The Nephelim - Chapter 9

It's you that I adore
You'll always be my whore
You'll be the mother to my child
And a child to my heart
We must never be apart

Lovely girl you're the beauty in my world
Without you there are no reasons left to find

And I'll pull your crooked teeth
You'll be perfect just like me
You'll be a lover in my bed
And a gun to my head
We must never be apart

In you I see dirty
In you I count stars
In you I feel so pretty
In you I taste god
In you I feel so hungry
In you I crash cars
We must never be apart

Drinking mercury
To the mystery of all that you should ever seek to find
Lovely girl you're the murder in my world
Dressing coffins for the souls I've left behind
In time
We must never be apart

Ava Adore
Smashing Pumpkins

It had been a clubhouse for yachties, yuppies, and the flotsam of the seven seas back in the days before dredging had made this stretch of the bay area unfit for pleasure cruisers and the like. The yacht club had been declared bankrupt a couple of years ago, and the clubhouse had fallen into disrepair, its once proud mahogany sideboards and bar tops had lost their polished shine and the brass fittings that had helped make up the mariner theme were tarnished beyond all the saliva and chamois in the world. It was, for all intents and purposes, a dump.

Eight shapes, only vaguely humanoid, drifted into the empty bar like black wraiths. Unbidden, each immediately sent weak pulses of kinetic energy out, searching for any sign of unwanted interlopers. A minute later, satisfied they had the place to themselves, they joined their minds and began weaving a powerful ward around the room to ensure they would not be disturbed. Small triangular points of light flared up into existence, seemingly in random positions, but there was a distinct pattern evident to any who knew what they were looking at. Faint spidery lines then formed, linking up around the initial points of light to create a shimmering latticework of energy around the room. The collective ‘mind’ felt a ‘snap’ as the spell reached its conclusion, and held firm. This was a ward that would not only prevent scrying, but also act a barrier to keep anything from crossing the threshold. Until they lowered it, nothing short of the divine presence of a Seraph could hope to break through undetected.

When the ward was finally in place, the shadows began to shimmer, lit from within by some unseen source. The odd light lasted barely a moment, but with its passing went the shadows and in their places stood the eight Sigurdians.

�This better be good!� the only woman in the group demanded, her pretty face wearing a mask of irritation. She stood barefoot in nothing more than a flimsy, almost transparent, nightgown that did little to hide the fact she had a body most women would die for and most men would kill to get a piece of. �What is it with this unholy love of the night? Some of us actually like sleeping when the sun goes down.�

�Personally, I have to agree with Lareina on this one,� a gaunt, pale-faced man clad in flannel pyjamas agreed as he rubbed his eyes. �What was so important that it couldn�t have waited for a decent hour?�

�Something very important, indeed�� a low voice answered. Unlike the others, this one had chosen to remain cloaked in darkness, even after dispelling his personal shadow. �Tonight, we finalise our plans for dear, young Aleck Roth.�

�Explain!� Lareina demanded, crossing her arms. �And while you�re at it, do tell us how you intend to kill the boy without making his father extremely upset with us.�

�Oh, but it is, dear friends, it is. We dare not attack him directly, not unless we want to deal with Menthayel. With that in mind, I�ve come up with the ideal solution to our little problem. Our hands maybe tied, but there�s nothing stopping us from simply delegating the task to someone who would do our dirty work for us. Someone selfish enough to do it gladly� We don�t, strictly speaking, need him dead, just out of circulation. Once weakened, who can tell what sort of fate might befall him�?�

�Who�d want to hunt a Nephelim gladly?� Lareina frowned, �but that could only mean a�� she suddenly grinned. �Now, why didn�t I think of that? It�s� perfect!�

Eight hundred kilometres away, Jenni pushed open the front door, dropped her duffel by the stairs and headed straight for the kitchen.

�Mum, I�m home,� she called out, opening the fridge and looking for something to drink. A half-empty bottle of OJ was already moving towards her mouth when she noticed a six-pack of Fosters peeking out from behind a bag of grapes.

�Huh�?� she muttered, her frown lines deepening. Her mother preferred white wine, and while Jenni was quite partial to beer, her poison of choice would have been a coin toss between Carlton Colds or Toohey�s New. Definitely not the watered down cat�s piss that Fosters marketed as beer.

Jenni spun around to find a gaunt, ratty-faced man with tousled brown hair in a Sydney Roosters muscle tee and blue sweatpants leaning against the doorway that led into the lounge. His eyes lazily trailed up and down her slender form a couple of times before a slight smile appeared on his face. Privately, Jenni would have preferred he not smile at all. She was used to being looked at as ‘meat’, and most of the time, she could simply chose to ignore lecherous eyes crawling over her, but she was dirty, tired, hungry, and had been sitting on a train for the last four hours. In other words, she was in no mood to put up with that sort of shit. Especially from someone how had yet to provide her with a valid reason as to why he was in her kitchen.

�I could ask you the same question,� she shot back testily. �So who the fuck are you, and what the fuck are you doing in my house in the middle of the night?�

Crossing her arms, she shot the stranger an ugly glare. “Yeah, I’m Jen, now who the fuck are you?”

�Don�t �luv� me, arsehole. You�ve got all of three seconds to tell me what the hell you�re doing in my kitchen or I�m calling the pigs.� Jenni�d had more than enough time to get a good look at the man, and she was hardly impressed with what she saw. All the muscle tee showcased was the fact that the guy should really look at getting actual muscles, and perhaps start looking for a good hair removal solution. At best, he would have made her feel a little uneasy, but after two weeks of dealing with Logan�s goddamned stick, she was fairly confident she could deal with this hairy bone-bag if she needed to. In fact, she almost wished he�d try something, just so she could see if she was up to it.

The man�s grin widened, revealing teeth that were a little too big for his mouth. �No need to be so hostile, luv. I�m Sean� Sean Finn. Pleased to have finally met you,� he said, crossing the room and holding out his hand. �Your mum�s told me a lot about you.�

Jenni pointedly ignored the offered hand. “Okay, Sean Finn. Now that we’ve worked out who you are, mind telling me what you’re doing here?”

Jake�s hand dropped to his side, but his greasy smile remained in place. �That�s an easy one, luv. I�m here cuz Kath invited me over,� he paused to wink at her, �I think you�re old enough to work out what for��

Jenni rolled her eyes. In all likeliness, it was true. Her mother had a nasty habit of ‘slumming’ every now and then, but this was still an all time low. Great, she thought moodily, now on top of a dysfunctional airhead of a parent, I’ve also got to put up with - for God knows how long - a skinny gorilla with an overblown libido. Oh, it’s so good to be home again…

Further banter was interrupted by her mobile phone. Seeing as only one person knew the number, she as less than surprised to hear Eliza’s perky voice on the other end.

�Hell, yes,� Jenni said, swiping a Benson and Hedges from the pack on the table � presumably Sean�s from the raised eyebrow she received � and jamming it between her lips. �Where and when?�

It was already eleven o�clock by the time Alec climbed the stairs into his bedroom. Rather than lie down for a while to ponder his current situation, as he had intended to do right after his meeting with Raphael was over, his thoughts instead belonged to the girl he’d just spent the better part of the evening with. Though he hadn’t spoken a single word to Nadine about his issues, her company alone had done wonders for his mood. She’d fit very well into his usual nightly stroll, and to be honest, he really enjoyed her company. They had even gone so far as to get off the train three stations short of her place, just so that they could walk the five odd miles to her doorstep in the privacy of each others company before they parted ways.

He dumped the book onto his bed and lay on top of the covers. That could wait for now. Though this was only their third meeting, he found that he liked Nadine, and that came as a bit of a surprise. She’d innocently taken his hand early in the night, and they’d walked that way for the duration. There was nothing awkward about the gesture. It was a comfortable intimacy that he found, to his surprise, he enjoyed. Now that her number was safely stored in his phone, he knew he would remain in contact. She was not his girlfriend, at least not yet, and somehow he doubted she ever would be. Admittedly, he had bugger all experience with the intricate intimacies of relationships, and it was still the early days, but he felt that what he and Nadine had was a close, very personal bond of mutual understanding. Whether that was a good thing or not, as far as them getting together… well, that was another story entirely. Either way, he wasn’t going to push the issue. If she wanted more, then damned if he wasn’t going to give it a try, but until that happened, what they had was working just fine. As he had noted before he’d ever laid eyes on the girl, she was very much like him. They shared a similar sense of humour, as well as a tendency to brood. Walking in companionable silence didn’t bother each of them in the slightest, and they had talked, or not, as the mood struck. Perhaps because of these similarities she’d appreciated without needing to be told that he couldn’t air his issues just yet – if ever – and she’d accepted that without question, and without holding a grudge.

With a sigh and a little smile, Alec turned his mind to the question of the book. He had no doubt that, had the lock been unobscured, he would have had no difficulty in mentally springing it. Switching to greyscale, he quickly concluded that there were no seams or openings of sufficient size to let his radar in.

�So what now?� he asked under his breath. Short of damaging the covering, there was no way he could penetrate the lock. The �radar� sense worked very much how it sounded � it could rebound off an object, but not penetrate it � not without boring a hole through it, anyway. What he needed was something a little more like� �X-Ray!� he exclaimed, sitting up. If he could make his pulses small enough to pass through the material, he�d be able to see through it. Theoretically, anyway, and if he could see through it�

�You�ll have to get in and out of places unnoticed,� said Eliza, �so I got you this.� She handed Jenni a small box of the kind that jewellery comes in.

�What is it?� asked Jenni, opening the box and finding a pendant and chain with a silvered finish. The pendant was shaped like a diamond, about an inch and a half long with rounded corners. It contained no inlaid stones, but a surprising amount of intricate scrollwork. To Jenni, the design seemed vaguely Celtic with its swirling circles and overlapping curves, an abstract patterning that, while pleasing to the eye, had little in the way of meaning.

�It has two parts,� Eliza explained. �There�s a duplicate face behind the one in front. Turn the back one so it�s perpendicular with the front, and looks like a star, to activate it.�

�It�s pretty. What does it do?� Between the words �activate it�, and the fact that this thing had come from Eliza, Jenni had no doubt this was not simply a pretty bauble. As far as she was concerned, Eliza never sugarcoated anything other than words.

Smiling slightly, Eliza explained, “When activated, the pendant will put a ward around you to make sure nobody notices you. It won’t make you invisible, so you’ll still show up on security cameras, but unless you punch somebody in the face they won’t notice that you’re there. Don’t draw undue attention to yourself, and you should be able to pretty much go wherever you want.” Rolling a lock of golden hair around her pinkie finger, she nonchalantly added, “I thought it might come in handy.”

�You�ve told me some pretty fucked up shit up to this point, so I�m just going to take this at face value and see how it pans out,� said Jenni wryly as she fastened the chain behind her neck.

�Don�t take my word for it,� Eliza grinned. �Why don�t we try it out right now?�

�After weeks of training and nothing but Logan�s cooking?� Jenni asked, eyebrows raised. �I�d never thought I�d hear myself say it, but fuck yes!�

Jenni raised an eyebrow. �Your wallet?� she asked, the thought that she might be called upon to pay for her own calorie induced death having never entered her mind.

�You�ve got to be shitting me! Stealing food! In public...? Christ, if you�re going to get me busted, can I at least be busted trying to steal something actually worth the effort?”

Jenni glared at blonde, then, sliding the pendant open, stood up and walked toward a guy carrying a fully laden tray to his table. She paused for a moment in front of him, her face filled with uncertainty, then lunged in and grabbed a Big Mac off the tray. The guy kept right on walking as she stood there, open-mouthed. Then her expression changed to an evil grin and she picked up an empty tray. Less than a minute later she returned with the Big Mac, plus a large fries and Coke, and a cheeseburger, fries and Coke for Eliza.

�Plus a little something extra,� Jenni added with a wink, pulling a fifty dollar bill from her pocket.

�Hey, if he didn�t want me to have it he shouldn�t have left his wallet sitting in plain view.� She sank her teeth hungrily into her burger and moaned. �Fuck, this is good,� she said with her mouth full. �Besides, the guy was wearing a Pierre Cardin suit and he must�ve had nearly a grand in his wallet. I seriously doubt he�d notice fifty bucks is missing. If anything, the moron ought to thank me for stopping at just a fifty. I could have cleaned him out and maxed his plastic before he even noticed they were gone.�

�You don�t have a problem with stealing it?� the blonde asked, her expression unreadable.

Eliza broke into a wide grin. “No, you shouldn’t, my little Dashaelle. Good work.�

�The other reason I gave you your new toy,� Eliza explained. �If you see a cop anywhere near you, activate it. You don�t want to explain to a pig why you�re carrying knives in public.�

�When do we get to the reason I�m carrying them in the first place? I mean, they�re mad knives and I love them and all, but really, they�re knives! Why do I need to lug them around?”

�You need to get used to wearing them, otherwise you�ll feel awkward when the times comes that you need them.�

Eliza closed her eyes for a moment, then looked Jenni squarely in the eyes. “The honest answer is, I don’t know. Or I’m not sure, anyway. It won’t be for a little while, that much I know. Maybe four months, maybe a little less…”

�But four months?� Jenni repeated. �You mean I have to wait four fucking months before I see him?”

�Because that�s the way it�s supposed to be spoken,� Eliza said patiently.

Jenni put her burger down and shot the blonde a pained look. “Why can’t I stop thinking of him, then? Why can’t I get him out of my head? It’s like… he’s important… someone I need to be around, someone I need to have in my life… and the worst part is I don’t have the faintest fucking clue why. It’s like the worst sort of childish infatuation, but it’s still more than that. I’ve had crushes on guys before… but nothing like this! Why do I need to have him? Why do I care about someone I’ve never even laid eyes on? Damnit! If I didn’t know better, I’d say I’m fucking falling in love with him! Have you any idea how messed up that is? Me? Falling in love? With someone I’ve never seen, never even spoken a goddamned word to… I’m not some stupid little fucking delusional girl dreaming about some perfect boy, but damnit! This isn’t making any bloody sense!”

�If you mean your dreams, you were dreaming of him because you�re meant to protect him,� said Eliza, taking note of the tears Jenni tried to hide by rubbing her forehead. �But that�s not what you�re asking, is it?�

�No,� said Jenni miserably. �At least tell me who he is! I need to know why I feel like this!�

Eliza sighed. �After this long, I guess you do deserve some answers,� she conceded. �Alright, then. Firstly, Aleck isn�t just some random guy I�m asking you to watch over. He�s my son.�

Eliza stared at her before responding. “I should have expected an answer like that. Fine, you want proof?”

Eliza�s blonde hair was the first thing Jenni noticed. The colour drained from it completely as it lengthened and became utterly flawless; a wash of silver silk, it seemed, trailing down her shoulders and back. Those pretty blue eyes brightened momentarily, and then the colour deepened into a beautiful violet. Eyebrows and lashes were now perfectly-formed strokes of silver. Her mouth became smaller and fuller, beautifully pink to match her now-milky complexion. Jenni�s mouth hung slack as she stared at the woman sitting in front of her. As she watched, the clothing flowed like water over Eliza�s delicate, slender form to re-appear as a gauzy, half-transparent shift of grey gossamer. She was� beautiful, but no, it was more than that. Beauty didn�t even come close to this. There was only one word that did it: perfect.

�I�m a lot older than I look, Jenni,� said the perfect woman with a voice that was neither young nor old. �You wouldn�t believe me if I told you how much older.�

Jenni didn�t say a word. She just stared at the woman, unable to speak, unable even to think. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but she couldn�t make the words come. In front of perfection herself, Jenni, her ego notwithstanding, felt clumsy and raw-boned. She�d never had image problems before, but compared to Eliza � or more accurately, what Eliza had become � she was the proverbial ugly duckling.

�Aleck is my son,� the vision before her said, �and the son of a Seraph named Menthayel. At the time of his conception, I was in a human form. So was the angel. Aleck looks almost exactly like his father now, and will most likely look like that until the day he dies, though when that will be I can�t be certain. He may be immortal, but again, I don�t know.�

�There isn�t a word for what I am. My name is perhaps the best description.� There was a slight pause, as the glow in those violet eyes seemed to intensify. �I am Nischa.�

�There are forces at play here that could tear my son to pieces if you don�t help him,� Nischa said earnestly. �I can�t stop them myself, not without causing irreversible damage. I can�t even be here all the time. My powers are great, but constrained to realms other than this one. You, Dashaelle, can be there all the time. You can be there when I can’t. You are not bound by the laws that bind me, and so YOU must be the one to defend him until he can defend himself.”

Despite a healthy dislike for pain and responsibility, Jenni nodded without hesitation, wordlessly accepting her charge with a sense of solemnity that belied her youth. Her admission that she felt a powerful bond with Alec was sincere, and her voice was still bitter when she said, “In four months….”

Mid morning on a bright, sunny Wednesday, Elaine Jensen looked up from her desk and noticed that the staff room was empty. Her heart skipped a beat. Only a moment ago there had been a handful of other teachers, chatting over coffee between lessons. Curiosity turned instantly to fear as she looked instinctively to the door, and saw Alec standing there, glaring at her with an expression not too far removed from anger. She'd seen that look on his face before.

�You're not going to rape me again!� she said quickly, her voice shrill, defiant almost. �I�m not going to let you! I�ll scream!�

�No,� Alec said calmly as he tore off his tie. �I'm not going to rape you.�

The lust hit Elaine so hard she couldn't even identify it at first, then Alec had a hand inside her blouse, and another under her skirt, and she wanted to make him stop, but it felt so damned good...

Somewhat later Alec emerged from the office, looking even angrier than he had when he walked in. A girl was waiting by the door and matched step with him down the hallway, grinning when he turned to stare her off. She was short, with oversized tits and garishly coloured hair... and an utter lack of sex appeal.

�The girl you just boinked. It isn't the first time you've had fun with her, am I right?"

�I didn't �boink� anyone!� Alec snapped, finally stopping and glaring full into Martina's face. �I... oh, fuck it. Piss off!� He stormed off, colliding with a pair of students coming the other way, and pushing them into opposite sides of the corridor. His face disappeared from their minds the moment they saw Martina's concerned expression.

The city was as good a place as any to waste the afternoon. Alec was in no mood for classes, and certainly wasn't in the mood for company. Not the kind of company his two friends could provide anyway. It wasn't like he needed to fuck again. Well, he did, but it wasn't exactly a pressing urge. Like most fifteen-year-old guys, Alec was of the firm opinion that he could deflower a dozen virgins and still be on the bone, but right now he wanted something different. No, not different... he wanted something more. Shaking his head in frustration as he disembarked the train, he lit a Griffin on his way to the nearest food court.

He was dangerously close to the kind of morbid introspection that his first romp with Elaine had triggered, and that was the last thing he needed right now. Stupid fucking guilt trips! The fact that Elaine had been willing this time didn't make him feel any better. Even if she hadn't come up with the idea herself, she'd been plenty willing once he'd shoved the lust command into her head, and had taken the initiative with gusto. Judging by the way her pussy had clenched him while she was coming, she probably got off even more than he did. It had been hard, and fast, and good... and about as hollow as a wank.

�If it's not one thing it's another,� he grumbled to himself. First guilt, now something else. So what now? Another girl? Maybe somebody his own age he could talk to after fucking. Not quite sure if he was doing the right thing, but too stressed out to care much either way, he pulled out his mobile phone and put a call through.

�Sounds good, see you then,� he hung up. He�d felt good in her company the night before, and Alec hoped Nadine could work her magic on him again.

�The situation is under control. We�ve cordoned off most of the street under the guise of an Energex work crew attempting to fix a broken power line. My circle is already there, undoing the trauma from the minds of those present. We should have everything out of sight, and out of mind, in another hour or so.�

�At least four that we know of. We keep our distance from her as you ordered, so our reach is limited. We have no way of knowing what has taken place inside the house.�

�She knows we�re there, she knows we�re clearing up the mess.� Liam answered, his eyes narrowed in anger. �She watches us from her windows. Without regret, without fear. Master! She mocks us! Her very presence is a stain on everything we work to preserve!�

Menthayel�s lips curled back into a cruel smile. �Then she shall have a week to regain all that she has lost. One week to atone for her sins.�

�And then I shall deal with her myself!� Menthayel spat, his eyes radiating the hellish green light that marked his anger. �She thinks she knows what godhood is like, does she? I shall show her what it means to be a true immortal!�

They lay together, not touching, but close enough for it, should the need arise.

Neither offered up anything as they lay in silence, waiting for their heart rates to slow down. As far as sex went, it was great, but somehow, ‘great’ just wasn’t enough. Alec struggled to understand what was wrong. It had started with a kiss. They had been on the train home after watching Constantine and Nadine was talking about… he grinned guiltily, he had no clue what she’d been talking about, but she’d looked so fucking amazing that he’d reached out, cupped her cheek, and kissed her. He’d never kissed anyone like that before. It was desire… and friendship… and loneliness… and gratefulness… and maybe even a little love. Nadine had hesitated at first, but just as he was pulling away, feeling like the world’s biggest fool, she hooked her arm around his neck and kissed him back with the same fervour.

Then she�d pulled away, her eyes filled with uncertainty. �Alec� that...�

�Was more than a friendly kiss?� he�d offered breathlessly, his heart pounding.

She nodded, her expression pensive. “A lot more. That kiss was serious. And I mean really serious. A whole lot more than ‘casual fooling around’ serious!”

He touched her cheek again. She looked so fragile, and so undeniably fucking beautiful that he couldn’t help himself. “So? What’s wrong with ‘serious’ then?”

They had made out like crazy after that, and practically ran from the train station to her place. And once they were safely in the privacy of her room, fucked like rabbits. And… and despite the great sex, it still hadn’t felt right. He still cared a whole lot for Nadine, and he was sure she felt the same way about him, and whilst that was fantastic in and of itself, it wasn’t what either of them was looking for.

�I� don�t know. Damnit, I thought this would work! I mean I really thought it would. You know how you just meet people, and you click?� Alec nodded. �Well I could have sworn that was us. I mean, I really like you Alec. Hell, I know we haven�t spent all that much time with each other and all, but we�ve spent enough time for me to let you under my guard. You�re special darling, and I care a helluva lot about you, I just don�t-�

�No, I honestly believe I do love you, at least in my fucked up little way. I�m just not in love with you.� She frowned, �I�m sorry, am I making any sense?�

�Yeah. To be honest, I thought you�d be the one, too. When we were sitting in that carriage, and you were talking, I just sat there looking at you without really hearing what you were saying,� he allowed himself a slight chuckle. �And I thought, �she�s the one.� But you�re right. I mean, the sex was fantastic and all, but��

Nadine propped herself up on an elbow to look at him. “But we’re not made for each other, huh?”

�Yeah, we�re not.� Alec admitted. �Fucking shame if you ask me, but unfortunately, it doesn�t change a damn thing. I like you a whole lot, but I don�t think I�m in love with you either. God but that gives me the shits! I finally find the perfect girl for me; only she�s perfect, just not for me. How fucked up is that?�

�Very fucked up.� Nadine agreed. �Doubly so, in this case, because I feel about the exact same as you do.� She rolled over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. �A horribly fucked up state of affairs.

Startled, Nadine sat up and stared at him. “What? Like as in this minute? Christ! You just fucked me! Don’t tell me you’re ready to do it again?”

�What the hell�� she murmured silkily as she lay back down and pulled him over her. �One more time can�t hurt, right?�

Sprawled out on her bed, Jenni moved the ‘Big Book of Nasties’ a little to one side so she could see the now open doorway to her room. Sean’s head was just visible over the corner of the book, as he looked around her little room. Actually, she grudgingly conceded, he wasn’t all that hideous, and would almost pass for ‘not half bad’ if not for the overwhelming stench of grottiness that followed him around and made her reluctant even to spit on him.

Apparently satisfied with his inspection, he turned his attention to her. With a grunt of irritation, she promptly dismissed him from the list of things that required any sort of attention from her. The book was still weird, and she still didn’t quite know what to make of it, but between Eliza turning into Nischa – or was that Nischa turning into Eliza? – and that pendant of hers, to say nothing of Logan�s strange abilities, she was convinced that there was a lot of weird shit out there. Even if she never met any of these nasties, and she sincerely hoped she never would, it would certainly pay to be prepared. And as Alec�s life might be held in the balance, she was damned if she wasn�t going to learn all she could. Sean simply wasn�t worth her time. And as far as she was concerned, that was that� until she felt his hand on her knee.

Exhaling slowly, she put the book down and sat up, her eyes blazing. “And just what the fuck do you think you’re doing, Mister?”

�What, this?� he asked innocently, grinning as he glanced down at his hand. �Oh, I just thought I oughta get to know you a little better is all��

�Hmmph! Well then, we have a problem, don�t we?� Jenni told him flatly as she grabbed hold of his wrist, effectively halting any further progress of his hand. �Because News Flash, you tool, I have NO plans to get to know you any better. Now get the hell out of my room!�

�Well since you asked so nicely, I�ll let you off the hook this time,� said Sean grandly, �but only because I know you�ll eventually come around��

Alec idly watched his pencil spinning an inch or so over the page of his writing pad.

Below the floating lead point, a mess of crossed out working and disorganised algebraic equations glared back at him. It was supposed to be a math assignment that Chalmes had set for the week but Alec hadn’t been having much luck with it, and stuck with the option of flipping back through god knows how many textbook pages to relearn the proper steps, or cheap procrastination, he had made the obvious choice. He found it amusing that there were people, at least he supposed there were anyway, that spent countless hours fiddling with spoons and the like, but he could simply will it and presto, pencil floating above the page.

Suddenly struck by an idea, he sent out his pulses and quickly located the stack of A4 sheets by his printer. Without him even bothering to look at what he was doing, his pulses gently lifted the first sheet off the top, and slowly carried it across the room. He closed his eyes, assuming it would be less distracting to do it all in greyscale, and then sent the pencil flying towards the paper. It punched a neat hole through the centre of the sheet, and hit the wall behind with enough force to snap it in two.

He smiled, not entirely surprised because it shouldn’t have been much of a feat anyway, but pleased that the application was a sound success. He knew he could throw his knife into almost anything, but he wasn’t about to discount being able to hurl objects around him into whatever target he wanted either.

Deciding that math could wait an hour or so, he left his room and headed down to the garage. Steve had taken Lindsey out for dinner, and then to a late movie, so he had the house to himself until about midnight, and the garage was the best place he could think of to go play. There was enough wood, iron, and assorted crap in there that would make nice targets, and he wanted to work out his limits before he was actually called on to depend on them.

At least, he grinned as he jumped down the last three stairs, breaking shit promised to be a whole lot more fun than bloody math…

Eliza smiled. �Yeah, sorry about that, but what can I say, I�m a busy girl. Now are you going to make me stand outside all night, or are you going to invite me in, and preferably offer me a coffee?�

Logan van Ryan grunted something unintelligible, and then stepped aside to let the blonde into the lounge of his ‘palatial country estate’. Namely, the three-bedroom cabin he and Jenni had shared for the last two weeks. Nodding at the sofa, he moved into the adjacent kitchenette and put the jug on to boil.

�This had better be damn good,� he called over his shoulder as he selected a pair of mugs and set them down in front of the jug. �Because, like you, I�m rather busy myself, and its almost time for me to report in before some overzealous idiot declares me �rogue� and I have a team of Hunters I probably helped train on my arse. Also, I�ve had just about as much as I can stomach of this fucking hick shithole, and I�d much rather be splayed out in the comfort of my own deckchair nursing a cold XXXX by the pool and listening to Mikayla rip her Ashton. Fatherly pride notwithstanding, that girl does some amazing Mark Knopfler covers.�

Eliza nodded, more to herself as Logan had his back to her. If only it was that simple, she thought sadly. But it never was, and never would be. Children would grow up, forced by necessity to live lives that were beyond their years. Jenni was being groomed into a weapon, Alec would be made to fight, and kill, to ensure his very survival, and Mikayla van Ryan… she had looked into the girl’s murky future as best as her powers allowed, and Mikayla certainly wasn’t going to live an uneventful life. The girl would be a Hunter as her parents were, and her grandparents, and great grandparents had been before that. It was in her blood. Literally…She was a van Ryan, and they had been Hunters from the moment Sersius had tampered with their bloodlines to create something more than human. Eliza was glad that, at the very least, Mikayla would be spared this fight…

A few moments later Logan was back with a steaming mug in each hand. Setting them both down on the coffee table, he took the chair across from her. “Okay, now it’s your turn. Why did Menthayel take down Sersius?”

Eliza took a sip of her drink, nodded slightly, and set it down carefully before her blue eyes met his. “I would have thought it was obvious. He destroyed your patron over what your Hunters have come to call the Bloodlust��

It seemed that every time Alec blinked he was back in the city. He didn’t even bother to pretend ‘it was something about’ the city… he knew exactly what enticed him. It was impersonal. A guy could walk around for hours without meeting somebody he knew, and that was something that appealed to him increasingly as time went on. That which does not kill us, only makes us stranger, he thought, quoting an old anime series to himself. Aside from the abilities he was starting to take for granted, there were other changes in Alec’s life that made him want to be alone every once in awhile, even if he had craved somebody’s company only a few hours ago. That particular somebody had helped put him in the current frame of mind.

Gazing into Nadine�s eyes had been like looking into a mirror. All he�d seen was the reflection of his own need. His own hunger. Only now did he realise that what he needed wasn�t his own mirror image, but his complement. Somebody who understood and accepted him for himself, not because they were exactly the same. Nadine came awfully close, but neither had found what they needed in each other.

That realisation had taken him two lattes and a two and a half hour walk, and he shook his head in consternation as something intruded on his thoughts. A woman, probably in her mid thirties, sat staring at him from a seat a few metres away. He’d probably been looking at her for a few minutes without even meaning to. Following your dick yet again, Alec, he chided himself. Good move.

But if he�d been looking, chances are it was for a good reason. The chick in black was simply stunning.

Sitting across from him, she wore a grey scoop-necked blouse under a black summer jacket. A matching skirt that ended a couple of inches above the knee completed her visible attire and revealed a set of black stockinged legs that would have done a catwalk model proud. Dark brown hair, luxuriously thick and almost dead straight framed a gently rounded face and hung down well past the small of her back. Her eyes, a shade too round to be Oriental almonds and even darker than her hair, somehow managed to look both studiously bored and intensely penetrating at the same time. It was as if she was the sort who could see straight to the heart of everything she looked at, but was never particularly impressed with what she found. Those eyes, undeniably beautiful, but too aloof to be warm, were at decided odds with her full cheeks and softly rounded chin.

Hers, Alec thought, was a cold beauty� and her staring was starting to get on his nerves.

�Can I help you?� he asked as her penetrating gaze continued to unnerve him. While he�d never set eyes on the woman before, there was something about her that just didn�t seem quite right. His eyes and his pulses returned an identical image, but he still couldn�t shake the feeling she was more than she seemed.

�You, help me? Hardly,� she replied, her eyes amused and her voice deeper than he expected, rich, ever so slightly husky and not at all unpleasant to the ear. �But as fate would have it, I might be able to help you.�

The woman smiled vaguely before leaving her seat and taking the one next to him. He didn’t move a muscle as she brought her lips up next to his ear and whispered, “Turnam City probably isn�t the healthiest place to be right now.� Her breath was warm against his skin, and the feeling that this was not just another pretty chick was stronger than before.

�Oh, I dunno about that,� Alec tried to keep his voice casual. �The weather�s a bit too warm for comfort, but aside from that, it doesn�t seem all that bad��

Every muscle in Alec�s body tensed. �Who are you?� he demanded under his breath.

Sharing none of his tension, the woman leaned back into her seat and studied her immaculately manicured nails. They were a dark shade of red, with hair-fine black lines in a crosshatched pattern. “I work for your father.”

�Oh.� Alec couldn�t think of anything more to say. Menthayel was particularly close-mouthed about whatever it was he did, and Alec had no idea how he was supposed to react. He didn�t know this woman, and he certainly couldn�t even begin to imagine what she did for his father. He wasn�t even sure if he wanted to know.

�Before you ask, I�m completely human.� The strange woman told him with a cynical smile.

She shrugged. �Well at least I have no reason to drain your blood or siphon off your energy to feed some weird craving I might have. Nor do I feel the particular need to tear off your head and hang it on my wall as a trophy. Be grateful for that little fact if nothing else.�

Alec said nothing. The only thing he had in his favour was that Central Station was reasonably full as people waited for the last couple of trains out of the city before the service ended for the day. If she tried anything, there were ample witnesses on hand. That probably wouldn’t do him any good. But hopefully, it was enough to make her stay her hand. “So what do you want?” he asked at last.

The woman smiled pleasantly but her voice was low. “How well can you keep your thoughts to yourself?”

�Why don�t you try to find out?� Alec challenged, not liking where the conversation was heading.

Alec nodded, not deigning to speak. There was a whispery tendril of energy floating between them. He couldn’t quite see it, but he could feel it moving, graceful and snake-like between them. This felt a lot like Raphael’s probe. Just a teaser to open up a mind and keep it open long enough to play with it. This woman seemed to have more control than Raphael though. His probe was functional; hers was art. The probe ghosted against the wall of his shield for a few more seconds and then vanished. He certainly wasn’t going to give this woman a chance to get inside his head if he could possibly prevent it.

�More my safety than yours.� The woman told him bluntly. �Personally, I couldn�t care less what happens to you, but if something bad does happen, the last thing I need is to find myself on the list of the usual suspects.�

�Oh joy.� Alec muttered sarcastically. �Another one who loves B-Grade movies.�

The woman snorted irritably. “Why do I bother?” she asked no one in particular before returning her attention to Alec. “Look, all I can tell you is that not all your father’s… acquaintances love the idea of you running about free and unchecked. You’re a wildcard, no real obligations, no set agenda, and there’s little any of them can do about it. You represent a threat to the stability we work to maintain. This might strike you as odd, but remember who you are. You are a Nephelim. As far as we know, the only Nephelim. You�re unique, but this isn�t altogether a good thing. There are those not willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Content to rest upon the actions your kind have demonstrated in the past, they fear you, and hate you, and simply put, want you dead if for no other reason than piece of mind.� she smiled coldly. �I don�t blame them actually. Your kind have been� difficult.�

The woman shook her head. �Not unless it becomes a last resort. Most of them are too gutless to try the direct route. They�ll try to get at you without getting their hands dirty.� She shot him a chilling smile. �Consider that a good thing boyo. You might have some cute little tricks up your sleeves already, but we�re in a whole different ball game. The last thing you want is to get on our bad side. Still, you do have a Trump card in your favour. It goes without saying that you�re under the protection of your father, and there are few mortals sane enough to challenge him, or any other Seraph, any time� ever.�

She glanced around the platform and eventually selected a tall well built man in his early thirties a dozen or so meters away. His hair was cropped close to his skull and he stood stiffly erect, radiating a bearing of calm confidence without going out of his way to put on a macho fa�ade. “See that guy? He’s Army, a grunt. One of those career soldiers they train specifically to kill.” She paused and Alec felt her probe lash out again. “Amongst other things, a Jujitsu adept…” she muttered approvingly.

�That guy isn�t someone most would ever want to face. He doesn�t show off, or wear clothes that emphasize his muscles or any of that bullshit, but he�s more than capable of taking any street punk that annoys him and tying the wannabe into a knot around a lamppost. Now the point is that it�s all sequential. He can kick the crap out of most people. But he doesn�t scare me a bit. We�re in a totally different class and I could deal with him the same way he could deal with some wannabe. Effortlessly. The same is true for the Seraphim and us. Above every bunch of hard-cases is another bunch of harder hard-cases.”

�I�m pissing myself.� Alec grunted irritably. �Now asides from trying to give me bad dreams, you got anything else to offer or do you just like hearing the sound of your own voice?�

�Look here smartarse,� her entire demeanour changed to something Alec could only consider threatening, �I�m putting my butt on the line just for speaking to you! All I can tell you for now is that your biggest threat anytime soon will probably come from someone already close to you. That�s not to say we won�t employ other nasties either though, because Liam is a sneaky bastard and you might as well get it in your head right now that he hates you with a passion. Personally, I think he�s a deluded fool, but that doesn�t change anything. He will do his damnedest to make your life decidedly unpleasant.�

Alec took a deep breath, and held it. Who the hell was this Liam twit? �Why should I believe you?�

�Why shouldn�t you?� She countered. �What have I got to gain by lying?�

The woman smiled again. �Not a whole lot, in truth. But if your father ever finds out we played some part in your death, we�ll probably follow you into the afterlife.� Her tone turned wistful, �if we should be so lucky. No, I�m helping you to save my own skin. You stay alive and more or less unhurt, then so do I. Your well-being is in both of our best interests. Your father is not someone I care to face across the line. I’ve seen firsthand what he does to those that… irritate him.�

�School holidays are right around the corner. I suggest you take a trip. Go someplace where you can�t be found and play around. You�ll need every trick in your little black book if you hope to see the New Year. I suggest you hunker down and practice and practice and practice some more until you�re damn near unassailable.�

�I could do that.� Alec mused, Lindsey and Steve wouldn�t make too much of a fuss if he asked for a little vacation over the break. And it would be nice to get out of Turnam for a while. He�d feel a lot better tampering with people further away from home. At least that way, the repercussions were a little less likely to show up on his doorstep and bite him in the arse.

�Good. Now go make your plans, and then make another set of plans under them. I doubt you�d be able to drop completely off our radar, but by the time we find you, you should be ready to head on back. That won�t give us enough time to set anything in motion.�

He received an evil smile. �Well, when that happens, the game begins again.�

�No Nephelim, but on the plus side, I don�t see how it could get much worst,� she chuckled. �I�ll leave you to it then.� She stood up and straightened her skirt as a train slid slowly to a halt on the platform before them. A few more seconds and she would be completely swallowed up by the crowd.

�Lareina,� she called back over her shoulder. �I�m only telling you that so if the shit hits the fan, you can speak to your father on my behalf. Hopefully you can get to him before I�m completely beyond salvage��

She had just enough time to throw him a chilling smile before disappearing into the mass of people crowding around the carriage doors.

�And just what the hell are you �woo hooing� about?� Allen demanded from behind his sausage roll.

�Yeah,� Alec chimed in, �by your logic, we�re in school, its doubtful you just got a piece of arse, and thus have no earthly reason at all to be happy.�

�Fuck the pair of you soggy cunt rags!� Marc shot back as he helped himself to the communal cigarettes, �I have every right to be happy. And so should you.�

�Yeah, why?� asked Allen. �Did Chalmes get mauled by rabid koalas? No, wait, did Steve Irwin get mauled by rabid koalas? Oh, better yet, did both of them get mauled, and then eaten by rabid koalas? Small, grey, beady eyed, frothy at the mouth, urine-smelling, evil little bastard koalas with big-arsed anti-fuckwit claws? Rabid little nasty arse koalas rock!”

Marc shot his friend a dead look. “Get professional help, fuckwit. Nay, oh ignorance-addled compadres of mine, does either of you two walking turd munchers know what this week represents?”

�The week you substituted E for sugar in your morning coffee? The week you turned into hippy? The week that you finally decided to come out of the closet and became the hardcore bum-boy specialist you were born to be? The week that��

�Queensland�s sorry excuse for educators tries and fails, yet again, to teach you anything?� suggested Alec with a caustic little smirk.

Allen nudged Alec in the ribs, “You might have a point there. They obviously didn’t teach him how to count…”

�Shut it, you cocksmokers! Do either of you actually have a clue what week it is? Seriously?� Alec and Allen exchanged blank looks and then shook their heads. �Well then, dear mates, Uncle Marc shall just have to enlighten thee. This week represents the last week of school for two whole weeks! That�s right, lads, its Thursday today, and tomorrow I declare shall be Bludge Day, and then we�re done. Two glorious weeks without school! Without math, without Chalmes, without any of this retarded learning bullshit!�

�Fucking hell! I knew we had the holidays coming up, but I could have sworn it was still a couple of weeks off�� Allen muttered.

�Plans?� Alec asked, knowing even as he did so that was unlikely either of his two mates had anything of substance planned. Aside from their �traditionals� like Macca�s, playing pool, and the piss ups at Dave�s, they played everything else by ear and for the lack of a better term, simply �adlibbed� through life. If anything, they actually made a point of not seeing further than the end of their noses. It wasn’t even ‘Hakuna Matata’, but something more along the lines of ‘Meh, fuck you.’.

�Glad you asked,� Marc grinned, �for I have just the idea in mind. How about a trip up north?�

�Up north?� Alec raised an eyebrow. �Care to be a little more specific? How far north, for how long, and why?�

Allen shot Marc a dubious look. “This better not be another one of your ‘can’t fail’ pot deals…”

�Lemme guess, this is that dero relative of yours that you saved from prison by lying through your teeth and providing a false alibi for, huh?�

�The very same,� Marc bowed grandly, �and ol� Nick promised me a solid-arsed brick of brain-numbing hydro for my efforts� and I plan to fucking collect! So what do you say, lads? I figured we could do a couple of days on the coast while we�re up there, think of it as a little mini-schoolies or some such shit. We�ll crash at Nick�s, so there�s no lodging fee to speak of, and he�s got a big score coming in, so we won�t even have to pay for what we eat, drink or inhale! It�s a guaranteed party where good times shall be had by all!�

�Get a train out of Turny on Saturday morning, hit the Sunshine Coast in the arvo, party like morons for a couple of nights, and head back the same way we got up there. So, mates, you in or what? There�s piss, pot, and pussy in abundance up there, and it�s ours for the taking! So step right up, sign on the dotted line, and your dear friend Marco shall unfurl a Sunshine Coast spread the likes of which you have never seen!”

�Can�t,� Allen looked disappointed. �This weekend is nana�s 70^th birthday, the Tanison clan is descending on Turnam, and I’m on a penalty of death to attend.”

Thinking about what Lareina had told him the day before, Alec grinned. He had already decided he was going somewhere, and with Marc as company, it was going to be as good a deal as he was ever likely to get. “Sure,” he laughed. “Why the hell not?”

�That�s the spirit! I�ll turn you into a joint-whacking, beer-slurping, cherry-popping party reptile yet!�

The painfully thin girl behind the checkout counter shrugged as Jenni propped her elbows on the counter. “Got bills to pay, darling,” Martine sighed. “Rent’s due this week, and at least on the night shift, I get a slight bonus for a penalty rate. Lisa’s watching Sammy so at least I don’t have to spring for a babysitter. Almost makes working in this shithole bearable.”

Jenni nodded sympathetically. “Well, tell you what babe, its Friday night, and I’ve got nothing better to do, so how about I hang about till the end of your shift and we grab a six pack or two? I know I could do with a Coldie or ten and by the look of things, so do you…”

Martine perked up, �Great, if you don�t mind waiting. I�ve still got another two hours or so left before we can blow this dump.�

Jenni grinned. Martine had been a couple of years above her in school, but then she’d gotten knocked up, kicked out of the house, and found herself suddenly single when the boy she was sure loved her really wasn’t about to start a family. There weren’t too many avenues open to a high school dropout who didn’t even have a Year 10 certificate - to say nothing of a rug-rat - and with the bills piling up, Martine had little choice but to take whatever work was immediately available. If that meant five hours of sleep a day, and ten hour shifts at the local corner store, then so be it. Without anything better to do, Jenni had no problems with hanging out for a couple of hours and engaging in a little girl talk. At least Martine wouldn’t be talking about knives and wooden dildos and fucked up weird creatures, or the 8 billion ways to beat the shit out of people... As an additional bonus, Martine had enough ‘real-world’ experience not to be another pretty airhead, and Jenni really enjoyed her company.

Martine�s face lit up as she began to talk about her two year old. Jenni watched her as she spoke. Martine had always been an exceptionally pretty � albeit vaguely anorexic - girl, but while she still had a year to go before she could vote, her lifestyle had taken its toil. She already had faint crow�s feet at the corners of her eyes, and her naturally pale skin had taken on an unhealthy pallor from working too many long hours away from daylight. Unlike many, Martine had refused to go on the dole. She had come to the conclusion her mess was HER mess, and she was going to be the only one to fix it. Even after reconciling with her parents, she refused to move back in with them. She was going to be the only one to have a hand in raising her son. Whatever her faults, Jenni could admire the stubborn determination of a girl who had nothing but the life she brought into the world. And seeing how happy Martine was with regards to her son, Jenni could only wish her the best. The girl was a survivor, and damned if she wasn�t going to bust her arse to make sure her son had everything he wanted.

Smiling where appropriate, Jenni gave Martine her full attention as the tales of Sammy’s antics were regaled. While she had no time for children in general, Jenni had to admit she genuinely enjoyed hearing Martine talk about Sammy. She still didn’t a flip about Sammy himself, but for the simple joy he brought to his mother, Jenni figured he couldn’t be half bad.

�� so then he gets up, looks at me and�� Martine and Jenni both looked up as the electric chime on the door buzzed and two men entered the shop. Both appeared to be in their mid twenties, dressed in jeans and T-shirts, but the first thing that caught Jenni�s attention was the fact it was pushing midnight and both had felt there was some reason for them to be wearing aviator-style sunglasses. She was about to comment on it when one produced what looked like a small calibre hunting rifle with the most of the barrel and a fair bit of the stock sawn off, and the other fumbled open a switchblade that had clearly seen better days.

�Open the register, bitch!� the guy with the crap gun shouted, leaning over the counter and prodding Martine with the stubby barrel of the rifle.

�You, sit tight and no one gets hurt!� the other told Jenni. �We just want the money and then we�re outta here.�

As she moved slightly out of the way, Jenni quickly evaluated the two would-be robbers. The one with the gun seemed to be the more aggressive of the pair, and seeing as he did have a gun, sad excuse for a firearm it was, also the most dangerous. A gun, she reasoned, was still a gun. In two feet, a .22 bolt action hunting rifle, even cut down and really stupid looking, would make her just as dead as a .44 Magnum. Probably. In a fair fight, one on one, she was pretty sure she stood a good chance at taking down either of them, but two on one, when they had the gun? No. It simply wasn’t worth it. Martine was strong willed, and determined like nobody’s business, but that was about it. Jenni knew if it came down to a fight, she could just forget about her friend helping out.

As far as she was concerned, let the fuckwits have the cash register. It wasn’t even her money anyway.

�I said gimme the fuckin� money you stupid bitch!� the gunman screamed at an obviously terrified Martine who seemed to be frozen in shock. �You fuckin� deaf or what?�

With trembling fingers, Martine tried to comply, but her hands were shaking so badly it took her three tries to finally get the register open.

�Back up! Away from the register!� The gunman leapt over the counter, roughly shouldering Martine to one side as the hand not holding the gun began ripping bills out of the till. �What the fuck�s this? Where�s the rest?�

�What?� the calmer of the two asked his companion. �Whaddaya� mean the rest? How much is in there?�

�Fuckin� stupid slut! Maybe sixty bucks and some fucking loose change!� He spun around and grabbed hold of the front Martine�s shirt, pulling her up to him until they were almost nose to nose. �Where the fuck�s the rest of it?� he bellowed.

�T-that�s it!� Martine stammered, �we don�t keep a whole lot of cash on the premises. The� the shift manager cleared out most of it this arvo��

�Bullshit, you fuckin� lying bitch! I want my fuckin� money and I fuckin� want it now!�

�I swear I don�t�� Martine began before she was cut off by an open-palmed slap.

�You�re fuckin� shitting me, you stupid whore! Now where the fuck is it? You think I�m fuckin� around, huh?� he worked the bolt on the rifle and pushed the weapon into her face. �Well I ain�t fuckin� around you got that! Gimme the goddamned money or I swear I�ll blow your fuckin� brains out!�

�Look, she doesn�t own the place, she just works here!� Jenni protested, furious over Martine getting slapped. It was all she could do not to fly into a rage and probably get them both killed. �She can�t give you what she doesn�t bloody have!�

�Who the fuck asked you?� the gunman screamed furiously before turning back to Martine. �I�m gonna ask you one more time, and then so help me god I�m gonna blow your fuckin� head apart, you stupid bitch!�

�That�s it! I didn�t want to do this but you fuckin� asked for it!� the gunman hit Martine again, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and pushed her facedown onto the counter. A second later the gun was pressed against the back of her head.

�Mate, what the fuck are you doing?� the other yelled, �you fucking lost it or what? Let�s just take what�s there and get the fuck out of here!�

�Shut up! I know there�s more money here. I say we just waste these two sluts and fucking find it ourselves! Like fuck I�m going to walk out of here with just sixty fucking bucks! And anyway, you dumb shit, these two saw our fucking faces, we can�t just leave them here.�

�Then what the fuck did you think the gun was for, you moron? A fucking stage decoration? A gun is for killing people. Why else didja� think I bothered to bring the fucking thing? To scratch my fucking arse with? Wake up, shithead! I�m not going to fucking jail because these two bitches ID-ed us when the pigs get here. Not for sixty fucking bucks, anyway. You wanna� go to jail for sixty bucks, be my fucking guest, mate, but not me. Shit no, not fucking me!�

�What? You wanna� fuckin� root or something? Christ, you stupid randy pecker-head! They�re pretty enough for it, even if this fuckin� cunt�s a fuckin� skinny bitch, but for fuck�s sake, they already seen our fuckin� faces, now you wanna leave some fuckin� DNA crap on them? Wake up, you fuckin� moron!�

Jenni�s eyes went from the gunman to the accomplice, to Martine, and then back to the gunman. Was he serious? Was he really going to kill them for sixty dollars? Could it be just an act to hopefully get them to cough up a little extra? But they couldn�t, even if they wanted to. She had maybe ten dollars in her wallet, if that, and she doubted Martine would have much more. Another twenty or so dollars wasn’t going to change anything. Could either of them really afford to take the risk that it was just an act? Damnit! She felt so fucking useless! There was clearly no reasoning with the gun nut, but unless she did something very clever, very fast, Sammy was going to be an orphan. And as the gun toting twit didn’t appear to have the brains god gave to road-kill, he just might be desperate enough to shoot them both for the lack of anything better to do. Getting shot by a moron was going to really fuck up her night.

Fuck it! She couldn�t just sit this one out while her life and Martine�s hung in the balance! And there was still that little issue about the arsewipe hitting her mate�

Jenni understood enough of her shortcomings to know that her diminutive size was always going to be a factor in a fight, so after the lessons beaten into her at Boot, spent more than a few hours practising against taller shadow opponents whenever she could get the time alone. Her moves weren’t terribly complicated, for she had no formal offensive or defensive training, but it simply wasn’t her style to engage in a prolonged fight if she could avoid it anyway. Her chosen strategy (against anyone other than Sersius Hunters with wooden dildos) was simple: ‘get in quick, inflict some major hurt, and get the hell out.’ The theory was sound because she had a lot of speed and natural agility, and Logan had beaten a few good moves into her, but as far as brute force went, she considered herself liberally screwed.

Sucking in a deep breath, she cleared the three feet that separated her from the knife welding robber, coming in side on with her left shoulder leading, and moving faster than most people could react to. She drove her shoulder into his chest hard enough to make him stagger back towards the counter and before he could recover, leaned forward and swung her elbow straight into his windpipe. As the he fell, choking, she saw surprise written across the gunman’s face. The cut-down rifle was coming up, but Jenni had no intention of waiting for it to point at her. She put a hand on the counter and leapt up the same way she’d often cleared the fence surrounding school. This time, though, she pulled her right knee in, and the moment her body was horizontal over the counter, kicked straight out. Her boot caught the man dead in the mouth with a sickly satisfying crunch of teeth and then she was beside a stunned Martine on the other side of the counter. The gunman, minus his shades now, had bounced off the cigarette display on the back wall and fallen to his knees, but he still had the gun and Jenni was taking no chances. If he’d only been playing about shooting them before, he was clearly going to shoot them now. She kicked out again, catching him in the side and knocking his breath out, and then stomped hard on the hand still holding the gun. He screamed as his index finger, jammed between the tiled floor and the trigger guard, broke at the second knuckle, but Jenni could have cared less about his inability to play the piano. The bastard had slapped her friend, twice, and threatened to shoot them both for no other reason than his own stupidity at planning a lame-arsed excuse of a robbery.

Seeing red, she let the rage take her as she grabbed his hair with both hands and viciously drove her knee into his face. Letting him fall, she spat on him and then began to systematically lay into his prostrate form with her steel-caps. She now had only the single minded determination to inflict pain.

The next thing she was consciously aware of was Martine’s sobbing as her friend pulled at her desperately. With a start, she blinked and then regarded the bloody mess she had made on the floor. “I’m okay…” she muttered, suddenly stunned at what she’d actually done. The air was heavy with Martine’s very palatable fear, her own sweat, and the sickly sweet metallic stench of blood. Jenni inhaled, torn between revulsion and detached amusement when she found the smells were not unpleasant. A quick inspection revealed – to her relief – that she hadn’t actually killed the man. Broken his jaw, his nose, a couple of ribs, and probably cost him all the teeth that would normally be visible when he smiled maybe… but she hadn’t actually killed him. That was a relief! But she had done it! Just acted, and let natural instinct merge with what Logan had taught her. And it had all come together with beautiful brutality. Neither of her opponents had even managed to lay a finger on her! Logan hadn�t been teaching her how to defend herself, he�d been teaching her to go on the offensive, and this, well, this was clearly the offensive!

She felt a mix of pride and stunned elation wash over her as she surveyed the carnage she’d created. What she’d just done went beyond her wildest hopes! Sure it wasn’t a proper stand up fight and she’d taken her opponents by surprise, but there had been two of them, and they had a gun and a knife. As far as she was concerned, that was pretty fucking impressive. Very fast, sure, but everything she’d thrown landed right on target, and it had been over before either of the would-be robbers had much of a clue what was happening. Very impressive indeed!

�And that�s what you get for hitting a girl, you fucking ape�� she hissed furiously, landing another kick for good measure.

Beside her, Martine cringed at the wet thud of the steel capped boot hitting home. “Jenni!”

She turned to find Martine clearly terrified. Unsure of whether it was from the close brush with death, or the havoc she’d wreaked, or the havoc she looked like she was about to re-wreak, or all of the above, she gently pushed Martine away with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Jenni reached down for the gun and handed it to her friend. “This one should be out for the count,” she glanced down at the mess by her feet, “but the other one might be mobile in a minute or so. I suggest you take this and go stand by the door. If either of them tries to do anything other than breathe, shoot the fucker.”

Jenni fixed the thin girl with a steely gaze. “Look, hon, I don’t think you’ve had much time to think this over, but they were going to shoot both of us a minute ago for sixty lousy dollars. Get that through your head. They were going to fucking kill us! They…” she took a deep breath, regretting the necessity of her next words, but seeing no other way to put some steel into her friend’s spine. “They were going to make Sammy an orphan. Now go stand by the door.”

Martine�s face went dead blank, then contorted with rage as Jenni�s words hit home. �Motherfuckers�� she swore, gripping the rifle tightly.

�S�okay, hon,� Jenni tried to sound comforting, �I said they were �going to�. They aren�t now. But I want you to go wait by the door. It�s only for a little while, okay? Look, I�ll come with you, and we�ll call the pigs on my mobile, and then they�ll come and deal with these two. You cool with that?�

�Sammy�� Martine croaked, before her eyes hardened, �No! I am NOT fucking cool with that! They� they were going to��

�Were going to�� Jenni echoed. �But they�re not anymore. Now come on, let�s go wait by the door, yeah?�

�Brisbane!� declared Marc as they stepped off the train onto the Roma Street platform.

Alec, busy stretching cramped muscles, looked around, “Hmmph, this is supposed to be Roma Street Station and it doesn’t look much like it did in PowderFinger’s ‘My Happiness’ video, you sure we’re not in frigging Melbourne or something? What with your fucked up sense of direction…”

�Of course I�m bloody sure.� Marc paused to take in a deep lungful of air. �Smell that, this is Brisbane air! There�s none of that snooty Victorian taint to be had.�

�That�s because we�re still in the fair state of Queensland, fucktard!� Marc shot back irritably, �God�s own country! Now follow me, this place might have gotten a remodelling, but we still need to get on the Caboolture line and, if memory serves, it�s down those stairs.�

�God, but you make for a shit sidekick. Less being smart and more following my illustrious lead. Now c�mon!�

After a quick face wash, the procurement of Extra™ gum to make up for stale beer breath, and a couple of wrong turns, Marc eventually swallowed his pride and asked a fellow commuter for directions. Soon enough they were on the right platform, and ten minutes later, the right train. As they sped northwest through an indecisive Queensland morning, Alec noted how similar Brisbane was to Turnam. Change a couple of names, move things around a little, and the city he was in now could easily be the twin of the one he’d just left. The climate was about the same, the scenery the same, they even had identical train carriages. Then again, he smiled to himself, seeing as both cities used Queensland Rail, the last point wasn’t terribly surprising.

�A while.� Marc nodded in the direction of the carriage doors. �There�s a rail map over there, go have a look for yourself. The Caboolture line is the green one, Nambour�s up north. Waaaay up north.�

Alec did as instructed and found they did indeed have a while to go. The train from Turnam had taken a good six hours, but they’d been asleep for most of that, due mainly to the fact Allen had words with Dave, promised away a cut of Marc’s incoming score as an additional incentive, and between the scheming pair, had thrown them a beery fare-thee-well the night before that was the stuff of legend. Alec and Marc, barely mobile by daylight, had decided to stay awake just long enough to crawl on the first northbound train from Turnam Central. Still, another hour and a half on a train didn’t seem like a pleasant prospect.

�Any idea how often these trains run?� Alec asked when he returned to his seat.

Marc shrugged, �Dunno, every hour or two, I�d guess. The standard route to Caboolture runs every half hour, but Nambour�s further down the line so I�d guess their trains take longer to do the return trip. Why?�

�Because I could do with a little stretch. I was thinking of finding a half decent station and getting off for a little walk about.�

�Sure, from what little I remember from my last trip here, there�s a Westfield mall at Toombul Station and other one further down, Strathpine, I think. We could always stop over at one of them for a quick munchie fix…”

�The one at Toombul, I think.� Marc ambled over to the map, squinted at it critically for a moment, and returned with a vaguely satisfied look. �Yeah, Toombul is the closer one. The last station we passed was Albion, so Toombul�s only three stops away. We getting off there?�

Alec shrugged. �Might as well. I could do with a little walking about. Also, a large caffeine kick would be welcome��

Jenni looked up from her book and grunted at the sight of Eliza standing in her doorway. Deciding it was pointless to ask what the blonde was doing in her house, she shrugged and grudgingly moved her feet a little to one side, giving Eliza a space to sit at the foot of her bed.

�The cops didn�t believe us at first.� Jenni answered. �They couldn�t believe I did all of that by myself. Hell, they didn�t even know what to think until some genius noticed that the fucking store had a security camera. After they�d watched the video a couple of times, they eventually started listening to us. I got off with slap on the wrist and a warning to try not to make such a mess next time. One of the pigs even went so far as to offer me a grin and a �good on ya� when he was sure no one was looking. I think they were secretly amused that I did it. I still have to go back in after school on Monday to confirm my statement or some shit, but that should be about it.�

Eliza shook her head. �No, I know what happened. I want to know how you felt?�

Jenni frowned, trying to come up with words that matched what she’d felt. “Uh, primal, I guess… and really fucking liberated! Don’t get me wrong, I’m hardly going to let my armpit hair grow and stop wearing a bra or any of that bullshit, but damned if it didn’t feel good kicking the fuck out of that shithead! He shouldn’t have hit her.”

Jenni felt her anger rise, �she�s a little fucked up, I know, but she was just there. He shouldn�t have fucking hit her. Damnit, it�s not like she could have done anything anyway! Martine wouldn�t have hurt a fucking fly!�

�Hey, fuck you!� Jenni snapped. �He hit her, and I made him fucking pay! What do you want me to say, huh? That I feel bad about coming this close to turning that goddamned ape into a corpse?� She held her fingers out, bare millimetres apart. �Well sorry, but I don�t feel bad! I feel bloody pissed off! And give me the chance to do it again, I�ll fuck him up even more! That prick should be glad I even let him live! I should have shoved that sad excuse for a gun into his mouth, and made him fucking beg like the little bitch he was before splashing his brains on the floor!�

Jenni stopped, totally taken back by Eliza’s apparent indifference to her homicidal episode. “What…?”

�The anger becomes you.� Eliza�s smile broadened sadistically. �It�s a part of who you are, and a part of why you are Dashaelle. Let it be a force you can harness. Break it. Control it. And use IT!” Her voice rose, taking on the same rage Jenni had demonstrated moments ago “Use it like you did last night. Use it on those that would harm my son! You are a living weapon, Dashaelle! You are my weapon! Together, we�ll make them piss themselves!�

Lunchtime on Saturday found Alec and Marc setting down to a familiar food court in an unfamiliar town. Like much of the rest of the scenery, the large, open eatery was the image of a dozen others they’d frequented in Turnam.

Marc took a large bite out of the aforementioned burger, chewed enough to swallow half the mouthful and grinned. “Yup.”

�Subject to change.� Marc interrupted. �The Mac used to be traditional, then it got changed to a McChicken. This is the way of things. Tradition must constantly evolve, for without evolution, society stagnates. Tradition serves its masters as a guide, an accepted way of life. It is the yoke one wears for the purpose of stability, but it must not be a prison, for then it becomes restrictive and self-defeating.�

�So what next?� Alec asked. While he enjoyed hanging out with Marc, they were going to be here for the next four days, and there was time enough for that. What he really wanted to do was go solo for a while and play around. Brisbane was perfect for his purposes, be he was limited to what he could do with Marc around. Sure he could just tamper with his friend, but he’d already decided he wasn’t going to do that. Tamper with other people was fine, he didn’t know them, but his friends were a different story entirely.

�We get back on the train, I guess,� Marc replied. �Why, was there something specific you wanted to do, like say, that hot little blonde number over there�.�

Alec glanced in the indicated direction and grinned. He certainly wouldn’t mind doing that hot little blonde number, but first things first. “When are we expected at Nambour?”

�Whenever we show up, I guess.� Marc yawned. �Personally, I�m knackered off my fucking face, so I�m all for heading straight there and crashing until the evening�s festivities. That, or I might go watch a movie� either or. As long as I don�t need to move much, and I�m entertained, I�m happy.�

�Of course! It�s Saturday! Nick and his buddy Metho are going to cover the neighbourhood in puke and G-strings,�

�Charming image.� Alec winced. �Now would it matter much if I just went for a roam around in� was Strathpine the next mall?� Marc nodded the affirmative. �Yeah, would it matter much if I roamed around there for a while and then met you guys up later? Just give me the details and shit, and I�ll get a cab from the station or whatever.�

�Fucks me.� Marc shrugged. �But a mall�s a mall�s a mall. One is just like the other. Why the fuck do you want to hang out in a mall when you could be groping some sleek, tanned, beach derriere is beyond me��

Alec grinned deviously. �Oh, but you misunderstand me dear boy! The entire purpose of this trip was to - as you so aptly put it - grope some sleek, tanned, beach derriere. I�m merely bidding my time is all��

Marc returned the grin and they shared the Evil Men Chuckle before he raised his coke, “To Bikini-clad arse!”

It was almost seven o�clock when Alec finally made it to Bray Park Station. Having wasted a good few hours wandering about while Marc did Christ knows what elsewhere, he was getting bored with his quiet time and felt like some company… preferably of a more female persuasion than his mate. As he expected, the station was deserted and the ticket office already closed. There was supposed to be a railway person somewhere, but for the time being anyway, he had Bray Park�s three platforms to himself. After checking the laminated timetable by the station office for the ETA on the next Nambour train, he decided to have a little look around at what was on the other side of the station. He had a good two and a half hours before the next Nambour train passed by and there was no reason to remain on the station for that long. Pulling his �nothing-to-see-here� shield tightly around himself, he threw a cheerful wave at the nearest security camera and hopped down onto the tracks right in front of the large yellow �Only Cross Train Tracks Safely and Legally or Cop a $150 Fine� sign. It wasn�t until he reached the end of platform 3 that he realised to his immense irritation that the station was built lower than the road on both sides and he was still forced to take the overpass just to get back onto the street.

When he was finally back on street level, he found himself facing T-Junction with a standard block of brick houses on both sides. This end of Bray Park was obviously just a residential sector and held very little appeal, but to the far right, the street ended in darkness. As the station was called ‘Bray Park�, Alec figured there must be a park close by, and the right seemed like the best bet. At any rate, a dark corner promised to be significantly more interesting, and easily more private than strolling through well lit residential streets and running the all too apparent risk of getting lost in a strange neighbourhood.

�Hmmph, so much for female company,� he grunted. Tucking his sketch pad under one arm, he buried his hands into his jeans pockets and set off in an unhurried, carefree stroll. A minute or so later, he found himself in front of a bridged walkway with a wooden sigh to one side proclaiming he was now entering �John Bray Park�.

Without thinking, his pulses lashed out even though the pathway through the park was interspaced with enough streetlamps to provide sufficient illumination. Chuckling, Alec considered the pulses overkill. Sure there were still dark spots on either side of the path that his eyes could not penetrate, but for crying out loud, this was just a park! It wasn’t like there were monsters hiding out in the shrubs waiting to prey on unsuspecting strollers! Still, he was told to practise, and since no one was likely to notice his over the top precautions, what harm was there in it?

Satisfied that there were no nasties preparing to jump him, he continued down the path until he came to another little bridge, this one over a narrow creek. Here the path split three ways like an inverted ‘T’. To his left was darkness, straight ahead he could see where it met up with a residential street, and to the right was the train bridge. That was where the voices were coming from. Lighting a cigarette under the streetlamp, he strained to make out the conversation taking place under the bridge. While he was still too far away to make out the words being spoken, he was able to deduce there were at least three people there. One was obviously female, the other two far too deep to be. Reluctant to crash someone else’s party, he was about to head to the left when he heard a low growl.

There was no mistaking the pitch, he had heard that before. In a different city, and a different park, under a different bridge, but the growl of a lupine had been burnt into his memory. It was all he could do not to spin around and sprint back to the well lit but dubious security provided by the railway station and its camera surveillance. He heard the girl’s voice again. It was still impossible to make out her exact words, but her tone was measured, obviously agitated, but still measured. What the hell was she doing? Didn’t she know who she was talking to? He hesitated, suddenly unsure of what to do. If that chick wasn’t a lupine, than she stood a good chance of becoming dog food. He had to do something, but what? He hadn’t been able to stand up to a solitary lupine before, and there might be more than one here. Against two, he would be deader than dead. His hand trailed down to his back and felt the comforting leather grips of his knife. A singe short blade against possibly two big hairy monsters that were composed almost entirely of teeth, claws and a bad attitude. Those were not good odds. But could he really walk away and leave the girl alone to her fate? Against a lupine, he might as well walk up and just slit her throat. It would be the kinder death.

�Shit! Fuck! Cock! Cunt!� gritting his teeth, Alec started towards the rail bridge. His eyes down, he let his pulses map the way out for him. He inwardly repeated the string of curses as he realised that there were four people under the bridge, not the three he�d earlier assumed. Great, now he was looking at facing three potential lupines!

The conversation died down as he approached, all four turning to regard him. His head still bowed, he could feel that the three had the girl hemmed in against the concrete wall that held back the earth and supported the bridge. To the right of them was the creek, with a metal guard rail separating it from the pathway. The path itself was maybe two and a half metres wide under the bridge itself. Not a whole lot of space to manoeuvre if it came down to a fight. And Alec sincerely hoped it would not come down to that. In truth, he didn’t even have a plan. He was simply hoping that another person would make the lupine(s) hesitate long enough for him and the girl to get the hell out of there. It wasn’t much, but the alternative was simply to walk away and have his holiday ruined when the news turned up a story of some chick found in little pieces near a railway station. Fuck that! He was not going to heap more guilt onto his damn plate! He had enough of that shit to deal with already.

He was only a few metres away from the little group when he felt a mind brush up against his. He could feel its surprise when it ran up against the barriers he wore, but there was something about this mind... It wasn’t familiar, but it didn’t feel threatening. Cautiously, he lowered the barriers just enough for a channel to be established, but still high enough to slam them shut the second he felt the other trying to get inside his head. So there was a telepath amongst this little group… just what the hell was he getting himself into?

It was the girl. <I know you have talent, that ward speaks for itself, but what are you doing here?>

Forcing a feeling of nonchalance into his reply, he sent, <Just out for a nightly stroll and thought I’d see what all the fuss is about?>

<The ‘fuss’ as you call it, is going to get you killed if you don’t leave here right now! You don’t know what you’re dealing with!>

Contrary to the implied threat in the words, Alec could detect an underlining sense of concern that accompanied the message. She was trying to warn him off. <I take it you know these clowns?>

<Not really, but I know who they are, and I know what they want. Please, this doesn’t concern you! It isn’t your fight!>

He sensed her surprise. <You knew…? But how… never mind. Please, you’ve got to get out of here! They’ll kill you for no other reason than you’re here.>

<They’ve already got my scent.> he sensed her resignation, <I can’t run, there’s nowhere I can hide now. This must end here.>

Alec allowed himself a slight nod. Lesenthe had written in depth about the lycanthropes, the aggressive lupines in particular. Like their animal counterparts, the lupines possessed amazing senses. Just by being close to the girl, there was no doubt they had her scent as she claimed. Even if she managed to successfully get away, they would be able to track her down. She was absolutely right about it having to end right there.

<Care for some company?> he offered with significantly more valour than he felt.

His pulses told him they were still in human form, but he’d seen how fast they could assume their animal shapes. Thinking fast, he added the lazy drawl of his mates into his voice as he looked up, feigning surprise at being addressed. “Hey, shit man, where the hell did you spring up from?”

Holding his hands out non-aggressively, Alec took a step back, “whoa! What’s with all the hostility man, I’m just out for a stroll!” He immediately followed his spoken words with an unspoken message to the girl <Ready?>

He took in the positioning of the three lupines. One stood further back, blocking the back exit out from under the bridge, another stood at right angles between him and the girl, and the third was slowly angling around to get behind him. Damn! In a few more seconds, they would have cut off his escape route. There was no avoiding a fight now. <I’ve got the one in front of me, and the tactical genius next to the railing, can you deal with the one blocking the way out?>

He laced his thoughts with a generous amount of irritation. <No, I’d rather be partying with mates, and feeling up some stoned beach slut. Now unless YOU want to deal with two while I get the last, or have a better plan, let’s hear it.>

�Hey, what the fuck are you on about?� Alec parried, deliberately going on the offensive to give the lupine edging around him time to get into position. It was a risky gamble, letting the lupine get behind him, but the vaguest hint of a plan was forming, and without a third person to back them up, he was left with little choice in the matter. �Last time I checked, it was a free country. I don�t see a fucking sign about that says this park is your personal fucking pick up zone!�

The vocal lupine grinned wickedly. “You dumb fuck! You should have fucking run when you had the chance!”

�Ooooh!� Alec smirked, flicking his cigarette over the railing into the creek. �Aren�t you a big fucking man! Blow me chode!�

As if his words were the agreed upon signal to start, the three exploded into the grey etheric mist that accompanied their metamorphic change. <Now!> Alec sent. Without waiting for the girl’s confirmation, he put his hastily conceived plan into action. Pulling his pulses close, he focused them behind him into a dense wall of almost solid air, and blasted it outwards as his knife appeared in his hand. The lupine facing him, a monster at least a foot taller and half again as wide, hunkered down and charged, its wicked claws extended. Alec threw himself to the side, narrowly missing his own evisceration and saw the girl facing the third lupine. Against her diminutive form, it seemed like a terribly unequal contest. The lupine apparently thought the same and lazily swung a clawed hand at her, the blow still more than capable of taking her head clean off her body. The girl ducked below the outstretched claw and then came up inside the lupine’s guard. Her right hand came up and Alec caught a flash of silver followed immediately by a metallic clang. The lupine’s face disappeared in a gruesome shower of blood and cranial matter.

He didn�t have time to wonder what the girl had done, because the first lupine was back and the one he�d blasted was picking itself off the grass. In mere moments, it too would be back in the fight. Pumped up on adrenaline and fuelled by the fact the girl had incapacitated or killed the third lupine already, Alec hurled himself into the fight. Steel and etheric claws flew in a furious ballet as the lupine and Alec struggled against each other. Dimly, Alec was aware that the girl must have engaged the second lupine, but he didn�t dare try to check with either his eyes or his pulses. The lupine he was facing was more than enough already, and a moment�s lapse in concentration would undoubtedly cost him his head. For a few more moments, they slashed at each other but neither was able to draw blood. The lupine, after its initial charge, had fallen back into what seemed like a logical attack for a creature that had claws. It simply swung at him repeatedly as it tried to shred its smaller opponent, and if not for his inhuman speed, there was no doubt in Alec�s mind that it would have done just that. And the lupine had more than just claws as he discovered when he grabbed hold of its wrist and almost got his arm bitten off at the elbow.

Faced with an unrelenting barrage of claw slashes, he began to give ground, panicking as he realised it was backing him into the concrete wall. Without space to manoeuvre, it would only be a matter of time before those wicked claws found their mark. To make matters worse, it had the advantage of reach, so he was forced to try slashing at its arms. Any attempt to close in would leave him at the mercy of those claws. Taking a few quick steps back, he found himself pressed against the cold concrete, and as the lupine closed in, he repeated his pulse trick slamming the beast into the guard rail which bent visibly under the lupine’s impressive bulk. With a howl of rage, the creature threw itself back into the fray at the precise second Alec made his cast. Because he expected the pulse blast to stun the creature, he was unprepared for its sudden surge and the knife took it in the shoulder instead of the chest as he’d intended. The lupine howled again, and he was almost deafened as the confines of the rail bridge amplified the noise. The creature began to shake uncontrollably, and he saw the etheric shell was beginning to unravel around where the hilt of his knife was visible. In a few more moments, he would have an injured, disorientated human to contend with, and once that happened, Alec was sure he could handle that threat with ease.

But the lupine wasn�t done yet. The deeply embedded knife may have prevented it from using its right arm, but the left was still functioning and it lashed out with that. With both hands free, Alec capitalised on the fact the creature was weakened, and with its shell unravelling, had neither the speed nor the strength it had possessed a moment before. He caught it�s wrist with both hands, braced himself and pivoted sharply, hurling it off its feet and smashing it straight into the concrete wall. Whatever fight was left in his opponent evaporated as the bloody, broken human slumped at his feet.

He turned to see the girl standing over the last lupine. She had somehow managed to incapacitate it, but unlike the one he had faced, it was still encased within its etheric shell. How she’d managed to stun the creature was beyond him, but she’d done it. He was about to call out to her when he again caught a glimpse of silver. It was a pistol, or at least something vaguely pistol shaped. He watched her draw back what looked like a small cocking handle above the weapon, take deliberate aim, and fire. Blood splashed onto her legs as the etheric shell of the last lupine disintegrated.

She did not pause over the body, heading straight past him to the lupine he’d knocked unconscious. Prodding it with her foot, she grunted, “not bad…” before reaching down and yanking out his knife. Alec had expected her to simply return the weapon, but to his surprise, she knelt down and took the lupine’s head onto her lap, unmindful of the blood that was now soaking into her dress.

�You stupid fool.� She whispered almost compassionately. �You should never have followed me.�

Alec frowned, noticing for the first time her unnaturally long canines. “What are you…?”

�So what happens now?� The vampire asked after she had personally ensured the three lupines were no longer at threat. �My turn�?�

Alec frowned, genuinely taken back. “Eh? Didn’t I just save your ass or something?”

�Maybe you did. Maybe you didn�t.� she shrugged noncommittally, �you have the feel of an Old One, and they never cared much for my kind. For all I know, you simply saw me as a disposable ally and used me to destroy the bigger threat. With the lycanthropes out of the picture, you could then get rid of me at your leisure. Though, why you needed me at all…”

An Old One, Alec thought, could she be talking about his angelic blood? Menthayel certainly qualified as an Old One � and by right of birth, so did he. Sort of, anyway. But what did she mean by �the feel of an Old One�? Was it that obvious? Had he been inadvertently advertising his heritage the whole time? Looking back, he decided he probably had been. Everyone that posed a danger to him never seemed to have a problem finding him before. Obviously, he needed to blend in better, but he had no real idea what he was doing wrong. �What do you mean about the old ones?� he demanded.

�The Old Ones,� it seemed to Alec that she spoke the words with a faint touch of reverence and not a little fear, �are a power unto themselves. Old beyond reckoning, they�re generally assumed to be amongst the oldest, if not the oldest forms of sentient life. Even the vampire elders, the true revenants of my race, are but candles to their stars. In Judeo-Christian mythos, they were the Cherubim or the Seraphim. The angels, in plain English.” Her dark eyes locked on his, she calmly reloaded what Alec now saw to be a fletchette pistol, “but contrary to the Torah, the Koran and the Bible, these weren’t the holy servants. They didn’t come with harps and halos, they came with magic and claws and they mercilessly destroyed any who stood before them.”

�So you think I�m going to kill you next?� Alec eyed her pistol warily. It might have been loaded with silver edged darts, but it was still capable of doing some massive damage at close range. He�d seen how fast this girl could move and he doubted he could throw his knife faster than she could pull the trigger. At best, they�d probably kill each other, but that would be profitable to neither party. He wasn�t about to die simply for the satisfaction of taking her down with him.

�The thought had crossed my mind.� The brunette told him calmly. She still held the pistol by her side, but it could be trained on him at a moment�s notice with the merest flick of the wrist. �So, do I get to walk away from you, or do I have to walk over you?�

Despite his nervousness, Alec laughed. “Walk over me? A moment ago I was an all powerful Old One.�

�Yes, you have the feel of an Old One, but at the same time, there’s something… lacking. It�s like you�re made of the same clay, but, for the lack of better words, you have yet to be moulded.�

�Maybe I�m an old one reborn?� countered Alec, trying to regain the upper hand. So far, she had been uncannily accurate about him and he wanted to keep her off balance long enough for a way to get himself out of this mess. There was no telling what the vampire might do if she realised how vulnerable he actually was.

�Maybe,� the vampire seemed to shrug in the darkness as if the matter was of little consequence, �with the Old Ones, who can tell what is possible. Still, the question remains, what am I to do with you?”

�Err, nothing?� Alec tried hopefully. �You could just say �thanks� for helping out and call it quits?�

�Excitement?� She hissed, �You call taking on three lycanthropes excitement? Are you insane? Do you know what a werewolf does for kicks?�

Alec�s expression hardened. �I know only too well what lupines do for fun. A couple of weeks ago, one came within a hairs breath of voiding my insurance policy. You can bet your ass I was NOT a happy camper.�

Understanding entered the brunette’s voice. “So this was… an accounting?”

�In a manner of speaking�� Alec told her. He paused to glare at the nearest corpse, �I was told I needed to pull my thumb out and there�s no better way to do that then play with the real thing.� His expression turned reflective, �Don�t get me wrong, I don�t have a death wish, in fact, while my life is far from fucking perfect right now, it�s about all I really have. If I need to fight for it, then I�m kinda screwed being a pacifist right? And if that means I need to learn how to take care of myself the hard way��

�Then that�s what you do.� She finished with an understanding nod. �Well said.�

Alec said nothing. In the background, the sound of bullfrogs seemed unnaturally loud. What was he doing? Maleficia had taught him enough to recognise what this girl was. She was a vampire. A bloodsucking, mind warping, grade-A fucking vampire! She smack-bang in the centre of ‘things’ he was supposed to be staying far the fuck away from. He should have left her to the lupines. She was good, that much he had no problem admitting, but without his interference, the lupines would have made short work of her. That fletchette pistol might have got one, but it was a single shot weapon and the remaining lupines wouldn’t have given her a chance to reload it. She’d been as good as dead until he showed up. Why had he bothered to help at all? She meant nothing to him, wasn’t someone he’d miss in the least. In fact, the air around Brisbane would have been cleaner without her breathing it. He should have turned his back, left her to her fate.

But could he really hope the lupines would have been satisfied with the vampire? What if they went through her, and then came after him next? Fighting off one lupine would be hard enough, having to deal with two would doubtlessly find him as dead as she was supposed to be. He was not his father, he lacked Menthayel’s confidence and power. He could not charge in fearlessly and turn the stuff of nightmares into a bloody mess as easily as anyone else would squash a mosquito. But yet he’d almost done just that. He’d still walked into a fight when common sense told him to cut and run. He felt a streak of irrational pride. This was something his tool of a mate Marc would have glorified in. One of those old fashioned flights of fancy, fighting off the foul beasts to save the fair maiden. Only there was no fair maiden. They were all beasts. His thoughts returned to his heritage and the things he’d done with his powers. They were all beasts, himself included.

�Hey, want some free advice?� the girl asked, thankfully breaking his morbid train of thought.

�When you�re dealing with lycanthropes, lupines especially, forget the niceties of mercy, or honour, or any of that other abstract chivalrous bullshit. The second you incapacitate one, kill it. Cut its throat, tear out its heart, do whatever it takes, just make sure that the wolf wannabe completely fucking dead before you move on.�

�No,� the vampire cut him off sharply, �a second is all an injured lupine will need to tear out your throat! Don�t look at it as murder, look at it as survival.�

�People that chose to take on animal forms! People that chose to prey on others! Animals hunt, yes, but they hunt for food. Lupines hunt for the thrill of it. They enjoy killing, taking a life makes them feel even more superior.”

�Look, the bottom line is it, or you.� She shrugged, the movement almost totally obscured by the darkness, �You leave a lupine alive behind you, you leave it behind with your scent fresh in its nostrils. It will happily hunt you down with single-minded determination, and it will, eventually, find you. And it will fucking kill you!� Her voice softened to what he would have expected from a girl that was a young as she appeared. �Hey, if it makes you feel any better, just tell yourself that they chose to act like rabid animals. They deliberately went out of their way to become what they are, and they kill for the sheer lust of it. You’re doing everyone a favour by putting them down.”

Alec thought about it for a moment. What she said did make sense and was close enough to the truth to be passed off. “But it still doesn’t make me feel any better.”

�You have a conscience, that�s rare for one with a talent. There�s far too many out there that wield their abilities without regard for others. Vampires, lycanthropes, ritualists, wraiths, etc, they do what they want simply because they can. The world is their playground and they�re nothing more than irresponsible children who assume they have some god given right to sit on the top of the food chain and treat the lesser ones as cattle.�

The brunette stiffened, her tone suddenly hostile. “I was born like this. I did not choose to be this. What I have is a birth right.” Her voice dropped and Alec had to strain to pick up her words, “And this… is not something I would have chosen, given the chance.�

�A birth right?� Alec was genuinely perplexed. The author of Maleficia, in his discourse on the vampire castes had written that only physical vampires could breed, and those were basically just ‘infected’ humans. And as far as the food chain went, the physicals were probably the weakest – relatively speaking - of the lot. Revenants didn’t breed, they infected and Psychics couldn’t pass their condition on at all. “What kind of vampire are you?”

His pulses told him she looked pleased. “You’ve obviously done your homework if you find it hard to believe that I was born like this. It’s a long story, and I won’t go into the details, but I will tell you that my father was what you’d call a physical vampire, while my mother was Revenant. Mother turned father, and then, apparently bred him. It was not a union that was supposed to bear fruit,” he felt her smile broaden, “but yet here I am.”

�So you are�� said Alec, unable to think of anything better to say. He couldn�t see how a Revenant could conceive a child, as their physical bodies were constructs held together by force of will, but there were also lots of things in the �unseen� world that he couldn�t explain. How etheric matter was actually summoned, or exactly how his pulses worked, to name a few examples.

His attention was drawn back to what remained of the lupines. It their human forms, they were hardly the most pleasant things to look at. A dead werewolf was one thing, it didn’t look human and so it probably wouldn’t evoke much sentiment other than relief. But a dead human… Alec felt his guts churn and struggled desperately to keep the contents of his stomach in his stomach. The one the vampire had shot was easily the worst, his face and chest a bloody mangled mess. And as the body lay between the two rail bridges, there was enough light for Alec to take in all the gory details. Next on the gruesome scale was the one Alec had thrown his knife at. The shoulder wound hadn’t been fatal, but it had been enough to stun the creature long enough for the vampire to take it to school and open its throat. By contrast, the last one wasn’t too hard to look at, but only because it was far enough away to just be a bloody mess.

�What do we do about them,� Alec gestured weakly at the corpses, �I mean we can�t just leave them here.�

�No we can�t.� The vampire agreed. She produced a tiny chrome-coloured Nokia, flicked through the address book for a moment and put a call through. It seemed like the person on the other end had been sitting by the phone because the brunette was speaking mere seconds after putting the phone to her ear. Alec waited in silence as she delivered a crisp summary of the situation � but oddly, without mentioning him or his part - and their location to whoever she was speaking too. There was a slight pause, and then the vampire smiled, apparently satisfied.

�A clean-up crew will be here in about half an hour or so.� She told him. �I�ll stick around until then to ensure no one �accidentally� stumbles across this mess, you?�

She smiled mysteriously. �Perhaps the main difference between vampires and lycanthropes is the quality of organisation. Lycanthropes hunt in packs, true, but they lack much in the way of long range organisation and planning. Vampires, on the other hand, are selective hunters. The last thing we need is a witch hunt, so we clean up after ourselves. A missing persons report is easily forgotten, a corpse with bite marks and missing a couple of pints of blood on the other hand��

Alec shivered. Her delivery was precise, impersonal, and coldly practical. She made no secret of the fact that her kind preyed on the unsuspecting without remorse. Maleficia had told him as much, but reading that sort of information from a book was one thing, being told it by someone who actually did it was a different story entirely. And in half an hour, there’d be more vampires on the scene. More than ever, Alec wanted to be gone from this place.

�I think I�ll just head off,� he said quietly after making a show of looking at his watch. �There�s a train I need to catch.�

�That�s okay,� he interjected quickly. The last thing he wanted was the vampire knowing where he was going. �I�ve already paid for the ticket and seeing as it�s not refundable, I might as well use it.�

�Is that distrust I hear in your voice?� The vampire grinned. Until then, she had remained under the shelter of the second bridge, so while Alec�s pulses had given him a greyscale image of her, her features from about the chest up had, for the most part, been visually concealed by the gloom. He tensed expectantly as she stepped out of the darkness. Her pale skin was a match for his, her face full and uncomplicated, and dominated by a pair of penetrating ice blue eyes.

�Don�t worry, I won�t bite.� She flashed him a surprisingly friendly, and very pretty smile, then drew back her pink lips to reveal completely normal white teeth. �See? I�m not hungry��

Alec smiled weakly. Still, unnerved as he was, he had to admit this vampire was still hot. Not beautiful, but still a head turner. She was shorter than him by a good six inches or seven inches, and had a trim, fairly compact figure shown to good advantage by a black corset-like vest with a double row of silver buttons down the front and a deep red knee-length skirt. Ankle-length stiletto boots finished off her ensemble and Alec was forced to give her extra credit for just being able to walk, let alone move so fast in them.

�Not quite what you expected huh?� she asked, deliberating taking another step forward so that the light from the street lamp behind him illuminated her fully.

�I knew you�d be more or less indistinguishable from a normal person�� he ventured noncommittally.

Her eyes seemed to focus on something over his left shoulder and on impulse, his pulses darted out to find… nothing that classified as a threat behind him. He returned his attention to the vampire. She was still staring over his shoulder, but it didn’t appear that she was looking at anything in particular. “A normal person…” she whispered, more to herself than to him, “God, what I wouldn’t give…”

Acutely aware that every moment he lingered here brought him closer to more vampires, Alec cleared his throat loudly and that immediately snapped her out of her trance. “Hey, look, it’s been cool chatting with you and all, but I really must be heading off.”

�One more thing before you go�� she held her hand out, palm open and up, �could I borrow your knife for a sec?�

Alec glanced at the nearest lupine corpse. The last thing he wanted was a gruesome keepsake and promptly told her as much.

�Ha! No, I�m not about to give you a lucky lycanthrope foot if that was what you were thinking,� she told him with a charming grin. �Your knife, trust me on this one.�

It was completely insane, and he saw plenty of harm in doing it, but against his better judgement, Alec still handed the weapon over, hilt first, with a major case of trepidation. His pulses drew closer around him, ready to solidify into a dense air shield at a moment’s notice. The vampire did not attack, she accepted the knife calmly, and turned it over, inspecting the gleaming blade with an eye of someone who knew what they were doing.

�You take good care of your toys�� she muttered approvingly, and then did the last thing he expected. Placing the point against the palm of her left hand, she applied just enough pressure to break the skin, and drew the blade forward to open a clean inch-long cut. Alec�s estimations of her increased even further. Aside from the slightly clenched muscles of her jaw, she hadn�t flinched or uttered a sound. They both watched in silence as dark red blood pooled in her now cupped hand and began to drip through the slight gaps between her fingers.

She silenced him with a vague shake of the head, then taking a deep breath, closed her eyes and clenched her fist tightly. With no clue what was happening, Alec stayed rooted to the spot and watched her slowly exhale. Then those ice blue eyes were on him again.

�Instead of answering, she opened her hand and held it out. Instead of the bloody mess Alec expected to see, there was only a single opaque stone, dark red and about the size of the first knuckle of his thumb. Beneath the blood stone was an already half-healed scar.

�A debt paid in blood.� She told him, her voice taking on a formal quality as if she were reciting memorised words. �I don�t know who you are, or what you are, and to be perfectly honest, I�m not even sure I want to know. But there�s nothing a vampire revers more than blood. It is our life-essence, our sustenance, and our nirvana. If ever you need a favour from us, you can now pay for it in blood.�

With hands that shook slightly, Alec took both his knife and the strange reddish stone. The knife was returned to its scabbard without much thought, but the blood stone captivated him. It was surprisingly warm, about as hard as an actual stone, and slightly heavier than he expected it to be. If he didn’t know better, he would have assumed it was just an unpolished red gemstone or some sort.

�Nice to meet you Alec,� she said warmly, and then cocked her head slightly to one side as if listening out for something. She bit her bottom lip and appeared to be wrestling with some inner debate for a moment before her expression turned rueful. �Hey, unless you want to meet more of my blood, I suggest you vacate yourself right about now.� She told him apologetically. �They�ll be here in a couple of minutes.�

�Then I�ll be taking my leave,� Alec said quickly. �Be seeing you Kat.�

Pocketing the blood stone, he turned and quickly began retracing his path back to the train station. Vampires had good night vision, so he needed to be up the hill and well away from the park when Katya’s friends arrived. He couldn’t resist a slight chuckle as he walked. He’d come to ‘John Bray Park’ for a quiet relaxing stroll and ended up fighting side by side with a pretty vampire against a pack of lupines.

He had finally managed to prove to himself that he could match an angry lycanthrope when the need arose, and that did wonders for his confidence. A lupine was still a very dangerous threat, and he promised himself to maintain a healthy fear of them, but no longer would they be a totally unconquerable fear. They could be beaten with steel, muscle and fast reflects. He didn’t know if he could actually kill a beaten one the next time around, but at least now, he knew he’d be in a position to try. At least now, he knew he had a fighting chance.

And if that wasn�t good enough, he�d also gained bargaining power over the next vampire he met. All things told, he told himself as he hurried along the bike path that led back to Bray Park station, it had been a pretty productive night…

From the gloomy sanctuary of the railway bridge, Katya watched him crest the hill, his silhouette briefly outlined by the lights from the station parking lot before he moved further up the street and out of sight. She had lied when she said she didn’t want to know what he was. Curiosity had always been her biggest weakness and she desperately wanted to know what his story was. But mixed in with that curiosity was a healthy amount of apprehension. He had the feel of an Old One even if he did not seem to be a Seraph. She’d never met an angel face-to-face, and personally, never intended to, but she knew only too well the sort of power an Old One could command. Her mother had been a Revenant, centuries old and a dominant figure amongst the vampire elite, yet a single Seraph - a coal-black figure with flaming hair who answered to the name Sersius - had torn through the ranks of her personal guard and ripped Elysia Du Cannen apart with the ease a rabid dog might do to a small child. And all without incurring so much as a single scratch.

Katya hadn�t been there to see it happen, but she had walked amongst the mangled bodies of her fellow vampires a few hours later. The trace residue of the Seraphim had still been strong then, and she had burnt it into memory as something to be avoided at all costs. Katya might not have liked what she was, but like her newest acquaintance, her life was all she had that was truly hers. Like him, she fully intended to defend it.

But this Alec lacked something. He was Seraphim, and yet, he was not. She could sense his power, but it had seemed to be an untapped reservoir, as if he’d never dug deeply inside himself or realised his true potential. He had hesitated too, showed mercy, indecisiveness, and emotion. Things she was sure no Seraphim would ever show potential enemies. Yes, he was a mystery, and a fairly cute mystery at that. But he was also a walking time bomb. Whatever he was, there was no denying this Alec had power. Katya found herself actually feeling sorry for him. With power came responsibility, obligation, and greed. There would always be those that wanted what he had. To a vampire, he would be the eternal feast, to the aggressive lycanthropes, the ultimate prey, and to any established Order of ritualists, the perfect weapon.

�Take care of yourself Alec,� she sighed, and then settled down to wait for her �cleaners� to arrive.

The Nephelim
Chapter 9
animus and Staine

Act IX

The Nephelim Chapter 9 animus and Staine

Act IX

The Nephelim
Chapter 9
animus and Staine