"He'll be pissed, you know," Onyx commented after a pause to the chocolate wolf, "once he finds out."

"And so will Emerald, I'm sure."

"Aye. Snowhawk, you may not be able to contact us for a while, so please let Adian and I work out the details"

"But I can't just sit back and let her take over!" the Delphin protested.

"Then fight her," Adian replied.

"Its not that easy, Adi–"

"Snow, you'll be fine. We don't know how long she'll take over, or if there's someway to reduce her power so you can keep her back–“

"Your bite,” Snowhawk began, perking up a bit. “Kione turning me as he did brought her out like this. Yours should reverse it."

"Its worth a shot, Adian," Onyx shrugged.

Adian sighed. The collar Kione placed on her was wide enough to keep him from easily biting her on the neck. “I'll have to bite you somewhere other than your neck, which could be more painful.”

Snowhawk offered her arm to the wolf. “This is the least, after the neck, for me at least.” The vampiric wolf took her arm gently in his hands, trying not to think of how she learned that, kneeling before her as she looked away. “Sorry, I just can't stand to watch.”

“Understandable,” he said just before biting down on her arm.

He took no blood, but instead just injected his vampiric toxin into her. She closed her eyes as he bit into her flesh, but never made any vocalization about the pain she felt. It was soon after that the wolf drew his head back, quickly placing his hand over the fresh wound on her forearm and healing it closed. “Are you okay, Snowhawk?” Onyx asked.

“Yes,” she replied after a moment of silence. “My head feels clearer too.”

“Good, that means his grip on you did loosen. It's not perfect, but until we can either kill him or find the proverbial cure, it'll be the best we can do.

After a few more moments of silence, Snowhawk quickly looked at Onyx. “Were the Royal Guards trained better than the Guardians?”

“I don't know if 'better' is the appropriate term, but more thoroughly, yes,” the Guard replied.

“Legacy could mask his scent for a short period of time, were you trained for that as well?”

“Are you thinking we should hide him someway, and then he can sneak in easier?” 

“Yes.”

Onyx nodded. “That would be better than just distracting him. Or making long enough of some kind of noise to get past any guards or workers.”

“He doesn't have many workers on site and no real guards to speak of. The fewer that know the better, I guess,” she mentioned.

“Makes sense,” the Guard continued.

“Or,” Adian began, “Anya killed them all. He wasn't so bare-bones with his outfit or concerned with keeping himself a secret a few years ago.”

Snowhawk shuddered. “I don't know why I killed her. I was angry, yes, but more sad than anything. Now I'm just lost again. And if what she said is true, it doesn't matter because I could never face Janus again,” she rambled.

Onyx gently touched Snowhawk's shoulder. “That would most likely be Emerald's influence. She did the same to the ones that killed her mate–”

“Wait, what did Anya say?” Adian interrupted, realizing what Snowhawk has said.

“That your brother is still alive. She said he was in the forest. But that's not like him. That's me. He was only ever out there for my sake. But,” she paused, “she said he changed. I don't know how, Emerald took over. I didn't believe her. I saw him die.”

“And I saw Legacy die, but I was wrong. Snowhawk, you can't just ignore the possibility–”

“Yes, I can, Adian!” she exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes. “I can't go through it again. I can't go through him dying on me again. I shouldn’t even be here. I appreciate you want to help me. But, I don't even want to be here.”

“Snow...”

“I just– I can't even think about it right now,” she whispered, doubling over and sobbing.

“No one will ask you to then,” Onyx said, trying to mitigate the situation, “but understand once we get the vampire out of the way, I'm duty-bound to go find him. Your mate, even though he's a Lupino, is your family and falls under my protection. And I will try to help with this problem of any early death on his part.”

She couldn't respond other than nodding her head slightly.

*********

Over a day later, the trio neared Kione's sea side castle. Adian stopped his vehicle, figuring it better to walk the last few miles, and at least keep the vampire from stealing his truck. Onyx drew a cloak about himself as he slipped from the vehicle first, followed by Snowhawk, then Adian on the driver's side. Snowhawk made sure the dark silver locket and necklace was well hidden under her dress collar, then paused a moment before following the chocolate wolf. “Onyx, follow behind us for a while, then once they're busy watching us, you can sneak in easier,” Adian instructed.

“Certainly. And if there's trouble, I can jump in quicker.”

The wolf nodded, then extended his hand to Snowhawk. “Are you ready?”

She drew a deep breath and sighed. “Yes. But I don't look forward to how angry he'll be.”

“I know,” Adian replied. “I'll try to protect you.”

“And I'll be waiting back too,” the Guard reminded.

“Thank you, both.”

The trio trotted to the estate before them, Snowhawk growing ever more nervous with each step. Adian and Snowhawk walked into the grounds, unhindered, not seeing a single other soul. They walked through the front doors into the entrance way, the steel of her shod hooves echoing through the large, cold, stone room.

“So they both return,” Kione's voice growled as the vampire appeared behind Snowhawk, grabbing a handful of her hair near the base of her skull and pulling her to his side.

“Let her go, Kione,” Adian warned.

“What did you do to Emerald, you little bitch?” he commanded, ignoring Adian.

“Nothing!” she cried as the vampire bent her back, examining her.

“Bullshit,” he growled again, then seemed delighted once he saw the outline of the locket through her dress and realized what had happened. “So you did find some dark silver, and I guess the Avizon is dead. You're not completely useless!”

Adian made a move as if to punch the vampire, but Kione simply side stepped away. “I said let her go! It wasn't her doing!”

“Then it was yours? How would you know if would break the hold I have on her?”

“I didn't, you dick. Let her go and I'll explain.”

Curious to the wolf's tale, he indeed released her, half throwing her at Adian. “Now get to talking.”

Adian protectively cradled Snowhawk away from the elder vampire. “I was trying to just block Emerald. She was making Snowhawk too violent.”

“Oh, like she wasn't before. How many people did she kill for your uncle?”

“That was different!”

“Oh, right, she had to do those, she just wanted revenge this time.”

Adian growled. “No, that was Emerald. Even after she was nearly killed by him, Snowhawk never wished such harm on Legacy.”

“You can't keep pretending, wolf. It is in her nature, and has been long before she was even alive.”

“That was Emerald. Not Snowhawk.”

Kione shrugged. “Take that necklace off her and see.”

Through out this exchange, Onyx had been sneaking through a side room of the building, making his way to the main hall. With his scent hidden, he neared a door that seemed to be leading to the grand entrance way, where he heard Kione and Adian's voices arguing. He'd borrowed Snowhawk's daggers, and pulled them from the sheaths he'd strapped to his belt as he silenced the door and slowly pushed it open.

Indeed the two vampires were arguing, and were just ahead of the Royal Guard. He cast the same silencing spell on his own hooves and quickly crept toward the group before him. The elder vampire began to turn just as one of the dark silver daggers sunk into his chest.

The vampire's flesh hissed as it contacted the dagger. “You fuck!” Kione growled spinning toward the black-furred Guard. He immediately looked as if he'd seen a ghost. “You should be dead!”

“So should you,” Onyx quipped.

Adian took the time to move Snowhawk away from the other two males. “Please, stay back, I don't want you getting hurt.”

“No, this will just drag him away from your fight,” she said as she looked toward the others, now engaged in battle.

The old Royal Guard was surprisingly agile for his extended age, and was holding his own well against the vampire he fought. But holding his own and defeating the vampire would require more hands. “Just stay here for now,” he begged. “We'll cross that bridge if we get to it.” And with that he sprinted to the fight.

Snowhawk fidgeted where she was, stamping one steel shod hoof on the stone floor below her. Maybe, she thought, finally alone in her own head, I can shift into my feline form and help. Knowing Kione would never kill her, as that would also kill Emerald, she figured it was worth a shot. As she began to change, her fur lengthening, she felt the wall put up by the dark silver jewelery growling thinner, but once fully changed, she realized it was thankfully still there. She unsheathed her feline claws and silently charged at Kione. Though she was now barely five feet tall, when she pounced on him, she managed to bring him to the ground. 

“Little bitch!” he growled, reaching to toss her aside, but her agility was better as a Feln and she managed to roll out of the way. The distraction of the light lavender feline was enough to allow Onyx to cut at the elder vampire again, and sink one of Snowhawk's daggers deep into him once more.

The battle would continue like this for another fifteen minutes, until Snowhawk grabbed Kione from behind, her claws digging into his chest, sharp kitty fangs sinking into the back of his neck, and rear claws braced into has back. Onyx again lunged at him, sinking both daggers deeply into his body, and the elder vampire collapsed to the floor, assisted by Snowhawk half pushing him down as she lept from his back. “So you've won,” he panted, then grinned. “How are you going to kill me?”

Snowhawk paused for a moment, then an icy sword appeared in her hand. “The blood magic is sealed with Emerald, but I can still finish your sorry ass off.”

“I told you wolf. She's no different,” Kione said, giving Adian a pained grin.

“This is different, Kione,” she responded. “I will never be able to rest with you alive.”

“Then why don't I let you rest for a while?” he again grinned, then vanished before them. He appeared a moment later, one of his arms around Snowhawk,and using the other hand to hold the back of her neck, then he whispered in her ear, “Don't worry, relax for a few years. Once you're ready, I'll be back.” Then he vanished again, and the steel collar he'd placed on her fell to the floor.

Snowhawk collapsed to her knees, staring at the collar. Adian and Onyx both rushed to her side. “Don't worry, he's gone. Actually gone. I don't know where to, but he's not in my head anymore,” she told them both.

“What about Emerald?” Onyx asked.

“I think she's gone for now as well. But I don't know for certain, I guess because of the jewelery.”

“What did he say to you? Just before vanishing.”

“That I should rest for a few years, then he'd come back when I was 'ready.'”

“Ready?” Adian asked.

“That's all he said. Then he was gone.” She shook her head quickly, then looked at them both, and the numerous small wounds covering them. “And you both got hurt for me. For nothing.”

“No, he's gone. We accomplished something,” Onyx mentioned.

She sighed. “You're right. And thank you both for helping me.”