigate the dark house. Rae sat down on the couch and looked around for a pen in the mess of papers on the coffee table. Once he found one, he scribbled out a note for his partners and then got up to put it on the kitchen counter. He took a deep breath before snuffing the flame out. Rae put on his shoes and then opened the front door. Cold, refreshing air flowed in, providing him with relief. He stepped out into the dark and closed the door behind him.

===============================================================

“Ow! Momboo that stings!”

“Maybe if you stop moving it wouldn’t”

Icarus growled as Momboo kept pressing a wet cloth to their bloodied arm. Easton just laughed at them, but stopped when Athena smacked them on the head. She handed Momboo a syringe that the mage stuck in Icarus’ arm. They seethed as the anti-venom spread through their body and raced down their arm to rid their body of the vampire venom. The wound immediately looked better. Momboo wrapped the wound up and then pointed at the couch.

“Go lay down”

“Momboo, I’m fine,” Icarus said.

“You literally were bitten five times. Your body is weak. I will have to administer the anti-venom at least twice more to make sure there isn’t any chance of you turning. Lay down”

“Momboo-”

“Icarus, lay the fuck down”

“Fine”

“Thank you”

“You know, it’s a miracle you even survived,” Easton muttered.

“Oh gee, thanks Easton”

“Your welcome”

“Who even attacked you? It…well I guess not broad daylight….but you know what I mean. It was day out when you were hurt” Athena asked, curling up on the couch next to Icarus.

“Centross cornered me. He took me off guard. And I couldn’t risk changing into a wolf. I’m surprised no one saw him try to kill me”

“I’m just glad your okay”

“Yeah. I’ll heal up just fine”

“Why would Centross even go after you? Your Rae’s brother and he’s his best friend” Jamie asked.

“I highly doubt Centross even cares at this point. I mean you guys know what happened the other day. Five people died at one of the stores in the city. All with the same injuries. Throats torn out. They are getting restless. The vampires are killing for fun at this point”

“Eight. Eight dead. Three died at the hospital this morning. It was on the news” Momboo corrected.

“Great”

“Athena, are you okay?” Easton asked, noticing the wolf child shrink in on himself.

“How much longer until one of them goes against Enderian’s orders and kills Rae? C-centross is getting out of control…..what if he….?”

“I won’t let him hurt Rae” Icarus stated, wrapping an arm around them.

“I know Enderian said that no one would hurt him…..but this….I don’t want Rae being anywhere near them”

“You and me both, ‘thena”

“As much as you want to shield Rae from them, you have to realize you can’t. He is his own person. The moment you try to drive him away from Centross, he will know something is wrong. He’s already catching onto us. Are you really wanting to risk him finding out?” Momboo said.

“I guess you're right”

“Also…..maybe it is time you just….tell him. Tell him the truth”

“But that would put him in danger” Athena blurted out.

“Would it? Tell me who would want to hurt Rae if he knew?”

Athena shut their mouth and went silent. Jamie and Easton shook their heads. Icarus lowered their head.

“Rae is a part of this family. But you are lying to him, hiding the truth…..is this the way to treat family?”

“N-no” the wolf child replied.

“We don’t have to do anything now. We have to ask his partners what they think. And Athena needs to talk to Enderian. Rae is her son. But I think it’s time for Rae to know. What do you think, Icarus?. Icarus?”

They didn’t reply. They had turned to look out the window out towards the city. Athena furrowed her brow and looked outside as well. Nothing was out there. The others in the room looked at Icarus as they began to growl.

“What’s wrong? Is there something out there?” Easton asked, standing up and standing in front of Jamie.

“I-it’s Rae. I-I have to go” they said, standing up as well.

“What do you mean? Icarus, what’s going on?” Momboo asked, stopping them before they could open the door.

“Momboo-”

“No, tell me what’s wrong”

“I….I can feel that he’s in danger”

“How?” Jamie mumbled.

“When I was a child, and my mother was still alive, she……she used her magic to…..I guess bind my soul to Rae’s. He was born human, so he was vulnerable to everyone. My mom didn’t want him to be defenseless in the world we live in. So she made sure that I would know when he was in danger so I could protect him…..and I’m feeling the pull. He’s in danger, I have to go”

“Then go. We’ll be here if something goes wrong”

“I’m coming with you,” Easton stated.

“Then come on”

Icarus opened the door and the two shifted into wolves and bounded into the forest. The moon shined bright tonight, giving light to the dark forest as the two raced towards the city.

Hang on, Rae. I’m coming

===============================================================

The streets were dimly lit from the streetlamps scattered across the sidewalk. The breeze that flowed through the leaves of the trees and bushes was the only sound in the night. Not a single chirp from a grasshopper, nor the hoot of an owl could be heard. The streets were empty save the man in a hoodie walking down the center of the road.

Rae had been walking for a while now. He hadn’t bothered to take his car. He needed to walk and think about things that he was now remembering. The second he had woken up from remembering that Icarus is a werewolf, his mind had been flooded with memories of the past.

He used to run around the forest with his brother, cousin and friends. He would chase after the wolves and they would chase him back. They would have races through the forest. He remembered a day where he had broken his leg but had wanted to still run. Icarus offered to carry him while they raced. He smiled and let a tear slid down his face as remembered laughing when he beat Easton for the first time.

That's cheating. Icarus can’t carry you on their back and race

“It’s totally fair. Cause they’re my brother”

Yeah yeah

There was another time where he got to see magic work wonders. Athena and him were throwing dead grass and twigs into the fire outside. Jamie and Easton were playing in wolf form and had accidentally knocked into Rae. He fell into the fire and was screaming out. Momboo had rushed out and had used her magic to completely heal the burn and left no scar on his body.

Rae was about to dive into another memory, when he ran into someone. He jumped and stepped back and felt the warmth of the fire start to ignite in his hands. He looked at the person and the fire died.

“Oh, Perix. S-sorry. I didn’t see you there. I wasn’t watching where I was going”

“No, it’s quite alright. I also wasn’t looking” she replied, waving her hand to brush it off, “What are you doing out this late at night?”

“Bad dreams I guess. Memory things…..I’m headed to my mom’s office. I need to talk to her”

“At 2am?”

“I’ll wait for her” Rae stated, walking again.

“Fair enough” Perix said, walking alongside him, “Mind if I join?”

“Not at all. What are you doing out?”

“It’s not raining and it's quiet out. It's a perfect night for a stroll”

“So true. It’s refreshing”

“Yeah”

“So, uh. How’s life been treating you? It’s actually been a while since we’ve talked”

Perix tensed up, but then relaxed, “Not been the greatest. Enderian just fired me”

“What? Why would my mother do that? You are a valuable asset to the company” Rae asked, stopping to face Perix.

“Well, she fired me because I spoke the truth and brought things to light that she tried to keep buried”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Your mother has been keeping secrets from the rest of us who work there. I was just trying to expose her and got myself kicked out”

“I can talk to her for you. I’m sure I can reason with her”

“You are too kind, Rae. It is not needed. I’m sure she’ll see the error to her decisions soon”

“Well if you ever change your mind, just let me know. I’m happy to help in any way I can” Rae said, walking again.

Perix smiled and stopped walking. She looked at him and scoffed. He truly had been kept in the dark. Hidden from the truth. If he knew what they were, he would be running for the hills. He wouldn’t be this kind to her. But that’s just what he was, easily manipulated and gullible to believe one thing. Perix reached up to where her eye of ender necklace used to hang and then looked back at Rae. They wanted Enderian and Lennarius to pay…..maybe this was her chance to get back at them. After all, she already threatened to hurt Rae in front of Lennarius…..why not carry the threat out?

“Perix? Are you alright?” Rae asked, jogging back to them.

“Me? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Sorry. Lost in thought”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah”

“Alright. Do you need anything? We can sit for a moment?”

“Uh, yeah. Actually I do need something. Can you help for a moment?”

“Yeah. Of course”

“Just know, this is all Enderian and Lennarius’ fault”

“What?”

“Oh, and Wolf’s fault. Just remember that”

“What did F-Wolf do?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

“Nothing you need to worry about right now. But for now, you can do me a favour…..and die”

Perix dropped her own illusion mask and bright red eyes were now staring hungrily at Rae. He backed away from her and raised his hands in the air as a sign of peace.

“Perix…….what…what are you?”

“You and everyone else should have listened to that cop. She was right all along”

“Ocie was right about vampires being real?”

“Yes. And now you will be the next to fall. It was nice knowing you, Rae Morningstar”

“Perix wait!”

The vampire lunged at Rae and immediately shoved him to the ground. He cried out as his back hit the pavement and a heavy weight pinned him down. A hiss and a flash of fangs was all he could register before Perix sank their fangs into his throat. He screamed out at the pain. He tried to shove the vampire off him, but she had pinned his arms to the ground. He felt a sudden dread wash over him as Perix began to drink his blood. A wave of weakness washed over and his body started to go numb. Rae managed to curl a fist and used what strength he could muster with his magic to shove them off him. He cried out again as her fangs tore at his throat. He shakily stood up and clamped a hand over his bloodied neck and started running. Perix shook their head and her vision returned after being hit with Rae’s magic. The vampire got to their feet and chased after Rae. She kicked him in his back and he crumbled to the ground again. He turned over in time to put his arms out to keep the vampire at bay. She hissed at him, his own blood spilling from her lips. Perix took one of Rae’s arms and broke it. He screamed out as the pain radiated throughout his body. He let out a strangled cry as her fangs repierced his throat. Blood started filling up in his own mouth and he started to choke. He couldn’t breathe, he could barely see….he was slipping away. Right as he was about to close his eyes, he heard a familiar howl ring through the silent streets.

Perix looked up from her victim and hissed again. Two wolves stood behind them, snarling at her. The golden wolf narrowed their eyes and lunged at Perix. The blonde wolf rushed over to Rae and shifted back to human form. Easton tore their jacket off them and pressed it against Rae’s torn throat to try and stop the bleeding. They kept watching Rae and watching Icarus as they attacked Perix. The golden wolf kept clawing and biting at the vampire who kept trying to get back to Rae. She wanted him dead, she wasn’t going to leave until Rae was dead. But Icarus was determined to keep them away from their brother. Perix darted towards Rae and Icarus took the opportunity to lock their jaw around the vampire’s leg. She screamed out as they tossed them across the street. Icarus growled and started pacing back and forth, guarding their brother.

“This isn’t the last time you see me, Icarus. Better make sure he’s protected next time” she hissed before running off into the night.

Icarus waited until Perix was gone before turning to human form. They ran over to Rae and fell to their knees. Rae was gasping for air, his hands shaking, his throat torn wide open. Icarus grabbed a hand and held it in theirs.

“Rae, it’s going to be okay. I’ve got you”

“Ic……ar…….ca….can’t…..bre….”

“Shhh….don’t talk” Easton ordered looking up at Icarus, “We need to get him to my mom. She is the only one who can help”

“But the hospital is just around the block”

“They will not be able to mend this in time. He will die if we don’t get him to my mother”

“I can’t run as fast in human form”

“You carry him and get on my back. I’m the fastest of us all”

“Easton-”

“Do you want your brother to live or not?”

Easton shifted into their wolf form and pawed at the ground. Icarus gathered Rae into their arms and he grabbed onto their shirt with an iron grip. They climbed up on the wolf’s back and Easton ran off, faster than they ever had before. Time was running out. It was a short window that was rapidly closing. Rae was dying and had mere minutes. Icarus held Rae close to them and tried not to let tears form. They got there too late. They nearly lost him and there was a possibility that they still could lose him.

They finally reach the forest and soon after the cabin in the clearing. Easton let out a howl and Icarus jumped off their back. The front door swung open and Athena’s eyes widened and they screamed out to Momboo. Easton shifted back and the two werewolves ran inside. Jamie came running into the living room, but then collapsed to the floor. Momboo ushered them into the kitchen where she had cleared off the kitchen table. Icarus carefully laid Rae down and he groaned and his hand shot out to Icarus.

“It’s going to be okay, Rae. Momboo’s going to help. She’ll help you, I promise” Icarus said, taking their brother’s hand.

He looked scared. The fear in his eyes told Icarus just how scared he was.

“Easton, take your siblings and take them to your room. They don’t need to see this” Momboo ordered.

“Okay. C’mon you two. Give them space” Easton ushered the two away.

“Please…..don’t let him die”

“Which vampire did this?”

“Perix”

“Shit”

“Please….don’t let him die”

“I won’t. Just hold him still. This is going to hurt"

Chapter Text

“Hello? Epros? Mom? Is anyone there?” Rae called out to the star painted void, “Wait….Icarus! Icarus! Help! Please!”

The librarian walked around the floating island calling out to his brother. He looked down at his hands and they were clean. But as soon as he put a hand to his neck, that changed. He gasped and stared at his bloodied hand. He felt the torn skin that pieced together his throat.

“W-what…..what happened? Epros! Please, I need you! I need help!”

A cold sensation washed over him and he turned around. His breathing slowed down and he managed to form a smile. The eyes of Epros looked at him with kindness and compassion. Voi closed their eyes and suddenly a hawk with void feathers appeared on Rae’s shoulder.

“Hi Epros”

Greetings, little void

“You….uh brought me back here. For what reason?”

You are dying. In more ways than one

“I’m sorry I don’t understand. Perix just tried to kill me….what other way am I dying? Will you even tell me?”

Your magic. The dark magic. You are slowly dying to your consistent want of trying to teach yourself

“How else am I supposed to learn?”

Ask for help, my child

“I think you know full well I don’t really know how to do that”

Then learn. It will destroy you if you don’t

“Okay. I will. Epros, am I gonna be able to get back home? From how worried Momboo and Icarus were….it was really bad”

You are teetering on the edge of life and death. But Momboo, Mother Earth, the Lady of the World is doing her best to keep your body alive. I brought your soul here to prevent you from experiencing immense pain while unconscious

“I can still feel pain even when I'm unconscious?”

Not your soul, but your body. It will lower the amount of pain you will be in once waking up. And it will lower the risk of death as Mother Earth repairs your broken body

“She’s an exceptional mage. I trust her”

That she is. And now I believe it is time for you to return home, Void Prince.

“I wish I could stay here. It’s…..peaceful. Welcoming. Safe. Home. Is that bad to think about? That I’d rather stay here?”

No. Little Void, your mother also wished she could stay here when she was in your shoes

“She visited this realm often?”

Yes. Now she resides here as one of the soul stars that inhabit this realm

“Before I go, tell her I said hi. I haven’t seen her in a bit”

I shall. Now go, your family is waiting

“Promise me I’ll be back?”

I promise, little void. One day you’ll learn how to travel here without my help. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you more often.

“Then I shall see you soon, Epros”

===============================================================

Momboo knocked on Easton’s door and the door quickly opened. They were standing at the door as the other two were cuddling on their bed. She entered the room and Easton closed the door behind her.

“So, how is he?” they asked.

“He’s alive”

“Thank the gods” Athena sighed in relief.

“Is he awake?” Jamie asked.

“Not yet. Icarus is still with him. But I mended his broken arm and repaired his torn throat. When he wakes up, he will be in pain. He will be unable to use his arm for a couple days, magic doesn’t 100% fix things. And he might not be able to talk for a while”

“That’s understandable,” Easton muttered, “Is he…..is he dying? Like….Perix attacked him. Is her venom in his body? Is he dying?”

Momboo sighed, “Yes. We will need a Shadow Mage to draw Perix’s venom out. I wish the regular anti-venom serum would work on their venom as well. But it doesn’t”

“He won’t be able to draw it out himself?” Athena asked.

“No. We will need Lennarius” Momboo replied, watching as Easton tensed up, “Look, I know you don’t trust vampires, Easton. But if Lennarius does not help, Rae will die. We have no other choice”

“Fine. Then we’ll get Lennarius to help. Do I need to go find him? Or-”

A cry from the kitchen cut Easton off. Momboo quickly ran out of the room, her kids right behind her. They walked into the room and saw that Icarus was holding their arms up as Rae had fire in hands aimed at them. Momboo raised her hands up slowly as well. Panic was written all over the librarian. Bandages covered his neck and arm, the veins in his body started turning black from underneath the bandages.

“Hey, Rae. It’s okay. Just breathe. You’re alright” Momboo said calmly.

“I….I……” he tried to say.

He tried and failed to get his voice to work, which only freaked him out more. The flames licking at his hands had grown and brightened.

“Rae?” Athena spoke up, coming into view.

His gaze turned to his cousin. The flames flickered and slowly started to die down. She slowly walked towards him, allowing him to back off if he wanted to. He held out a hand to Rae and offered a smile. The mage hesitated but with a shaky hand, slipped his good hand into theirs. Athena squeezed his hand and the flames snuffed out. They led Rae out of the kitchen and into the living room. She helped their uncle sit down on the couch and then leaned against him.

“Hi”

“...h-hi” he managed.

“Don’t try to talk right now. You just had your throat torn open. Give your body time to heal and repair”

Rae lowered his head and nodded. He held his bad arm against his chest and closed his eyes. Icarus carried over a chair and sat down near Rae. They sighed and gently put a hand on Rae’s leg to get his attention. He opened his eyes and jumped at the touch.

“Sorry. Are you okay, Rae? How much does it hurt?”

“I…I’m….con….fus-”

“Confused?” they suggested and Rae nodded, “That’s understandable. Rae I am so sorry. I didn’t think Perix would go after you of all people”

“V…vam…ire…..-re…..real…….”

“Yeah”

Rae leaned forward and pointed at Icarus’ chest, “Yo….you’re…..a….w-wolf”

“Yes. So is Easton, Jamie and Athena. We are werewolves”

“We’re sorry for keeping it from you” Jamie spoke up.

“I…..I know…….E-Epros….sh…showed….me. It….its….w-why I was o….out”

“What? Epros? The Void God? They spoke to you?” Momboo asked, bewildered.

“H…have been…for a-a whi….le..”

“And they showed you?” Icarus pressed.

“Mem…ories…..of mine. I….k-knew about y…ou as a child. But I for…got”

“Oh”

Rae looked around at his family confused. The others shared looks of concern, regret and guilt. It hit him as he looked at Athena. She had never been good at keeping a straight face around him. They knew. All of them knew. They all knew about him forgetting.

“You…..you all know. You know ab-about me forgetting”

“Yes. Yes we do” Easton stated.

“Who made me forget and for what reason!?” Rae exclaimed, cradling his arm as he stood up.

“It was for your own protection. Mom decided that it was for the best. That because you were born human, you were at risk between either faction. The vampires weren’t happy with your existence and neither were the werewolves” Icarus explained.

“So because people weren’t happy with me existing, I deserved having my memories erased? I deserved to be lied to all of my life? How is that fair?”

“Rae-” they started, standing up, trying to grab his good arm.

“Do not touch me” he snapped, shoving Icarus away from him, “You lied to me since I was a child! You kept this from me! Your own brother!”

“It was to protect you!”

“Look what good that did me! I nearly died! If I had known about this, I could have avoided all of this! I could have been more prepared! I wouldn’t have been caught off guard! Now who made me forget!?”

Enderian did under Isla’s request.

Rae turned around to see Lennarius standing in the doorway. The mage took a step back upon seeing him. Perix’s words rang through his head and his good hand curled into a fist.

“What are you doing here?” Rae stated.

I was asked to come help you. Perix has a specific venom to their bite. One that anti-venom does not cure. It needs that of dark magic. And you cannot remove it from yourself

“Let me guess, that cursed crystal that Easton came in contact with wasn’t actually a crystal. It was Perix” he said, turning to Momboo and Easton.

“Y-yeah” the red-head replied, looking away.

“Figures” he rolled his eyes. Rae turned back towards Lennarius, “And what are you? Werewolf? Vampire? Or just a dark mage like me? One that knows about this other world and kept me in the dark about it?”

I am a vampire, Rae

“Wait…..really? I….I was joking” he said, stepping back again.

I am not here to hurt you. I am here to help you. If you will let me

“I-”

I understand if you don’t want me near you after what Perix did to you. Let me promise you this right now, after I make sure you are alright; I will be hunting her down and killing her. I warned them what would happen if they hurt you

“She said that them attacking me was yours and mother’s fault. I didn’t understand what they meant”

I threatened them. And they took it out on you

“You promise you’re not like her? Kill people for fun?”

I promise. I don’t drink blood of people. Just of animal. I refuse to. Because of you

“Because of me?”

You’re……you’re very special to me.

“T-thank you? I…..I don’t know. This is all confusing and very jarring”

Understandable. Back on focus. Can I remove the venom from your body before it starts taking its effect?

“Y-yes”

Here, sit back down

Rae nodded and sat down on the couch next to Athena. She clung onto his arm and Rae managed a smile. Lennarius nodded at Icarus and Easton and the two let him through. The vampire sat down on the chair and put a hand on Rae’s shoulder.

Just breathe. This is going to hurt. But only for a moment

Easton elbowed Icarus in the side and muttered, “I don’t like this”

“Momboo and Athena both trust Lennarius. And can’t you see how more relaxed Rae is now that he’s here?”

“Whatever. I still don’t like this”

Are you ready Rae?

“Yes”

The lights in the room started to flicker and the room grew darker. Lennarius' dark grey eyes turned black and the veins in Rae’s neck and shoulder started to spread more. He winced and clung onto Athena as the pain worsened. Slowly the venom started spreading up towards the various bite marks Perix had left. Rae cried out and everyone gasped as his eyes started to turn pitch black as well.

Momboo-

“I’ve got it” she said, quickly rushing to Rae.

She cupped Rae’s face with her hand and closed her eyes. A soft warm rose-gold glow surrounded her hand. Light pink runes formed on the librarian’s face that started to cover the rest of his chest and shoulders. Rae’s eyes returned back to the calm ocean blue colour that was all too familiar to everyone. Lennarius sighed and removed his hand as the venom finally was extracted from Rae’s bloodstream. It evaporated as soon as it touched the air. Rae fell back against the couch and slumped against his cousin. Momboo cast another healing rune over Rae and it seemed to help as his body relaxed.

There. He is no longer at risk

“Thank you, Lennarius,” Icarus said, holding their hand out.

Your welcome, Icarus

Lennarius hesitated but shook Icarus’ hand and smiled. The vampire was about to stand up and leave, when Rae grabbed his hand, “Stay for a little while longer? Please?”

If it is alright with the wolves. I know they do not care for my presence

“I want you here. So who cares what they think. Get over whatever feud you guys have” Rae stated, cutting off Icarus before they could even speak.

Then stay I shall

“T-thank you” he whispered, making room on the couch for Lennarius to sit down.

Once the vampire sat down, the injured mage leaned against him. Lennarius put an arm around Rae and held him close. Athena didn’t mind as long as she was still next to their uncle. Easton growled and left the room, Jamie following after.

I apologize, Ms. Pine for upsetting your family

“You don’t need to apologize, Lennarius. No matter what I say will change their view of you. I’m the only one besides Athena that trusts you” Momboo said.

“If Rae and Athena trust you, then I trust you as well,” Icarus added, "For right now"

That's all I can ask for, Icarus

“Why aren’t you welcomed here anyways? Is there really a feud between you guys?” Rae asked.

The vampires and werewolves in this city once got along…decades ago. But now….

“Now the vampires have gotten out of control and are a threat to this city. We as werewolves and our vampire hunter friends are doing our best to rid them of this city” Icarus interrupted.

We have heretics in our coven that we are removing, Icarus. If you would give us a chance to resolve this conflict, then there wouldn’t be an issue. For a long time we thought vampires outside our coven were responsible. It has only been recently we learned the deaths were caused by our own people

Maybe you should keep a better eye on your people then”

“Icarus” Rae snapped, “Leave him alone”

“Rae, you have no idea what we have had to do to protect this city and you. You have no idea what his kind have done”

“Yeah? And? From what I’ve heard is that there are people giving Lennarius and others bad names that you won’t even try to see the difference between. A couple people are the reason why the rest of Len’s coven is under attack from you? How is that fair?”

“I…uh…”

Rae, you do not have to defend me

“I know. But It’s not fair that someone is blaming you and others who are innocent for the crimes of others. Maybe go after the real perpetrators. That will solve your problem”

“He’s got a point,” Athena chuckled.

“You know, for someone who just remembered that vampires and werewolves exist, you are very calm about it,” Momboo remarked.

“Yeah, well….I don’t know. I’m trying to forget that my own mother made me forget. How did Enderian make me forget in the first place? She’s not a mage” the room fell silent yet again, “Seriously? Still keeping secrets from me? Some family you are” Rae scoffed.

They don’t want to tell you because it will possibly ruin your look on everyone. Because you still don’t remember who all is what creature

“What do you mean?”

Enderian was able to make you forget because she is a vampire and compelled you to forget everything.

This time, Rae fell silent.

“My….my mother is…..a vampire?”

“Yes” Icarus confirmed.

“I…..why…why would she not tell me?”

It was to protect you from the feud. Neither of your moms wanted you to get thrown into it at a young age. They didn’t want you to feel forced to choose either faction.

“But I’m her son! And she couldn’t even…..” he exclaimed, voice cracking as he started to cry.

I know it's hard to understand right now. But in time you will come to understand, my son

“Yeah, I guess. Time to….you know….let things settle in. I just….wait did you just call me your son?” Rae started before backtracking.

Lennarius tensed up but took a deep breath before bringing Rae closer to him, Yes. I did call you my son. Though not by blood, obviously, but I have always considered you a son. Since you were a child. I…I am sorry. I didn’t mean to say that out loud.

“No, no it’s fine. I just….wasn’t expecting it”

So, you’re not mad?

“I don’t think I could be mad at you, Len. To be honest, you’ve been the only father figure in my life. So it makes sense”

I’m glad to hear that, Rae

“Does…..does that mean I can call you, dad?”

I wouldn’t mind

Rae snuggled against Lennarius and rested his head over the vampire’s heart. It confused him that a vampire’s heart was beating, but didn’t want to question it right now. He closed his eyes and let himself relax.

“Then, thank you dad. For helping me”

Of course, my son. Just sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up

Lennarius nodded at Icarus and Momboo and the two walked out of the living room. Athena had fallen asleep on Rae and the mage was beginning to fall asleep as well. A soft twinkling sound caught the vampire’s attention and he smiled upon seeing Isla’s spirit.

He is safe

Thank you for looking after my son

Of course, my friend

He’s lucky to have someone like you in his life.

I’m lucky to have him in mine. I promise you, Isla, I will hunt Perix down and kill her myself

I know you will. Thank you

I told them I’d protect my son no matter what, she fucked up and will realize her mistake soon enough.

Chapter Text

“Rae? Can I come in?” Easton asked, softly knocking on the guest door.

There was no answer from their uncle. The wolf shifted on their feet before knocking again. Again no answer. Maybe he’s still asleep? Easton slowly turned the door knob and pushed the door open. They peeked inside and then rushed inside and over to the bed. Struggling to pull himself back up, was Rae. He tried to push Easton away, but he was too weak to even try. The wolf helped him to his feet and then helped him sit down on the bed.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“I just fell when trying to stand up, okay? I’m not hurt”

“You can ask for help, you know? I’m right here and so is Athena”

“I….I know”

“Rae, it’s perfectly fine to ask for help”

“Don’t start this, Easton”

“Well if you aren’t gonna let people help you, then I’m gonna” they grinned.

Rae managed a laugh before his chest felt tight again and he started to cough. Easton put a hand on his back as the librarian started to sway. They helped Rae lay down and left the room to get their mother. Minutes later, the two rushed in.

“Rae, are you okay?” Momboo asked, brushing Rae’s hair away from his neck to check his wound.

“I just got dizzy and fell. I’m fine, I promise”

“Dizzy? That isn’t exactly good Rae”

“I-I know….I just want to go home to Cas and Aax. Lennarius left to go....do something....I wanna go home”

“I know. And we’ll get you back home, I promise. Just stay here for a couple more days so I can monitor you. You are still shaking and your heart rate is still elevated”

“Momboo-”

“Just rest, Rae”

===============================================================

Three days later….

“Okay, okay, okay. I can walk to the kitchen by myself, ‘thena” Rae insisted, gently removing Athena’s hand from his arm.

“Sorry”

“It’s alright, sunshine”

“I just….”

“I know. But I promise you I’m fine. I feel so much better. See?”

Rae smiled and started to walk down the hallway, Athena on his trail. He was honestly surprised he was still upright. He had told Athena he was fine, but he wouldn’t tell her that he doubted himself. It had been five days since he almost died and he was finally able to move around without any assistance.

“Ayy! Look who’s upright!” Icarus exclaimed upon seeing Rae walk into the kitchen.

“Not for long I’m not” their brother chuckled, “Athena can you get a chair?”

“Yep!”

The wolf child skipped her way towards the table and pulled out a chair for his uncle. The librarian did grab onto them as he sat down. Athena gave him a look to which he rolled his eyes and playfully shoved them away. Icarus carried over a plate of eggs and toast for Rae and smiled at him.

“Here’s breakfast, made it myself”

“Surprised it isn’t burnt”

Easton burst out laughing from the living room, Athena and Jamie chuckling as well. Momboo just shook her head and sat down at the table next to Rae.

“I made you breakfast and this is what I get in return?”

“Yep”

“Well then, fine”

“I’m still injured, I get to bully you”

“That’s fair. After breakfast, I can take you home to Caspian’s?”

“I would like that. I don’t want to worry them more. You…you did tell them that I was attacked right?”

“We may have forgotten to tell Caspian and Aax that you were attacked by a vampire,” they replied.

“Why wouldn’t you tell them where I was? They must be scared….I…they also know about vampires, don’t they? You said-”

“Yes. Your partners are vampire hunters” Easton joined in.

“Great. It’s not just my family that have been lying to me, it’s my own partners too. Great. Just great. Now what, you gonna tell me Wolf is actually a werewolf?”

“Uh no. Wolf is human. I can tell” Athena corrected.

“T-that’s good at least” Rae muttered.

“There is going to be a lot for you to take in. It’s going to take some time” Momboo said.

“Clearly”

“If things get overwhelming, you can always come back here and hang out with us,” Jamie offered.

“Thank you Jamie” Rae smiled towards his nephew.

“Are you ready to go home, Rae?” Icarus asked.

He set down his fork and slid his other hand up towards the scars on his neck, “Y-yeah”

“Alright. You finish up breakfast and I’ll go get the car ready”

Icarus gently hugged their brother and then they walked out the front door; Momboo followed behind. Athena and Jamie finished up and put their plates in the sink. The two of them hugged Rae goodbye and then grabbed their backpacks and left the house to climb into Easton’s car. Easton rolled their eyes and tossed their plate in the sink as well. They were about to grab their backpack when they paused.

“I’m…..sorry we kept things from you”

“It’s alright, you don’t have to apologize”

“Well, I do. I agreed to keep it all a secret. I lied to you. And it felt wrong too. I don’t want to have to lie to you”

Rae stood up and walked over to Easton and grabbed their hand, “You did what you had to do. I cannot fault you for keeping this a secret. You weren’t the one to do it, you weren’t the one who willingly kept me in the dark. You were told to do something and you followed the order. How can I be mad at you?”

“You forgive too easily”

“I haven’t exactly forgiven Icarus for this. Or Athena. Or my mother. Or my partners. I still have to talk to them about this”

“But you forgive me?”

“Yes”

“Why?”

“Because, part of holding Spirit magic, I can tell that here” Rae said, pointing at Easton’s heart, “You are sincere. Icarus has been apologizing the last couple days and it doesn’t sound or feel sincere. You apologizing does. Therefore I can forgive you more easily than them. Because you actually mean it”

“I guess you can just tell, huh?”

“Yeah”

“You and your bloody confusing magic”

Rae laughed before clinging to Easton as he began coughing, “You can’t make me laugh, I’m still healing”

“Heal faster then, King of Shadows”

“W-what? Excuse me?” Rae sputtered, confused at the title.

“What? Did I say something?”

“Easton-”

“You heard me. King of Shadows. Fitting title for you I think”

“I-I uh….why that title? I’m not a king”

“No, but you are resilient and have continued to dabble into the dark magic against everyone’s warnings. And besides, I think you deserve a cool ass title. My mom has the title of Lady of the World, Athena is The Wolf Prince, your mother is known as the Vampire Queen….I think you deserve a title. You are a part of our world, are you not?”

“T-thank you”

“Of course. Now get out of here, King of Shadows. I believe you have somewhere to be”

“I’ll see you around, Easton”

“See you around, Uncle Rae”

===============================================================

The drive over was quiet. Icarus and Momboo were up front, leaving Rae alone to his thoughts in the back of his brother’s car. It had been days since talking to any of his partners. How scared were Caspian and Aax? How scared was Fenris? Fenris had been acting off recently and was more worried for him. Were they doing okay with him not answering his phone? The librarian had gone through all the messages his partners had sent him. The amount of missed calls from the three of them was enough to make the man start to cry. He had just left the house and vanished. With no trace. His brother hadn’t even bothered to tell anyone that he was at least alive. Leaving it to him to explain. Out of everyone, he would have rather reunited with Fenris first. Fenris wasn’t a part of this world he was thrown into. He would have to confront Caspian and Aax about everything. And he didn’t know how the conversation would go. He was scared.

The car came to a stop as Icarus drove into the driveway. The engine shut off and the two up front removed their seat belts and got out of the car. Icarus frowned when they saw another car that did not belong to anyone in this household. They were about to walk to the front door when Momboo pointed back at the car. Rae had not gotten out yet. Icarus walked back over and opened the side door.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay”

“I…I know”

“C’mon. I’ll help you get inside”

“I don’t know how their going to react, Icarus”

“Rae, they are worried about you”

“I-I know….I just….”

“You’re worried about if they’ll still love you because of the scars?” Momboo suggested. Rae nodded, his eyes blurring with tears, “Rae, I know Caspian very well. He’s going to love you no matter how you look. Take my hand, we’ll go in together”

Rae looked at the mage’s extended hand and hesitantly took it. She helped him to his feet and Icarus shut the car door behind them. The two helped Rae to the front door and Momboo rang the doorbell. The librarian could hear shuffling inside and could hear the barking of Atlas. The door opened and Rae looked up to see Caspian.

“R-Rae? Oh my gods, you’re okay!” he exclaimed, quickly grabbing onto his partner.

Momboo and Icarus let go of him as Rae collapsed into Caspian’s arms. Being in the brunet’s arms was the final snap as he fully began crying. Aax came up behind and also grabbed onto Rae. The two helped him inside and onto the couch. He just laid against Caspian and let his partners care for him. Icarus and Momboo let themselves in and were met by Ocie and Jerry.

“You know, I don’t think we need to fill out the missing persons report anymore” Ocie stated, nudging Jerry in the side.

“Right” he mumbled, putting the pad of paper away.

“Where….where has he been?” Aax asked, looking at Icarus while rubbing her partner’s back.

“At my house, healing” Momboo replied, taking Icarus’ hand.

“And you didn’t bother to call? We have been worried sick! We thought something had happened to him!”

“Something did happen, Aax” Icarus spoke up.

“What happened to him?”

“Perix did”

Aax stopped rubbing Rae’s back for a moment and Caspian brought the librarian closer to him, “What did they do?”

“I think you can figure it out based on the scars on his neck”

Caspian quickly brushed raven hair away and froze. Bite marks and other scars littered the man’s neck. He gently traced one of the scars and leaned down to press a kiss to Rae’s head.

“She tried to kill him?” he choked.

“Yes. I got there as soon as I could. We…..well, Easton and I chased them off and got Rae back to Momboo. I-I forgot to call that we had him with us, I’m really sorry, Caspian” Icarus explained.

“I’m just glad you found him in time”

“Wait, if Perix attacked him, then…..does he know now?” Ocie asked.

“Yes” the wolf nodded.

“I know about the vampires and the werewolves…..and that Cas and Aax are v-vampire hunters…” Rae finally spoke.

“O-oh” both said in unison.

Rae struggled to push himself up and with Aax’s help, sat upright, “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you trusted me”

“We do trust you, Rae” Caspian reassured.

“Really? Then why didn’t you tell me about this? You are a vampire hunter! Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Well, yes. Yes it is dangerous” Aax replied.

“And you didn’t bother to tell me that you two are in a dangerous situation? What if something happened to you? To both of you? And I wouldn’t have any idea what happened?”

“We didn’t want to put you in danger knowing about the world we’ve all been thrown into,” Caspian answered, taking Rae’s hands.

“Yeah? Look what good that did. I nearly died because I didn’t know what Perix was. How is that protecting me from the danger lurking around?” he snapped, pulling away from Caspian.

“Rae, aren’t you being a little harsh on them? They weren’t the ones who compelled you to forget” Icarus stepped in.

“You can shut up. You also kept things from me. And you can bet your ass I’ll be talking to Enderian about this” Rae hissed, making Icarus jump. He noticed them flinching and raised a brow, “What?”

“Y-you uh….it sounded like you hissed for a moment”

“Well, from what you’ve told me and what I’m remembering slowly, I am the son of a vampire” Rae remarked.

“Yeah, but last we all checked, you are a human” Ocie noted.

“What about you? Have you also been hiding things from me? What are you, Ocie?” he asked, turning to his friend.

“Human, vampire hunter. So is Jerry”

“Great” Rae grumbled.

“Rae, we did warn you that things would be a bit jarring,” Momboo reminded him.

“I didn’t think everyone was hiding things from me”

Momboo was about to say something else, but decided against it. Aax tried to calm Rae down by rubbing circles into his back; but Rae took no note of their actions. But when Caspian tried again to take his hands, Rae flinched and stood up from the couch. Atlas immediately ran over to get attention, but Rae walked past her.

“Rae-” Caspian started.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Momboo” Rae said, looking at the red-head. He turned to his partners, “I’ll be up in our room. I’m probably just going to go back to bed. I’m exhausted and I’m still hurting. Atlas, come on”

Atlas’ tail started wagging again as she followed Rae up the stairs. Caspian and Aax flinched upon hearing a door upstairs slam shut. Ocie walked over to Aax and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Well that went well”

“Ocie” Icarus stated.

“Sorry”

“He has every right to be angry. I just…..I just thought we’d have more time to ease this on him instead of just dumping all this information all at once” the brunet sighed.

“We tried to explain and warn him,” Momboo said.

“It’s fine. He won’t stay mad forever. Cas and I just have to be honest with him and let him take things at his own pace. We did lie to him about who we truly are” Aax added.

“I just didn’t want him to worry about us when we are out. And I didn’t want him involved in the first place”

“I know, Cas”

“W-why….why would Perix go after Rae? He’s done nothing to her!”

“It’s Perix. Does she really need a reason to do anything? They’ve gone rouge” Ocie stated.

“B-but he’s okay? Right? Y-you fixed him up?” Caspian asked, turning to Momboo.

“Yes. Perix broke his arm, but I mended it. It might still bother him for a couple of days. Just watch for swelling and bruising. If that happens, send him to the hospital and come up with a believable story. He broke his arm doing something. And I repaired his throat….she tore it apart. It’s a miracle he’s even talking. I have reason to believe that Epros had a hand in helping his recovery” Momboo explained.

“From the look of it, Rae put up a fight. Perix was already injured, slightly burned in the face when I got there” Icarus added.

“Good for him,” Ocie grinned.

“Does Perix know if Rae survived?” Jerry asked.

“I don’t know. We chased her off when Rae was still conscious” the wolf replied.

“Then there is a possibility that Perix could come back to finish him off”

“Shit”

“Fuck”

“I won’t let her do that,” Caspian snapped, curling his fists.

“You just be safe. Don’t let him out of your sight for a while. We all know Rae and he won’t like being cooped up, so make sure he is with someone at all times” Icarus stated.

“We will, don’t worry”

“Thank you for bringing him home” Aax said.

“Of course. We’ll see you all later”

Icarus and Momboo said goodbye and left. Minutes later, Ocie and Jerry took their leave as well. Caspian and Aax sat on the couch for a while, trying to decide what to do next.

Rae was safe now. He was home. He was with Atlas, upstairs in their bedroom. He was angry. Angry at them for hiding this. Caspian sighed and got up from the couch and headed upstairs. Aax hesitantly followed behind. The two opened their bedroom door to see Rae cuddling Atlas on the bed. They could hear the muffled sobs coming from their partner.

“Starlight? Can we come in?” Caspian asked softly as to not startle Rae.

The half-sob of a ‘yes’ was all they could hear. The two climbed into bed on either side of Rae. Aax started to rub the librarian’s back again and took note of him flinching at their touch.

“Sorry. Does your back hurt?” she asked, rubbing his back a little softer.

“Y-yes. She….she threw me down and kicked me in my back. I-I couldn’t get them off me”

“I’m so sorry, love” Caspian whispered, sitting against the backboard and guiding Rae to lay in his lap.

“I-It’s not your fault, Cas” Rae countered, eyes fluttering shut as the brunet started playing with his hair.

“We could have…we should have told you the truth a long time ago”

“Can…..can we not talk about that anymore? Just for tonight?”

“Of course, baby” Aax soothed, kissing Rae’s neck.

“Just sleep, love. We won’t let her hurt you. Not ever again”