

Blood Stained Lives

By Ronald Edward Griffin

**Smashwords Edition Copyright**   **2014 Ronald Edward Griffin.**

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to others. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright ©2013 Ronald Edward Griffin

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in any form.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events or real people are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places(,) and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

### Acknowledgments

First, I would like to thank Elaina Lee for her beautiful cover art that she has provided for me. Flannery Winchester, my editor, who has been very helpful and is a joy to work with. Lissa, you were awesome with helping me with revisions. Suzy for your ideas, and help me developing those ideas. Jessica Sawa, you have been amazing at promoting my novel. Jodie Pierce, for all your help and spreading word as well, and formatting, I thank you. I would also like to thank each and every one of my friends who have made their contributions. If not for you then my novel would not have been possible.

### For Karalana

### Daddy hopes to leave behind a legacy you can be proud of, as for my child that never was; daddy wishes he would have had the chance to meet you.

### For my mom:

### Thank you for being my rock, and taking care of me all of those years, and for teaching me to become the man I am today.

### Prologue

A car with three passengers is speeding north on I-75, heading away from the city of Macon shortly after midnight. The 7-year-old boy in the backseat is scared because he can sense the panic and fear in his parents' voices. His mother is trying desperately to call the boy's godmother, and his father is focused on the road ahead of him.

"Katrina? This is Michelle. I do not know how, but they have found us!" There is a pause while she listens to her best friend. "We are coming up on exit 169 now. Have the Order send security to Forsyth. Maybe that's far enough that Cyrus won't find us in the meantime."

The car starts to sway back and forth and then skids sideways as the father tries to change direction. The mother looks ahead and sees a large creature blocking the interstate. It's almost as tall as a small building and was humanoid in form, but its body is made of solid stone with pieces of soil and mud padding its joints. She looks at its head, which is expressionless due to lacking a face and then an unearthly roar fills the air as it charges toward the car. As the ground starts to shake from its large mass in a full run, the car turns too sharply and flips onto its side in a ditch. The family quickly regains their senses and unbuckles their seat belts.

"Chase, we have got to get him out of here fast!"

Chase reaches back, snatches his son free of the seat belt, and helps him up front. The windshield is cracked, so he kicks it away and pushes his son free from the vehicle.

"Run, Namon! Hide and do not come back no matter what you hear. Do you understand?"

Tears swell up in the child's eyes as he nods in response. He runs as fast as he can across the interstate as Chase and Michelle climb out of the car, yelling to get the creature's attention. The creature ignores them at first and starts after the child until a strong whirlwind sweeps beneath its legs, making it lose its balance and fall to the ground.

Oncoming traffic swerves to dodge the creature, and some onlookers that are paying more attention to the creature than the road wind up crashing into one another. Namon turns to see the car crash and dread fills his gut, but his father's words repeat themselves in his mind and he obeys. He climbs the hill on the other side of the interstate and seeks refuge inside a Waffle House on Riverside Drive.

The creature returns to its feet and looks around, confused at its sudden lack of balance, and then sees a wolf with its lips curled back, snarling. The creature grabs a nearby car and throws it effortlessly through the air towards the wolf. The car crashes against pavement, and the creature walks to where the wolf was just standing, searching for the wolf but it doesn't see any blood at all, so it searches around the area for the wolf. Then, fast like the wind, the wolf runs beneath its legs and swirls around, trying to gather speed to knock it down again. It doesn't work this time, though, because the creature becomes wise to the wolf's game and stomps the ground with all its force. The shock wave knocks the wolf off its feet, and it slides across the pavement.

Meanwhile, Michelle is forcing a woman out of her car and gets in, buckles the seat belt, and shifts the car into drive.

"I may not be able to turn into a wolf, but that doesn't mean I have to let him fight alone."

She presses the accelerator to the floor to build up speed and rams the car into the creature's side, stunning it. The wolf jumps onto the now stunned creatures back, biting down on the glowing red gem on the back of its neck. It realizes what the wolf is doing, so it reaches over its shoulder and grabs the wolf. All Michelle can do is watch in horror as it throws wolf against the exit sign.

"Chase!" she screams out.

She backs the car up and rams the creature again, then again, and again, until the car will not run any longer. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she gets out of the car and rushes to her husband's side. His eyes are closed, but she sees his chest is still moving. She lets out a sigh of relief until the ground starts to shake again, and Michelle turns to see the Destroyer demon towering over her. It raises its fist and brings it down over the top of her head hard, crushing her with little effort.

Chase regains consciousness at that moment and, as he watches his wife being crushed by the monster, feels rage building up inside of him. He ignores the pain from all the broken bones he has and runs around behind the monster, leaps onto its back once more, and with all his might he bites down on the gem and rips it from the demon's neck. Its body now lifeless, crumbles, falls apart, and pins Chase to the ground, crushing his body on impact. As the life starts to fade away from his body, he just stares at Michelle's mangled body and a tear falls. His body phases back to human form, and with his dying breath, he speaks.

"I love you, Michelle, and I will see you again soon."



Sirens wail in the distance and traffic is at a standstill. Katrina decides to take the Pierce Avenue exit to get around the interstate traffic. She then turns onto Riverside Drive, looks back out to the interstate to see what the trouble is, and sees an ambulance, police cars, and a fire engine. She pulls off on the side of the road, gets out of her vehicle with her binoculars in hand, and looks at the scene. Her height is about five feet four inches, and she has short black hair and is of African American descent. She is wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt; she has always had a basic, casual style. What she sees takes her breath away; the sight of Michelle's mangled body on the ground and the remains of a destroyer demon piled on top of Chase. She pulls out her phone and makes a call.

"Chase and Michelle are down," she says with tears flowing down her cheeks.

"This is not good at all. What about their son?" the man on the other end of the phone asks.

"I don't see him there, and they only have two body bags out."

"Is there a need for a containment team?"

"No sir, it just appears that a dump truck lost its load while going down the interstate. So it can be ruled as an accident with all the construction going on."

"Okay, then your top priority is locating Namon before Cyrus figures out Chase and Michelle had a son. We have been fortunate to have kept him a secret this long."

"Yes sir."

She hangs up the phone, and moments later, it rings again.

"Hello?"

"Yes ma'am, may I speak to a Katrina Johnson?"

"This is she."

"There is a little boy that came in here crying and all upset saying, 'I want my Trina.'"

"He has a bracelet with your name and phone number on it, so we thought we should call." the woman on the other line says.

"Put him on the phone, please."

"Trina, Mommy and Daddy made me run. I think there was a monster chasing us." His words were barely intelligible through his sobs.

"I'll be there as soon as I can, baby. You be good and stay right there, okay? Now put the nice lady on the phone, please." There is a brief silence before the woman answers. "I am his godmother, and his parents just got into a car accident. I think someone was chasing them, and there was a big accident on the interstate."

"So that's what that commotion is out there. We will keep him safe until you get here."

"Thank you, that is, very much appreciated. Where are you?"

"This is the Waffle House on Riverside, on the other side of the interstate here. We can see the lights from the emergency vehicles from the window right now."

"Okay, I'm just a minute away, so I'll be right there."

She hangs up the phone, gets back into her car, and drives down the road to the Waffle House. She rushes inside, and Namon rushes to her and hugs her tightly. She kneels down and kisses the top of his head as both of them are crying.

"You're going to come home with me sweetie, okay?"

"What about Mommy and Daddy?"

She holds him closer to her, not wanting to break his little heart. Honesty has always been a strong value between them, and she just cannot bring herself to lie to him now.

"Baby, they can't come with us."

"Did they die?"

Nodding affirmatively, she embraces him in another tight hug and sobs uncontrollably. They leave and go to her house for the night.



Katrina, Namon, and several others all gather at Rose Hill Cemetery days later to attend the funeral service for Chase and Michelle. The priest stands at the podium and clears his throat, looking out at everyone as he prepares to give his speech. Everyone is seated and holding tissue in their hands, sad and crying at the deaths of two people who still should have had a long life ahead of them.

"We gather here today to say farewell to two souls who have been called home at a young age. They leave behind with us, though, the most precious of gifts. They leave behind a son with a very bright future ahead of him. I am sure someday he will make his parents very proud. I am sure without a doubt that they will be watching down over you. Their closest and most trusted friend Katrina would like to say a few words of remembrance for the departed."

He steps away from the podium, and Katrina stands up and approaches, tears falling from her face and her mascara running slightly.

"Michelle has been my best friend since I first moved here to Macon. I was only about a year older than Namon is now. I'll always remember the first day we met in school. The other kids were throwing rocks at me because I'm black. She didn't care, though, and stood up to them for me. From that day forward, we were always there for one another."

"She had many hardships in her life, but all that changed when she met Chase. He loved and protected her with every breath in his body and would never let any harm come to her. He was a good man and loved his family dearly. I'm so happy they found one another and they had a happy life together. I'm sure they didn't leave this life with any regrets. So now, I say goodbye to the both of you. I will cherish every single memory we all shared together, and I will care for Namon as if he were my very own."

She wipes away her tears and steps away from the podium to take her seat beside him as she gently takes his small hand in hers. The priest then resumes his place at the podium and speaks, "Let us commend Chase and Michelle Freeman to the mercy of God. I will now recite from Alcuin of York. Eternal light, shine into our hearts; Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil; Eternal Power, be our support; Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance; Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us; that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, we may seek thy face and be brought by thy infinite mercy to the holy presence,; through Jesus Christ our lord. Now let us bow our heads for a prayer."

Everyone bows their heads as the priest leads the prayer, but Namon sits there with a blank expression on his face. He is lost in this world without his parents and doing his best to cope with the loss. When the prayer is over, everyone stands and walks over to the graves. As the coffins are being lowered, he lets out a tearless sob, his young emotions so overwhelming he cannot even shed a tear at this moment.

"We therefore commit Chase and Michelle's bodies to the ground; Earth to earth, ashes to ashes; dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life. Amen."

One by one, everyone shows their respects and drops a rose into each grave. Namon and Katrina remain seated until everyone has left. They continue to sit there even after the graves are covered. He just stares at the graves with a lost expression on his face. Katrina holds him close and then stands.

"Let's get out of here and go get something to eat, okay?"

Minutes later they are at Stevi B's, a local favorite, but he barely eats anything and refuses to play any of the games.

No child should have to lose their parents at such a young age, she thinks to herself. She stands and slides into the booth beside him and puts her arm around him. He buries his face into her shoulder and grips her tightly.

"I want my mommy and daddy back."

She just sits there and continues to hold him close to her.

"I know you do, baby. I will raise you the best way that I can, though. I know I can never replace them. I can promise you though, I will give my life to protect you and keep you safe. You just do not know how important you are, Namon. One day when you're old enough, I'll tell you everything." She wipes the tears from his face and kisses his forehead. "You want to get out of here and go home?"

He answers her with a nod.

That night, Katrina tucks him into bed and gives him a kiss goodnight. She turns to leave, and he calls out to her.

"Trina will you please tell me a story? You always tell me good stories."

She smiles, sits at the foot of his bed, and starts telling him the story of the first White Wolf.
Chapter One

An alarm clock starts buzzing annoyingly, and Namon just rolls over, pulling the covers over his head. Katrina knocks on the door to his room before entering and turns the alarm off. She turns and taps on the covers in an attempt to get him up.

"Okay sleepyhead, you know there is no sleeping in on Sundays. Now get your butt up and get ready for church."

He lets out a mumbled grunt before pulling the covers down.

"Do I really have to? I mean, there is something off about St. Joseph. Everyone is always staring at me and whispering when I am there. It's really creeping me out."

She puts her hands on her hips and gives him that look that screams, Boy; you had better get out of that bed before I drag you out.

Rolling his eyes at her, "Okay, okay. I'm getting up, but I get first dibs on the ice cream when we get back."

She cocks her eyebrow.

"Get dressed now!"

"Okay Trina, but are you going to stand there and watch me? That's as creepy as the people at church. You're like a mother to me," he says giving her a sidelong smirk.

She roughly runs her hand over his hair, messing it up even more as she grins back at him.

"Aw, man! You're messing my hair up."

"It was already messed up. And you call that mop hair? I need to take you take him to the Barber and get it cut."

He quickly covers his head with his hands.

"No, no, no, no! Come on now, you know how long I've been trying to grow it out, and I just got it to shoulder length," he gruffly whines.

She looks at him and can't help but see both of his parents in him. He has his mother's green eyes but his father's looks and height at five feet ten inches. Sad memories flood her mind of the funeral and she thinks back at her vow to always protect Namon. Because of her secret life and her responsibility to him, Trina had never met anyone that she could share her life with, but she wouldn't have it any other way. She leaves his room, shutting the door behind herself.

After she leaves, he gets up, takes a quick shower, and dresses himself with a pair of khakis and a long-sleeved blue button-up shirt. Looking into the mirror, he can see his green eyes as he combs his hair, parting it in the middle. It has a slight wavy quality to it while it's wet, and to him that's the most aggravating thing about having long hair, he has to wait for it to dry before it will straighten. Before leaving the room, he looks into the mirror one last time wishing he didn't have his mother's complexion; he is borderline tan and white. Minutes later, he walks out of his room nice and clean, dressed, and ready for church. A breakfast of pancakes, bacon, grits, and scrambled eggs awaits him. The smell of bacon and maple syrup fills the house, a smell that he has grown very comfortable with over the last ten years. Every Sunday morning, Katrina cooks him a big breakfast before they go to church. This is his home, and even though she didn't give birth to him, she is his mother.

"Well don't you look handsome," she comments with a smile. "I have started writing a new book, and I have the first chapter ready if you want to read it tonight."

His eyes light up like an excited child.

"Is it another White Wolf story?"

She gives him a half smile and nods a yes.

"I'm calling this one Southern Heat."

"Does it have Lance in it and Alexandria? Another adventure after they took down the dragon Galamythe?" he says while thrusting his butter knife into the air. She chuckles as she puts her hand on his wrist to lower it.

"Easy there, butter slayer. Actually, no. This story is more current and has different characters in it. They were inspired by two very special people."

He cuts into his pancakes and shovels a forkful into his mouth.

"Who are they?" he asks with his mouth full of pancake.

"Your parents." she says turning serious.

He starts chewing slowly becoming more thoughtful at her words, and then wipes his mouth with his napkin. He doesn't remember much about his childhood with them: just a few happy memories and the horrible nightmare of the night they died. That night he remembers vividly, even though people kept telling him that he imagined things.

"I know they were taken away from you before you could really get to know them. So I thought this would be a good way for you to get to know them better. I'm writing this book for you so that you can have your parents again."

He scoots his chair closer to her and embraces her in a big, tight, loving hug.

"I already have a parent. You're the best mother I could ever ask for."

She hugs him back as a few tears fall from her eyes at his kind words. They finish eating and she starts to clear the table, but he stops her.

"I'll clean up this time," he says with a smile.

She smiles back and just nods before walking into the next room. As he begins washing dishes, she sneaks away to her room and carefully opens the door and closes it gently behind her so that he doesn't notice. Then she reaches under her bed, pulls out a box, and opens it. Inside the box are Michelle's journal and some Polaroid pictures. She removes the pictures and looks at them, enjoying the memories. Most of the pictures are of Michelle and Chase, while the others are either group photos with others or pictures of wolves. One is a large black one, a petite white female one, one with light gray coloring that borders looking like silver, and an average sized brown one. She starts getting tear-eyed looking at the pictures, having doubts of herself: if she can teach him everything he needs to know; if she can really do it alone. Will there ever be a good time to tell him?

"I miss all of you, and I wish I knew what to do," she whispers sorrowfully to the silent room.

Namon knocks on her door.

"Just a minute, honey."

She quickly closes the box, and slides it back under the bed. Wiping the tears away from her face, she opens the door.

"You ready to go, son?"

"Yeah, as ready as I will ever be."

She gives him a gentle, playful nudge on her way through the door. They get into the car, leave the apartment complex of Whispering Woods in North Macon, and head downtown. Thoughts spiral through her mind as she drives. Writing the book and letting him read about his parents and what they were like and what happened will prepare him. What is the right time, though, to tell him that the events are actually true? Would he laugh and think it _'_ s a joke? I will more than likely have to phase myself just to convince him. Whatever I do, I need to do it fast because he won _'_ t stay seventeen forever.

They pull up into the parking lot and get out of the car. Everyone greets them with big smiles as they enter, passing by the priest, and he shakes Namon's hand just as he does every Sunday. Namon takes notice that everyone is staring and whispering at him like they always do.

"Do you think they are gossiping about us because you're my mom?" he whispers to Katrina.

"No sweetie, I'm sure it's nothing. Now come on and let us sit down," she says soothingly.



In Central City Park protesters block the entrance to keep bulldozers from entering the park. A sign is posted right beside the entrance, which reads Private Property. Keep out! Future site of Wilmington Manor. Citizens are outraged at the fact a billionaire could just move into the city and just buy a public park, especially one with so much history. Some of the protesters have even gone as far as to chaining themselves up to the trees in the park. The police show up to keep the peace and shortly behind them the mayor shows up in a black stretch limo. He manages his way out of the back of the limo, walks over to one of the police officers, and takes one of their megaphones. Placing it to his mouth, he begins to speak, "Please, citizens, return to your homes and let these men get to work. They have a lot of work to do here, and the sooner they get done, the better."

"No way! This is our park! You can't just sell it to some big shot with a lot of money!" one of the protesters yelled.

"I know you may be unhappy about the park being sold, but believe me when I tell you that it is for the good of our city." He begins to badger the crowd with questions, "How many buildings are just falling apart? How many gangs are defiling the newer ones? How many of you would like the crime rate to drop in our city to drop in our city, and how much do you want to feel safe when you go out at night?" trying to elicit a sympathetic response from the crowd. "The money received from the purchase of this park will go to correct all of those issues I have mentioned and many more unmentioned." New jobs will be available, and the unemployment rate will decrease. It's much better for our economy, I promise each and every one of you," he confidently concludes.

"The only thing that money is going to benefit is your pocket, you fat ass bureaucrat!" someone else snarls before rushing toward the mayor with a knife drawn.

One of the police officers reacts quickly and disarms the man, twisting his arms behind his back and placing handcuffs on him. As the officer places the man into the back of his police cruiser, a riot breaks out, at the obvious injustice at the sale of a historical property, and the treatment of the protestor. The mayor rushes to the limo in fear, scrambling to get inside. As the car is swarmed, the mass of people starts pounding on the limo, pushing and shaking it back and forth. The few police that are there are overwhelmed and retreat inside their vehicles as well, but one of them calls the dispatch for back up. Minutes later SWAT appears in riot gear and starts pushing the crowd back.

"Get the mayor out of here!" yells the SWAT leader.

One of the other officers helps the mayor out of the limo and into his police cruiser and drives away from the park. Mayor Bowman looks out the back window to see the SWAT team using tear gas to subdue the hysterical crowd.

"Holy shit, they almost got me! Thank you for saving me. I would be dead for sure if y'all hadn't show up," his voice trembles with fear.

The officer just continues driving, glancing back in the rear view mirror.

"They are right, though," the officer responds after a few silent moments.

"How could you sell a public park? Is that even legal?" his tone bordering on disrespectfulness.

The mayor doesn't respond, but just rubs his chin, and stares thoughtfully out the window on his side. He wonders to himself if he really made the right decision. Maybe he should rethink the deal with Cyrus Wilmington. What does he know about him anyway, other than he _'_ s loaded? Why does he want to build a mansion in the middle of Central City Park, and why would a billionaire even move to Macon of all places? The mayor's greed had blinded his judgment and now he was questioning his decisions. Maybe I should cancel the deal and give him his money back.

Later that night, a man stands in the center of the park talking on his cell phone. He is standing six feet tall with short brown hair with blond streaks. He is ruggedly handsome and you can tell that he pays a lot of attention to his body because it is well defined.

"Yeah, the locals aren't happy, but I don't give a damn. The amulet is here in this city, and I need a base of operations. As soon as the mansion is built, send Aluana, so we can get her settled."

"Yes, Master Cyrus," said the man on the other line. "So how are you going to manage buying a public property like that? The city officials or the public may be able to talk the mayor into backing out of the agreement."

A black car pulls into the park and slowly approaches the location that Cyrus is standing.

"Do not worry. I have that covered," Cyrus says into the phone through glistening, pointed teeth. He turns around and turns the phone off. He walks over to the mayor and shakes his hand. "So you wanted to meet with me, Mr. Mayor?"

"Yes." The mayor doesn't look Cyrus in the eye, and just keeps his eyes mobile. "I do not think I can go along with this deal after all." Finally getting the nerve to look Cyrus in the eye, "I mean, I was almost killed today!" He looks away again, "The people do not want this deal to happen, and they will do anything they can to stop it. I hope you understand and that there are no hard feelings."

Cyrus sighs and then shrugs his shoulders. "I guess you're right. Money can't buy everything, right? No hard feelings."

He extends his hand and waits for the mayor to shake it. When he does, Cyrus snatches him forward, snarling, and spins him around. Then he tilts the mayor's head aside and sinks his fangs deep into his neck. Sucking all the blood from the mayor's body, as the mayor is on the verge of true death, Cyrus bites his own wrist and holds the bleeding wound over the mayor's mouth; allowing his vampire blood to pour into the mayor's mouth. After what seems like such a short time and many convulsions later, which the death of the soul and the rebirth into a vampire brings, the mayor's eyes open and are as black as the night. Cyrus lets go of him, and the mayor begins to stumble then walk around of his own free will again. He then bows before Cyrus in a gesture of loyalty and respect for his new creator.

"So you're going to follow my wishes, correct?" Cyrus asks.

The mayor nods his head in agreement. Cyrus then rubs his hands together and smiles the most evil of grins.

"What would you like me to take care of first, master?" the mayor's pleading voice sounds in the darkness.

"Firstly, do whatever it takes to get my mansion built, and also call for a city council meeting. After I meet with them, they will all see things my way."

"What if they don't?" the mayor whines.

Cyrus smiles slyly.

"If they don't, then I guess we will just have a feast, won't we?"



At Katrina's apartment in North Macon, Namon has a huge bowl of ice cream and watches T.V. Well, it's more like channel surfing than watching, since there isn't much on Sunday nights. Katrina walks into the living room and places a small stack of printed pages next to him on the couch. He picks it up and sees the title "Southern Heat: Chapter 1." A big smile spreads across his face, and he is anxious to learn more about his parents.

"So by reading this as you write, it will help me know my parents?" he says anxiousness clear in his voice.

"Yes, and who knows, it may prepare you for your future." Katrina says cautiously.

He looks at her, puzzled.

Breathing a sigh of tension she says, "Anyway, make sure you put your bowl away before you read it so that you don't get anything on it."

"Yes Ma'am." He nods.

He hurriedly finishes eating his ice cream, gets up, washes his bowl, and quickly dries his hands. Rushing through the apartment, he snatches up the chapter from where Katrina laid it next to him a few minutes ago, and heads to his room.

"Don't stay up too late. You have school in the morning," Katrina calls from the kitchen where she cleaning up.

"I won't," he says as he shuts the door behind himself.

He rushes over to his desk and turns the light on so that he can read.

###  Chapter Two

"Southern Heat: Chapter 1."

It was a day like any other day: high humidity, hot weather, and drama among the young students of Unity College. Under the shade of a tree, young Michelle Sawyer is resting against it studying for a test. She is a very bright girl with what most would consider average looks. She has had a rough past, and her future is soon going to get rougher.

Lance Averett walks by and looks in her direction, flashing a friendly smile. She smiles back and watches him walk by, wishing that he would make a move on her. Lance is very attractive. He is tall, with an athletic build, muscular in all the right places, with the most amazing smile. His dirty blonde hair and bright blue velvet eyes have all the girls swooning over him, whenever he is around. She is just amazed he even looked over in her direction. The heat starts to rise, so she ties her long brown hair back into a ponytail, so that the breeze can blow on her neck. She looks back over to Lance as he walks over to his group of friends. One in particular that Michelle doesn't care for is Samayah. There is just something about her that she doesn't like, and she just can't quite put her finger on it. Maybe it's just the fact that she is so close to Lance and hugging all over him. Disheartened, Michelle gathers her things so that she can get back to her dorm room. She probably has him under some evil spell just like all the rest of the men around here that stare at her. Samayah has an exotic look to her that the guys on campus can't resist.

As Michelle walks toward her dorm, a cold chill creeps up her spine and she looks around. You know that feeling you get when you're being followed? Well that is what she is feeling right this moment. She turns around and sees a pair of glowing red eyes staring at her from a dark alley across the street. Panic stricken, she turns and runs as fast as she can to the dorms without looking back. She trips along the way, turns quickly, and starts crawling away until she looks back and doesn't see anything, but a few students staring at her with a why are you crawling on the ground look on their faces. She stands and wipes her hands on her jeans and pats down any dirt that may have gotten onto her clothing. It's obvious, whatever she had seen was now gone, if it was even there at all.

"Get a grip, girl. You're letting your mind play tricks on you," she says to herself out loud.

Looking down at her watch, she notices that she only has a few more hours until she has to be at work, so she rushes to her dorm room to get ready for work and get some more study time in before she has to go to work. The whole way there she feels as if something is stalking her from the shadows. When she gets to her building, she quickly opens the door and rushes down the hallway to her room. After entering, she shuts it tightly and locks it.

"Okay, I am starting to get way too paranoid lately."

She takes her shoes off and puts her book bag on her bed before removing her clothes and getting into the shower. While in the shower, she looks at her left forearm at the big scar that she's had since her childhood and a flood of bad memories wash over her.

Ten years ago(,) young Michelle was hiding behind the kitchen door, peeking in during one of her mother('s) and father _'_ s arguments. Her dad had a serious drug problem, and Michelle could see the pain in her mother _'_ s eyes along with the bruises on her face. She wasn't prepared for what came next when she saw her father pull a kitchen knife from the drawer and head toward her mother. At this point, Michelle got a surge of courage, rushed in the room, and got between her two parents.

"No! Don't hurt my mommy!" she cried out.

Michelle was caught in the crossfire as her father brought the blade down across her arm that she used to shield her mother.

"Stupid bitch shouldn't have gotten in the way," her father yelled as he threw the knife down on the floor and stormed out the door.

"Daddy didn't mean it baby...he doesn't ever mean it," her mother cries defending her father to her.

Michelle stops the shower and gets out, toweling herself dry with tears running across her cheeks. She gets dressed and ready for another long night at work. She works as a waitress at her uncle Jeff's bar ever since she was eighteen, and she has been a barkeep since she turned twenty-one. It's normally slow and uneventful during the earlier part of the week, and she just hopes that this week won't be any different. She looks around for her jacket, but guesses that her best friend and roommate Katrina must have taken it.

"Hmm, okay, well I will take her favorite red hoodie then." Michelle said with a playful smirk, since the two friends snatched each other's clothes all the time.

Several hours later as she cleans tables, her uncle is taking inventory in the back since they will be closing soon. While cleaning, she thinks to herself about the events in her life. What put her in this situation, having to work at a bar full of dirty old men to pay for her college tuition.

She leans over a table, clearing away beer bottles, when a scruffy looking man walks up behind her, and starts rubbing her ass, startling her, and angering her.

"So, sweet thing, how much would a night with you cost?" She stands back up, slapping his dirty filthy hands away, rolling her eyes as she walks away to put the bottles in the recycling.

"Hey, I am talking to you!" he said very sternly before taking a drink from his bottle. He grabs her by the arm, and as he spins her around, she brings her fist around full force and decks him right in the jaw. Rage comes forward as she remembers times of her father grabbing her that way once before, so she grabs a bottle, and breaks it over the man's head. As he staggers, and holds his now bleeding head, she pushes him against the bar, and presses the broken glass to his crotch.

"Touch me again, creep, and you will walk away with two busted heads tonight!"

Her uncle Jeff hears the commotion and rushes out to see what's going on.

"Michelle! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asks.

Tears swell up in her eyes as her hand holding the broken bottle starts to shake. "This son of a bitch put his hands on me and you know I don't like to be touched Uncle Jeff!"

Her uncle remembers the day he went over to his sister's house just in time to find Michelle's father trying to rape her.

"Okay, just let go of him, and I'll handle this sweetie. Take over inventory for me, okay?"

She drops the remains of the bottle, and walks away after throwing a hateful glare at the filthy old beast, into the back wiping the tears away from her face angrily.

"I'm going to sue this place, and both of you are going to be out in the street!" exclaimed the man still holding his throbbing bleeding head.

Jeff pushes the man back against the bar with his finger poking the man's chest.

"You do that, and I will have your sorry ass arrested for sexual harassment, and attempted rape! You got that, pal?" Jeff looks all around at the rest of the regulars.

"Who else was a witness to this piece of shit attacking my niece?" Everyone nods.

"Now get out of here before I call the police!" Jeff says slapping the man's face like a scolded child, and shoving him toward the door.

The man staggers to the best of his ability, being drunk, and wounded, towards the door and pauses, he spits on the floor in anger.

"Who needs your piss beer and your overpriced whore anyways?" He stumbles his way out the front door.

Jeff stands there a moment with a very pissed off look on his face.

"Okay everyone, it's time to leave. We are closing up." He states to the remaining customers.

Everyone gets up and leaves the bar now, and Jeff locks the door behind them. He turns back around, and sees Michelle sitting at the bar, still crying her heart out. He walks over and tries his best to comfort her.

"Are you going to be okay?"

She wipes the tears away from her face again and forces a smile.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, Uncle Jeff."

Jeff rubbed his chin with his hand before walking away, going into his office. Once inside, he goes to the safe and opens it up.

It was bad enough she was abused by her father for so many years, and now she has to work here with me in this dump just to pay for college. Good thing I showed up that day before her father tried to rape her, or she would be even more screwed up than she already is. I was saving this for that vacation, but this is more important.

He grabs a cigar box labeled "Vegas Fund", and then walks back out to where Michelle is now cleaning up the broken pieces of glass off the floor. He walks over to her and helps her finish up, and when she stands up, he hands her the cigar box.

"You're fired."

Michelle looks at him, confused.

"What did I do wrong?" she asks befuddled.

"Darlin', you didn't do anything wrong. I have put you through too much having you work here, and I should have done this a long time ago. This should be enough to help you pay for your schoolin' until you can find a good job, a better job, and you know that I will give you a good reference."

She takes the box, and then starts to cry yet again but this time, they were tears of joy and happiness. She embraces her uncle, hugging him tightly as a daughter would hug her father.

He hugs back, and then breaks away to clean up. He grabs the broom, and then asks her, "Do you need me to call you a cab?"

She gets Katrina's red hoodie, and puts it on, pulling the hood over her head.

"No thank you, Uncle Jeff, it's not far from here," she answers while taking the cash out of the box and stuffing it into her purse.

"Thank you, though, and I love you."

He coughs, clearing his throat.

"Uh, you better get out of here before I change my mind. You know I don't like that mushy stuff," he says as he waves her off.

Michelle smiles and kisses him on the cheek. "Forever the bachelor, aren't you?"

She smiles again, knowing that he does love her even though he is too macho to show it. Leaving the bar, she looks around; feeling once again like someone or something is watching her. She slowly walks down the alley, and when she makes it to the end, she bumps into the same man that was harassing her in the bar. He pushes her back into the alley, and then forces her against the side of the building.

"You know what? You're going to pay me for that good time instead of me paying you, bitch. Now give me all your money."

He starts rubbing his hands all over her body, and licks her cheek. She tries to break free, but his grip on her is too strong. Suddenly something snatches him, and drags him away from her and down into the dark shadows of the alley. His screams of pain fill the air, and are soon silenced after the sound of bones popping, and breaking echoes through the night. Michelle slowly starts to back her way out of the alley while watching the shadows. Then she sees the same red glowing eyes that she had seen earlier in the day. Seconds later, she sees the eyes belong to a very large panther, and it's licking its jaws.

"My, my, my, it's Little Red Riding Hood. Sorry to disappoint you, but Grandmother's house isn't this way." The panther projects its thoughts into Michelle's mind as it shows its bloodstained teeth with a feminine voice. Lifting its nose to the air, it breathes in deep, and makes a guttural snarling sound.

"Please don't kill me!" Michelle manages to say even though she is shaking with fear.

The panther bares its teeth and leaps into the air, but from out of nowhere a wolf intercepts the panther, and rams into it midair, knocking it back. The auburn colored wolf with white spots on its paws starts snarling at the panther, challenging it. The panther attempts to move around the wolf, but every time she moves, the wolf blocks her path, staying between her, and Michelle.

"Stay out of this, White Wolf!" the panther snaps.

The wolf turns his head back toward Michelle, and speaks into her mind as the panther did.

"Run! I will handle this!"

Michelle hesitates for a moment, and the panther lunges over the wolf, but he lunges at her throat, and forces her back to the ground. Michelle snaps out of it, and runs away down the street as it starts to rain. Not a single solitary vehicle is in the streets as she passes numerous buildings. She turns to look behind her every so often, and then she finally sees the campus, but knowing her luck, she will get attacked before she gets there. She runs full pace, enters the dorms, and once in her room, she locks the door behind her, and curls up under her covers, quaking in fear.



Back in the alley, the two beasts continue their fight. The thunder claps overhead and the lightning strikes lights the alleyway during the primal battle. The wolf bites down on the panther's tail, and swings with all of his might, and the resulting throw slams the panther against the outer wall of the alley with such force that the wall starts to crumble under the impact. She gets up and limps away slowly into the dark alley, growling at the wolf.

"You will pay for this! You let my dessert get away!"

The wolf snaps back with a quick snarl, "In the end, all of you Shadow Cats will get what you deserve."

The panther is now only noticeable by its red eyes, and she lets out a laugh.

"Yeah, we will, but you and the rest of your pack will fall with us. If we die, you die, and you know that."

Her eyes fade away into the darkness.

The wolf sniffs the air to make sure that she is gone. When satisfied that his opponent is gone, he runs off into the night to make sure that Michelle is okay. He traces her scent through the rain, and within a few minutes, he traces her back to the college dorms. The heroic wolf slowly approaches the school, hiding between bushes and shrubs so that he is not seen. His canine ears perk up as his heightened sense of hearing pinpoints the faint sound of a woman crying. Slowly he follows the sound and Michelle's scent to the outside of her window. He peers inside to see her curled up in the dark room, still terrified from what just happened.

For nearly an hour in the pouring rain, the savior sits outside her window, watching over her just in case the panther decides to return to finish what she started. The crying stops, so he peers back in the window to see her sleeping. He yawns, and then finds a cozy spot under a few bushes to shelter him from the rain. He wants to stay close to her for the night, so that he will know that she is safe.



A loud knocking on Namon's door startles him from his intense reading, and he calls out.

"Come in."

Katrina walks into his room.

"Hey sweetie, are you enjoying it?" she asks curiously.

"Yeah, even though you just scared me half to death! I was really into the story when you started knocking. This panther was quite intense."

"I'm sorry," she says with a half laugh. "I need to run into town for a little while, okay? Don't wait up because I may be late coming back."

"Okay. Before you go, Trina, did all that really happen with Mom? What Grandpa did to her and all?" he asks with his brow furrowed.

"Unfortunately, yes. So you never would have gotten to meet your grandfather anyway. He is in prison now, and you're better off without him in your life," she says sadly.

"Yeah, you're right," he says, as a sigh escapes him.

Katrina gives him a hug, kisses the top of his head. She then opens his door, turns, and says, "I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

She shuts the door, and smiles. Namon goes back to reading, a short while later he starts to feel a little bit creeped out by what he's reading, but continues on, even though it frightens him.
Chapter Three

As soon as Katrina is in her car, she gets her phone out and dials a number.

"I'm en route now. Where was his last known location? Central City Park? Okay, I'm on it. Send backup ASAP. What do you mean you already sent them in? You know not to send anyone in until I check out the situation! It's too dangerous!"

She hangs up her phone as she weaves in and out of traffic, trying to rush to the park, but traffic is very congested. There is a lot of construction going on down Riverside, and she realizes that pounding on the car horn is useless at this point and pulls off on the side of the road. She gets out of her car, and runs across the street, heading toward the river. As soon as she reaches the railroad tracks, her body starts to glow white. As she leaps into the air, the form of her body phases from human to a wolf with gray hair. Her paws touch down to the ground with grace, and she runs at high speed alongside the river.



Mayor Bowman has called the city council to the park for an emergency meeting about the future plans for the park.

"What the hell did you drag us out here in the middle of the night for?" one of them demanded the mayor, obviously annoyed.

The mayor waves at his limo driver to pull the limo forward, blocking the entrance to the park. The council members look at the entrance in confusion as suddenly, one by one, each of the light posts flickers until all the lights go out. Darkness surrounds them, and the only light that remains is from the limo headlights.

"What the hell is going on here?" one of the council members asks fearfully.

Suddenly Cyrus pounces on one of the council members and bites his neck, while the mayor bites into another one's neck. The remaining council members try to run to their vehicles, but before they reach them, they are snatched away and pinned to the ground by creatures that seem to just leap from the shadows. They are ugly, five feet tall demons with fire-colored fur all over their bodies and black horns on their head. Their breath smells of brimstone, and each time their fur moves across bare skin, burn marks are left behind. Screams of pain fill the air. The stench of burnt flesh fills the air, and as agonizing moments pass by the screams are replaced with cruel laughter.

Two large black Expeditions with crosses painted on the hood plow through the limo that blocks the park entrance with very little resistance. One of the large SUV's has a personalized tag with the word ALPHA on it and the other has one that says BETA. Inside them are eight fully armed men, combat ready at a moment's notice. When the vehicles stop, they jump out, shooting bolts from their crossbows at the demons. The bolts do very little damage, and only succeed in causing a frenzied rage, and the demons attack the men, slashing at them with their claws. Tearing limbs from their bodies then inflicting claws to their torsos. Each time one would inflict a wound, the wound would catch fire, and incinerate its victims, the soldiers burst into flames and turn to ash. Leaving sixteen piles of ash where courageous soldiers once stood.

Minutes later, Cyrus laughs as the city council member's stand, totally under his control. Now he can continue his plans for the city. The mayor looks back at the wreckage of his limo, and then looks angrily back at Cyrus.

"You know how much that cost. It was completely custom, Cyrus!"

Cyrus approaches slowly, and then grabs the mayor by the throat, lifts him off the ground, and holds him in the air.

"You watch your tone there, Mr. Mayor. I will not tolerate insolence! Besides, you will be compensated," he pauses then giving a stipulation, "as long as you do as I say."

He throws the mayor with such force that when he hits the iron light post, it bends. Everyone just stares as the mayor gets back to his feet without injury, and adjusts his suit.

"You're right, of course. I apologize for my insolence, Cyrus." The mayor turns to face the city council. "Okay, everyone can go home now. We will all meet later but tomorrow we'll have extra security here at the park. One way or another, the construction will continue!" he says commandingly.

With the same passive acceptance that the mayor showed after Cyrus changed him, everyone nods in agreement, then get into their vehicles and leave. The mayor rides with one of them since his limo is now destroyed. Cyrus looks over the park and watches the demons feast on what remains of the men that didn't turn to ash, and scavenging through the ash for bones. Soon the mansion will be built, and I can bring Aluana and the coven here and start the search for the amulet. I will rule all, and Galamythe will by my ultimate weapon of destruction.

Katrina approaches the park as fast as her four paws can take her, but she slows as she sees the wreckage ahead of her. Just before she enters several cars speed through the wreckage with government tags. She sniffs the air, and smells the overpowering stench of the undead. The cars are moving too fast for her to chase them, so she decides against a chase, and then catches a different scent. She follows the scent of brimstone into the park, and once she is inside, she sees the SUVs that belong to the order and several warrior demons standing over bloody remains and piles of ash.

Oh no. They should have waited for me before attacking. Sorrow fills her then anger; she charges the nearest demon first, knocking it to the ground with all four paws. With one quick movement, she wraps her jaws around its neck, and shakes her head back and forth, ripping its throat out, turning the demon into ash. She lets out an aggressive growl as the other demons move in closer to make an attack. One of them leaps toward her but she dodges, running beneath it and making it fall on top of the demon that was attempting to sneak up behind her.

"Kill the wolf!" Cyrus commands the demons.

Katrina's ears fold back when she hears his voice, and her eyes cut in his direction. Rage fills her as she relives burying her dear friends. She had never seen him in person before, but she has seen him in the drawings from Michelle's journal, and knows that this is Cyrus, and that he is the one responsible for Chase and Michelle's death. He controls these warrior demons, so that makes her even more certain that he was the one that sent the destroyer that caused the deaths' of her best friends. The church tried keeping her existence a secret from him, because if he knew about her, he would be after her. So they only used her when it was necessary. It was inevitable, though, that their paths would cross.

The demons dog pile on top of her, forcing her to the ground. She can feel teeth biting into her, and claws scratching her. The pain that she feels is almost unbearable from the heat of their fur, their talons, and their fangs. Shortly after they begin their attack, though, their teeth start to dissolve and their claws snap, and melt as her blood sprays on them. She can tell that they are weakening, as she breaks free from them. They follow her, but she is too quick for them. Dodge, bite, and tear, she repeats repeatedly until she is the only one left standing. Her body glows, and her wounds heal up instantly.

"Gotta love that holy blood!" she lets out a triumphant huff tinged with a touch of sorrow for her fallen comrades.

"You should have waited," She says to herself as she mourns their loss.

Sniffing the air, she realizes that Cyrus is gone, and must have escaped during the battle. She leaves the park, and retraces her steps back to the railroad tracks that run along close to the river. Just in time too, police sirens wail through the air heading toward the park.

Fifteen minutes later, Katrina has phased back into her human form, and is getting into her car. This was her first encounter with Cyrus, and just being around him set off every single nerve ending, and emotion in her. Anger, rage, and sadness all flow through her as she tries to collect herself. Her thoughts go to Namon, and she knows that time has run out. Cyrus is here, and Namon has to know about him before Cyrus seeks them out. She picks up her phone, and calls the church headquarters.

"This is Katrina, reporting in. I confirm that Cyrus is in Macon, and has control over demons. He used them to destroy Alpha, and Beta teams; all that are left of them are ashes. I suspect he's turned the city officials into vampires. Several vehicles with government tags were fleeing the scene with the vampire stench coming from them."

"This is not good at all. Tell Namon at once, and start his training before his first phase," the man said on the other end of the line.

"Yes sir."

She hangs up the phone, and hurries home. She arrives, entering the apartment quietly in case Namon is asleep, looking over; she discovers light shining from under his door. The decision of when to tell him has been taken from me. He has to know. Maybe I will tell him tonight. It's not like he has to be up early in the morning since he is home schooled. She gently taps on the door until she hears a voice telling her to come in. Opening the door slowly, she enters the room, and sees him in bed reading.

"Hey, I thought I told you not to stay up too late?" she says while putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. It's just this is the only thing that connects me to Mom, and Dad."

"Yeah. It's not the only thing that connects you to them, though." She bites her lower lip, hesitating. "I'll be right back."

Katrina goes into her room, pulling the box from under her bed, and bringing it back to his room, holding it close as she sits. She anxiously nibbles on her lower lip, which is something she generally does when she's nervous, or afraid to do something. Seeming unsettled, she wonders where to start. She knows this is all going to sound pretty farfetched to him. Hell, she thought it was crazy when she found out when she first phased.

"Okay, I have something very important to tell you, son." She fidgets uncomfortably before continuing. Then she opens the box, pulls out the Polaroids, and hands them to him. He takes them and starts looking at them. He immediately recognizes his mom, and dad, but doesn't know who the other people are, and doesn't understand why there are pictures of wolves.

"Who are these people, and why are there pictures of wolves? Was Mom into wildlife photography?"

Katrina takes a long, deep breath.

"Well, those people were really close friends with your mom, and dad. This man is Lance," she says while pointing at a brown-haired white man. "His last name was Averett."

That name he knows very well; it's the name of the hero in all of the stories she told him while he was growing up. Then he remembers the chapter he just read, and sees the Asian girl, and a large black man. He wonders if these people are the characters in the story she has been writing.

"Like the Lance Averett in the stories you always told me? Just curious, but are these people who you based your story on?"

"Well, it's complicated, but the Lance and Alexandria story was based on this Lance's ancestor," she says while pointing at Lance in the picture again.

"Wow, how does he feel that you made his ancestor into a werewolf?" he says while laughing slightly. Then he stops laughing when he realizes that she has a painful look on her face. The he realized that she said his name was Lance Averett. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just realized you said 'was.' What happened to him?"

"This is going to be hard for you to believe. So before I try to explain it, why don't you look at the next few pictures?"

He looks, and sees a group photo with his mom kissing one of the wolves on its head, and right on the other side of her was another wolf. What caught him off guard are the two tall werewolves behind her standing in silly poses throwing pretend gang signs.

"These werewolves are too funny," he laughs out loud.

One of them is massive, and looks to be maybe eight feet tall, covered in black fur; while the other one is smaller, but still impressive at six feet with silver tone gray fur. They look so real, and the wolves look so tame.

"How did this picture get made? Did you use Photo shop to put Mom in front of werewolves? What movie did you get that from? I haven't seen one with werewolves like that."

Katrina takes the pictures from him, and finds a group photo of his parents with their friends. She holds it side by side with the group picture of his mother, and the werewolves, and she points to the smaller standing werewolf, and the picture of Lance in the other picture.

"These were both Lance," she says slowly.

Then she points at the tall black man, and the large black werewolf.

"These were both Clint."

Then she points at the Asian woman, and the smaller wolf with the auburn colored wolf.

"These were Mya."

Then she pointed at the wolf his mother was kissing, and the picture of his father, and Namon wasn't prepared for what Katrina said next.

"And these were your father."

Namon looked at her in disbelief, not sure how to react before speaking. He lets out a nervous laugh as he starts thinking that maybe Katrina had been drinking from her "medicine" cabinet. She sees that this isn't working, trying to tell him this way, so she stands up and places the box down on his bed. Frustrated that he hasn't caught on to what she is telling him and his disbelief. She does the only think she knows will convince him. Her body glows white as her form shifts from human to White Wolf. Namon slides back further in his bed with fear.

"Get away from me!" he screams, as she moves toward him.

"Easy son; it's still me. I'm not going to hurt you," she tells him in his mind. She slowly walks toward him and gently nudges his hand with her snout before placing her forepaws on the bed beside him. She bows her head in a non-threatening manner on his lap. He reaches slowly, and pats her on the head.

"Um, I'm not a dog, you know," she says exasperatingly.

"Sorry," he says slowly. Puzzled he asks, "How are you talking to me?"

"That's one of many gifts that White Wolves have. No matter what wolf form we are in, we can use a telepathic mind link. We cannot read minds, but we can hear thoughts directed at us, and project ours back." Her body glows white again, and she phases back to human form.

His eyelids peel all the way back in surprise at all that he just witnessed, still trying to figure out if what he had seen was even real, or maybe he was dreaming. She composes herself, sits back down on the bed, and waits for him to speak.

"So all those stories are true," he says.

Katrina rolls her eyes. "Duh, that is what I have been trying to tell you, silly boy."

"So since Dad was a White Wolf, does that mean I'm the descendant of Lance and Alexandria?"

"Actually, no, you're not."

Now he looks even more puzzled than he already was. She can see the confusion on his face, and frowns, wishing this were easier.

"Your father Chase was not one of the descendants of the four Averett children," she explains.

"Okay, then how is he a White Wolf? If they are all descendants of the four Averett children, then why are they different races? Are you one of the descendants?"

"Well thank you for the twenty questions, son!" she says with a slight laugh. "As far as how your father is a White Wolf and not a descendant of the original wolves, no one knows for sure how that happened, or why. There are supposed to be only four in existence from that bloodline at a time the first born of each generation. Chase does not share the lineage of any of them. Lance, Clint, Mya, and I are the descendants, so to answer your question; Yes, I am one of the original four descendants." She pauses for a moment before continuing. "As for why they are different races that happened due to several generations of the children mating with the local populations they were taken to after they were born. After so many generations, they would become the same race."

"Where were they taken, and why?" he asks.

"Once they were born, there was a vampire named Cyrus Wilmington who wanted Lance and his legacy eradicated, since he was responsible for a lot of his plans being foiled. So the four infants were taken to different ends of the world to protect, and keep them out of his reach. One of the special abilities we all share is that we are undetectable to any form of heightened senses."

"What happened to Lance and Alexandria?"

"Lance died during a battle with his nemesis Gilles. He sought out to destroy his legacy after he murdered Lance. So when he finally discovered the identity of this generation of White Wolves about twenty-three years ago, he was able to put a curse on them. Each of the White Wolves had a person they loved most, Gille's curse turned each of those people into creatures called Shadow Cats. This curse makes them the total opposite of a White Wolf, and made them very evil."

"Like the panther in your story?"

"Yes, In fact, that panther was your aunt Marida."

Namon's face turns into a frown at the disappointing news.

"Gilles didn't know that Chase wasn't one of the four descendants, so I got lucky with that curse. He thought your dad was one."

"So what happened to them?"

"Well, during their final battle, they made the ultimate sacrifice. The way the curse worked is that when they became Shadow Cats, their life force was connected to the White Wolves. So if the Cat died, the wolf died, and vice versa. Gilles's used an actual piece of the White Wolves souls to that person they love. The Shadow Cats taunted them all the time by causing deaths of many innocents. Lance, Mya, and Clint killed themselves to automatically kill the Shadow Cats so that they could no longer harm anyone."

"What about Dad though, how did he survive?"

"The curse was broken for him because when he met your mother, and she became the person he loved most, and he no longer loved his twin sister the most. Marida was jealous, and sought to kill her but Chase killed her first."

"What ever happened to Alexandria?" he asked after a few minutes.

"No one knows. There is no record of what happened to her after the children were taken away. Last known record was when Cyrus had destroyed the sect where she was hidden."

Katrina reaches into the box, pulls out Michelle's diary, and hands it to Namon. "This should answer any questions about your parents from your mother's perspective. If you have further questions that you don't find here, I will do my best to help you find the answers, so do not hesitate to ask." She leans in, and kisses his forehead. "Now you need to try and get some rest baby. You're going to be very busy tomorrow."

"You will start learning the ways of the White Wolf from me at the church at St. Joseph. The reason everyone stares, and talks is because some are old southern women who will gossip over anything, such as the difference in the color of our skin because prejudice still runs deep, and others because they know your destiny, and are waiting for when I would finally tell you. Those who know are members, or family to the soldiers who protect the innocent. You see, son, when you turn eighteen you will become a White Wolf too" She gets up and leaves the room, gently closing the door behind her.

He lies there, and tries his best to sleep even though his mind is on overload from all the information he learned tonight. He feels emotionally drained, so much to take in but the fire begins to burn deep inside. The strength of his ancestors and his destiny which he has no choice in burns deeper and brighter with each passing moment. He decides he is going to be brave and strong even with the weight of the world on his shoulders, he finally falls into a fitful exhausted slumber.
Chapter Four

The morning sun rises, the light spreads over the park, and not a single bit of evidence remains from the previous night's events. Bulldozers are already in place within the park, and the police have a roadblock set up keeping the public out. Protesters yell at the workers as the police let them pass so that they may begin their "work" others would call it, destruction. The first backhoe starts, and rolls slowly over to the gazebo. Its stabilizer legs plant firmly to the ground and the arm raises, ready to be lowered. Then the bucket is brought down through the top of the gazebo, making it collapse on itself.

One by one the backhoes start destroying small building that people used when they needed a break or to use the restroom, then the fountains, and even the playground. Tears stream down the protesters' faces as they watch the bulldozers follow behind the backhoes, plowing down the old gnarled trees which have been there longer than the people standing around, and whatever debris and rubble that may be on the ground.

In a nearby limo, Cyrus cracks a smile at the added bonus of the crowd's emotional pain. Evil to the core, he feeds off the physical and emotional pain.



A mischievous creature stalks the hallway in Katrina's apartment, creeping around and staying out of sight beneath the furniture. Hunkering down waiting for an opportunistic moment to cause more mischief, the tiny creature hears footsteps and rushes toward the door that Katrina opens from inside her bedroom and exits. The creature rushes into her room before the door has a chance to shut and hides beneath the bed. It sees the vacuum cleaner in the corner of the room and lets out a chuckle.

Katrina sits on the couch and sets down a few old books between herself and Namon.

Namon stares at some of the book spines with wide eyes; Beastiary, Blood Stained Origins, and a few other books dealing with creatures.

"Okay, so let's start with the White Wolf history; Lance's birth through his death," Katrina says with a smile holding a rather large book.

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?" he says looking at the enormously thick book in her hands.

She smiles and nods.

"Can't we just skip ahead a little bit? I mean, do we have to go through his whole life? What help is it going to be for me to know what all he did as a child anyway?" he asks. She raises an eyebrow and considers it for a moment after remembering how boring all those lessons and lectures she had to go through were. The real excitement happens when he grows up and becomes a hunter. She opens book and skips ahead in the book.

"So for every hero there is also a villain. In this case, the hero would never have become what he did if not for this particular villain. In the early fifteenth century there was a man named Gilles de Rais. At the age of eleven, he became the heir to the greatest fortune in France, and at the age of sixteen he greatly increased his net worth by marrying Catherine de Thouars, who came from a very wealthy family. Then at the age of twenty, he rode by Joan of Arc's side and fought with the ferocity of the devil himself. Due to his fighting skills, King Charles appointed him Marshal of France. Gilles fell in love with Joan of Arc and became her own personal guardian, and after she was captured, tortured, and burned at the stake, he changed and went mad. He felt that God had betrayed Joan so he denounced God and vowed never to have sexual intercourse with another woman. After his fortune began to diminish, he decided to start practicing alchemy in the hopes of changing base metals like iron and steel into gold to regain his fortune. Eventually, he realized that he would need help from a darker source to meet his goal. So Gilles turned to Denominos.

"Who is Denominos?" Namon asked.

"He was one of three demons that form the triad who are offspring of Lilith."

"Mother of all demons?" he asks as he recalls the lessons of Lilith from an earlier time.

Katrina nods before continuing to read.

"Gilles then sodomized and disemboweled close to 1,000 children in the name of Denominos, and most of them were little boys. He never did receive his fortune back, but after Gilles was executed, he was given something worse. Immortality; Denominos had turned him into the very first werewolf like you see in the monster movies."

"Didn't Lilith give birth to the dragon Galamythe?" he interrupts again. She nods.

"Ouch, that had to hurt. There is no coming back from passing a dragon!"

She playfully pops him on the arm and pinches him.

"You keep interrupting me and I'll make you start from the beginning without my help. So Gilles became a very powerful werewolf and used his newfound power to exact his revenge on the Catholic Church and their god. Before I continue, I need to point out something important. Gilles was the first of the monster werewolves that stands on two legs, but there have been werewolves in existence for a long time even before vampires. Those particular werewolves are called skin walkers and can only shape shift into a four-legged form. The skin walkers aren't evil, though. They are no more evil than an average human or wolf. Their wolf forms are a little bit larger than normal wolves, depending on the skin walker. The monsters you see in the movies that are like a cross between man and monster, the two-legged beasts, all originate from Gilles. So you see there are three types of werewolves: the monsters made by Gilles, the Skin Walkers and the White Wolves."

"So what's the difference with Skin Walker's and White Wolves?" he asks.

"It's the powers that White Wolves have. Skin Walkers have to go through a long painful transformation with their bodies shifting and changing form. We just basically leap into our form, it's instantaneous. Plus we have a few other abilities that help us when we fight."

Namon listens intently, now holding his questions for when she is finished.

"As you know, the Averett family was one of the strongest bloodlines of hunters, but Lance became stronger than most because his father Abraham was a hunter from a different bloodline." She notices Namon starting to get a little bored, so she skips ahead a little bit. "Lance was very successful in his endeavors, and he even was able to destroy the vampire Kano that was responsible for his birth parents' and his adopted families' deaths. Lance married a beautiful woman named Ellemera who Lance did not know at the time was one of Gilles's escaped servants. Lance unknowingly made an enemy out of Gilles by marrying her, and on their wedding night Gilles murdered Ellemera right in front of Lance. There was a great battle between them, and Gilles outmatched him and was toying with him. Once he tires of playing with him, he dragged Lance two miles to the church where he had just wed Ellemera and put their bodies together on the altar. Gilles bit into Lance's throat at that moment and left him for dead." She pauses.

"What happened next, no one knows why, or how it happened. Was it the will of God? Was it the fact of Lance's strong blood changing the werewolf curse in him? No one knows, but Lance didn't become a monster like Gilles. Instead, he became the very first White Wolf."

Katrina shows Namon the picture of a drawing where Lance held Ellemera's body in the center of the church with the full moon light shining upon them through a broken window. He looks at the picture intensely, and suddenly, flashes of the past enter his mind. He looks on at Lance as if he was actually there, and he sees him holding Ellemera and crying out. Then he sees Lance's body phase. He glows white and his form is replaced by that of a bipedal werewolf with a grayish silver fur covering his body. The werewolf is grief stricken and howls at the window. Namon snaps out of it and looks at Katrina, confused at what just happened.

"Did Lance have grayish silver hair in his other form?"

Katrina now looks at him, puzzled.

"How did you know that?" she asks.

"I just saw him phase as if I was there. It's hard to explain, but when you showed me the picture it was as if I was there. I could smell the blood, feel the cold breeze coming in through the broken window, and I could hear his cries and his howl. How was I able to do that, Katrina?"

"I don't know, baby. Maybe that is going to be your extra gift."

"Extra gift?" he questions.

"Yeah, each of us has a special added talent in addition to all the regular White Wolf abilities. Your father could move really fast, like the wind itself. So maybe yours is being able to see things the way that they had happened, or something. It's too soon to be able to tell."

Back in Katrina's bedroom, the small creature leaps from the dresser and onto the doorknob and turns it, opening the door slightly. He slowly creeps through the crack of the door, slides along the wall, and hides beneath the table in the hallway. It tiptoes to the corner, peers around it, and starts heading for a nearby closet until it hears Katrina say the name "Gilles." The name brings back horrible memories of werewolves hunting down its entire family and Gilles devouring them for their magic power. As far as the creature knows, it is the last one in existence.

"Sorry to interrupt, but what ever happened to Gilles?"

Katrina sighs, and the creature rushes underneath the couch, eager to find out what happened to the monster responsible for so much of its misery.

"Not long after he killed Lance he started eating Gremlins to collect magic from their life force. He used that magic to make the Shadow Cats. Once they were all created, they turned on Gilles and destroyed him."

"Wait, how could they have killed him, wasn't he immortal?" Namon asks befuddled.

"An immortal can only be killed by their own creations, or a more powerful being, like a demon, or its' creations," she replies as if this is common knowledge.

The creature tears up from the news. Its' attention still on Katrina, it gets comfortable as she continues talking.

"The poor Gremlins were hunted to extinction. They weren't evil beings, either; maybe a little mischievous, but not evil."

The little Gremlin's thoughts go to the vacuum cleaner, and it grins.

"Were all the Shadow Cats panthers?" he asks.

"No they were different variations. A tiger, panther, cheetah, lioness, a lynx. They also had different forms like the White Wolves as well. Some shifted into a bipedal warrior form and some shifted into a four-legged animal form."

"Okay now, no more interruptions," she scolds, "On to Lance meeting Alexandria, and their battle with Galamythe."

In Atlanta, one of Cyrus's vampires is getting restless. Night after night, she is trapped in the mansion, and under constant surveillance. She stares at herself in the mirror, and fixes her hair even though no one ever gets to see it other than the vampires around the mansion. There are several myths about vampires that are not true, and vampires' not being able to cast a reflection is one of them. Her hair is slightly below her shoulders in length, and jet black with red highlights throughout. She is five feet seven inches tall with brown eyes, and a very beautiful tan complexion. She's wearing a classy, but sexy low cut dress with spaghetti straps, showing a little bit of cleavage from her average-sized breasts. She is a very beautiful treasure indeed, but her memory of her life before becoming a vampire, is gone. She doesn't even know her name, so she accepts being called Aluana since that is what Cyrus had everyone call her. The name sort of stuck, and seems to fit her. There is a gentle knock on her bedroom door, and she gives a lighthearted response.

Tiffany enters the room shutting the door behind her. She is a beautiful short-haired blonde vampire, and has one of those personalities that it's unclear most the time if she is bitchy or not. Sweet to your face and stab you in the back are her best and worst qualities.

"Hey, are you busy?" Tiffany asks.

"Am I ever busy? Stuck in this hellhole day in and day out? All I do is walk around this museum and write my music. Which, by the way, no one is ever going to hear because I never get to see outside of these walls other than when Cyrus wants to parade around to these special events where he wants some eye candy," Aluana spat, frustrated at the situation and even more annoyed that Tiffany was there making it worse with her very presence.

"Okay, well I was wondering, how would you like to get out tonight? There's a songwriter's showcase in Buckhead tonight at one of the nightclubs, and I can help you sneak out."

Aluana mulls over the proposition for a few moments, but doesn't trust Tiffany. Tiffany has always made it very clear that she is jealous of Cyrus's affection, and protective nature towards her. She can have him, she thinks to herself. The idea of getting out and seeing something besides the same walls is very intriguing to her, though.

"What's in it for you?" she asks suspiciously.

She knows good and well that Tiffany wants to be in Cyrus's good graces. She would do anything for it. She is power hungry, and Aluana could do without power. She craves freedom and independence.

"Oh nothing, just consider it a favor among friends," she says with a wink and a half grin that shows off one of her canines.

Yeah, like I'm really going to believe that, but what the hell?

"Okay, when and where?"

"Tonight around nine thirty, meet me at the south gate. This will be a night you won't ever forget, I promise."



Namon is getting ready for bed and his head is swimming with information that he learned today. The Gremlin sets up a bed underneath Namon's from a shoebox and missing socks. He also uses a few large marshmallows for pillows. It feels like this is where it belongs. It feels at home.

Katrina enters the room and kisses Namon's forehead, and she reaches for the light beside his bed to turn it off, but he stops her.

"I want to stay up just a little bit later and read out of Mom's diary."

She smiles and nods.

"Just try not to stay up too late, okay? I love you."

"I love you too," he says with a smile.

She leaves the room and closes the door behind her. He then pulls his mom's diary out from under his mattress and turns to the day after her first Shadow Cat encounter.

Today was quite interesting, to say the least. I am really going to need therapy after everything that has been happening the last few days. First the talking panther, and then today I see a fight between a huge werewolf and a giant tiger on two legs. Chase kept me safe, though, and made sure I got away in one piece. I'm not sure how much more excitement I can take, so I am hoping tomorrow will be dull, boring, and uneventful.

Namon's eyes begin to get really heavy, so he places a bookmark in the diary. Then he turns off the light and covers up. Within a few moments, both he and the Gremlin are fast asleep.



Aluana is getting ready to go out and puts on one of her favorite short dresses. It has a wild design with gold and black animal stripes, and she has matching fingernail polish on and high heels. She is very excited and almost glowing, ready for a night out. She meets with Tiffany at the south gate of the mansion just as she was instructed to, and just as promised, she has a way to leave. No guard is in sight, and Tiffany is waiting for her with a cab right by the gate. Aluana smiles, and from all the excitement, she hugs Tiffany before walking over to the cab. She gets in alone and the driver drives off toward Buckhead.

Tiffany smiles and then looks over to her left where the guard is tied up. Slowly she approaches the guard, and once the gate is closed, she bites into his neck and starts feeding on him. When done with her meal, she wipes her lips, pulls out her phone, and dials a number.

"Yes, Cyrus, I just found the guard dead at the south entrance and someone fed off of him. Another thing, I can't find Aluana anywhere."

She hangs up the phone and smiles.

The cab pulls up in front of the club, and Aluana gets out wearing the biggest smile that she can remember ever having. Good thing Tiffany already paid the driver, though, because she forgot her money.

"I'll worry about how I am going to get back later. I am going to enjoy myself while I can," she says with a big grin.

She walks in with her sheet music in hand and signs up for her turn at songwriter's night. The man at the table gives her a number, and voucher for a free drink at the bar. She walks over to the bar and sits, nervous as can be, and the bartender comes her way to get her order. She orders a cosmopolitan, then hands him the free voucher. All the people stand around, or dance rhythmically to the music, and she sits there swaying to the music, enjoying every minute of it. Several men approach her to ask her to dance, but she turns them all down because none of them gives her a feeling of excitement comparable to the excitement of finally getting to sing one of her songs.

An hour and a half passes by, and her number is finally called. She walks up on stage and passes out sheet music to the house band. She pops her neck and cracks her knuckles as she approaches the microphone. The guitar and drums beat and play at a fast pace as she sways her head back and forth, and her hair waves with each motion. She starts to sing with an aggressive voice:

As I sit here thinking tonight.

I look into my past I realize

The difference in truth and lies.

You feed me false promises and broken dreams.

I'd give anything to know the past memories

I'll give anything you want for the answers that I seek.

Just a glimpse at who I was and who I'm meant to be.

I'll give you anything your dark heart desires.

So I sit here and plead.

Tonight, what do you want from me?

Happiness and love are things that I crave.

To have them I must find myself and I must be brave.

I must prepare for the bad things that I must see.

I'm so tired of not knowing the true me.

So once again, I am on my knees.

I'll give anything you want for the answers that I seek.

Just a glimpse at who I was and who I'm meant to be.

I'll give you anything your dark heart desires.

So I sit here begging and pleading, can't you see.

I'll do anything you want me to, so please,

Just tell me what do you want from me?

Tell me, what do you want from me?

She put all of her emotion into it and put on one hell of a show, dancing all around the stage to the beat of rock music. Once the music dies down, the crowd goes wild, cheering. Encore, encore! Over and over that is all they say. She smiles and is happier than she has ever been; knowing that the crowd loves her and want more. Then she looks over to the front of the crowd, and her heart sinks as she sees Cyrus standing right there, glaring at her with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Well so much for my night out," she thinks to herself.

"I am sorry, but I need to go."

The crowd vocalizes its disappointment with a chorus of "awe" as she exits the stage. She creeps slowly to the exit like a teenage child would when called by an angry parent. Cyrus waits for her inside a limo just outside. She opens the door and gets inside, and Cyrus still has the same scowl on his face.

"Do you know how difficult it is to find good help? I know this is the first time that you have done this, but you cannot just kill the guards whenever you want to just go out and sing. You are too damn important!"

"What are you talking about?" she asks in confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me! Tiffany called when she found the guard's body by the south gate. She said you weren't anywhere to be found and that all you could talk about earlier was about how much you wish you could go to this club to sing. I hope you enjoyed it because it will not happen again, I promise you that much."

Oh, so this was her plan.

Not another word was uttered the whole ride back to the mansion, and when they pull into the driveway, Tiffany stands waiting with a smart ass smirk on her face.

"One of these days she's going to get it," Aluana says under her breath.



In Macon, Katrina leaves the apartment, and returns to the park to investigate the changes. Not much remains of the once beautiful Central City Park after the bulldozers have done their efficient work. She looks around to make sure no one is around to see her, and then she phases and starts sniffing around to see if she can find any clues as to why Cyrus wanted so much to buy the park. She doesn't find anything but rubble, and the slight hint of brimstone from the previous battle she had there. Then she notices a crack in the ground about four feet long but not even wide enough for a squirrel to fit into. She sniffs the crack, but cannot really smell anything. It's like the scents are blocked by something. Smoke starts to come out of the crack, and the smoke materializes in a strange form that is unfamiliar to her. Then it attacks her.
Chapter Five

The following morning, Namon sits at the dining room table eating his morning cereal like he does every day. Katrina isn't there, so he assumes she had to be at work early for a meeting at the church since she is the book keeper there, or something for the next book that she is writing. Then she walks through the door covered in blood. He gets up, and rushes over to her to catch her as she falls.

"Oh God, are you all right?"

He thinks for a moment, and realizes how dumb of a question that sounds, seeing her like this. Then he realizes that the blood isn't even hers, so taking her to the hospital is not a good idea—at least until she is cleaned up. She's barely conscious, so he helps her into her bathroom, and starts the shower, making sure that the water is not too hot or too cold. Then he removes all of her clothes, and manages to get her into the shower.

"I swear I am going to need therapy after this," Namon jokes weakly, desperately hoping to provoke a response or some sign of life from Katrina. She doesn't even seem to know he's there, much less that he spoke to her.

She fully passes out now as he cleans her off, rubbing a soapy cloth over her body to make sure she is clean, and is careful to remove all traces of blood from her. He takes the shower nozzle down, and rinses her off to make sure all the soap is off as well. After turning the water off, he carefully dries her off, lifts her out of the shower, and carries her, dragging her feet slightly, into her bedroom where he dresses her. He fumbles with the phone as he calls 911.

"Yes, my mother came home, and she passed out as soon as she got here, and she won't wake up. Please send help!"

The operator asks for the address, and she dispatches someone. When he hangs the phone up his mind races with panic, not sure what is going on. Then he picks her up, takes her into the living room, and carefully lays her down on the floor since he told them she passed out soon as she came in the door. Then he returns to the bathroom, gets the bloody clothes all up, and puts them in the washing machine. He pours Clorox in the water so that the blood will be taken out. All the rest of the color will come out of the clothes too, which she may be mad at him about later, , but he is sure that would be easier to explain to her than explaining the bloody clothes to someone else. The police might be involved if that were to happen.

The paramedics knock on the door, and he lets them in. They bring in the stretcher to carry Katrina out. They check her vitals, everything seems normal, and she is breathing normally as well. The paramedics analyze every element of the situation—almost every element. What they don't notice is the Gremlin peering around the corner, watching in concern. Even though no one knows he is there or even that he exists, he feels part of this family. As the paramedics lift Katrina onto the stretcher, and roll her out through the doorway, he rushes over, and jumps on one of the legs to hitch a ride. Once the stretcher is loaded into the ambulance, Namon follows, climbing in, and holding Katrina's hand as they leave.

Meanwhile at City Hall the mayor, Cyrus, and the city council members stride purposefully through the entrance, headed to one of the many conference rooms to have their meeting. The bright sunlight of the day doesn't bother them. It only makes them marginally weaker then at night. They also look very pale. Another myth about vampires is the fact they cannot go out into sunlight. They can go out any time of the day that they wish; they are just stronger at nighttime. They also look very pale in the sunlight, since their skin doesn't have the reflex action of tanning to protect itself from the sun's harmful rays. The less time they spend in the sun, the less likely someone will notice.

Everyone has a seat, and Cyrus passes around pictures of an amulet that looks like a dragon's face with hollow eye sockets. It looks as if the amulet is missing something where the eyes should be.

"This is what I am looking for. I want copies of this picture posted everywhere so that anyone can see it, and make sure it says there is a reward for any information leading to the retrieval of this amulet. I want every police officer to have this picture in their database, and I want daily broadcasts on the news," Cyrus says.

"How do you know that it is in Macon?" one of the council members asks.

"Let's just say that I know someone that had it was here when they died," he responds before his thoughts wander to memories of the last time he had seen the amulet.



"So it is a deal then, Gilles? You give me the amulet if I have my sorcerer create creatures able to combat the White Wolves?"

"Yes, I have no use for the amulet anymore. The dragon has failed me before, so good luck to you in your venture. I want the White Wolves erased. It _'_ s because of Lance Averett that I lost the love of my life. I will keep my vow that every last memory of his bloodline shall be eradicated. The amulet will be yours the moment that the creatures are created."

Cyrus had his sorcerer Drake follow, and stalk each of the White Wolves, cursing them by transforming the person each of them loved the most into Shadow Cats, shape-shifting felines with very dark and evil powers. Once they were all created, they were presented to Gilles for his approval. Each of them fought each of their White Wolf counterparts to a standstill. Cyrus planned to meet with Gilles to receive the amulet, but his Shadow Cats showed up instead.

"Our team has not been completed. Cyrus, you failed to have a Shadow Cat for each White Wolf," Liana said.

"What are you talking about? There are four of you, and four of them. There are always only four of them."

Marida steps forward to give some interesting information.

"I have searched my family tree, and my twin brother Chase, and I were never related to the original Averett children. There is still a White Wolf, and we have located her in Macon, Georgia."

The Shadow Cats phased into their other forms, and slaughtered Gilles with very little effort so Liana claimed the amulet as her own. Placing it around her neck, she looked at Cyrus.

"If you want this amulet, then you will have your sorcerer create one more Shadow Cat for us. Until we bring the candidate to you, I will keep the amulet with me."

Liana and the other Shadow Cats disappeared into the shadows, and made their trip to Macon, Georgia. Just as Cyrus showed up, and found them, he witnessed the White Wolves' victory against them and Chase had claimed the amulet. Cyrus was so close to having what he had been after for so long, only to have it slip his grasp again. That is why he hunted Chase down, and had him murdered, but the amulet was still nowhere to be found. That is when he got the idea of using city officials to gain what he seeks, and the best way to distract the public's focus from his shady dealings was to give them a tragedy: destroying one of their most beloved public places, and landmarks was a good way to do it.

Cyrus hands out close-up pictures of a woman's hand wearing a ring. The ring has a ruby stone with a black slit, making the ring look like an eye. Everyone looks at the picture, carefully memorizing every detail.

"There is a ring somewhere, but I do not know where. That is the exact duplicate of this one, and I need it as well. The two rings are the eyes to the amulet, and I need all pieces. I already have one of the rings in my possession," Cyrus says with a sly smile.

"We will get right on it. The pictures will be on the news by noon."



Aluana just sits in her room twirling the ring that is on her finger round, and round. She looks at the ruby eye on it, and wonders where she got it. Cyrus told her that she had it on her already when he had found her. Tiffany knocks on her door, and Aluana gives a very unpleasant response.

"Go to hell, you bitch!"

Tiffany cracks the door open slightly, but before she can open it all the way, a lamp shatters against it. A definite sign that she is not welcome in this room and that Aluana doesn't want to be bothered at all.

"I am really sorry, Aluana. I didn't have a choice, but to tell Cyrus. He wouldn't stop asking me where you were," Tiffany said.

"So why was he under the impression that I killed the guard? I have never even drank a single drop of human blood as far as I can remember. I bet you called him the moment I left, and I also bet you would wipe his ass too, if given half a chance."

"Okay, you little hussy, that is too far. I don't care how much Cyrus prizes you I will not tolerate being spoken to like that."

All is quiet for a moment until a dresser comes through the door, knocking Tiffany into the wall. She makes a Tiffany shaped hole in the wall, and is stuck. Aluana walks through the doorway, pushes the dresser out of her way, and sees Tiffany stuck in the wall. She reaches down, and picks up the "do not disturb" sign that was hanging on the door that Tiffany obviously did not care to pay any attention to. Then she puts it in her face.

"You see this? The next time you try to bother me look, and see if this is on my door. You had better pay attention to it. Now call Cyrus like a good girl, and tell him I need a new door."

She throws the sign down, and pats Tiffany on the cheek before turning the other direction, and walking down the hallway. Tiffany starts punching the walls to get free from it; then she goes to the phone, and dials a number.

"Yeah, get me a local contractor that can fix a wall, and door ASAP."

"Would you like the bill to go to Cyrus as usual?" the woman on the phone said.

"No, bill it to me. I will handle this one."

Tiffany hangs up, and thinks to herself. Yeah, Cyrus doesn't need to find out about this at all.

Aluana locks herself in her recording studio that Cyrus had built to try to appease her, and make her less likely to want to leave. She gets out her pen to start writing music, but cannot focus since she is still very furious at Tiffany. Aluana has only stayed as long as she has because she feels she owes a debt to Cyrus who took her in when she had nowhere to go, and no memory of who she was. Is that really worth being stuck inside every day, though?

A few frustrating minutes pass by, and she finally calms down enough to begin her writing again. Maybe one day she will get lucky, and be able to put her music out there so that someone, anyone, can appreciate what she is capable of. She certainly doesn't get that feeling from anyone around the mansion.



Hours later, Namon is sitting by Katrina's bed at the Medical Center waiting for her to regain consciousness. The doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong with her, so their only conclusion that they can agree on is that she is just passed out from being overly exhausted or that she could be in a coma. The doctors couldn't find anything physically wrong with her, and they are hesitant to call her unconsciousness a coma since she has only been at the hospital a few hours. There is nothing to do right now, but wait.

Nothing eventful has been happening other than some brief excitement when a vending machine released all of its snacks when a hospital visitor tried to get a bag of chips, or cleaning equipment just falling apart, or not working properly. Namon dozes off, and then he hears a quiet, raspy voice call out for water. He looks over, and realizes that Katrina is waking up, opening her eyes slowly. He stands, and hugs her tightly.

"I thought I lost you," he says while squeezing her tightly.

"I'll be okay if you stop trying to choke me. Now stop hugging me, and get me some water."

He stops hugging her, and then rushes out to the nurse's station.

"She's awake, and she needs some water!"

The nurse pages the doctor, and walks with Namon back into the room to check on Katrina.

"Well now, look who is up?! How are you feeling?" the nurse asks.

"Thirsty. What do I have to do to get some water?"

"The doctor is on his way up. Soon as he checks everything out, and gives the okay, we will have someone send up some food, and something to drink for you, okay?" the nurse responds.

"I guess it will have to be."

Soon as the nurse leaves the room, she looks at Namon with fatigue heavy on her face. Weakly, she smiles at him.

"So when did you become the parent, and start taking care of me?"

"I had to do something. You walked in, and passed out. What happened to you?" He walks over closer, and whispers to here. "Where did all that blood come from?"

The doctor taps on the door, and enters.

"I'll tell you when we get home."

The doctor approaches, checks all her vitals, and looks over the chart. "So how are you feeling, Ms. Johnson?"

"I'm fine, but seriously, I want some water," she says with a weak smile. "I just feel exhausted from all the long hours dealing with work."

The doctor scribbles on his note pad, and nods.

"Well I don't see anything wrong, so I believe you just passed out from exhaustion. I'm writing you a note for work requesting that you have a few days off to get some rest. Do you need any help with sleep?"

"No, I don't have a problem sleeping when I get a chance to," she answers.

"Okay, well I'll have the nurse write up the discharge paperwork so that you can go home. Then you're free to go," the doctor said with a smile.

He turns around, and leaves the room, and as soon as he leaves, Katrina looks over at Namon.

"Okay, seriously, if you don't get me some water I will scream."

Namon goes to the nurse's station, and asks for a cup, and she gives him one. Once in the room, he gets her some water out of the sink, and hands it to her. He helps her lean up enough so that she can drink it. Once she has had enough, she lies back down, and lets out a deep sigh.

"Next time something like this happens, take me to the coliseum. The service here sucks," she says pretending like she's waiting for her drink in a restaurant rather than a hospital.

Namon laughs at her, and gives her another hug.

"Since they are kicking us out of here, you better get me my clothes."

He gets up, and gets out the clothes she had on when she was brought in, and takes them to her. She takes them from him, and can obviously tell that he picked the clothes out because they don't match color or texture one bit. She looks over at him with that cocked eyebrow that she is famous for giving him.

"Boy, we have really got to work on your fashion sense. So, what did you do with the clothes that I did have on?"

Namon starts rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"I put them in the washing machine for you," he stammers.

She glares at him, knowing that there is something he isn't telling here.

"Okay, spill it."

"I, um, dumped some bleach into the washing machine. Considering the condition they were in, I figured that would be the best thing to do since I had to call the paramedics," he explains.

She mulls the thought over for a moment, and she realizes that he is right, and that he did really well.

"Thank you for taking care of me, son. Now go into the bathroom, please, while I get dressed real quick. You don't need to see all this again."

He covers his eyes, and feels his way to the bathroom while she starts laughing at him. Within minutes she is dressed, and the nurse shows up with the wheel chair to wheel her out. Namon comes out of the bedroom, and they are all set to leave.

Downstairs, the Gremlin is entertaining itself, watching as people try to drink from the water fountain, and they are sprayed with lots of water. It chuckles each time it happens until it notices Namon walking beside Katrina as the nurse pushes her wheelchair. It hurries over, and catches a ride on the wheelchair, and once outside, Namon helps Katrina into the cab. It scurries beneath the cab, and latches onto the exhaust underneath.

Inside the cab, there is an awkward silence. Namon is worried about Katrina, and wonders what she has not told him, yet. She just stares out of the window, tired, and not sure how many more fights she can handle alone. The battles have become more intense since Cyrus has come to Macon, and the knights from the church are no match for the demons that he has summoned. She knows of someone that can help, and she thinks maybe it is time to finally contact him again. Just in case something happens. The cab driver sways dangerously in, and out of traffic, going way too fast. The Gremlin grips hard to the exhaust pipe to keep from falling off.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Katrina yells at the driver. The car skids to a stop right in front of their apartment complex. The driver reaches back with his hand open, awaiting his payment. Katrina looks at his empty hand, and just slaps it away, obviously frustrated.

"Oh, hell no! I don't think so, pal. I ain't paying you a damn thing for endangering me, and my son's life, and hello? You picked us up from the hospital, you jackass!"

"That's not your son, and I don't give a damn where I picked you up at you're going to pay."

The Gremlin can hear the driver's tone, and growls, moving toward the front of the car. Namon opens the car door, and helps Katrina out. The driver gets out, puts his hand on Namon's shoulder, and spins him around. He looks him dead in the eye, and Namon's eyes glow white. His body starts getting warm, starts to shake, and his skin turns red. A low guttural growl came from within Namon.

Scared witless the driver runs to get back into the cab, and drives away. The car doesn't get far, though, before the engine starts to make a knocking sound, and then it dies out. The engine falls out from beneath the car, and the driver gets out, and starts running down the road. The Gremlin chuckles as it hides in the bushes close to the apartment. No one threatens or acts hostile in any way to his family, and gets away with it. He is proud of himself for getting a little bit of payback for them.

Katrina shakes Namon to get him to snap back to his senses.

"Get inside now!"

They quickly get back inside the apartment, and the Gremlin follows behind, careful not to be seen. Katrina shuts, locks the door, and leads him into the living room, and they sit down. A few minutes go by, and Namon calms down after the excitement. His body temperature cools to normal, and he stops shaking.

"What just happened?" Namon asks.

"You almost just phased, but I don't understand, and how's that possible you're not even eighteen, yet. We need to get you to the church soon, and figure this out."

Namon stands, goes into the kitchen to get a soda, and chugs it down fast.

"I'm okay. We just need to stay at home a few days, and I will stay calm. You need your rest."

"I can rest when I'm dead. Nothing is going to happen to you that isn't supposed to, if I can help it. You're my son."

"So what is going to happen to me if you die before I am ready to handle things on my own? Do you want me to figure all this out by myself?"

Those words hit her hard because she remembers what it was like doing all of this alone as well. Chase got to escape this life for years after he went into hiding with Michelle, leaving her alone to fight this fight. Then he died, and the option for having any kind of help vanished with him. Soon she will have help again soon with Namon, and she couldn't leave the burden on Namon's shoulders to carry on alone like she has for so long.

"Okay, we will wait a few days, but that is it." He nods in agreement.

"I guess I owe you an explanation about what happened this morning."

She stands as he sits down, and she starts pacing back, and forth, preparing herself for the conversation she is about to have with him. All that has been happening lately has been coming on too hard, and fast.

"Well as you know, vampires, werewolves, and all sorts of other things do exist. The White Wolves and monster hunters are the only things that keep everyone in the world from finding out that they do exist, and keep the world from falling into darkness. My job is to hunt along with knights formed by the church, so all these nights that I am gone; I am out there fighting demons, vampires, and other monsters. We have been very busy lately because Cyrus Wilmington, the lord of the vampires, is here in Macon. He is searching for something, and we don't know what it is, yet."

"So why are you worried about me phasing early, then? Maybe that is why it almost happened. You need help, and you know it."

She thinks long and hard for a minute, and decides that he could be right. After all, that was the theory of how Chase became a White Wolf; there were supposed to be four, but Katrina wasn't old enough yet, so Chase phased in her place.

"We need to teach you the essentials, then. You know most of what you need to know of the history, and we can always go back to that later. Just make sure you keep your mother's journal no matter what happens. She has detailed notes in there about things that she learned from your father, and the other wolves."

"Nothing will happen to it. I promise."

He walks over to her, and embraces her in a tight, loving hug. The Gremlin watches the touching moment, and wishes he could be part of it. It fears to because he is the only one of its existence, and does not feel like it will ever be accepted. So it just watches longingly with sad little tears forming in its eyes.

The hug is now over, and they call Papa John's to order a pizza since the hospital wasn't even considerate enough to feed them before kicking them out. It's not like Katrina doesn't have good insurance.

###  Chapter Six

The following morning, Namon is eating his morning cereal like normal while Katrina watches the morning news. She becomes disturbed by the picture that is shown on the television.

"The mayor is offering a reward for any information that leads to the recovery of this missing artifact. For more information, call."

Katrina gets up abruptly to get the phone, and dials a number. Namon glances at the TV to see the image that upset her, it is a picture of an amulet that looks like a dragon's face.

"Yes, sir, I just saw it on the news. You already have it moved? Okay. Do you think we should reclaim the ring as well, just in case? I will take care of it tonight." She hangs up the phone, and looks toward Namon.

"Well so much for me taking a few days off! You're going to have on-the-job training tonight, it looks like."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Well, we finally know what it is that Cyrus is after. That amulet right there has been in the church's possession ever since your father claimed it after their battle with the Shadow Cats. It is the Galamythe amulet, and we are all in deep trouble if Cyrus gets his hands on it. Now that there is a price on it, there is no telling who can be trusted, and who knows how long it will take someone to connect it with the church?"

"What's the big deal with that thing, anyway?" Namon asks.

"Well, the last person that had it was Gilles. He used it to bring Galamythe back to this world."

Namon's eyes open wide at the thought of a dragon let loose here in Macon. As if things weren't bad enough in this city.

"So what is it that we are doing tonight then, if the church has relocated the amulet?" he asks.

A frown forms on her face because she knows that what she is about to tell him is going to be very difficult indeed.

"We have to go dig up your mother's grave up because she has one of the two rings that un-locks its power. Your father gave it to her as her wedding ring to keep it safe. It was also there in the amulet, and no one knows where the other ring is or what happened to it after the dragon was fought all those years ago."

"So Cyrus needs the amulet, and two rings to bring the dragon back?"

"Well actually, he needs those items, and blood from a descendant of Alexandria to be able to use it."

"So he needs you too," Namon says, concerned, knowing that Katrina is the last descendant.

"Yes, and if he is able to use it he will be able to control Galamythe, and bend him to his will."

"If that is the case, then you shouldn't go tonight."

"I will be careful, but if we are able to secure the ring, and put it somewhere only we know, then that will decrease his chances of success," she says.

"So what do we do in the meantime?"

"We get you to try, and phase again in case something happens tonight, and then we clean up any mess you make while trying to do so. I remember I broke your mother's dining room set the first time I phased."

Namon looks at her with a smile on his face, just waiting to hear this story.

"Okay, you have got to tell me."

She rolls her eyes, and then crosses her arms.

"Okay, fine. Well as you know there are only supposed to be four White Wolves at a time, and I was the runt. When Chase became a White Wolf, I was only sixteen. So, I didn't phase for the first time until I was twenty-one. Your mom, and dad had moved in together, and I helped her go shopping for a beautiful old dining room set. Well that night we all decided to have a couple of drinks. Okay, more than a couple. I got drunk."

Namon starts laughing at the thought of seeing Katrina drunk.

"You want to hear the story or not?" she asks.

He holds a finger up while continuing to laugh hysterically. A few moments later, he calms down enough for her to continue.

"Okay, sorry."

"Anyway, we all were drinking, and having a good time, and then, just like that, I phased. When you have no idea what it's like, phasing, you're drunk, and you start freaking out. I wound up scratching the table all up, and I knocked the china cabinet over, onto the table, and broke it, and half the chairs along with it."

Namon starts laughing so hard at the mental image that he falls to the floor with his hands holding his waist. He lies there a moment in a fetal position, laughing while Katrina glares at him. Once he realizes that she is doing this, he stops, and gets back up.

The Gremlin hiding in the closet, is chuckling as well.

"Okay, back to a more serious topic. I promise I will stop laughing if you tell me what happened to you, and where did Cyrus come from?"

Katrina sits down still feeling fatigued, and massages her temples.

"I think I need to take a nap, but you can read about Cyrus in your books. Just look him up in the index, okay, honey? I'm just really tired from having to fight so much lately, and last night I didn't have any backup, but I will be fine. I'll have you with me tonight," she says with a small smile as she lies down on the couch.

Namon gets out one of the books, and looks up Cyrus in the index, flipping to the right pages.

Cyrus Wilmington was the first human made into a vampire, just as Gilles de Rais was the first human turned into a werewolf. Just like Gilles, Cyrus made a pact with a member of the triad, only he made his deal with Demetria. Demetria figured she could use the vampires that would come from Cyrus as soldiers against Denominos, just as he figured he could use the werewolves against her. Cyrus has gone through many names over the centuries, but his original name was Vlad Tepes III, the Prince of Walachia, and member of the House of Draculesti, a branch of the House of Basarab, the family responsible for the first line of princes in Walachia. He had ruled three times, and was also known as Vlad the Impaler. He was considered a tyrant, responsible for between 40,000, and 80,000 deaths, his victims during his rule, and was known mostly for torturing, and impaling his victims. This made him a prime candidate for Demetria to make him the first vampire.

"You mean this sucker is Dracula?" he looks over at Katrina as she sleeps. "Great. That's all you had to tell me he's Dracula."



Aluana paces back and forth in her room, looking at the empty doorway. Maybe breaking the door wasn't my most rational reaction, but she really pissed me off. Cyrus taps on the frame of the door, and enters.

"So I hear, and see that you and Tiffany had a difference of opinion."

She stands still, and glares at him with her arms crossed.

"Why do you still insist on keeping me prisoner? I never get to go out, and all I have to look at are these same damn walls."

Tiffany stands right on the other side of the wall, and eavesdrops on the conversation.

"Aluana, you know that you are very important, and you have a great deal of importance in the times ahead. There are all sorts of dangers here in the city, and I would be devastated if anything were ever to happen to you."

Tiffany grinds her teeth hearing him saying such things about Aluana. She has always been jealous of her, and even more jealous of Cyrus's obsession with her. He treats her as if she were his daughter. Tiffany feels that it is she that should hold his affection, and be the one in charge of everything if something were to happen to him.

"I really do appreciate you taking me in, and caring for me when you found me wandering the streets those hundreds of years ago, but if you care so much about me, you should see what this is doing to me. I still don't have the first clue as to who I really am, and I won't find my answers in this museum of a house. What good is an immortal life if I don't get to live it? If I get out again, I may never come back, Cyrus."

Cyrus thinks long and hard for a few moments before responding.

"You are right, my dear. You do deserve freedom, and a chance to live. As soon as the new mansion is completed in Macon, and we all move down there, you can come, and go as you please. It is a much smaller city than Atlanta, and less dangerous. Just promise me that you will always come back, and until we move, you remain here."

A big smile spreads across her face, and she approaches Cyrus, and hugs him. He hugs back gently with the care that a father would with his daughter. Then he loosens his grip, and takes a few steps back.

"Well, I have to go back to Macon. I must attend to a few business matters. Just don't forget your promise. Stay here where it is safe until we get to Macon. It won't be much longer until the mansion is finished," he says, then smiles at her.

She smiles back, and nods in agreement.

"Why don't you go spend some time in your studio while the contractor fixes things? I saw him pull up right behind me, and Tiffany has assured me that she is paying the bill."

Aluana smiles, and chuckles slightly.

He leaves the room, and sees Tiffany leaning against the wall, and motions for her to follow him. Once out of hearing range of Aluana's room, he slaps his open palm clear across her face before pushing her against the wall.

"You provoked her, didn't you? Not only that, but you also framed her, and didn't think that I would figure it out. She doesn't even drink human blood!"

"Sire, I don't know what you're talking about," she says while avoiding eye contact with him.

"When we get to Macon, your job is to follow her without being seen. If you try to frame her again, or if she so much as even mentions seeing you, I will feed you to Galamythe myself when he has risen."

He lets loose his grip on her, and she nods slowly in agreement.

"I'm sorry, master, it won't happen again," she says with her eyes lowered.

His cell phone rings, and he answers it.

"So Mr. Mayor, I hope you have some good news for me."

"We have had several people calling in claiming that they know where the amulet is, but I think they are all just after the money, and don't have any real information. However I received a call from someone who works at one of the local churches that says he has seen it there," the mayor says.

"He said that they just shipped it out today. Though, along with several other artifacts just one hour after the news report this morning."

"Where is the shipment being shipped to?" Cyrus asks.

"To Atlanta, they have a warehouse there, and it's on a shipping freight truck. I'm sure you can manage to retrieve it since it is headed your way."

"Thank you for the information, Mr. Mayor," Cyrus says before hanging up his phone. He turns to walk out of the mansion.

"Call the twins, and have them collect the freight truck, and meet me at our warehouse," he commands Tiffany as he leaves.



The shipping freight truck cruises at a safe speed along I-75 north. The driver is listening to the local hip-hop radio station, singing along. What he doesn't notice is the black van driving along beside him, with a man standing on top of it. Once the van stabilizes, the man leaps from the roof, and lands gracefully onto the top of the truck's trailer. The sudden jolt from the impact gets the drivers attention, and he looks at his rear view mirror, but doesn't see anything except the van, and other oncoming traffic. He figures it was probably just the wind, and turns his attention back to the highway ahead of him.

On the top of the trailer, the man carefully crawls his way toward the cab of the truck, and then leaps over to the door, snatching it open. The driver is caught off guard, and swerves, almost hitting the van as the man grabs the driver, and snatches him out of the truck's cab. The driver falls, and hits the ground hard, but doesn't feel the pain from the scrapes for very long because the van nears, and runs him over, crushing him instantly. The man jumps into the driver's seat, gains control of the massive vehicle, and then shuts its door.

The van backs off, and then pulls behind the truck, following it up the interstate, and off the exit that it takes. Minutes later, they pull up into a warehouse not far away, and Cyrus is standing just outside the open bay doors, waving at them to pull in. Both vehicles pull in, and stopping as soon as they are in, Cyrus lowers the bay doors. The smaller framed man hops down from the truck, and walks toward the trailer as the larger man from the van approaches with a crowbar. The large man looks a lot like a biker, covered with tattoos, wearing jeans, and a denim vest that really looks like a denim jacket with the sleeves torn off. The smaller man is more nondescript with his attire, but is very skinny. You would have to look long, and hard to tell that they were identical twins. They are the same height, and you can tell that one of them works out a lot since he has much larger muscle mass, also the big guys face is covered in facial hair, and they have a different fashion style.

The big guy wedges the crowbar into the door just enough so that he can snatch the door from its hinges. Cyrus approaches, clapping his hands together to congratulate them on a good job.

"Well done. I always know if I need a job done right, I can always count on the twins. So who is ready to strip this thing down? You guys still want your normal cut?" Cyrus asks.

They do not speak, but just nod their approval in unison.

"Okay, this time you get your normal pay plus everything in the truck, excluding the amulet. That is all that I am after," he says while showing them the picture of the amulet.

They both look at each other at the same time, and then at Cyrus, simultaneously nodding in agreement again.

"That is really creepy, you know," Cyrus says.

The three of them get into the trailer, and, one by one, open every single box, and every single package. Hours later, they run out of boxes, and do not succeed in finding the item they were looking for.

"IT'S NOT HERE! WE HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING IN HERE! IT'S NOT HERE!" Cyrus seethes while punching a hole in the side of the trailer. "I am going to have a serious conversation with the mayor when I get to Macon. While I am gone, tear the truck itself apart to look for it."

The twins nod, and continue their work as Cyrus gets into his car. Once he starts the car, he burns rubber as the tires spin as he puts the car in drive. He speeds down I-75 South like a bat out of hell. The mayor is really in for it when Cyrus gets there.



Back at Katrina's apartment, everything is a mess, and they still have not been successful in getting Namon to phase after her nap. Katrina brings the vacuum cleaner out from her room, and plugs it into the outlet so she can vacuum the floor. As soon as she turns it on, though, it falls to pieces. A little snicker comes from beneath the couch when this happens, and Namon hears it.

"What was that?" he asks.

Katrina didn't respond because she was too busy cursing the vacuum cleaner.

"I swear, if I didn't know any better, I would say that we had a Gremlin following us today."

"Why do you say that?" Namon says while looking underneath the cushions of the couch.

"Well I heard the nurses say things were messing up at the hospital, the cab's engine fell out, and now the vacuum," she says, and then looks at Namon. "What are you doing?"

"I swear that I just heard something laugh around here."

Katrina cocks her eyebrow, walks slowly over to the couch, gets on her hands, and knees, and flips the skirting up. She doesn't see anything, but they both hear the sound of little feet running down the hall, and as soon as they turn to look, the bathroom door shuts.

"Okay, now that's creepy," Namon says.

Katrina gets a broom, Namon grabs a mop, and they both slowly make their way to the bathroom, and then quickly open the door. Katrina flips the light switch, and looks all around the bathroom. The Gremlin holds its breath as it hides in the toilet's water tank, doing everything it can to keep from trembling with fear. It listens carefully as they search the room, and once it hears them exit the room, it lifts the lid to the tank, and peers around.

"I guess we were just imagining things, Namon." Katrina picks up the mesh metal waste can beside the hallway desk, and waits right there. "So, guess we better get back to cleaning up, don't you think?" She motions for Namon to walk into the other room.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he says as he walks a little heavier than he normally would to make extra sound as he walks to the other side of Katrina.

Satisfied that they are gone, the Gremlin carefully pushes the lid a little farther, just enough so that it can slide its way through and slowly creeps down the toilet. It tip toes out into the hallway. It sees Katrina, and tries to run away, but she is too fast for him. She brings the mesh wastebasket down over it, trapping it. It trembles, and shudders as it leans against the farthest side of the basket.

"So are you a Gremlin?" Namon asks, peering at the ruler sized creature with soft straight black fur, He studies the little pointy, leaf-shaped ears that are as big as its tiny head. Its odd proportions coupled with its miniscule size make it strangely adorable. Its slender bipedal body quakes in fear as Namon gets closer.

It shudders as it nods its head.

"So does that mean you tore up my vacuum cleaner?"

It nods with a sad expressive frown.

"How about that guy's cab? Did you do that?"

It nods with a scowl on its face as it lets out a slight growl.

"Did you do that because the man was mean to us?" Namon asked.

It nods again, confirming what Namon assumed.

"That was a brand new vacuum cleaner, you know," Katrina says.

It lets out a slight whimper of regret, and then Katrina sighs.

"So I guess you must like us then, since you stood up for us?" Katrina asks.

It nods again.

"So are you a boy or a girl? Are you the last one?"

It points at Namon, indicating that it was indeed a male Gremlin, and then nods a final time, confirming that he is the last one. He lowers his head, and frowns while crying. Katrina slowly lifts the trashcan, and places it on the floor. Then she lifts the little gremlin up in her arms, holding him as if he were a 24 week term pre mature baby.

"There, there, I know how lonely it is being the only one of your kind. If you promise to not break anything else, you can be a part of this family," Katrina says.

He wipes his nose on his arm, and then hugs her as far as his little arms can reach. He hops down out of her arms, and walks over to the vacuum cleaner. He waves his hand and the broken pieces of the vacuum cleaner spiral around, and spin in circles before they all snap together, making it whole once again. Katrina walks over to the vacuum cleaner, and turns it on, and it works as well as it did the day she bought it.

"He may come in handy someday, don't you think?" Namon says.

"True, just do not ever take advantage of him, son. Gremlins are very loyal until they feel like they have been mistreated or betrayed. Then they become very vengeful, and that's the last thing you want. So how about we come up with a name? How does Gremy sound?"

The Gremlin's face shrivels up at that name: The same kind of face you make when you eat something sour. The television was turned to a music video station, and the music video for Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" comes on. It grabs the Gremlin's attention as he starts dancing around.

"How does Oz sound to you?" Namon asks.

He doesn't make a face at all, and seems very pleased by this name suggestion.

"So that is settled, then. Back to work now," Katrina says while handing Namon the broom.

He lets out a deep sigh as he starts sweeping the floor. Then he glances over and sees Oz head banging. What has this world come to? Namon thinks to himself. There's a head banging Gremlin named Oz in my living room.

Katrina looks at Namon, and how he is looking at the creature with a smile. This warms her heart to see him amused, and somewhat happy. He has had so much unhappiness it _'_ s time he got something good. She clicks the vacuum on, and proceeds with cleaning.

Minutes later, there is a knocking at the door, and Oz hides beneath the couch. Katrina looks at the couch, and wonders how many times the gremlin has done that. Namon answers the door to see the priest from the church standing there in normal clothes. Namon thinks it looks somewhat weird to see the priest like this, since he has never seen him outside the church.

"May I come in?"

"Of course," he says, moving out of the way.

The priest walks in, looking back behind him as Namon closes the door. Katrina walks over, and shakes his hand greeting him warmly. Katrina's face transforms from welcoming to fear, then confusion, and then anger at the words that flow from the priest's mouth upon entry.

"I am sorry to bother you two at home, but this is very important. I am positive that we have a leak at the church, and I am not sure who it is," the priest says.

Katrina assumes that the leaky squeaker has informed Cyrus of her, and Namon's whereabouts until she's informed of the events from earlier that day.

Katrina steps aside for a moment, and gestures toward the couch.

"Would you like to have a seat? How about a glass of water?" she asks.

The priest sits down on the couch, and nods at her request. Oz scampers from under the couch, and catches a ride on Namon's leg as he walks into the kitchen. Namon notices Oz trembling, obviously not ready to be around other humans, yet. He picks him up, and gently sets him in the cupboard. He holds his finger up to his lips, signaling the terrified gremlin to be quiet. Then he gets a glass of water, and brings it out to the priest; who takes it from him, and drinks from it as if he hadn't had anything to drink all day.

"Thank you, I needed that. As I was saying, we shipped out a bunch of artifacts today to our warehouse in Atlanta. The manifest has an amulet relic listed on there, and, well the freight truck got highjacked. The driver was murdered, and I suspect that Cyrus was responsible for the theft."

Katrina's heart sinks at this news. She covers her open mouth as she sits on the other end of the couch.

"So he has the amulet," Katrina states, her voice filled with dread.

The priest smiles at Katrina, then reaches into his inside pocket to remove a small pouch. He hands it to Katrina who opens it slowly.

"I managed to sneak this away right before they closed the trailer up," the priest says. Adrenaline rushes through her veins, and turns cold when the priest hands her a black velvet bag.

Katrina reaches into the bag, and pulls out the amulet. She is stunned into silence as she holds the very same amulet that is on the news, and on every single bulletin board in Macon. The two eye sockets are hollow, and the face of a dragon is definitely clear. Namon watches as Katrina still in shock holds the Galamythe amulet. Things just got very real and serious in this apartment. She looks up as the priest stands up, and hands the glass back to Namon, and walks toward the door. He turns when he gets there, and has his hand on the knob.

"I am truly sorry for placing this burden on your shoulders, but I do not think there is anyone in the world that could be trusted with it other than you. The price is too high for Cyrus to get his hands on it. I'll see myself out, and I do hope you're able to fight soon, Namon. I have a feeling there are many bad things on the horizon for this city. Goodnight," he says as he bows.

He turns the doorknob, and exits the apartment, leaving Katrina sitting on the couch with a shocking look on her face. Soon the look fades away, and small tears fall down the sides of her cheeks. Everything is pressing down on her, and she is very close to her breaking point.
Chapter Seven

Cyrus's car screeches to a halt in front of the mayor's office. He slams the door as he gets out, and marches up the steps to city hall. It is obvious that he is pissed off as he walks through the small crowd, pushing everyone aside. He grabs the doorknob to the entrance, and winds up snatching the door completely off its hinges. The receptionist hides underneath her desk due to the sudden scare. Cyrus composes himself by adjusting his tie as he walks calmly to her desk. When he approaches her desk, he taps the top of it ever so gently.

"Excuse me, miss, is the mayor in his office?" he asks calmly.

She slowly peers from under her desk, and nods, confirming that the mayor is there. Then she raises a trembling hand, and points in the direction of the mayor's office. Cyrus gracefully bows to her, and walks towards the mayor's office, but stops to look back at her, and grin.

"You may want to go ahead, and leave early since business hours are almost over," he winks at her.

He enters the room, and within moments, she can hear loud noises coming from within the office. Fearing for her life, she crawls out from behind her desk on her hands, and knees. Then she stands, and runs out of the building; too much excitement for her today.

In the mayor's office, Cyrus lifts him by his neck, and pushes him against the wall. His fangs are showing, and his eyes are filled with rage.

"The amulet was not in that truck as you lead me to believe. All that was on that shipment was old records, paperwork, and relics that may as well be paperweights as far as I am concerned," he says to the mayor.

The mayor chokes a response, but it's inaudible, so Cyrus pushes him until the drywall starts cracking from the pressure. The wall splits, making the mayor fall into the next room. Cyrus walks through the hole in the wall, and brushes the debris away from his clothes.

"You are making me mess up my suit, mayor. Now what was it that you were saying again? This time try to sound a little clearer."

The mayor stumbles as he tries to get up, and crawls backward a few paces in fear of Cyrus.

"I swear to you, my contact said that they were sending the amulet out today, and that was the only shipment sent to Atlanta at all today."

"Then your source either lied or was misinformed. Either way, you are still useful to me. Your informant isn't, unless he has more information, so you better bring him here for questioning."

"Wait, sire. He did tell me one more thing. He knows where the other ring is located."

Cyrus looks at the mayor with a look of anger.

"You couldn't have told me that earlier? So where is it?"

"It is buried within one of the graves at the White Wolf shrine at Rose Hill. He said that they figured that would be a safe place you wouldn't think to search."

Cyrus rubs his chin for a moment.

"I'll contact my sorcerer, and have him go claim it. He has a talent at necromancy, so he will prove most useful. In the meantime, Mr. Mayor, you need to clean this place up, and have your informant waiting for me when I come back. Find out whatever you can about him that we can use for leverage to get as much information out of him as possible," Cyrus commands.

He then turns around, exits the building, and gets back into his car, speeding off once again. The mayor stands, and walks into the lobby to see that his receptionist is no longer there. He swears under his breath, picks up the office phone, and dials a number.

"Yeah, Sheila, I need your cleaning service to come clean my office. Get your brother that does drywall over here too, and make it snappy. By the way, do you know anyone looking for a job as a receptionist?"



The sun sets and within Katrina's apartment, she sits on the couch holding the amulet in her lap, and lets out a heavy sigh. The heavy weight of one burden after another has finally pressed down on her to the point that she is having difficulty breathing. Oz hops down from the cupboard and rushes into the living room, and climbs onto the couch after the priest leaves wrapping his arms around her arm, and hugging tightly. He can feel her emotions, and wants to comfort her, and make her happy since he has been through enough sadness in his life.

She looks down at him, and smiles at his effort, and appreciates the gesture. She leans down, and kisses the top of his head. Namon paces back, and forth, feeling pressure as well from everything that has been happening. His inevitable destiny is coming down on him. Just a few days ago he was an average home schooled teenager, and today he knows he is going to be a warrior. There will be many creatures after him just because of what he is, and what he can do to them. Now they will be after them even more because of the object that Katrina now has in her possession.

His body starts to get warm, and a glowing white light emanates from his body. His eyes are locked on Katrina, and moments later, he realizes he has shrunk. She stands up, he sees how tall she is now compared to him, and he starts freaking out. He backs up, and stumbles on his own four feet. Wait a minute, four feet? He looks behind him, and sees that he also has a tail. He lets out a howl, and Katrina quickly puts him in a headlock, and closes his snout to keep him quiet.

"Shhh! Calm down! You don't want the neighbors to hear you. We don't have a pet lease, so the last thing we need is someone to report that we have a dog," she says in a soothing tone.

Namon calms down, and she lets go of her grip on him. She stands back up, and backs away as he tries to walk on all four legs. It doesn't take him long to get the hang of it, though, and he walks over to Katrina's side. He is about the same height as her hip, but he could easily be six feet tall if he stood on his hind legs. The fur on his body has a shiny gray, almost silver, tone to it along with the normal coloration of a wolf. Katrina gets on her knees so that she can be eye level with him, and Oz is climbing up on her shoulders to be further away from Namon. He stares at him cautiously, and knows that he is not the same kind of werewolf as Gilles was, but he still feels uncomfortable. Namon senses the little Gremlin's unease, and attempts to speak to him using his mind just as Katrina was able to do to him before.

"I promise you I will never hurt you, Oz. I am not one of the bad guys. I'll always protect you."

The Gremlin can feel the truth in his emotions, and crawls down Katrina's arm, and hops onto Namon's back. Katrina laughs at him, and pats Namon on his head. Oz grins at Katrina and follows her lead, and pats Namon's head with his tiny hand.

"Hey, I am not a dog you know," he thinks in her direction.

"Now you know how I felt the other night," she says to him, and then sticks her tongue out at him. He returns the gesture by sticking his tongue out, but is unable to do it the same way that she can. Oz sticks his tongue out at Katrina while perched on Namon's back.

She puts the amulet on over her head, and tucks it underneath the shirt that she is wearing to keep it concealed. Then she takes a closer look at Namon, and realizes something.

"You look exactly like Lance's quad form, same coloration, markings, everything. It's a very uncanny resemblance."

"Okay, so what does that mean, then?"

"I don't know, honestly. I mean, I always thought that the only wolves that were supposed to always look alike were the Lance of each generation. The other three descendants of the original four children all look different, but each generation there is one that looks just like the previous, and they are always named Lance. Hmmm I wonder"

"What?"

"The other three only ever have two forms. Their human form, then either a bipedal or what we call a warrior form, and the quad form, which is what you and I have. The Lances' of each generation, though, always have all three forms. So I wonder if you look so much like Lance in your quad form, if that means you have a chance at all three as well."

"How do we find out?" he asks.

She frowns before responding. "I don't know, I only have the quad form, and have no idea how to even begin to phase to a warrior form. I can only teach you things from a quad form perspective."

Namon concentrates, and his body begins to glows again. Oz quickly jumps off, and hides behind Katrina's leg as she stands up. Namon stands in his human form, and starts rubbing his stomach as it growls.

"Man, I am so hungry all of a sudden."

"Yeah, that is a side effect from the phasing. It burns a lot of calories going from one form to the other."

"How do you do it? You only eat a few meals a day that I see, and even then you don't eat that much."

She motions for him to follow her, and she leads him down the hall, and into her bedroom. They approach her closet, and she reaches for the lock. He has always noticed the lock on the closet, but never asked what was in there because he figured the same rules for Katrina's purse also apply to the closet. Don't go through a woman _'_ s purse, or you may find something that you do not want to find. He shudders at a memory of a time when he questioned the rule, and she responded by talking about feminine products. He never asked again, nor did he ever go through her purse. Don't ask, and don't tell. Is a policy he tries to live by.

She unlocks the closet, and opens the door to reveal several shelves lines with different types of junk food. He walks into her closet, and whistles at the mother lode of pastries, candy bars, chips, and beef jerky. His jaw drops as a little bit of drool flows from the corner of his mouth at the seemingly endless amount of junk food.

"So this is a definite perk of being a White Wolf being able to eat anything you want, and not gaining any weight," he says with a wide grin as he reaches for a familiar yellow pastry until she pops him on his hand.

"This is my stash. We will go to the store later, and you can make your own stash in your closet."

"But Trina, I am hungry now," he says while poking his bottom lip out.

She sighs while rolling her eyes before nodding in agreement. He grabs one of the pastries, and removes the plastic before shoving the entire thing into his mouth. Katrina pops him in the back of the head for his lack of manners. Neither of them notices as Oz starts drooling over a bag of cheddar puff corn. He snatches the bag, and hides under Katrina's bed, tearing it open, and feasting upon the tasty treats. Then the phone rings, and Katrina answers it.

"It's a good thing you're planning on making a trip to Rose Hill tonight, Katrina" the priest says on the other end of the phone. "We just received a call from the caretaker saying that he heard a lot of moaning coming from within the cemetery. Cyrus may have a necromancer trying to build up an army."

Katrina's memory takes her back to the previous night when she was searching the park, and she remembers a cloud of smoke, and then a monster appearing. She believes that it's more than a necromancer it could very well be a sorcerer and that is how Cyrus has been able to raise demons. Namon can hear every word the priest is saying thanks to his newly heightened senses.

"You sure it's not just a couple of horny teenagers?" he jokes.

The room is quiet the only sound that can be heard are the crickets just outside the door in the bushes. Katrina glares at him with that "shut up" look on her face, so he does, locks the imaginary lock on his lips, and throws away the key. If only it were that easy, she thought to herself.

"We will check into it. Keep the knights on standby, but do not send them in before I give word, please. We cannot afford to keep looking for new knights."

"We?" the priest questions.

"Yes, sir, Namon has phased, so I will give him some on-the-job training tonight. He shouldn't have a problem handling a few zombies."

Namon's eyes grow wide, and his mouth falls open as he realizes that they were not kidding around, and that zombies are real. Not sure how to react, he rushes to the living room, and looks up zombies in the bestiary index (a book listing all known demons, monsters, and many other creatures along with the best known methods of handling them.). He flips to the Z section, and there is a picture of a rotting corpse under the word "zombie."

"Zombies, let's see what it says about you..." Namon finds the entry, and begins to read.

Zombies are not the brain-eating monsters that motion pictures and modern pop culture portray them as. Are they animated corpses, you ask? Yes, they are, but they aren't reanimated by a government virus or plague outbreak, and you cannot become a zombie by being bitten by one. Zombies are reanimated corpses by result of a strong necromancer or sorcerer that raises the dead to do their bidding. They possess supernatural strength, and are very hard to kill, considering the fact that they are already dead. Dismemberment will only aid in slowing them down, and the only way to completely stop a zombie is to return all of its remains to its final resting place. Not one single piece should be left out or this won't work. Make a line around its grave to cancel the spell linking it to its master. Sprinkling salt on them is crucial to ensure that the master will not regain control of the zombie. However; never let salt touch a zombie that isn't in its final resting place. Such an action will result in the zombie realizing that it is dead, and it will go on a rampage that cannot be stopped until it is in its resting place. Once frenzied, they become stronger, and are nearly impossible to stop.

Namon looked up from the book, incredulous.

"Great and this is what I have to fight tonight?" he says.

"Believe it or not, they are some of the weakest things that you would possibly face," Katrina says.

Namon jumps up in surprise because he didn't realize that she had even come into the room. She takes the bestiary from him, turns it to the page listing "Warrior Demons", and hands it to him. He reads the information, and then looks at her in astonishment, and wondering to himself how can he hope to stand up to such creatures.

"I have had to fight several of these through the week."

"If Lilith died being swallowed by the Leviathan in the stories, then how is it that that demon and other creatures are in existence still?"

"A sorcerer with enough power can summon demons. Others say that some members of the triad still exist. I know it's not because of Demetria, though."

"Demetria?"

"Bring your books with you, and look up the triad on the way, okay? I can't tell you everything all the time, you know."

He gulps, and takes the book back from her as they head out the door. Before leaving, he walks into the kitchen, and gets a saltshaker from the spice rack, and puts it into his jacket pocket. She looks at him as he puts it into his pocket, and feels very proud of him. He is so smart, and resourceful. He is going to make a really good White Wolf. They leave the apartment, and Oz slips out right along beside them. They get into the car, and Namon opens the book, and turns to the section labeled "The Triad" and reads the information listed.

Three demons born of Lilith, who sought the ruling of mankind; Denominos is responsible for the creation of werewolves, Demetria is the creator of vampire , and Damerez, who developed a soft spot for humanity gave elemental magic to human gypsies. The triad constantly waged war on one another, and created different creatures, and monsters to use as weapons in their war. Lilith, their mother, grew tired of their constant war, and also feared that they would become so powerful, and may decide to destroy her as well as one another. She sought a powerful king to have a child with, and the resulting demon was called Grendel. He was very powerful, but in his battle with the Denominos he was horribly disfigured. When Grendel terrorized a kingdom, a powerful warrior sought him out, and slew him. Lilith at first was enraged by this act, but then decided any man strong enough to slay one of her lilin (another word for Lilith _'_ s children) would be strong enough to have another child with. She seduced the warrior, and gave birth to Galamythe. She set the dragon loose to destroy her other children. He was strong enough to do such a task, but the triad decided to form an alliance long enough to trick their brother the dragon into thinking that their mother Lilith would surely destroy him once he had accomplished her wishes. So the dragon instead returned to his mother, and devoured her whole.

"So, is Galamythe the Leviathan in the stories?" Namon asks Katrina.

"Yes sir."



Rose Hill Cemetery, a mysterious shrouded figure chants while holding his hands together. The two rings that he wears on each hand glow red, and purple as he chants the spell. One by one, ten corpses crawl their way out of ground, and gather around him, ready to receive orders. Mist forms in front of him, and the mist is manipulated to show an image of the ring that he seeks, and an image of a wolf printed on the gates to a secluded area of graves that shows the area the ring is located.

"Find the ring, and bring it to me," he says to the zombies.

They shuffle around the graveyard searching for the symbol, and in just mere minutes, a symphony of moans fills the air from their undead mouths. The sorcerer walks over to them, and they point at a gated section of the graveyard with a symbol of a wolf right above it. Within the gates, he can see names on the tombstones Lance, Clint, Mya, Chase, and Michelle. The zombies beat on the gates until the gates fall down to the ground, and one by one they dig up the graves, and remove the corpses. They do not find the ring, until they pull Michelle's body out. On her left hand, the ring shines brightly in the moonlight.

Katrina parks at the main gates of the cemetery, and they get out of the vehicle. Namon turns to Oz, and motions for him to stay in the car. Oz stands on the armrest to the car door and places his hands to the glass with a sad look on his face, wishing that he could help. Namon raises his flashlight, and they cautiously enter the graveyard. They look around, and see ten empty graves, and Katrina swears under her breath. She pulls her phone out, and begins to dial a number until Namon shines the light over, and the broken gate. Katrina sees the gate, and then stops him from walking any further, removes the necklace, and places it over his head, tucking it beneath his shirt.

"Listen, son, if things get too out of hand, you run as fast as you can, and hide. Do not let anyone get the amulet, and don't worry about me. If anything happens just go, do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand," he responds even though he doesn't intend on doing as she says. He has lost his parents he doesn't want to lose her as well.

His attention turns back to the broken gate while Katrina fumbles with her phone again, and he notices the corpses that dug up his parents' bodies. Namon breaks out in a full run, yelling at the top of his lungs. Katrina sees him running straight for the zombies, places the phone in her back pocket, and races after him. As anger flows through Namon, his body begins to glow. He leaps at the nearest zombie, phasing mid leap, and landing on it forcing it to the ground. He brings his jaws around its neck biting with all his strength, and removing its head from its body. Katrina looks over at the shrouded figure assuming that it is the sorcerer, and recognizes him from last night.

"It's you again," she says in surprise.

She phases, and leaps over Namon, and then chases after the sorcerer after he removes the ring from Michelle's corpse. She ducks, and dodges through the other nine zombies trying to make her way to the sorcerer. Namon follows behind her biting at legs, and slashing at zombies with his claws, acting on pure instinct, and trying to slow them down as they follow Katrina.

The sorcerer raises his arms as he exits the section of the cemetery, making the gate rise back up with his magic. Then he summons chains to lock the gate tightly. He faces the gate as Katrina reaches it. The sorcerer reaches into his cloak, pulls out a drawstring bag, and dumps its contents, allowing the wind to carry it in the direction of the gates.

"Now Cyrus is only one artifact away from what he needs, and you wolves will not be able to stop him. Besides, I do think that you will be a little busy with something else," He laughs as he waves goodbye. He spins around, and his body is enveloped in smoke until he vanishes.

When the contents of the bag make contact with the zombies they start freaking out, acting confused, and frenzied. Namon stops as he recalls what he read about salt touching zombies before they are in their graves. At that moment, Namon realizes what was in the sorcerer's bag: salt

"OH SHIT!"

The two wolves turn with their backs facing the fence, and they watch as the zombies head right for them, going into a fury. The two of them do what they can to, and dodge their attack until Namon gets a brilliant idea. He turns, and runs back to the gate, and stands there, waiting for the oncoming attack. Three zombies close in on him with their arms raised, ready to attack, and when they bring their arms down, he dodges them so they bring their arms down on the gate instead of on him. They knock the gate down, opening up the battlefield.

"Come on, let's go Katrina, we need more room to fight!"

Namon runs out of the gates, and turns back to look for Katrina. He looks just in time to see one of the zombies grab her by the tail. She turns, and bites the zombie's arm off. While she's off guard, another zombie back hands her, knocking her into a tombstone, breaking it in half. She gets back to her feet, and starts limping.

"Leave, I'll hold them off while you get away!"

Namon ignores her command, and runs full speed toward her, ramming head first into the zombie that is preparing to attack her. He turns to her, and nudges with his nose. He turns back to see that the zombie has fallen into a grave, and has stopped moving. Then he remembers the information about what happens when they reach their final resting place. He runs to the nearest zombie, and gets it to chase him as he runs around from empty grave to empty grave until the zombie falls into the correct one, and lies unmoving.

Katrina manages enough strength to get back up, and copy Namon's actions, making one of the zombies follow her to find its grave. Luckily, both of them survive, and wind up getting all of them put away. Namon phases back to human form, and even though the book says they should go inactive, he doesn't risk it, and makes a line with the salt shaker in his pocket all around the graves. Katrina phases as well, and then instantly goes into parent mode.

"Why didn't you leave when I told you to? You could have been hurt or even killed! We may heal fast, and have powers, but we are not invincible, Namon!"

"I did what I had to. I mean, if we didn't stop them, who is to say they would not wind up in the city? Never mind me, the rest of the city could have been hurt or killed! I know you're worried, but we survived, and we have kept lots of people safe by finishing this. If I had left you, they would have overwhelmed you, and torn you apart," he says as calmly as he can manage.

Katrina still keeps the scowl on her face, but you can tell by her eyes that she knows that he is right. She also knows that he used his head during the fight. Yes, he went into the fight blindly before she could call for reinforcements, and that was dumb. Overall, though, during the fight he kept his wits about him, and he was very smart about how to handle the situation; much better than she ever expected.

"Let's go. We need to get to the church; they need to know about this. It is very bad that Cyrus has the ring, and according to the sorcerer, he already has the other ring as well."

He nods in agreement, as they both get into the car, and she drives off. Oz jumps up front, and gets in the seat with Katrina, and acts as if he is driving as well. Namon looks down at him, and smiles.

"Thank you for staying in the car Oz," Namon says.

Oz nods his acknowledgment to Namon, holding his little hands in the air like he's gripping the steering wheel and twisting them as if he were on a very windy road.

She keeps focused on the road ahead with her thoughts on the sorcerer, and worries who else, or what else Cyrus has at his disposal. She worries that things are about to get very bad, and she is not sure that, even with Namon helping her, they will be able to succeed in stopping Cyrus. She pulls her phone out, looks through for a name, and highlights the name Eric. Her fingers type a message to him, and then she presses send. She would normally never text and drive in front of Namon, who is very impressionable, but she's getting desperate. The message reads, "It's time."
Chapter Eight

Cyrus and the mayor stand in the mayor's office, pacing in front of a man sitting in a chair looking at them very nervously, as if his life were in danger. A section of the room fills with smoke, and everyone's attention is directed toward it. When the smoke clears, the sorcerer walks toward Cyrus, and kneels, offering him the ring in the palm of his hand. Cyrus smiles and accepts the ring.

"You may stand, Drake. I have always been proud of your success."

Drake stands, and pulls his hood back, revealing a bald head with a serpent tattoo spiraling around his head. Cyrus walks over to the mayor, and pats him on the back.

"So your informant proved useful after all. So tell me, what kind of information do we have on our friend here?" Cyrus asks.

"Turns out that his daughter has cancer, and he's behind in his taxes; due to spending all his money to pay for her treatments. So, I merely told him that if he did not cooperate with us, he would go to jail, and his daughter would wind up dying when what little insurance he has is tapped out."

Cyrus walks over to the man, places his hands on the man's shoulders, and gently massages them in an intimidating manner.

"You gave us very valuable information as to the location of the ring, but you still gave false information in regard to the amulet. Where is it?" he asks as his fingernails extend forming claws, and dig them into the man's shoulders.

"I don't know!" the man cries out in pain.

"Who does, then?" he asks while making his claws dig deeper into the man's shoulders.

"The priest, he is the only one that knows. He said he was sending it somewhere safe."

"Then I guess I will have to pay this priest a visit. Where does he reside?" Cyrus asks.

"He lives in the church," the man says as blood starts to drip down his shirt.

"What kind of defenses does the church have?" Cyrus says as he lets his grip on the man's shoulders loosen.

"He always has several armed knights around him at all times, and snipers in the towers."

"Well, I don't think that will be any problem at all. My forces can handle that easily, day or night. Drake, do you think you can summon a group of warrior demons?" Cyrus asks.

"Yes, sire."

"Good," Cyrus says as he releases his grip on the man completely. Cyrus pulls his cell phone out of his pocket, and dials a number on it.

"Yes, I have need of your talents again," he says into the phone as he hears the loud clanging of metal parts. "So, are you two still playing with that truck?"

"Yeah, you know we've always loved taking things apart. So what do you need us for?"

"I'm planning an assault on the church tonight. I want to make sure that no one survives. The demons I will have should be enough, but too much is at stake to take any chances now."

"Sounds like a party! We're on our way."

Cyrus hangs up his phone, and turns his attention to the mayor.

"The twins are coming to help," he says with a smile.

Then Cyrus returns his attention to the man in the chair.

"You have done well, but unfortunately, you have failed me once, and that is one time too many for someone I don't have much use for. Oh, and don't worry about your daughter. She will have a very long life free of cancer, or should I say, un-life," he says to the man as he places a hand on the back of his head, and the other just under his chin. Then he twists, snapping the man's neck, killing him instantly.

Drake slowly approaches beside Cyrus, and then leans closer.

"My lord, you know that they will also have the White Wolves there. Well, that is, if they survived the zombies I left them with."

Cyrus looks over at him, confused.

"What do you mean 'they'? There is only supposed to be one of them."

"I am sorry to inform you sir, but there were two at the cemetery. One of them was a black woman in her thirties, and there was a teenage white male there as well," Drake informs Cyrus.

"Well then, I guess it is a good thing we are increasing our odds with the twins then. I think I will have you come along with us, Drake, and summon a stronger creature to fight them just in case. The wolf I encountered recently took out the warrior demons a little too quickly for my comfort. This other wolf that you speak of must be the offspring of the White Wolf that I had the destroyer kill ten years ago."

Drake nods his acquiescence.

"Tonight I will have the amulet, or the church will be burned to the ground with everyone in it."

Drake reaches into his cloak, and pulls out his spell book, and flips through it until he sees a creature he thinks will be to Cyrus's liking. He shows the picture to him, and Cyrus smiles with approval.

"I do believe that is an excellent choice to help burn them to ashes."



Aluana is steadily writing music in her room at the mansion to reflect her newfound good mood. She has been ecstatic at the news that she will be able to get out in public when they move to Macon. Thoughts of shopping, singing, dancing, romance, and having fun flood her mind. She is giddy at this moment, and does a little happy dance. That is, until Tiffany knocks on her new door, and comes into her room. Well there goes my good mood.

"Do you really think you will be free to come, and go when you please in Macon? Seriously, you're under such high guard here. Do you really think Cyrus is going to let you out without a babysitter? You are so delusional if you truly believe that at all, love," Tiffany says.

She just rolls her eyes at Tiffany, ignoring her as best she can.

"Don't you ever wonder about your life, and why you do not remember it? Don't you ever wonder why it is that you never crave blood, or need to feed at all?"

She wonders about those very things every single day, but what she is really wondering right at this moment is why Tiffany is bringing it up, and why she seeks to bother her.

"What do you want?" she asks Tiffany bluntly.

"I just want to make things clear. I don't like you, and the first chance that I can get you out of my life without Cyrus killing me, I will."

Aluana puts her pen down, stands, and walks over to Tiffany.

"I think you have forgotten who put your ass into a wall. Mess with me, and you won't have to worry about Cyrus killing you because I will do it myself. Comprende'?"

Tiffany doesn't back down, and instead pushes her to the ground, and then straddles her, pinning her. She grabs Aluana by the neck, and slams her head to the ground.

"Do not speak to me that way if you value your freedom, or should I say what freedom you think you will have. All it will take is one word from me, and your freedom will be revoked." She leans down, and whispers into her ear. "Comprende'?"

She doesn't fight back out of fear that the words Tiffany speaks are true. Tiffany stands, and leaves the room, leaving Aluana on the floor. She just lies there tears welling up as a wave of depression washes over her. No matter what happens, she will never truly be free. She wonders to herself if she should even bother trying anymore.



Katrina stops the car in front of the church, and they get out, leaving Oz in the car. He sits in the back window with his arms crossed a frown on his small strangely adorable face, frustrated at being left in the car, as he watches them walking up the church steps, full of fatigue. Namon grabs his stomach as it rumbles and growls, he has not had a chance to eat other than a snack cake earlier in the day. Once they get to the top of the steps, Katrina knocks on the door, and one of the guards opens the door, allowing them to enter. Once inside the church, Katrina walks down the aisle to approach the priest standing at the podium practicing his sermon for Sunday. Namon sits down in the front row, holding his stomach. The priest stops his sermon as Katrina nears.

"Cyrus now has both rings. He had a sorcerer at the cemetery to claim it, and I want to know who it was that told him."

"Yes, I found the leak. Only three people knew of its location—you, Reginald, our records keeper and myself. He catalogs most information in the church. That explains why Cyrus's men attacked that shipment that was headed to Atlanta. That means, since he didn't find the amulet there." the priest's eyes get really big as the church bells in the tower start ringing alerting them just before a guard starts yelling down from the tower.

"Cyrus is here, and he is not alone!"

The knights inside the church gather around the front door, and the sound of gunfire comes from both towers as they shoot at the warrior demons that approach. Several of them start pounding on the door, trying to get in.

Oz looks outside the car window to see what's going on. His eyes grow round and he shudders in terror at the sight of Cyrus, and the twins walking toward the church while demons are slashing away at the door with their claws. He scampers quickly from the window down the back seat and hides under the driver's seat, quaking with fear.

Namon is looking around, overwhelmed with everyone running around trying to barricade the windows, and the doors. Stained glass falls as the demons shatter the windows trying to get inside. Katrina comes out of a room holding a sword, and grabs Namon by his wrist, dragging him over to the pipe organ. She presses a few keys, and a hidden door opens.

"Go down this tunnel, and get out of here. Do not look back. You have got to run away, and protect the amulet."

"But I can't leave you! I won't leave you," Namon says firmly.

"Okay, okay I'll go with you," Katrina says.

Namon enters the tunnel, and as soon as he does, Katrina kicks him hard, knocking him to the ground. Quickly she returns to the organ, and presses the same keys in reverse, which seals up the door. Namon gets up, and starts pounding on the door. Once he realizes that he is stuck on the other side of the door, he turns, and starts running, phasing as he goes, thinking maybe he can make it through, and get to the front door in time to help.



Back inside, everyone is on standby, ready for Cyrus. Katrina looks around at her surroundings.

"There isn't enough room in here to effectively fight in wolf form. I need to conserve my strength anyway since I just phased recently. I will save that for a last resort."

The door splinters, and an explosion of wood flies through the air, and warrior demons rush inside, and start attacking the guards. The barricades on the windows fail as well, and warrior demons start coming in through the windows. In just a few moments, the church has become a battlefield. Knights fight warrior demons, and Katrina runs past them, using her sword to fend off demons. She slashes, stabs, and decapitates each one she comes across. Half of the knights fall at the hands of the demons, so she doubles her efforts to finish off the remainder of them.

Katrina turns to see a huge vampire covered in tattoos push his way into the church. He grabs one of the knights, and begins using him as a club, swatting at each of the other knights. He knocks them into the walls, rendering them unconscious, and even impales some of them on candle holders. Katrina rushes over with her sword held high to strike at the behemoth, but he is surprisingly fast for being as large as he is. He swings the limp body of the knight, and hits Katrina with all his might. She flies through the air, and just before she has a chance to hit the floor, a smaller vampire grabs her by the arms, and swings her around, slamming her into the ground. He climbs on top of her, and holds her arms down as he straddles her.

Cyrus walks in through the broken doorway. A few of the knights regain consciousness, and start opening fire on him. A hail of bullets hits him, but with very little effect. The wounds heal almost as fast as they are inflicted. With great celerity, Cyrus runs through, slashing the knights' throats one by one until they are all dead. He licks the blood from his fingers as he looks over at Katrina, and the vampire pinning her down.

"Hold her tightly. She must be one of the wolves," Cyrus says while approaching the priest.

"So this is what's left of the almighty Church; the secret organization that combats evil. Pity it will soon be gone as well."

"There are others, Cyrus. You will never get them all," the priest says.

"On the contrary, dear priest, I assure you I have eliminated all of them. This is the very last one, but enough about that. Where is the amulet?"

"It's not here, and you will not find it."

Cyrus frowns before placing the tip of his finger beneath the priest's chin. The priest cringes as he feels the talon start to extend, but he does not give in.

"I know you want to tell me, and be free of your burden. So, tell me now, and I will let you live."

"I would rather die! So go ahead, and kill me!" The priest declares boldly.

Cyrus grabs the priest by his throat, and brings his face right in front of his own. His breath coating the priest's face as they are nose to nose.

"As you wish," he says as he lifts the priest into the air, and brings him down over the top of the pipe organ, impaling him.

Katrina flinches as she witnesses this, and that draws Cyrus's attention toward her. He walks over to her, and grabs her hair, lifts her head slightly, and slams it down on the floor.

"I am really getting tired of y'all doing that," she says after spitting blood to the floor.

"Where is the other wolf?" Cyrus asks.

"I'm the last one," She claims vehemently, a low growl emanating from her throat.

Drake materializes behind them, and walks around.

"She's lying, my lord. The younger one attacked a zombie right after I removed the ring from the corpse's finger."

"So do you want to try, and answer that again?" Cyrus looks at the smaller twin that is holding her down. "Turn her loose."

The twin lets go, and Cyrus drags Katrina to the center of the room by her hair. She screams out in pain as he drops her to the floor, and places his foot over her throat.

"Who are you protecting?" He demands.

A curious thought enters his mind.

"Drake, what grave was the ring in?"

"The name on the tombstone was Michelle Freeman. The remains were mangled like she had been crushed," Drake says.

Cyrus laughs as he realizes an interesting fact.

"So the other White Wolf is the offspring from that oh so lovely couple that met a most unfortunate end by the destroyer demon, just as I suspected. So where is he and what is his name? I'm sure it is he you are trusting to guard the amulet."

Katrina grabs Cyrus's foot, and uses all her strength to throw him back. This catches him off guard, he falls back, and within a split second, she phases. She stumbles slightly from being weakened by the fight before, and leaps on top of him. She snarls, and snaps at him, but the bigger twin then hits her with the back of his hand, making her hit the wall. She lands on the bodies of the knights that lay on the floor. Barely able to move, she gets back up, and charges towards the large vampire, and lunging at him, trying to get at his throat, but he grabs her in mid-air, and squeezes her with both hands. A high-pitched whine comes from her snout as she feels her ribs breaking under the pressure of his massive hands. Then he grabs her by the tail, and slams her down on the floor with such force it shakes the church's foundation.

Katrina now lies on the floor in her human form because of the massive amount of force she has been hit with. She coughs, and blood flows from her mouth onto the floor. Struggling, she attempts to stand, but fumbles back down. Cyrus approaches her, and grabs her left leg as she tries to crawl away from him. He snaps her leg like a twig, breaking it right in the middle, and she cries out loudly from the pain.

"One more time now, and I will make your death quick. Refuse me, and you will have a slow death. What is his name, and where is he?"

She weakly waves her hand for him to move in closer as if she is going to tell him. He leans forward, and she spits blood right in his face.

"Fuck you," she says with defiance.

He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a handkerchief, and wipes the blood from his face.

"I am getting tired of this game. Drake, call your creature." He kicks Katrina in the ribs. "Well, my dear, I have played long enough. My sorcerer here is going to bring his pet salamander to come play with you while I hunt down the boy you are protecting. Twins, let us now leave Drake to do what he does best."

Cyrus leans forward, grabs her by the hair, bringing her face up to his, and kisses her. When he is done, he licks the blood from his lips then let's her go. His tongue sizzles slightly at the taste of her blood, but it doesn't kill him. He and the twins leave the church, leaving Drake as he starts chanting, and drawing symbols on the floor. As the words are coming from his lips, a hole opens from the center of the symbols, and gradually opens wider until it is massive enough for a large red lizard to crawl out from it. The lizard crawls through the church, its massive tail knocking furniture down, and it starts breathing fire on everything. The furniture ignites along with any fabrics that line the walls. Katrina starts sweating from the heat as the flames grow larger, burning everything in their path. The ceiling starts to crumble as the beams holding it up weaken from the flames, and Katrina screams as her blood boils, and her skin bubbles. The salamander crawls back into the hole, and it closes behind it. Drake bows at Katrina as he leaves the church, and the moment he steps out of the door, the building collapses on itself. Brick, glass, and wood all pin Katrina to the floor as the remains of the church burn around her.

As soon as Namon makes it out of the tunnel, he runs full speed trying to get to the church in time. Once he approaches the front of the church, he can see Katrina through the entrance. She lies on the floor pinned by debris. He watches in horror as he sees her burning alive, he starts howling, as his form shifts, his howls turn into screams of heartache. He falls to his knees feeling waves of sorrow wash over him, and his tears flowing. He feels all his strength leave him, and his heart breaks, not knowing how to deal with such a loss. He can hear the sound of sirens as they get closer, and closer. Oz gets out of the car, rushes over to Namon, and grabs his shirt, trying to pull him. Namon looks down at him, and realizes that the police, and probably the fire department are on their way, and it wouldn't look good for him to be there in front of a burning church. Plus there is also Oz to think of; now more than ever, he understands how the little Gremlin feels losing his whole family, and he realizes the little guy needs him. So he does one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. He gets into the car, and drives off before the sirens arrive.

"Well buddy, it's just you and me now. We have to go back to the apartment, and get a few things before we go into hiding. That is, if you want to tag along."

Oz grabs hold of his arm even more tightly to acknowledge that he is going wherever Namon goes. He shifts the car into reverse, and drives toward the apartment away from the nearing sirens. Once they get to the apartment, they gather some clothing, and all the books that he needs. He also stuffs a bag as full as he can with junk food. He still hungers, so he stops long enough to eat something, but as soon as he and Oz are done, they load up the car, and leave their home, even though they are not quite sure where they will go.

Cyrus and the twins show up at the mayor's office.

"So what do you have for me, Mr. Mayor?" Cyrus asks.

"While you were gone, I was able to pull files of the church, and the only person on the staff that meets the description Drake gave is this woman right here," he says while showing Cyrus a picture of Katrina. "I have her address, and vehicle registration records right here. So we could check out her apartment, and put out an APB out for her car."

Cyrus smiles chillingly.

"You did very well, Mayor. I will check the apartment, and the twins will search for the car. That is their specialty, you know, recovering vehicles. I want that boy tonight, so everyone must act quickly."
Chapter Nine

Namon drives on Tom Hill Sr. Boulevard very carefully so that he will not draw any attention. Despite his caution, though, a Bibb County patrol car pulls behind him as he gets onto the interstate. It is early in the morning, and there aren't any other cars in sight. As soon as he begins to pick up speed on I-75 North, the deputy turns on his emergency lights. Namon swears under his breath as he pulls off on the right shoulder, only a few yards away from exit 171.

"Shit, I don't even have a license. This is not good at all."

Oz gets into the passenger seat, and uses the jacket there to conceal himself. Namon waits for the officer to get out of his patrol car. Inside the deputy's car, he reaches for his radio, and speaks into it.

"I have spotted the car that the mayor is looking for, and have him pulled over. How should I proceed? Over." He waits for a response.

"Keep him busy. The mayor is dispatching a private response team to come get him. They will be driving a black van. Over."

"I copy."

The deputy gets out with his flashlight in hand, and slowly approaches the vehicle. Namon gets very nervous, and begins to panic. Katrina's voice then speaks into his mind.

"Keep calm, son. Everything is going to be fine."

The officer taps on the glass, and Namon rolls the window down.

"Can I help you, officer?"

"Yes, can I see your license and registration, please?"

Namon reaches into the glove box, and feels around for the registration papers, and the proof of insurance. He hands them to the officer while trying to keep his hand steady, and keep it from shaking.

"I'm sorry, officer, this is my mom's car, and I am on my way to pick her up right now from work. She had to work the late shift tonight, sir, and I left my license at home by accident," Namon says.

"Good job, son. You're doing great," Katrina says to him.

"Okay, son, let me just go run your information and I will be right back," the deputy says with a smile.

The deputy walks back to his cruiser and gets inside. He messes around with his computer, pretending he is running the information through the system to stall. Minutes later, a black van passes, and pulls up in front of Namon. It backs up so close that the rear bumper pushes the car back, making it hit the deputy's car. Now Namon is pinned between the van, and the patrol car. The deputy gets out of the car, and runs toward the van, banging on the side of it with his flashlight.

"What the hell are you thinking there, buddy? I don't care who you work for, that's government property you made that boy hit. I need your information right now!"

The driver's door opens with such force it knocks the police deputy clear across the interstate and into the ditch on the other side. A large man covered with tattoos gets out of the van, and then a smaller one gets out of the passenger side.

"Get out, Namon, those are vampires!"

Namon grabs Oz, gets out of the car, and breaks out into a full run. As soon as he passes the patrol car, he heads for the slightly wooded area. The large vampire flips the patrol car over, making it roll down the hill. Namon makes it past the tree line just before the car hits against the trees. He continues to run, slinging Oz onto his back.

"HOLD ON TIGHT!" he commands.

His body glows with pure white light, and his form changes to his wolf form, landing gracefully onto the ground. He can smell all of the surrounding scents, and the vampires that are in pursuit of him. The scent of the smaller one is drawing near as Namon can see the railroad tracks ahead of him.

"Do not look back, or slow down, you have got to get away from them, these are very dangerous vampires," Katrina says in Namon's head.

Oz has a tight grip on Namon's fur and rides him as if he were a horse. He even kicks his heels into his sides after looking back to see the vampire closing in on them. Namon picks up speed, and Oz does the best that he can to keep from falling off. They reach the railroad tracks, and the scent of the vampire grows even stronger now. The vampire catches up to Namon and tackles him to the ground. He tries to wrap his arm around Namon's neck, but Namon is too fast for him, and bites down on the vampire's arm. He keeps a very firm grip on it, refusing to let him go even as steam starts to come from the vampire's arm. When his mouth begins to feel the warmth from the wound he has inflicted, he lets go, and falls back, facing the vampire. He sees the wound is red, and the skin bubbling and this confuses Namon for a moment since he has never seen this power in use. That is before he gets a good look at the vampire's face. At that moment, he has a vision seeing this very vampire straddling Katrina, and holding her arms down as Cyrus bangs her head to the floor as if he were there in the church with her.

Namon snarls and growls before he rushes at the vampire. The vampire swings at Namon, but he dodges, and bites down on the vampire's leg with all the strength in his jaws. The vampire falls to the ground, and Namon drags him by the leg; then walks across his back, allowing his claws to dig into the vampire's back. Steam comes from the scratch marks, and small flames start to come out of the wound on the vampire's arm and leg. He cries out in pain right before Namon brings his jaws down over his neck, biting with great pressure until the vampire's head is completely removed from its body. Namon jumps off and starts running at full speed once again, leaving the vampire's remains to smolder, and turn into ash.

"Good job, Namon, but you need to hurry up. The other vampire may be slower, but he is much stronger."

Namon is equally baffled by how Katrina is communicating with him, but since he needs the help, he isn't going to question it too hard right now.

"Why did he burst into flames from my bites, and scratches?" he asks her as he runs.

"White Wolf bites are very lethal to vampires and many other evil monsters. If anything evil tries to bite you, then their teeth will dissolve from being in contact with your blood. If they wind up swallowing any of your blood, they would burn from the inside out. The only exceptions are some much older vampires and creatures. All it would be slightly irritating them."

He can now hear the sound of water flowing from the Ocmulgee River close by. Heading in that direction, he can smell the larger vampire getting closer now. Leaping with incredible grace, he goes from boulder to boulder that lie within the river until he reaches the small island in the center of it. There is a big distance to have to cover from the island to the land on the other side of the river. He hesitates, but then backs up a little bit, dashes, and leaps into the air. Landing in the water, he makes his way to dry land, and he hears a snarl. He looks back in time to see the massive vampire leap the entire distance of the river and land just a few feet away from Namon.

He reaches for Namon, and he evades quickly as Oz still holds on for dear life. The vampire swings away, slamming his hands down hard onto the ground when Namon dodges, creating craters the size of his fists. Suddenly, a howl fills the air and the vampire turns his attention towards the tree line. A gray wolf with a black spot on its back and the top of its snout curls back as it snarls, appears showing its teeth aggressively. The brutish vampire just ignores the wolf and turns his attention back to Namon, catching him by surprise, back handing him and slamming Namon into a tree.

The gray wolf attacks, leaping onto the vampire's back, then biting into his shoulder. Shortly after, four other wolves show up, all different in size, and coloration, and begin attacking the vampire. They grab him by his legs, and even between his legs, and pull in different directions, trying to subdue the brute. The vampire now has each of his extremities being pulled on by a wolf, and the gray wolf on his back. He spins around, trying to fling them off, but they sway back and forth with their grip still strong.

Namon recovers and looks at the sight of the brute trying to swing off the wolves, then he gets a good look at his face, and vision of this vampire's brutal attacks on Katrina fill his mind. He can see him crushing her with his hands, and slamming her on the floor by her tail. Oz stands up, his head spinning, and then falls back down to the ground, dizzy, as Namon runs in for the kill. The other wolves are still holding on to the vampire, and Namon lunges at his throat, biting it with all his might. He savagely rips back and forth until he tears his throat out. As the flames sprout out of the vampire's neck, the other wolves let loose their grip and fall back, watching as the brute bursts into flames and burns all the way down to a pile of ashes.

"I'm so proud of you."

He hears Katrina's voice, looks around at the surrounding wolves, and sees the ghostly image of a solid white wolf that turns and fades away as she runs off.

"I love you, and I will help you the best that I can." He can hear her voice again.

With the battle over, the wolves finally notice Oz and start to move closer to him, and sniff him. He wakes to see the unfamiliar wolves sniffing at him, and he continues to lie there paralyzed with fear. Namon quickly gets between him and the wolves, letting out a warning growl to keep them from getting him. Oz is the only family he has left and he will protect him fiercely. The wolves slowly back away with their heads lowered to show that they are no threat. They slowly start to change, and Namon can see that they are not like him because they have to focus much harder, changing each individual bone and muscle group into its new placement. All Namon has to do is think about it, and he can just leap into his other form.

They all stand naked in their human forms, all of them very different. They are definitely not related. The gray wolf that Namon first saw turns out to be a man that looks to be in his forties with salt, and pepper colored hair. Namon wasn't surprised to see the man standing there unclothed; he himself had noticed that his own clothes phased back and forth with him, conveniently.

"We mean you no harm, White Wolf. My name is Eric, and these are my fellow skin walkers. We did not intend to harm your little friend there, we were merely curious. We have never seen anything quite like him."

Namon believes that he speaks the truth and does not believe that any of them are a threat to him or Oz, so he phases into his human form, fully clothed. Scooping Oz up, and placing him to sit on his shoulder, and then turns his attention to Eric.

"Why did you help me, and where did you come from?"

"We know your godmother, Katrina. She met us at the other White Wolves' funeral, and we paid our respects because they helped us. We aren't from around here, and you see, we offered to move here so that if a necessary day came, we could repay the favor. She sent me a text that it was time for us to come get you and continue where she left off. We were walking the trail over by the river walk when we received the text, and she said for us to meet at St. Joseph. By the time we got there it had burned to the ground, and you were gone, so we tracked you."

Namon dwells on what he says, and is not sure whether he should believe him or not...so much has happened. He looks hard into Eric's eyes and glimpses of him shaking Katrina's hand at a funeral fill his mind. Then he remembers Katrina sending a text message in the car earlier. He slowly extends his hand in greeting, and Eric shakes it.

"My name is Namon, and this is Oz. We are on the run because Cyrus wants me, and he has already killed Katrina."

Eric and the others frown from the bad news.

"You have our condolences. She was a very good person and has always had our respect. You are more than welcome to stay with us. We will protect you, and teach you how to fight both as a human, and as a wolf. You did well with these two vampires, but a lot of that was luck, and instinct. That isn't a bad thing, but you also need skill and discipline when in a battle, and must always remain focused."

"I have to keep moving. They will be looking for me," Namon replies.

"Don't you worry about that, skin walkers are immune to any means of detection from vampire or demon, that's a little secret they don't know about us, we draw our power from nature so it makes it very difficult for us to be detected. Stay close up to a mile radius from us, and you will be safe here." Eric says with a proud grin.

Katrina's voice encourages him to accept the offer.

"Okay, but I need my books and clothes out of the car before I can come with you."

Eric nods, and then turns to the man standing by his side. "Get some clothes on, and go get his books. We will have more clothes for him." Then he turns his attention back to Namon. "It is too dangerous for you to go back."

Oz taps on Namon's shoulder to get his attention.

"Oh, and if it's not too much trouble, could you get my bag too? It's full of snacks and my friend here loves them."

"Sure, no problem," Eric says while nodding to the man he sent to claim Namon's items.

"Now, let's get you out of here before someone else comes to look for you. We have a few vehicles close by."

Namon follows them as they lead the way out.



At Katrina's apartment, Drake and Cyrus are both looking through all the drawers and cabinets for some sort of clue as to what Namon looks like. Maybe he could even get lucky enough to find the amulet, but he seriously doubted it. Katrina knew what she was doing, though, and they couldn't find even one single picture. Drake can't form an image of Namon because he didn't get a good look at his face when he was running at them very quickly in the dark. When it is obvious that Cyrus is getting very frustrated, his phone rings.

"What do you want?"

"Sorry to bother you, but one of the deputies found the car. It's on the right shoulder of I-75 just before you reach exit 171," the mayor says.

"We are on our way," Cyrus says while hanging up his phone.

Drake and Cyrus get into his car after leaving the apartment. About fifteen minutes later, they show up where the car and the black van are. They get out of the car and Drake points at the bottom of the hill where the deputy car is on its side against the trees.

"I am going to take a guess that they are in that direction, sire."

The deputy comes out from around the other side of the van with his gun drawn.

"Hold it right there. This is a crime scene!" He aims the gun shakily at Cyrus.

"I'm the mayor's boss, son, so you better put that gun away because that also makes me your boss."

The radio in his car starts going off, and he can barely hear the voice on it.

"I have an associate on his way to the scene, so let him have all access. His name is Cyrus Wilmington. Over," says the mayor on the radio.

"Is that you?" the deputy asks.

Cyrus pulls out his wallet to show the deputy his ID.

"Okay, carry on. Sorry about that," the deputy says while putting his gun away.

Cyrus puts his ID away before he begins questioning the deputy.

"Have you seen my other associates, the ones from the van?"

"No, sir, after I regained consciousness, I walked down that way where my car is, but didn't see any sign of them."

Cyrus notices the trunk to the car Namon was in is open and empty.

"Was this trunk open before you went unconscious?"

"No sir."

Cyrus grinds his teeth together in frustration.

"Thank you for your time."

Cyrus and Drake walk toward the direction of the car in hopes they may be able to find some sort of clue. Once they reach the railroad tracks, all they find is a small pile of ashes.

"This must be one of them. The boy is stronger than I could have imagined," Cyrus says.

They continue along the same direction and eventually make it to the river. They look across the other side and see another, much larger pile of ashes. Cyrus leaps to the other side of the river to investigate further, but all he sees are several sets of paw-prints in the sand, and then several sets of human footprints as well.

"Shit," Cyrus curses.

"What is it?" Drake appears from a puff of smoke.

"I think our target has met up with a pack of skin walkers," he says as he kicks the pile of ashes towards the river.

"So what do we do now?" Drake asks.

"We wait. He will surface again eventually. The skin walkers are territorial, so they won't leave too far out of the area one day he will surface. Besides, he will want revenge someday."



In Jones County, Namon is being brought into a trailer at the end of a small road at a privately owned trailer park. The trailer is right beside a small pond, and has access to the woods behind it. The whole trailer park is surrounded by woods. Eric shows Namon to his room, suggesting Namon stay in the same trailer as he does until he becomes more familiar and comfortable with the different members of the pack.

"It's not much, but its home. You're welcome to everything we have, and if we do not have it, Kaya here can get it for you."

A beautiful Native American woman steps forward and bows her head slightly, and she appears to be the same age as Katrina.

"Thank you for everything, but I think that I will go lie down for a little while. I haven't had much sleep."

"I understand. You have had a very difficult time indeed, so rest well. Make sure you keep your little friend close by. The pack will not harm him, but there are many other creatures in the woods or even stray dogs that may try to."

Namon nods and goes into his room where his belongings have been set on the bed along with the duffel bag full of snacks; which Oz has already gotten into. All the books he needs to learn what he needs to know are on the desk, but he avoids them and lies on the bed. His emotions catch up with him, and he begins to truly mourn for Katrina. He has lost his mother and father already. Now he has lost the only mother figure he has ever had.

"I am so sorry that I cannot be there with you physically anymore, but I am here with you in spirit."

He opens his eyes, and Katrina sits on the end of the bed as she always did when he was upset. He leans up to hug her, but his arms pass right through her. An ache begins deep in his chest.

"What is going on? How is it that I see you, but you're not really here? _"_

"Well, sweetheart, that is thanks to another gift, or sometimes curse that we share. When a good soul is murdered or dies in an unnatural way, their soul is not allowed to cross over. So they will come to you to ask for your help because you are a White Wolf, or to help you in times you may need guidance. You will be the only person that they can communicate with and they will rely on you to do whatever needs to be done so that they can cross over to the other side."

"Let me guess, Cyrus being alive is what is keeping you here? _"_

"That's part of the reason. The other is making sure that you're going to be safe, so don't get any ideas about trying to take him out you are far from ready. I can't show you everything you need to know, but I can give guidance on occasion until you are ready. If you die, I will never be able to cross over, and you will be stuck in limbo like me because you are the only White Wolf left now. You need your rest, though, so lie down, and sleep tight. I love you."

Namon lies down, and Katrina leans over to kiss him on his forehead as she has always done before. He closes his eyes, and within moments, he falls asleep due to his exhaustion. A lot has happened to him in his lifetime and there are going to be a lot more trials ahead of him.

Hours later, he wakes up and seeks Eric out.

"So when do I start learning how to fight?" he asks.

"Eager to learn, I see. I like that," Eric responds with a smile. "We can start today, but first you must know the pack rules. Number one and the most unbreakable rule: No vampires allowed. If you see a vampire, you are to exterminate it immediately, understood?"

"Yes sir, I do not see any problem with that at all."

Visions of Cyrus breaking Katrina's leg enter his mind.

"Other than that, pack is family. We will protect you, and you will protect us," Eric says as he pats Namon on his back.

I will learn everything I need to know to fight and when I do, I will get them for you, Katrina. That is a promise I will keep.
Chapter Ten

Cyrus sits in his chair in the Atlanta mansion's study, trying to rest, and wait for his migraine to go away. It is very stressful, after all, trying to organize the end of humanity. Aluana is in her studio working on a new song, so he doesn't have to worry about dealing with her at the moment. Tiffany, on the other hand, walks into the room wearing a black, skin tight mini dress with black heels, and holding a wine glass full of red liquid blood. She hands him the glass, and then walks around behind him. He sips from the glass, enjoying the full flavor from it.

"Type O negative?" he asks her.

"Your favorite," she says while she massages his shoulders.

"I was so close last night. I could smell him in the area, I was just so close, and that infuriates me." He stops speaking long enough to enjoy another long, slow, sip from his glass. "Now there is no telling how long it will take him to surface."

She continues massaging his shoulders as she listens, and then offers a suggestion to him.

"Well, I have been doing a little research in my spare time. Why don't you have Drake summon seeker demons and have them scattered across Macon? That should speed things up at least a little bit, don't you think?"

"Seeker demons?" he asks.

Tiffany stops massaging him, walks over to the bookshelf, and removes a book entitled "Demonica Britanica". She turns it to a page labeled "Seeker Demons" and reads the information to him.

"Seeker demons seem human by appearance. They are commonly used as infiltrators to seek out people, relics, or any creature that the conjurer wants to acquire. When confronted with their target and they will change into their true demonic forms, and are nearly unstoppable."

She shows him a drawing of a woman, and then a comparison drawing that shows the woman in an alternate form with her face split open from the forehead down to her gum line, the skin peeled back revealing a larger mouth lined with razor sharp teeth. A thin membrane is shown beneath her arms to make wings. The wings appear to be coming from her wrists down to her side where her skin opens up sort of like a zipper. Her talons have extended from her human like hands.

"As lovely as she is, what good will that do for me if I do not even know what he looks like?" he says with a slight bit of sarcasm to his voice.

"Yeah, that's why you have them search for a person wearing the amulet. With him being so young, and knowing that it is so important, do you think he will risk hiding it anywhere or trusting it to anyone? Just make sure the demons know what it looks like, and they look for that. I know it may still take a good while, but it's a lot faster than what you have now."

Cyrus grins at her, thinking to himself. Wow, she is very smart, and has thought this through.

"You are cleverer than I have ever given you credit for. Well done, my dear."

Tiffany starts glowing at the compliment he gives her.

"Now would you mind leaving me in here alone? I have this terrible headache I need to tend to," Cyrus says.

Tiffany puts the book away and walks over to the door. Instead of opening it, though, she locks it, and then turns to face him. He looks at her curiously, wondering why she didn't do as he asked. Usually she is so very compliant, and now she is doing the opposite of what he said. He doesn't fear her because he knows that he could kill her without blinking if she tried anything.

"I do have other talents that could be a great deal of help relieving your...stress, my lord, and your headache along with it."

"And what talents are those?" he asks with a suspecting grin.

She slides the straps to her dress over her shoulders and slides the dress down to her ankles. As she steps out of it, she kicks it aside and walks over to him. Wearing nothing, but black lace, see-through lingerie, she straddles him in the chair and cups his face with her hands.

"These talents," she boldly states.

She pulls his face to hers and kisses him intensely. He returns the kiss while dropping the glass on the floor, not caring that its contents spill out onto the floor. No longer concerned with his problems he becomes lost in the moment and reaches around her, and grips her rear end, and firmly as their passion builds. She reaches behind her back and unhooks her bra, slowly slipping the straps down in a teasing manner before throwing the whole thing on the floor toward her dress.



Minutes later, Aluana wraps things up in her studio, leaving the room, and walking down the hallway. She heads to her bedroom, but stops when she reaches the study due to the loud noise coming from inside. No clue what it is, she puts her ear to the door, and was not prepared for the sound of moaning. She covers her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly, but continues to listen. There is only one other woman in the mansion besides herself, and she knows that there are very few people who use Cyrus's study. Drake doesn't seem to be Tiffany's type, but she has always had been hot for Cyrus. It's pretty obvious to her who is in that room, and even more obvious what they are doing.

Bored, she stops listening, and returns to minding her own business, walking down the hall to her room. Once there, she turns the light off and the radio on before lying down in her bed. She stares up at the glow-in-the-dark stars that she stuck on the ceiling many years ago. They may be a little bit childish, but they are slightly comforting, and reminded her of all those nights in Europe that she would just walk out and gaze at the stars. It was a much simpler time back then and not so much craziness in the world. Of course, that was also before humanity became so smart they went dumb using up resources like fossil fuels, and always coming up with machines, internet, and cities that are always alive with light that blocks out the light from the stars...

Her head begins to pound, and she covers her ears to try to ease the pain of the headache that begins. For the first time since she lost her memory, images begin to rip through her mind.

A little girl is skipping through a field of flowers on a warm, bright day. She stops to smell the flowers and enjoy the beautiful day until she hears cries coming from her village. Her mother calls out to her, but when her name is called out, the sound of a deafening roar drowns out her mother _'_ s voice. The girl runs as fast as she can, and when the village comes into view, she starts crying uncontrollably. Most of the huts and buildings are on fire, and smoke fills the air. She sees her mother with her arms motioning for her to run to her. The girl drops her doll and runs toward her mother even though her mother's eyes become wide, and she covers her mouth in horror. This both scares and confuses the little girl, and then she trips over a stump and falls. She tries to push herself up, and as she does she looks into a water puddle. Reflected in the puddle is Aluana's face, and just behind her, a dragon opens its jaws, preparing to swallow her.

Aluana snaps out of her dreamlike state and sits straight up, her body shaking at the very vivid and realistic vision. What does it mean, though, and was that little girl really herself as a child? She tries to shake the image of the dragon from her head, and attempts to focus on the music instead, but it has no effect whatsoever.

"I need some fresh air," she says while turning the radio off.

She leaves her room, walks down the hallway, and snickers again as she hears the moans still coming from the study. Once outside, she places her hands onto the railing of the balcony, and just stares at the starless sky. Security cameras and guards are at every corner, making sure no one gets in or out. The sky is filled with smog and the lights from the city block out any view of the stars. Her thoughts then drift to the move to Macon, wondering if she'll be able see the stars there. It has been so long since she has been anywhere she can see the stars, she is not sure how she will act if she gets to see them.

Back in the study, Tiffany slides her dress back on and unlocks the door. She turns to speak to Cyrus, not realizing that he is right behind her. He pushes her against the door, and kisses her along her neck while letting his hands wander all over her body. She quivers in ecstasy as he bites into her neck. He trails his tongue over the bite wound, licking up all the blood that comes from it, and then whispers into her ear.

"You were right...I'm definitely relaxed now. Thank you for getting rid of my headache. So you may be up for a promotion now."

He opens the door and they both exit the room.

"I will fill you in on the details later, but for now I need a word with Aluana," Cyrus says.

Tiffany's heart sinks at that moment because of his words. She just gave herself to him completely, but as soon as he is done with her, he wants to rush off to Aluana.

"Why is she so fucking important? I am loyal to you and do everything that you ever ask of me, and THIS is how you repay me? You are so obsessed with her and her needs that you are blind to what is in front of you; too blind to see what you mean to me." She pauses for a moment, and he can tell by the look on her face how hurt and upset that she is. "Yes, I did kill that guard, and frame her for it because for once I wanted you to feel like I was more important than her. That she is not so perfect and maybe you would see me in a different light, but no, YOU," she jabs her finger into his chest, "still protect her!"

Cyrus drags her back into the study and shuts the door, locking it behind him. Tiffany is prepared for whatever it is that he is about to do to her. She probably should have just kept quiet, but she has held her tongue for far too long.

"You don't understand...it's not what you think it is. The reason I treat her the way I do is not out of love for her, but out of necessity," he says.

Tiffany is surprised at how calmly he is talking to her and she listens closely.

"So why is she important?"

"I cannot say exactly. Just know that when she has served her purpose, she will be disposed of. I get just as irritated as you do by the way she mopes around, but she is essential in my plans to carry out our matriarch Demetria's will."

"So where do I fit in with this grand master plan?"

He approaches her and cups her face with his hands.

"The first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. When I found you dying on the street after Jack the Ripper got a hold of you, I just thought your death would be such a waste. That is why I turned you. I truly wanted you for myself, and I just had to have you around me. Yes, I may get irritated with you, and I have to act like a pompous ass or no one would take me seriously, but that doesn't mean I didn't ever care. Nor does that mean that I don't love you. I just fear having someone close to me because each time I claim a bride it seems the White Wolves or some other hunter has to come along, and take my bride away from me." Cyrus's words sound sweet like honey, but could they actually be poisonous like venom?

She approaches and pulls him close to her, then wraps her arms around his neck as she kisses him.

"So what if I don't give you the option of not having me?"

He smiles and kisses back.

"I guess I can be okay with that. We still have to act professional around everyone else, though."

"That is completely fine by me, as long as I know that you're mine," she says with a smile.

Aluana comes back inside, and heads down the hallway just as Cyrus and Tiffany leave the study. She stops to smile at them.

"So are you two done with the study? I want to do a little bit of light reading for a while."

Tiffany gives her a smile big and wide.

"Sure, we were just leaving," Tiffany says.

She grabs Cyrus by the arm and pulls him closer to her. So much for acting professional around others; they walk down the hallway to Cyrus's room as Aluana enters the study.

"Hey, why does it smell like fish in here?" she yells pointedly.

Tiffany's teeth clench together to keep from responding to her little jab. They enter Cyrus's room together and close the door behind them.

Aluana laughs loudly while closing the door. She walks over to the computer and has a seat.

"So let's see what I can learn about dragons."

She clicks on the web browser and types in the key word search "dragon." Many pictures show up on the list, ranging from tribal tattoo art to Hollywood blockbuster movies. Nothing that she finds comes even close to what she saw in that vision. Was it an actual memory? Could it have been a very vivid dream that she had once? She exits out and shuts the computer down due to frustration, and she returns to her room to listen to music once again.

Back in Cyrus's room, he lies naked in bed, cuddling with Tiffany.

"That was amazing!" Tiffany says with a satisfied grin on her face.

"I know. You're welcome," he responded with a smug look on his face.

She pops him on the chest at his arrogant comment.

They lie there in silence for a few moments before Cyrus makes a request.

"Can you please try to be nicer to Aluana? For me, please? And just remember that there is no need for jealousy. You are the one that has me, remember?"

She rolls her eyes and turns over with her back facing him.

"I guess so," she responds.

He rolls over on his side, and drapes his arm over her. They lie there together, and he kisses the back of her neck.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"It's just going to be an adjustment, you know? I have always felt in competition with her and now that I know that there isn't one, I'm just not sure how to act with her now." Now that she was with Cyrus, Aluana felt like the least of Tiffany's worries. But, if Cyrus wanted to discuss her, then Tiffany wasn't going to argue.

"Yeah I know, but it is only until I find what I am looking for in Macon, and she serves her purpose."

He turns and rolls over to get out of bed, and gets dressed. She looks over her shoulder at him with a sad look on her face.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"I need to go have a talk with Drake. I really do like your idea about the Seeker Demons and want to have him get on it right away."

"Can't it wait until the morning?" she asks with her lips poking out like a pouting 5 year old.

"The sooner we find the amulet, the sooner she is out of both our lives."

She rolls back over with her back facing him.

"Okay," she pauses for a few moments.

"I guess since you have to," she says with a huff.

He leans over the bed and kisses her on the cheek before he leaves.

Half an hour later, Tiffany gets out of the bed after she is done with her pity party. She walks to her room, and over to the closet. She looks for her favorite shirt and puts it on before walking out of the bedroom.

"He is right," she thinks. "There really is no reason for me to act rude to her." She walks down the hallway to Aluana's room and gently taps on the door. Aluana opens the door and rolls her eyes once she sees that it is Tiffany. Then she notices the shirt that Tiffany is wearing, and that it has the words in glitter "Real vampires don't sparkle."

"Nice shirt. What do you want now?" she snaps at her.

"I want to apologize to you. I know I have been a real bitch toward you because of Cyrus. It turns out that I didn't really have any reason to be jealous at all. He wanted to be with me all this time. Can you believe that?"

"Well, you didn't have any reason to be jealous either way, Tiffany. I have never wanted to be with him. I've never even met a man that I have been attracted to like that; at least, not that I can remember."

"So does that mean you're into women?" Tiffany asks.

"Uh, no. I'm just really picky, Tiffany. I assure you, though, when we get to Macon I do plan on going out and looking though."

"Okay, well if you ever need me for anything, I would really like for us to try, and be friends."

"I'll think about it. I mean, you have really treated me badly. I do appreciate the apology though."

"Anytime," Tiffany says as she turns, and walks back down the hall to Cyrus's room.

Aluana sits on her bed after shutting the door, wondering to herself if she can believe what Tiffany said and if she should ever trust her.

### Chapter Eleven

Namon dresses in some loose fitting clothes, ready to start training. He still hasn't met all of the pack, one on one, other than Eric, due to his mourning. Today, though, Eric is introducing him to Kieran, the combat expert of the group. Eric walks with Namon over to Kieran's trailer.

"The reason you need combat training first is because you are capable of doing something the rest of us can't. We have to go through a slow process when we change our forms, where all you have to do is just blink, and POW--you're done. So there may be situations where you may need to assist one of us in your human form. Or there's a chance we need a scout or someone to start the fight for us while we change."

"I understand. I'll give it a shot, and do everything that I can." Namon nods.

Eric knocks on Kieran's trailer and the door opens. Kieran walks out, standing five feet six inches tall. He has a dark tan, short brown hair, a clean shaven face, slight muscular build, and green eyes. He cracks his knuckles, and has a sly grin on his face.

"So you're going to be my punching bag for the day?" he says with a smirk.

"I guess so," Namon says as he cracks his knuckles in response.

Within a blink of an eye, Kieran sweeps Namon's leg, knocking him flat on his back. Kieran offers him a hand and helps him back up. Namon starts dusting himself off.

"Rule number one: Always be on alert. Rule number two," he sweep kicks Namon again, and just like before, he falls to the ground.

"Always remember rule number one," he says while offering his hand again.

Namon takes it again, but this time tries to pull Kieran down, but he is too smart and anticipates Namon's move. He lets Namon's momentum do all the work for him, spins him around with the fall, and puts Namon down on the ground again, this time holding him down with a knee to his throat.

"Rule number three: Don't attempt an attack or throw unless you are sure you can pull it off."

He moves his knee from Namon's throat and stands, offering his hand, yet again.

"How many rules are there?" he asks.

"You will just have to find out, won't you?" Kieran says with a chuckle.

Oz watches from the bedroom window at Eric's trailer, chuckling as well. Eric and Kaya sit in lounge chairs in their yard eating popcorn as they watch Namon fall over, and over again.

"So how many more throws do you give him before he phases and bites Kieran?" Eric asks Kaya.

"Five more," she answers.

"I bet only three."

"Loser does the dishes tonight?" she suggests.

He cocks an eyebrow at her, "You know that is a lot of dishes, right?"

"Yeah, you're not chicken, are you?"

His face starts to flush a little bit at being called a chicken. He hates being called a chicken, and that resulted in many fights growing up.

"Deal."

"Shake on it?" she says while extending her hand.

He spits in his hand and then shakes hers. She slaps him on the chest, wiping his spit off her hand.

"Ewww gross," she says, and then hits him again.

"You know you love me," he says with a mouthful of popcorn.

She rolls her eyes at him, "The verdict is still out on that one."

They continue to watch, and after five more throws, Namon phases. Kaya looks over at Eric and laughs.

"Ha ha, you got to clean the dishes."

He crosses his arms and pouts.

"There, there, no pouting. If you pout, I will make you wear one of Brice's shirts."

"Oh hell no!" he says in defiance.

She continues to laugh at him, and they turn their attention back to Namon as he runs beneath Kieran, nipping at his heels along the way. Once he gets behind him, he leaps, hitting Kieran in the back with the full force of his head. The two of them fall to the ground with Namon phasing mid fall sitting on Kieran's back. He spins around and grabs him by the leg, pulling it back.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Kieran says.

"No, cheating would be this," Namon says, grabbing his big toe and twisting.

"Okay, okay, I give!" Kieran says as he starts tapping the ground.

Namon stands and helps Kieran up, who is now the one dusting himself off. Eric walks over and pats Namon on the back.

"So are you sure you haven't met Brice, yet? That's his signature move--he calls it the mad toe hold," Kieran says.

Namon laughs.

"He is a fast learner though, isn't he, Kieran?" Eric asks.

"Yeah, he did all right. He still has a long way to go, though, so don't let it go to your head," he says, pointing to Namon.

"Tomorrow we start hand to hand combat, so you better be ready," Kieran says.

Namon shakes his hand, "Thanks."

"Now let me introduce you to the rest of the pack so you will feel more comfortable. We are going to have a cookout tonight and we can't have you being all shy on us," Eric says with a smile.

Namon starts to walk, but then stumbles to the ground. His stomach starts to churn and rumble. He grabs his stomach feeling a lot of pain before he falls to his knees.

"I need my bag, please," he says weakly.

"Kaya! Bring his bag now!" Eric calls out.

Kaya turns to run inside, but the door flies open and Oz comes down the steps, dragging the bag just as fast as his little legs can carry him. She runs over to him, picks both the bag and him up, and runs to Namon. She hands him his bag, and continues holding Oz. Namon unzips the bag and pulls out a box of snack cakes, and within moments, he has eaten the entire box.

"You waited too long between phases before eating, son. It drains your strength each time you phase, and you're not experienced enough, yet to handle multiple phases without eating. Always be prepared," Katrina's voice sounds in his mind.

"You okay?" Eric asks with concern, he reaches down and helps him up.

"Yeah, I was just careless. I have to eat a lot to keep my strength up between phasing."

"I think it's time you met our resident cook, then," Eric says.

Oz jumps down from Kaya's arms, and walks along beside Namon and Eric. Kaya picks his bag up and carries it back to their trailer.

"So Eric, are you and Kaya married?" Namon asks.

Eric glances over at him with a smirk on his face.

"Why do you ask? Are you interested?"

Namon starts to blush at the question, thinking she is beautiful, but it was more of a curiosity question than anything.

"No, sir, I was just curious since you live together."

Eric laughs, "Seriously you don't have to call me sir. Eric will do just fine. To answer your question, no we are not. We have much love and respect for one another, but we have never really thought to put a title on what we have. Just never felt the need to."

Namon doesn't really understand, but then again the only person he has loved has been Katrina. Of course, he loved his parents, but he didn't know them to the extent that he knew Katrina. That could very well be why he doesn't understand, because that's a love shared by a parent and a child. He was home schooled, so he didn't get very much social interaction he has never even had a girlfriend.

They stop walking when they reach the trailer with the huge barbecue pit in the front yard; it's nearly the size of the trailer itself, and Namon looks at it in awe. Then the door to the trailer opens and a big man around six feet two inches tall, steps out wearing shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and flip flops. He appears to be in his twenties and he has a goatee, a muscular build, and a tan. He sees Namon, walks over to him, and embraces him in a bear hug. Namon struggles to breath.

"Good morning, brah," he says with an obviously fake Hawaiian accent. "Or should I say good afternoon. Eh, it's close enough."

"Brice, put him down, and what have I told you? You are not Hawaiian, you haven't even been to Hawaii."

Brice lets go of Namon, allowing him to breathe again.

"I've been there in spirit, brah."

Eric lets out an irritated sigh.

"Well, I'll leave you two to get better acquainted. Brice, our friend here is in desperate need of something to eat. Take care of him, all right?" Eric asks.

"Got it covered, top dog."

Eric shakes his head, then turns around and walks away. Brice turns his attention back to Namon.

"Need something to eat? Brice-man got ya covered. Let's go."

Namon follows him inside the trailer, and Brice leads him over to a walk in freezer. He can tell that it was added on to the trailer because the freezer fills up the entire area where a kitchen should be.

"So do you do all the cooking on the grill?" he asks.

"Yep, most of the time, I cook for the entire pack, the meat anyway. So did Eric tell you there is going to be a cookout tonight, and make it sound like a big deal?"

"Yes," Namon responds.

Brice opens the freezer door, revealing a fully stocked freezer with just about any kind of meat imaginable. He grabs a few large slabs of ribs and places them on a table in what should be the dining room, but is instead a make shift prep area. Namon looks around, awe struck at the freezers supply.

"Wow, how do you pay for all of this?" He asks.

Brice looks at him and raises an eyebrow.

"You sure do ask a lot of questions. Well boss man owns a meat processing plant. He always gets our stock from there. Anyways, as I was about to say, he always talks about the cookouts as if it's a big event, but just an FYI, we do this every night just about. Even in the winter we grill out, although as big as my grill is, it puts out enough heat to the warm the county." Brice nods his head with a grin. "We are really big on doing things together all the time like a family. Well, almost everything, I tried to take a shower with Sierra once and she slapped me. Can you believe that?"

Namon just gives him an odd look.

"Eh, no big deal, anyway it hurt her hand more than it did my face. The swelling took her three days to go down even with the accelerated healing. Back to the point, anyway I get side tracked often. None of us are related, but we still treat one another with respect. So do you like chili dogs?"

Namon's face then lights up with excitement.

"Oh man, yeah. I could eat four just by myself," he responds enthusiastically.

"Good. That's what's for lunch, but I hope you eat more than four. Grab that case of hot dogs over there for me and put them on the table next to the grill."

Namon steps into the open freezer, grabs the box of frozen hot dogs, and takes them outside, setting them on the table next to the grill as he was asked. Then he returns inside to see if Brice needs help with anything else. He hands Namon a box filled with bun, chips, and several condiments to take out to the picnic table a few feet away on the other side of the grill. Once he accomplishes this task, he turns around to see Brice not far behind him with a keg of beer on one shoulder and a large case of sodas on the other. He sets both of them down carefully, and doesn't even break a sweat.

"Damn, I forgot the can of chili on the counter. Can you get it for me, brah?"

"Sure," Namon says, trying to hold back laughter from hearing the silly accent again.

When he gets inside, though, he is caught off guard at the size of the can. It's one of those large cans like restaurants use when they order in bulk. He lifts it up, and can feel the weight from it bear down on him.

"Damn, this is heavy," He manages to bring it outside and set it on the prep table.

"So, how do you like it here so far?" Brice asks him.

"It is really nice, but I just...I can't believe Katrina is gone. First my parents and now her," Namon says quietly.

Brice dumps the case of hot dogs onto the grill, and spreads them out after lighting it.

"Yeah, she was a good woman and she loved you very much. At least now she is in a better place."

Namon's thoughts drift to the fact she is not in a better place now, but he decides to keep that information to himself. No need worrying someone else with what he knows.

Namon opens the huge can of chili for Brice. He picks it up with one hand and pours its contents into a pot on the grill. Minutes pass by, and the air is filled with the heavenly aroma of grilled hot dogs and chili. Namon breathes in and exhales, enjoying every scent.

"Brice, I do believe you are going to be my best friend."

"That's good. Everyone deserves a friend like me," he says as he pounds his chest with a balled-up fist. "I'm funny, and joke around a lot, but when it comes to family, you mess with them and Brice Smash," he says as he crushes the huge chili can in his hands.

Namon watches him, and his eyes get wide.

"Well it's good to know you're on my side. I would rather my head not wind up like that can."

He hears a whistle and turns his head to see a girl walking in their direction. She looks to be a few years older than Namon, definitely in her early twenties, standing about five feet four inches tall, and her blonde hair is shoulder length. She has deep green eyes, and her face has several freckles that give her a sort of farm girl Southern charm. She's wearing a pair of shorts, and a t-shirt that says "I run with the big dogs." When she approaches, she extends her hand to Namon in greeting and he shakes it.

"Hi, I'm Sierra, and I will be showing you through the woods today, letting you get a feel for your wolf form, and get a hold on your instincts. Eric says you need to eat a lot to gain your strength, right?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be a cool benefit of all these gifts, but it's become rather annoying today," he says while avoiding eye contact.

This is the first female he has had a conversation with other than the old ladies at church, and Katrina. The fact that Sierra is pretty close to his age makes him slightly uncomfortable, not being used to social interaction.

"So sorry to hear that, but I am sure there will be plenty of leftovers the way that maniac cooks. That way, you'll be covered in case you need to eat when we come back."

Brice turns around and snatches his shorts down, showing a tattoo of a pair of lips, and he smacks it.

"Pucker up, baby," Brice says before pulling his shorts back up.

"Great, its daylight, and I'm dealing with a full moon," Sierra says while rolling her eyes.

"How about you and I have a run in the woods, after we eat?" she says with a smile to Namon.

"Sounds good," he says back with a smile.

Brice watches the two of them with a chuckle to himself. He isn't sure about how Namon is seeing her, but he can see the sparkle in Sierra's eye. Sierra's got a boyfriend, Sierra's got a boyfriend, he thinks to himself. He laughs at the thought, and they turn facing him.

"What did we miss?" Sierra said.

"Um, I would tell you, but I would have to kill you," Brice says as he returns his attention back to the hot dogs.

Half an hour passes by, and everyone is sitting around the massive picnic table. Namon is now surrounded by new friends, no a family, really. Everyone eats, enjoying their lunch and conversation. Namon doesn't say too much and keeps to himself, with his thoughts wandering back to Katrina. Why hadn't they been around to help her? Why had she done so much alone? He looks at each of them. Brice takes his shirt off and starts yelling, "Brice Smash." Crushing a full soda can on his forehead. Namon then notices a scar on Brice's shoulder. As soda sprays on everyone, they laugh at him, but this triggers a vision for Namon.

Brice head-butts a large bobcat that had to have weighed two hundred pounds, and blood spurts from the bobcats now smashed in head. Then he turns just in time for another one of them to bring its claws down, raking them over his shoulder, and cutting him deep. He continues fighting them in his human form, and there are now twenty of them surrounding. Eric, Kaya, Kieran, and Sierra can only watch them attacking Brice as they slowly shift into their wolf forms. Brice buys them time, keeping the bobcats from attacking his family.

Namon blinks and understands why it's important for him to know how to fight in both forms in case something like that happens again. His speed phasing will allow him to start fighting to buy time, and that way, they are all less likely to be hurt.

"What are they? I mean the cat creatures that gave you that scar," he says while pointing to Brice's shoulder.

They all look at him, surprised and wondering how he knows about that battle, especially when Katrina hadn't even known about it.

"That scar you have on your shoulder," Namon tried to explain. "I saw how it happened as if it were happening right in front of me. I don't know how this happens, but sometimes when I see something happening it triggers a vision of things that have happened."

Eric places his hands together as he props his elbows on the table.

"Katrina didn't just call us to Macon a few years ago in case you needed us. As you know, she went out in the night, and protected the city from vampires, and other creatures that would harm the human population. The city, though, isn't the only place with dangerous creatures. Those large bobcats are skin walkers like us, and actually originate from the Ocmulgee tribe. They do not share the same respect for humanity that we do; they resent anyone or anything that's not part of their tribe. So you see, Katrina handled things in the city the best that she could, and we handle all the bad things that are in the wild," Eric explains.

"The wild is no place for wimps. In the wild, if you act like a pussy you get eaten like one," Brice says.

Sierra kicks his ankle.

"Pig!" she calls him.

Brice places his fingers in the shape of a V in front of his face, and flicks his tongue in a vulgar gesture. Sierra rolls her eyes and looks at Namon. He is not used to behavior and comments like that except on television, so his face flushes. She is not used to someone seemingly so innocent, and she definitely isn't used to creatures like Oz, who stands on the table beside Namon, and has inhaled a chili dog.

"I think we finally have a mascot," Brice says as he gestures toward Oz.

Oz suddenly belches louder than his tiny body should be able to. Everyone claps, and Oz bows. Namon cannot help but laugh at the act.

Kaya looks over at Sierra and notices that she has taken an interest in Namon.

"Excuse me for a moment I forgot something in the trailer," she says, standing up. Then she looks over at Sierra. "Sierra, would you mind coming along to give me a hand?"

"Sure, no problem."

Sierra stands up and walks with Kaya over to the trailer. When inside, she starts to bite her nails, which is something that she tends to do when she's nervous or anxious. Sierra notices Kaya's behavior pretty easily even though they have not known each other for very long.

"What's wrong? Is everything all right?" Sierra asks her.

"I saw the way you were looking at Namon. I just want you to be very careful with him. Okay? He has been through a lot in his life time."

Sierra's gaze shifts from Kaya to the ground.

"I think he is cute, and all, but that's it."

Kaya puts her hands on her hips and just looks at her.

"Okay, okay, you got me. He's cute, polite, and charming. We don't get that combination a lot around here, you know."

"Just be careful. I do not want to see you, or him get hurt. He has a destiny ahead of him that is bigger than all of us. That is a lot to put on someone, and you may wind up getting hurt because of it."

"I understand," Sierra says with a pouty expression on her face. "Is there anything else that you need? I better get ready for the run now."

"No, that was all, sweetie. I am sorry if I upset you," Kaya says with concern.

"It's okay I know that you mean well."

As Sierra leaves the trailer, her thoughts drift to Kaya's words and she wonders if she could handle it in the first place. Being with someone who is supposed to be a big deal is a lot, especially when he is the last of his kind. Once she gets closer to everyone's view at the picnic table, she puts on a fake smile so that they don't notice she has a lot on her mind. She walks over to Namon, and gently punches him in the arm.

"So you ready for that run?"

"Sure," he answers with a smile.

He stands up, and follows her into the direction of the woods.

"Call us if you run into trouble, Sierra," Eric says.

"You're the boss," she says while giving him a salute.

Oz remains on the table, still eating chili dogs while Brice encourages him on. Looks like he feels accepted as well now, all they had to do was win him over with food. Namon and Sierra walk into the woods, and as soon as they are away from everyone, Sierra pulls her T-shirt up, and over her head, and throws it to the ground.

"Whoa, wait a minute," Namon says while covering his eyes.

"What's the problem?" she says while she unbuttons her shorts, slides them down over her knees, and to her ankles. She kicks them off toward the area her shirt lies, and she kicks her sandals off as well.

"We just met, and, um, I just don't think I am ready for. You know for," he stammers nervously.

"Ready for what? We do this all the time."

"You guys have sex all the time?" he manages to say.

"Sex?" She laughs aloud as she realizes that he thinks she is trying to seduce him. "That is too cute! You think I am trying to take advantage of you? We have to take our clothes off before we phase, or we get tangled up in our clothes."

Namon is now turning a very deep shade of red, embarrassed by misreading the situation. His body glows white as he shifts into his wolf form.

"We aren't all blessed with that gift. You can turn around if that would make you more comfortable," she says.

She reaches behind her back to unhook her bra, and he turns the other direction. Sierra slowly changes, her bones shifting, and popping. Namon tucks his tail beneath his legs, cringing at the sounds he hears as her body changes. Minutes later, she nudges him with her snout and starts running. Her wolf form is very beautiful and slender with a light, and dark brown coloration to her fur. He starts running as well, following her. As he runs, he gets lost in the experience. This is the first time he has had a chance to enjoy being able to do anything in his wolf form. The wind blows through his fur as he runs at high speed, and he eagerly breathes in the scent of the pine trees and the local wild life. He gets so lost in the feeling, he doesn't notice Sierra as she rams into him, knocking the breath out of him. She's trying to teach him to always pay attention and be in tune with his senses.

"What did you do that for," he demands to her using his mind.

She jumps and then slowly crawls backwards at the surprise of hearing his voice.

"How the hell are you talking to me," she thinks to herself.

"That's another one of my special gifts. I can communicate my thoughts telepathically, and I can hear your thoughts as you think them."

"Umm, can you do that, at all times? What about past memories? Those are pretty private, you know."

"No. Only when I am in my wolf form can I communicate telepathically. I can only hear your present thoughts while you're thinking them. Not anything from before," he clarifies.

"Then how did you know about our battle with the Ocmulgee Skin Walkers?" she asks.

"Well, that is hard to explain, and that is something I do not understand fully, or can control. Sometimes when I look at someone or something, I get visions of things that have happened in the past, but none of them have ever been anything inappropriate or private."

"Oh, wow. Okay, well that's good to know. Wait a minute, then how did you not know I was about to attack you then?"

"It only works when I am directing my thoughts at the person. If I didn't see you, then I couldn't direct it to you. I don't know all the specifics. I am still pretty much trying to learn it all."

"Wow. It's all still way cool. I wish I was like you. Anyway, back to work. I got to whip that wolf butt into fighting shape."

The remainder of the afternoon was spent with just the two of them training, playing, and talking in the woods, enjoying one another's company. Sierra knows that she shouldn't, but she can feel herself developing a soft spot for him, but she just can't help herself. He is so innocent and uncorrupted. Even though he has been kept sheltered away from everything, he is holding on pretty well considering everything that is going on. What is he thinking in there? She wonders. That night during the cook out, she sits next to him and they continued to talk and laugh. Oz has even taken a liking to her as he sits on her lap.

Namon looks around at everyone, and realizes he has gained a lot. He has lost just as equally though, and even though these new friends are treating him well, they are still strangers to him. He feels that he shouldn't let them in completely and that he should still keep his distance emotionally. People that he loves tend to wind up being taken away from him, and he doesn't think his heart can bear the pain of any more loss. He can tell that Sierra likes him, but he knows that he cannot fully let her in. It's not fair to her because even as beautiful as she is, his heart doesn't want to take the chance to get close to someone.

### Chapter Twelve

Months pass by, and Namon has trained very hard and has partied just as hard with his new friends. He is now a very formidable fighter in both wolf and human forms, but he still has a long way to go before he is ready to take on Cyrus. Every day, he thinks of how much he wants to put an end to him once and for all. He and Sierra have become very close almost inseparable. She is the closest one of them to his age, so he relates with her the easiest. Brice is always teasing the two of them, asking when the wedding is, and Namon always gets uncomfortable, blushing every time that he is asked that. Kieran has taken more interest in Sierra since she started hanging out with Namon, and that did cause a slight bit of tension between the two of them. Kaya and Eric seem to be closer these days even though they still have a small argument here and there. Oz pretty much tries to stay close to Namon, but when he isn't able to, he likes to visit Brice to pester him for extra food.

Today, they are getting everything ready for a very special event. The weather is very bright and beautiful, so of course, as always, they are preparing to celebrate outside. It is Namon's eighteenth birthday, and everyone is getting ready for a massive feast massive even by their standards. Brice preps the grill while Kaya is in their trailer baking an enormous cake. Eric brings out stacks of paper plates and cups so he won't have to wash dishes again. It seems like he has been losing more bets with Kaya. Namon sits in his room with Oz, thinking.

"I'm eighteen now, Oz. This is my first birthday I have celebrated without her. She hasn't talked to me in months, I wonder if she has somehow managed to move on."

Oz comforts him and tries to offer some puff corn. He shakes his head no, and stands, looking out of the window. He sees everyone is making such a big fuss over him and he feels happy about it. Katrina did do something for his birthday every year, but this was different, he has friends now, and that makes him happy. He gets out of bed, and dresses in a pair of khakis and a white undershirt. He puts on a pair of black sneakers, and a short sleeve black, button up shirt, but leaves it unbuttoned.

"I just wish I could hear her voice or see her again. I keep having these nightmares about the night that she died. The dreams are so real; I wake up smelling the smoke from the fire."

"Happy birthday son."

He turns to see her sitting on the bed. It's obvious to him that it's just her spirit because she is completely white and transparent. She is wearing the same clothes that she wore on the night that she died; only their color is gone.

"I'm sorry that I haven't spoken in so long, but you needed time to grieve, and focus on your training. That would have been easier without my presence being known. I probably shouldn't appear to you now, but I just couldn't miss your birthday."

Namon looks down at the floor.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"I just miss you. This is all very hard to deal with alone. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about what happened, and I feel like I should have been faster. I should have been able to save you."

"Namon, don't ever question what happened. If it didn't happen then, it would have happened another time. You needed to get out into the world and experience life. You needed to learn to fight, and you couldn't accomplish that with me shielding you from the world. I love you so much that I would have held back when trying to train you so that I wouldn't hurt you, and I wouldn't have wanted you exposed to this life. Neither of us had a choice in this, and I am truly sorry that you are the only one left. You are not alone, though. Look around you. All of these people care about you and will protect you. They can be the family I couldn't be, and they can offer you more experience than I could."

His head starts hurting, taking in everything she has said. No matter how hard she tries to comfort him with her words, he still feels like he should have been able to do more. He couldn't save his mother and father, and he couldn't save her. What if something happened with the pack and he couldn't save them as well? He is so afraid to open up and feel love for them for fear that his love would condemn them all.

"So I have noticed that you have been slowly making a home for yourself here."

"Yeah, everyone is great. Even Kieran on occasion," he says with an obvious sarcasm to his voice.

"So what's the story there? I can tell there is one, so let me hear it."

"Well, I have been spending a lot of time with Sierra, and I think he likes her. He is always staring at us, and in the fighting exercises he is more aggressive than I think is necessary."

"How do you feel about this girl?" she asks.

"Well I care a lot about her. I feel as if she could be my best friend."

"You better be careful with her, son," she warns.

"Why is that?"

"I have seen the two of you together, and the way she looks at you. That is why Kieran acts the way he does; it's because he is jealous. She cares more for you than you are prepared for, son, and you need to find a way to break it to her that she can't be more to you than a friend. If you say it now, the pain will be more bearable."

"What if I did wind up caring more for her, though?"

"Son, there is something else about her. You are the last White Wolf, as you know, and if there is any hope for more White Wolves, you need to be able to have children. Skin Walker women cannot give you children, son. The baby wouldn't make it full term because skin walkers have to phase at least once a month, and the children do not survive the phasing while in the mother _'_ s womb."

Great, Namon thought. More pressure on me, as if I didn't have enough.

"Well, I need to go. Happy birthday, and remember what I said," she says while fading away.

He turns to face the window again with tears in his eyes. He stands there, wishing he didn't have this destiny and all these responsibilities that weigh him down.



Inside the new Wilmington manor, previously known as Central City Park, Aluana unpacks her final bag, grinning from ear to ear. Not only is Cyrus keeping his promise of letting her come and go as she pleases, but he has also provided her with a car of her own: a silver Porsche Boxter S. Once she has put everything away, she grabs the keys, and jingles them to hear them clang together, making the sound of freedom. She runs through the mansion to the garage, and climbs into her shiny silver car. After the bay doors open, she drives out to begin her own tour of Macon. The sun shines brightly when she presses the, button that lets the top down, so she puts on her sunglasses. She visits some of the historic spots in down town Macon, and some of the more colorful scenery of the public parks, especially Washington Park. She parks on the side of the road and quietly walks around the park, watching as someone is having a wedding. She pauses a moment, envious of the happy bride, and imagined the possibility of her own wedding in this park.

"Wow, this place is beautiful," she says before returning to her car.

She leaves the park and drives down the road, turning onto Riverside Drive when she reaches it. One of the guards had mentioned that her wife blows most of his paycheck shopping at the mall on the north side of Riverside. She figures she can do some shopping as a way to celebrate. After fifteen minutes of driving, she nears the outdoor mall, and the first thing she notices when she pulls into the main entrance is the Barnes and Noble bookstore. She can't remember the last time she has actually been in a bookstore; she has had to do all her shopping online. So she pulls into the bookstore's parking lot and walks in after parking her car.

A big smile spreads across her face, and she closes her eyes to take in the peaceful quiet of the store. She can smell many smells and enjoys every single one of them, from the coffee and pastries being prepared at the in store coffee shop to the smell of paper. After opening her eyes, she walks around the store and checks out each aisle one by one, especially the sale areas, even though money isn't an issue, sometimes the best things are found in the sale section. What really draws her attention, though, is the stationary section. She notices several notebooks for song writing, and many different styles of journals. When she turns to walk around a shelf, she doesn't notice the woman standing there and accidentally bumps into her, making the blonde woman drop her books, and journals she was holding.

"I am so sorry," she says.

She bends down to help her pick her books up, and notices that she has a few plain looking journals and a book on dating.

"It's alright; I probably shouldn't have been carrying so much without a basket anyway."

"Sorry, if this is too personal to ask, but is that book for you?" Aluana asks.

The blonde girl blushes, making the answer to the question obvious.

"Yeah, there is this guy I sort of have a crush on and I am not quite sure how to handle it. I probably shouldn't even try because I already know that he isn't right for me. He has this," she pauses for a moment before continuing, "life ahead of him that I couldn't be a part of, and be with him too. I'm here shopping for his birthday, actually."

Aluana listens to the girl, and can see the pain in her eyes when she says that she can't be a part of this boy's future like that. The idea makes her sad knowing that there are so many people in the world incapable of finding love, and being able to keep it when they do.

"Well just so you know you don't need this book. You are very beautiful and any guy would be lucky to have someone like you, especially when they are as sweet as you appear to be."

Aluana takes note of the journals she has in her hand, and taps the journal that has the black leather binding to it.

"I would go with this one," she suggests with a smile.

"Thank you. My name is Sierra, by the way," she says while returning Aluana's smile as she walks away to put the rest of the journals back. I really hope that Namon likes this journal. He is always reading his mother's so maybe he will enjoy having one to write in of his own.

She looks at the dating book, realizing that it was silly for her to consider buying this book and decides to put it back as well. Maybe being myself won't be so bad of an idea. She makes her purchase and leaves.



Back in Jones County, Namon finally gets out of bed and decides it's time to be social. He gets out of the trailer and joins everyone outside. It is his birthday, after all. He sees Kieran first by himself over at his own trailer, so he decides to try and fix whatever their situation is. Namon has always been the peaceful type that wants to fix situations.

"Hey Kieran, what are you up to?" he asks.

"Not much."

"I was wondering if maybe I have done something to offend you or anything. We don't really talk that much, you know."

Kieran looks at him as if considering the idea of telling him exactly what the problem is.

"Well, actually, I have a problem with you and Sierra. I have been waiting for a long time to build up the nerve to ask her out, and then here you come with all your flashy abilities. It's always 'Namon this' and 'Namon that.' That is all she ever talks about the few times that she is around me when you're busy!"

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to step in on you guys, if that's what you think. I'm only interested in her as a friend."

"Yeah, well you better tell her that because I can tell by the way she looks at you that she loves you."

Hearing him say that hit Namon hard in the gut as if he had been punched. How could he be so naive and not notice how she was acting toward him? Maybe he knew, but he just didn't want to acknowledge it.

"She is going to be hurt, so you better be as gentle as possible," Kieran says before walking away.

A deep feeling of dread falls upon Namon as he realizes that he is going to be the cause of someone being hurt. As much hurt and pain as he has been through, he has never wanted to do that to anyone, especially if they are someone that he cares about. His heart sinks even more seeing Sierra pull up. He walks over to Brice as she walks inside her trailer. Her eyes are locked onto him the whole way, and she smiles at him.

"What's happening bro? Happy birthday," Brice asks.

"Wait a minute. Did you just say that normally? I mean, without a funny accent?" Namon questions, head snapping in Brice's direction.

Then he notices that he isn't wearing one of his tacky Hawaiian shirts. Instead, he is wearing a T-shirt that has a picture of a car on it with a caption saying. "Your wife is my other ride."

"And you have changed your taste in shirts too, I see."

"Yeah, I go through moods every now and then. Be glad you weren't around when I thought I was from Scotland."

"Now that is a scary thought. Please tell me you didn't wear a kilt for three months?" he pleaded.

"Naw, what are you, crazy? It was five, and let me tell you, two of those months were very breezy."

A mental image of the wind blowing up a kilt to expose Brice's lip tattoo is burned into his mind and he shudders at the thought.

"That's not right. Subject change now! Um, so Brice, do you know how to let a girl down gently when you're not interested in her?" Namon asks.

Brice looks at him, knowing what's going on. He saw Kieran having words with him earlier, and walk away.

"You can always use the 'I'm gay' approach," Brice says with a smile.

Namon gives him that 'please tell me you're not serious' look.

"Don't tell me. You did that too?"

Brice nods, "Yep, and wore a pink shirt that said 'Cowboys', butts drive me crazy' for about three months."

Namon smacks himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand, wishing he didn't ask.

"Thanks for the advice anyway though Brice."

Namon sees Eric, and decides to ask him.

"Eric, can I ask you for some advice?"

"Sure, you can come to me for anything."

"How do you turn down a girl without hurting her feelings?"

Eric pats him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my boy, there is no way possible to do that. When it comes to matters of the heart, women are always hyper sensitive," Eric says.

Suddenly a soda can hits Eric upside the head. He rubs the sore spot after letting out a curse. He looks behind him and sees Kaya standing there with another can of soda ready to throw.

"I heard that," she says.

Eric turns back around, and mouths the words, "Told you."

"Just say what you feel from the heart and be sensitive about it. Take her feelings into consideration," Eric says.

Namon nods, "Thanks."

"You're always welcome. Oh, and Namon, try not to worry too much. She is a very strong girl. She may act like she doesn't like you for a while, but that will only be temporary. We are a family, so she will come around eventually," he says with a grin.

Kaya walks up and hugs him from behind, and kisses him on the cheek.

"He's right. I've come back to this one several times over," she says with a smile.

"Happy birthday from both of us in case I forgot to say so earlier."

Namon looks at the two of them together and sees the love that they share for one another. He wonders to himself if his own parents acted that way. All he knows is what he reads from his mom's journal.

He hears a door close and when he looks over to see Sierra is walk out wearing a black skirt with a red shirt, and red heels. Namon suddenly becomes very nervous as she approaches, holding a gift wrapped in blue paper. She hands it to him with a big smile.

"Happy birthday," she says while leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.

Kaya takes the gift away from him, and walks over to the table with the cake and other gifts.

"Gifts are for after the cake, Sierra, you know that."

Namon hadn't realized until then that the table even had a cake and presents on it. It was all set up special for his big day. Brice rings the dinner bell signaling that it is time to eat. Everyone sits around the table to eat, and Namon stares at the huge pig set on the table with an apple in its mouth. Namon looks over at Brice raising an eyebrow curiously.

"So, I had to throw in one last Hawaiian thing," he says with a big grin, and pointing at the limbo pole set up.

They say grace and eat. Once everyone has finished eating they all sing happy birthday to him. Even Kieran was enjoying the festivities. They all enjoy the cake as well, and Brice cuts a huge slice of cake and gives a karate yell, "Wu tan," right before slamming it into Namon's face. Everyone laughs as he cleans his face off. With the cake and dinner out of the way, they prepare to give him his gifts, starting with Eric and Kaya. Kaya hands him a small box with a tiny bow on it. He opens it to find a key.

"So what does this unlock?" he asks.

They point to the trailer they live in.

"As of tomorrow, it's all yours. We have a new one coming for us at the lot up front."

"Wow, thank you so much. I just don't know what to say."

"Don't mention it. It's a pack tradition. Every pack member receives their own place on their eighteenth birthday. We all spend so much time together that we all need our alone time now and then."

"So this means I'm officially in the pack?"

They both nod, a big smile forms on his face at the news. Second up is Brice. He hands him a box that is small, but not as small as the box with the key. Namon opens it to see a set of brass knuckles. Namon grips each one into his hands and punches into the air with them. Then he looks at the knuckles. One says pack, and the other one says life.

"Pack life? I appreciate them man. Thanks, Brice."

Brice nods, "Yep, you about that life."

Namon is surprised when Kieran brings a gift over. It is in a long thin box. Namon opens it and is very surprised at what is in there. He pulls out a sword and sheath from within the box. On the hilt of the sword, there is a wolf head.

"Wow, thank you. It's beautiful, but I don't know how to use it."

"Don't worry. You will learn tomorrow," he says with a sly grin as he looks over at Sierra and then back to Namon.

This makes Namon just a little bit nervous. Then Oz drags his box that is a little bit larger than he is. He accepts the box and opens it to find an interesting item. Namon lifts an unusual dagger out of the box. The blade on the dagger is rounded, and has teeth on the blade. He notices the button on the handle, and presses it. The blade on the dagger spins around like a chainsaw. Namon smiles at the gift.

"Thank you, buddy. I am very sure this is going to come in handy."

"That little guy is very good with machines and technology," Eric says.

Oz bows with great pride.

Now last to give their gift is Sierra. She approaches and hands him his final gift. He opens it, and inside the box is a journal. It's simple in design and binding, and the cover is made from black leather, on the inside of the cover she has written. To Namon, With much love, Sierra. Right beside the inscription, she had drawn a wolf.

"I always see you reading your mom's journal. So I figured you could use one for yourself. Maybe it could be a family tradition for you that you could pass on to your children someday," she says with a smile, but Namon can see the sadness in her eyes.

"Thank you. I will always cherish it, and I will write in it, I promise."

Eric stands up," "As our traditions continue, everyone meet in the woods fifteen minutes from now and we will take Namon on his first pack run."

Everyone stands and starts cleaning up, but Sierra grabs Namon by his hand and leads him somewhere more private.

"I had to talk to you for a minute alone. I have been doing a lot of thinking today while I was out shopping. I really like you, and all, but you have this big destiny that is bigger than all of us. So I realize that there is no future for us no matter how much I want there to be. I've been selfish for some time, wanting to try, and make you my own, and that isn't fair of me. This is your birthday, but there's one gift that I want you to give to me."

She grabs him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him to her, and kisses him full on the lips. After she lets go of him, he has this shocked look on his face. She turns around and heads to the woods. Minutes later, everyone stands naked except Namon, and they phase into their wolf forms. Namon phases and they all run into the woods together, experiencing for the very first time what it feels like not only to be a member of this team, but also to have a full family.



Cyrus brings his fists down on top of his desk out of anger, instantly rendering it into splinters. Drake stands there with his head lowered after giving him the bad news.

"You're Seeker Demons are useless! It has been months and they haven't been able to deliver the boy or the amulet!"

"I do apologize, sir. Apparently, there is some kind of magic blocking their ability to search him. As I have said before though he will turn up eventually and when he does. They will find him and you will have all that you want. I will have them keep searching in the mean-time," Drake responds.

"I don't care how many days, months, or even years it takes. I want that amulet and you better pray that one day I do not lose my patience," Cyrus says as he gets up and composes himself. Making sure his tie is straight and his hair is styled correctly.

Cyrus exits the room and walks down the hall way and knocks on Tiffany's door. She answers it wearing a see through nightie.

"I am stressing out again. I need your special talents," he demands.

Tiffany takes him by the hand and leads him into her room. Placing a 'Do not Disturb' sign on her door knob before closing it.
Chapter Thirteen

### Three years later

The pack is running through the woods in pursuit of a creature; that has been stalking their woods, and is responsible for the deaths of several hunters and wild animals. It has even ventured as far as the nearby highway, and has eaten a jogger or two.

This creature is a Basilisk, and the pack is finally catching up to it. The wolf with dark brown and black coloration snaps onto the Basilisk's tail. It swings its tail, slamming Kieran against a tree. The light brown majestic looking wolf, Kaya, stops to check on Kieran as Sierra zips past them in pursuit of the large serpent. She leaps onto its back and bites through its scales gripping and tearing as much as she can. Eric follows behind them and bites down on its tail, planting his feet into the ground to try to slow the creature down. It rolls around several times until both Sierra and Eric both lose their grip. This thing is really tough, and I don't think we can fight it like this. Where are Brice and Namon? Sierra looks around for them.

The Basilisk continues slithering away rapidly, and it sees a large 250 pound black wolf with slight gray coloration heading straight for it. Its eyes light up, glowing green.

"Close your eyes. Don't look at it," Namon says to Brice in his mind.

Brice closes his eyes, and acting on instinct, following his senses he leaps into the air and head butts the Basilisk like a 250 pound missile. The serpent is now stunned, and collapses to the ground briefly. It slowly starts to regain its senses, and starts to rise up high with its mouth open, revealing rows of fangs ready to reach down and devour Brice. He plants his feet firmly to the ground as Namon leaps onto his back, pushing off to gain extra momentum and phase mid-air. He draws his sword quickly and as he passes by the Basilisk, he swings his sword, slicing through the scaly hide just below its head. He lands on his feet at the same time the Basilisk's head falls to the ground, with its body falling lifelessly shortly after.

He places his sword back in its sheath and phase back to wolf form, and follows the pack back home. Once they all get there, they transform and get dressed. Eric and Kieran stack the wood for the bonfire while Brice goes into his trailer for the keg of beer. Everyone else gathers around as the bonfire is started, and Oz brings out a bag of marshmallows as big as he is and sits on a log in front of the fire. He puts a few on a stick and starts roasting them. Brice brings out the keg, taps it, and fills several red plastic cups with beer. Sierra passes them out, and then Eric raises his cup for a toast.

"We celebrate another victory against another foul creature, thanks to Namon with the combination of his gifts, and his little dictionary of uglies."

Namon listens, but also writes down notes from the fight in his journal that Sierra got him for his birthday three years ago. He has been studying his Beastiary every day, and he takes the information he learns along with his own experiences, and makes his own Beastiary from his point of view.

"We have defended the wilderness here for the past ten years, but it hasn't been until the last three that it seems like we are getting anywhere. We all know whom we have to thank for that. Each day, there are fewer creatures hiding out, and I think he is very close to where he needs to be to reclaim the city from Cyrus. I have no doubt that this venture, when the time is right, will be successful," Eric then looks at Namon, who has finished with his notes. "Namon, I am making it known here and now in front of everyone: When the day comes that I am no longer able to lead this pack, if you are capable of doing so, you will be the one to take my place. You have proven yourself to have excellent leadership skills and you hold well under pressure. I hate that the events that have happened in your life are probably the reason for this, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. When the time comes for you to meet your destiny, we will follow you into battle no matter the odds." Eric looks at his watch, and notices it is midnight. "And now it is officially your twenty first birthday, and I would be honored if you had your first drink with us."

Sierra hands Namon a beer. Brice stands and raises his cup.

"Here's to getting shit faced on your birthday! Oh, and for your birthday tomorrow, well tonight, now, everyone has decided." Sierra glares at Brice at this moment.

"Ahem, sorry. The boys have decided tonight will be a boy's night out. We're taking you to Whiskey River," Brice says before letting out a war cry.

"Cheers," he says before tossing the beer down his gullet.

Namon drinks his beer, and makes an awful face like it is the nastiest thing that he has ever tasted. Eric comes over beside him and has a seat.

"It's alright everyone reacts that way with their first beer. Keep drinking it and it will get better," he says.

Namon continues to drink and soon discovers he is right.

"Now drink up, and enjoy it because if we have to phase, its effects will burn off. Well, at least, it does with us. I'm not sure how it would work on you, though. It shouldn't be much difference since you have to eat after phasing."

"What do you mean?" Namon asks.

"Well, we may be more resistant to disease, and can heal faster than normal humans, but we can still get drunk. Our metabolism burns the alcohol faster like gasoline poured onto a fire, so it takes more to do the trick."

"Is that why you guys have scars?"

Eric takes a sip of his beer and nods.

"Yeah, if we receive wounds in human form, they may heal up completely when we phase, but they still leave a scar."

"So what is Whiskey River like?" he asks.

"Well, it's a night club that does tend to get a little bit rowdy now and then, but it's nothing you boys can't handle."

"Wait, aren't you going too?" Namon ask.

"Nah, this old dog doesn't have any partying left in him. Besides, I'll have all the excitement I can handle here." Eric leans closer to Namon's ear, and whispers, "It's that time of the month for Kaya."

Suddenly, he is hit in the head with a soda can. He rubs the sore spot on his head, and turns to see Kaya behind him glaring.

"Where the hell does she get those? We don't even have soda out here. I swear it's like their hearing gets even better when they are on the rag," Eric says.

He dodges the next can quickly, since he had a feeling that she was going to throw another one at the remark.

"So anyway Namon, I consider you to be like a son to me. Happy birth..."

Eric gets interrupted by the sudden impact of the keg slamming into his back. Brice runs over with a very concerned look on his face.

"Are you all right? Did she hurt you?" Brice asks frantically.

Eric stands up, holding his back.

"I got hit in the back with a keg, what do you think?"

When he turns, he realizes Brice wasn't talking to him. Brice is busy holding onto the keg as if it were his child.

"Man, that's alcohol abuse. I'm calling child services on you," he says to Kaya while walking away with the keg.

Eric stares at Brice astonished.

"I worry about him sometimes. Anyway, you may need to get some sleep. You may need the rest when you go out tomorrow, well, tonight. You know what I mean," Eric says while letting out a sigh. "Well, it's time for me to face the music."

Eric walks up hill following Kaya, knowing that he is in big trouble. Namon looks around and notices everyone has left besides Sierra, who sits on a log quietly. She stares into the fire in deep thought, so he walks over. She hasn't talked to him that much all week, which is unusual, he begins to wonder if he did something wrong.

"Is this seat taken?" he asks jokingly.

"No, go ahead."

He sits down next to her, and grabs one of Oz's sticks and marshmallows. He must have gone to bed too. While he holds it to the fire, he notices the uncomfortable silence. In a few moments, he finally speaks up.

"So...is there some reason you seem upset with me?" he asks.

She continues to stare into the fire.

"No," she pauses, not wanting to confess.

"Not really. I just," she pauses again still hesitant. "I'm jealous, all right? Because when the three of you go out, you will dance with someone."

"Wait a minute! No one said anything about dancing! I don't know how to dance!"

She looks at him with that same glare that Kaya gave Eric just a few moments ago, and he locks his mouth with an imaginary key.

"You're not getting the point. I've tried so hard to keep my feelings for you bottled up, but it's hard seeing you every day, and not being able to say what my heart feels." Tears start flowing down her cheeks. "I have wanted to be the first person you dance with just like I was the first person to kiss you."

She continues to cry, and he isn't sure how to handle the situation.

"Um. You can still be. The first person I dance with, that is," he says hesitantly.

The tears stop and her cheeks flush with anger. She pushes him off the log, stomps off, but then turns back facing him when she gets to her door.

"Yeah, just what every girl wants. Some man to feel pity for her!" her voice drips with sarcasm.

Namon watches as she slams the door to her trailer. He stands up and dusts himself off. He thinks for a moment before making a decision on what to do. He has never understood the workings of women, but he is not going to let this go unsettled, and to be made to feel like the bad guy. He marches right up to her trailer and knocks on her door. She answers the door, her face wet from all the tears.

"I'm sorry, all right? I just do not know what to say or what to do. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you, nor do I want you to ever feel hurt. I don't pity you one bit, what so ever."

She interrupts him by embracing him in a tight hug. He wraps his arms around her, and hugs her in return.



At Whiskey River, Aluana prepares to go out on stage for the last performance of the evening. She is performing in the local battle of the bands. Her act has been amazing in all the other local night clubs and a few of the bars. She knew, though, she just had to enter the contest with the prize being the chance to be the new house band every Friday night. She chose the same song that she performed in Atlanta since it received so much applause. This is her dream and one of the things that makes her happiest is her music. So the band starts playing her tune. She begins singing with all the passion she has in her for her music.

As I sit here thinking tonight.

I look into my past I realize

The difference in truth and lies.

You feed me false promises and broken dreams.

I'd give anything to know the past memories

I'll give anything you want for the answers that I seek.

Just a glimpse at who I was and who I'm meant to be.

I'll give you anything your dark heart desires.

So I sit here and plead.

Tonight, What do you want from me?

Happiness and love are things that I crave.

To have them I must find myself and I must be brave.

I must prepare for the bad things that I must see.

I'm so tired of not knowing the true me.

So once again I am on my knees.

I'll give anything you want for the answers that I seek.

Just a glimpse at who I was and who I'm meant to be.

I'll give you anything your dark heart desires.

So I sit here begging and pleading, can't you see.

I'll do anything you want me to, so please,

Just tell me what do you want from me?

Tell me, What do you want from me?

Once she finishes the song, she dives into the crowd. As her body is passed around the crowd and back to the stage, the judges quickly tally the votes and takes in the crowd's reaction to the acts, and then they call for quiet to make their announcement. "The winner is Aluana of the Battle of the Bands!" She becomes ecstatic and does a little giddy dance once she reaches to shake the judges' hands. She becomes intoxicated with the cheers and love she feels from the crowd. The crowd surfing was a new experience for her, and she did it on pure adrenaline and loved it. Once she steps off the stage, she is greeted by the mayor. He claps his hands together in applause.

"You did very well, my dear," he says.

She grabs her dress and curtseys.

"Why thank you, Mayor Bowman."

The mayor blushes slightly, still not used to being called by his last name. Any of Cyrus's normal associates always call him Mr. Mayor, which sounds so generic and without emotion, but Aluana uses his real name, which is why he always has enjoys Aluana's company. She is unlike the other vampires, always considerate of, and sympathetic to everyone around her. Well, except the vampire Tiffany; you can just look at her and tell that she has something up her sleeve.

"So, to what do I owe this visit, sir?" she asks.

"Well, I want to make sure that you get the exposure you need to get your career off the ground. So I wanted to see if you would be interested in performing at a charity event that I am holding."

"Sure. What's the charity?" she asks.

"Well, I am trying to get a committee together to finally have the wreckage cleared out of the old St. Joseph church that burned down years ago. We want to have it rebuilt, and well, I still feel guilty about selling the park to Cyrus. It would be nice to regain my good standing with the public. It's about time I started doing some good with the money Cyrus paid. Just couldn't get anyone to back me up." He looks around, then leans in, and talks low. "I would appreciate if you didn't give anyone else a heads up. Cyrus and some of his associates may not appreciate some of the things I have in mind."

Aluana locks the imaginary lock on her mouth and then throws away the imaginary key; the mayor smiles at her and nods.

"Well, I won't keep you from your spotlight. Go and bask in your new found glory."

"Thank you, Mayor Bowman."



Tiffany hides in a dark corner, watching Aluana to make sure she doesn't get the bright idea of leaving the city, wondering to herself why she still has to be stuck on baby-sitting duty. Since Cyrus consummated their bond three years ago, things have been wonderful. He stopped being as bossy and mean to her, and has actually treated her with kindness. Plus, the sex is always awesome, she thinks to herself with a smile. She notices a familiar face among the crowd; that bald head covered in tattoos is easily noticed from anywhere. Drake walks among the crowd as if he is searching for something. I wonder what he is doing here. She approaches him, and taps his shoulder. When he turns, she nods her head back, motioning for him to meet her outside. He follows her out of the club, and they walk over to where her car is parked.

"So what are you doing here?" she asks. "I thought I was the babysitter?"

"You are," he says with a smart ass grin. "I'm just here to see if I can spot the boy. He should be around the age now that young men attend these things. If I spot him, then I will be able to get the amulet."

She rolls her eyes, tired of hearing about this damn amulet every single day.

"I see. Well, any luck? I will be glad when all the searching is over. That way I can have some more quality time with Cyrus without Aluana," she says.

"I'm ready to bring the dragon as well," he says.

Is there something he is not telling Cyrus? She had better keep a close eye on him.

"Well, let me know if you see him," she says as they part ways.

Aluana walks over to the bar and has a seat, waiting for the bartender to come take her order.

"How can I help you, honey?" the lady behind the bar asks.

"I'll have a White Russian, please."

The bartender smiles, and then walks over to the other end of the bar. When she returns, she hands Aluana a tall glass with a white liquid inside of it.

"It's on the house, honey. You did great up there tonight," the bartender says, and then turns her attention back to the other customers.

Aluana winds down her night with her drink of choice. She is now much happier than she has been in a long time. Then she looks around at everyone there, men approaching women to dance. There are even couples there dancing to the beat of the music. She has been so focused on her music and enjoying Macon that even though she has so much making her happy these days, there is something missing. She is lonely still, and is starting day by day to feel like she is ready for someone to love. There is also the fact that she has so many unanswered questions.

She stands to leave, and putting some money into the tip jar before leaving. I would really love to dance, but I am so tired from the performance. Maybe I will come back another night and find a dance partner. She smiles at the thought of dancing as she leaves the club.

### Chapter Fourteen

Around noon, Namon still lies in his bed, sleeping. Sierra walks into his trailer, and tries to wake him, but he just groans, and rolls over.

"Well, if you want to play it that way, that's fine with me."

She walks into the kitchen and grabs the tea pitcher from the refrigerator. It's only about half full, so she sets it on the counter, and dumps the ice bucket from the freezer into the pitcher. Once she places the bucket back, she gets the pitcher and walks back into the bedroom. When she gets in there she dumps the entire pitcher, ice, and all, on him. He jumps up, cursing.

"Do you have any clue how cold that is? Ewww, now I'm all sticky, and look at my bed," he complains.

"Well, now you know to wake up when I try to get you up, don't you?" she says with a smile. "Now get a shower, and meet me over at my place. You're getting dancing lessons for your birthday."

"All right, and who is going to clean my bed?"

"That's on you," she says while leaving.

Half an hour later, he shows up at her place, and a hip-hop beat is already playing from her boom box. She grabs him by the hand and leads him to the center of her living room. She's very good at dancing, and he can see that. He tries to mimic her moves until she stops him.

"NO, NO, NO," she says. "You don't copy the woman. You have to come up with your own moves. Dance with the woman, not like the woman. Feel the music and move with it."

He closes his eyes, and steps on her feet as he tries to dance. She smacks him on the forehead.

"Eyes open, dummy! I would like to keep my toes," she says with sarcasm.

"Sorry," he childishly pouts at being scolded.

Brice peeks in the window, laughing as he video tapes Namon trying to dance.

The day goes by quickly for Namon as he practices dancing with Sierra, and before he knows it, it's time for them to get ready. Brice, Kieran, and Namon all get dressed at Brice's house. Brice is surprisingly dressed very well, considering his normal attire. He is wearing a black suit with a silver vest, and tie, with wolf cufflinks, and black dress shoes. Kieran wears a pair of dark blue jeans with a long sleeve black shirt with a silver tribal print going from his left shoulder, and across his chest in the shape of a wolf. He is also wearing black sneakers and a cord necklace with a silver bullet on it. Guess it's his idea of a sense of humor. Namon wears a pair of black jeans with a basic black belt, a black long sleeve, button-up shirt that's collarless with the top two, buttons unbuttoned. He wears a charcoal gray vest, and shoes to go with it. He puts on the amulet that Katrina made him take to protect. Every day he makes sure, he wears it and keeps it very well hidden.

His thoughts go back to that night; the night that has put a shadow over his heart. He is constantly thinking about Cyrus. He so desperately wants to confront him and seek his revenge, but he knows that it's not time yet. He feels the time is getting close, though, and that there are harder trials ahead of him. No matter how much he enjoys time with the pack, he has an unsettled feeling building up inside.

Sierra knocks on the door, and enters with Oz following right behind her.

"Well don't you fellas look handsome," she says.

She looks at Brice, blinking then rubbing her eyes.

"Brice? Is that you in there? You look," she sputters, "normal. I don't think I've seen you look normal."

"If you want, I can show you normal for me," he says with a grin.

"No thanks."

She overlooks Kieran, notices Namon, and gets a hazy feeling as if she is becoming intoxicated. Kieran notices this and just rolls his eyes, thinking, Here we go again.

"You look good. Umm, anyway, I just came over to give you the keys to the car. Eric trusts you Brice. Imagine the vehicle is your keg. Those were his exact words."

Brice snatches the keys.

"I call shot-gun!" he says while running out the door.

Kieran follows behind, yelling, "You're driving, you idiot!"

Brice stops, snaps his fingers in a Z formation, and then places his hands on his hips fabulously.

"My personality is big enough for both seats."

He opens the driver's side door of the burgundy colored Jeep Cherokee and gets in. Kieran hops in front, so that leaves Namon for the back. Sierra watches as the car leaves, thinking to herself that she really wished that she could go with them.

A little over half an hour later, they pull up into the Whiskey River parking lot. Business is booming already, and they wind up having to park closer to the road. The three of them get out of the car, walk to the long line, and wait. They can already hear, and feel the music booming from the outside.

"So how many numbers do you think you will get?" Brice asks Namon.

"I bet he doesn't even get one," Kieran says smugly.

Namon tries to ignore that comment.

"You're on. I say five bucks he does get a number," Brice says.

"Wow, so you guys are betting on whether, or not I get a social life."

"Dude, we bet on how many times Brice changes personalities within a year's time."

"Yeah, and I won the last bet," Brice says smugly

"I don't even want to know," Namon says.

The line has finally moved far enough that they give the guy up front their money to get in. The bouncer searches them before they go in to make sure they don't have any concealed weapons, and they are allowed to enter. The music is much louder once they enter, and the song "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard plays. Namon is hit with several different scents. He can smell cigarette smoke, perfume, alcohol, and he can even smell the marijuana that a group of guys is smoking on the other side of the building. He can see a bunch of tables and chairs surrounding two bars, and a dance floor in the center of the room. Not far from the dance floor is the stage, where you can tell that they have live bands on occasion, but not tonight. Brice taps Namon on his shoulder to get his attention and points to the stairs to the right that lead up to the upper balcony level. Namon hadn't even seen those, yet because his attention was on everything else: The lights, the sounds, the smells, and the women all around. He follows Brice and Kieran up the stairs to the upper level where there is a long bar, and a DJ booth. There are also several pool tables around.

He looks around, taking in everything, and is just in awe of it all. Brice comes back with a tray holding several shots. Kieran takes one, as does Brice, then Namon, and they all toss them back. Namon starts to cough as the fiery liquid passes down his throat. Kieran and Brice laugh at the rookie drink, and they all take another shot. The song "Party up" by DMX starts to play as they reach for the last line of shots from the tray.

"The birthday boy, wooooooo!" Brice yells out. "So what do you want to do first, man? There are shots, then pool, then shots, then darts, then shots, then find a woman. Oh wait, did I mention shots?"

Brice pounds his chest as they all hit the last of the shots from the tray. Brice returns to the bar, and comes back with three beers.

"Cheers!" they all say as they tap their beers together.

Brice downs his first, then Kieran, then Namon.

"I bet you I can kick your ass in pool, Kieran," Brice says.

"Another five bucks on that?" he encourages.

"Done."

Brice and Kieran walk over to the available pool table, but Namon walks over to the bar and gets another beer. He has started feeling a buzz thanks to the strong alcohol in the shots, but he is still keeping his fortitude. He takes his beer, walks over to the railing, and props his arms on it while sipping his beer. Then the song "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj begins to play, and he just puts his head down on the rail, gently pounding it.

"Of all the songs, why this one?" he says.

Then he looks down below, and he sees her, a very beautiful woman with a tan complexion, and long black hair sporting red highlights. She is wearing large feather earrings and a tight fitting white dress that shows off all her curves and her cleavage.

Seeing her makes his heart pound like a bass drum; the thing that surprises him the most is that she is dancing alone. The curves on her body make his mouth water, and he feels the need to go dance with her. He chugs the beer and throws it away in the trashcan. On the way to the stairs, he orders another shot for extra confidence and tosses it back, stomping the floor from the kick that it packs. He gives the alcohol a few moments to metabolize so he won't stumble around, but still have just enough in his system so that he can approach her. Namon walks down the stairs and sees a drunken fool trying to dance with her in a vulgar way, trying to feel her up. She appears very disgusted, and he feels it's appropriate that he should come to her rescue.

Aluana tries to push the drunken man away, but he persists. Namon approaches, getting between the two of them.

"There you are baby, I thought I lost you," he says to her with a wink.

She looks at him and smiles a little uncertainly, but quickly catches on.

"Um, yeah, there you are. I've been looking for you," she says.

The drunken man taps Namon on his shoulder.

"Heyyy, I wuz danzin wit er bit," he slurs out.

"Sorry, man. I tell you what, though. Why don't you go sober up, pop a tic-tac and try somewhere else, okay?" Namon says.

He flashes his eyes at the man. They start to glow, and scares the man who is already drunk. The man turns around to run away, winds up tripping on his own feet, and falls to the ground face first. Namon turns his attention back to the beautiful woman while the song "Beautiful" by Akon starts to play.

"May I have this dance, since your song is on?" he asks bashfully as a blush creeps up his face.

Aluana smiles at the pick-up line, but then she makes eye contact with him and her body starts to quake. Not only is this attractive man respectfully asking to dance with her, but he also came to her rescue when she needed it. She doesn't answer his question. She just moves her body closer to his and starts dancing with him. She keeps as little distance between them as possible.

Brice and Kieran watch from the balcony, apparently done with their game of pool, and they hoot and holler at him.

"Go Namon, it's your birthday," Brice says.

Kieran shakes his head at Brice, embarrassed at his attempt at being hip.

"So looks like you owe me five dollars, K-man," Brice says.

"He is just dancing with her he doesn't have her number, yet, and the night is still young."

After the song ends, a slower song starts playing "Secrets" by One Republic, Namon wraps his arms around her waist as she wraps her arms around his neck, her chest pressed against him as she gazes into his eyes, getting lost in them.

"My name is Namon," he says.

"I'm Aluana," she says with a smile, showing a dimple.

She rests her head on his chest, and can hear his heart beating. At that moment, nothing else exists to her, and for the first time she feels happy completely happy. Namon takes in every sensation at this moment, from her touch to her scent, which is an intoxicating combination of mint and roses.

"So I know we just met, but I would love to see you again soon," he says.

"Well, I will be performing here next Friday. I am the singer of the new house band, so I'll be here every Friday night."

"Really? That is very cool. I will definitely be here. I can't wait to hear you sing."

The music starts picking up as a much faster paced song starts playing. It's "Dance the Night Away" by David Banner.

"Oh, I love this song!" she says while spinning around.

She presses her backside against him, and reaches her arms up around his neck, slowly moving them to touch his face while grinding her hips back and forth. He places his hands on her hips, and he dances with her, matching her every move. Please don't step on her toes. Please don't step on her toes. She then steps away from him and turns, motioning for him to come to her. He notices her unnatural gracefulness, and it beckons to his white wolf's nature.

What Namon hasn't realized is that the amulet was jostled out from under his shirt from all the dancing and is now swinging freely in view. He starts walking into her direction until a black haired woman with pale skin gets between them. She starts dancing in front of Namon.

"I'm sorry, but I'm with her," he says to her.

She ignores him and continues to dance, moving closer to him. The closer she gets to him he notices that her skin has started splitting from her forehead down to her mouth. Aluana approaches the woman, angry at this point and grabs the woman by the shoulder, spinning her around. When she turns, her face folds back to reveal rows of very large sharp teeth. The creature leaps onto Aluana as its body changes. The skin under its arms splits to let wings unfold. It pins Aluana to the floor, but Namon comes up behind her and puts it in a headlock right as it attempts to bite her. He twists its neck, snapping it completely around. This doesn't kill the creature, though it just puts its head in a convenient position to bite Namon. It sinks its teeth into Namon's shoulder, and he screams. Steam comes from the creature's mouth as Namon's blood dissolves its teeth. Brice and Kieran leap over the railing, land on the floor, and intercept the two creatures, blocking their paths, which are moving in on Namon. The crowd around them starts taking notice and starts screaming and fleeing.

Namon gets up, and moves around, trying to get the creature to lose its grip. Suddenly Brice grabs the creature's neck and hits it over the head one good time. This makes it lose its grip, and Brice slams it down across the bar. He grabs one of the stronger bottles of liquor, and starts pouring it on the creature. Kieran is now beside him, pulls his lighter from his pocket, and sets it on fire.

"Have a drink on us, bitch!" Brice says.

They turn around and there are three more of these creatures approaching them.

"Well, it looks like the party is just beginning, fellas. Guess there is one for each of us," Brice says before rushing toward them.

Namon looks back and sees Aluana on the floor. He rushes over to her, and helps her up.

"Stay behind me. I'll protect you."

As soon as he finishes saying that, one of the creatures grabs him with its feet and lifts him into the air, flying in circles, and then slamming him into the DJ booth, causing the song to skip to "Hero" by Skillet. The creature hisses at him and bares its teeth, about to bite, but Namon grabs it by the neck and pushes it back. It flaps its wings, allowing itself to hover where Namon cannot reach it. Then suddenly it is hit with a chair, and falls to the ground. Namon gets up, walks over to the balcony, and sees Aluana standing there. She gives him thumbs up, but the victory is short lived. The creature gets back up and starts heading in her direction. Brice is busy with his creature, and so is Kieran. Namon reacts without thinking, runs alongside the balcony, and leaps off, phasing as he falls down, landing on the creature. He bites into its shoulder just as the other one did him. It falls to the ground, and flames start coming from the wound. Aluana stands there in shock at seeing him turn into a wolf. He doesn't have time to explain anything, and just turns to see the others still fighting. He returns to his place in front of Aluana, standing, and watching for any danger, as well as to see if the others need help.

Brice manages to grab his creature by the leg and slams it down on the ground. Then he brings it up and slams it down on the ground continuously, until all that was left was a piece of meat that oozed black liquid. He then grabs a bottle of liquor from the bar, opens it, takes a swig, and then pours the rest on the remains. He looks around for a lighter and finds a book of matches. He tries to take one out, but his fingers are so big he cannot grip it.

"Oh, screw it."

He puts the whole book to his cheek, and strikes all the matches down his cheek, lighting them all, he drops the book of matches on the remains, and they catch fire.

Kieran fights hand to claw with the last creature, but is starting to tire out.

"Guys, I could use some help," He grunts.

It knocks Kieran to the ground and then jumps on top of him, biting into his shoulder. He screams in pain, and Brice rushes over and grabs it, making it lose its grip. Then he can hear Namon's voice in his head saying, "Toss it my way." He turns around and sees him running toward them. Brice throws the creature, and Namon leaps, and they collide mid-air. Namon turns with the creature, and then lands on top of it. He ends the fight by ripping out its throat with his teeth.

The fight over, he looks over at Aluana, and slowly approaches her, phasing as he walks.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I hope you know."

"Yeah, I feel that. You were just protecting me, right?"

Namon smiles, "Yes. So, um, we still on for Friday?"

She laughs at him, and nods yes. They hear sirens wailing in the distance.

"We gotta bounce, guys," Brice says while running out the front doors.

Namon looks around, notices all the small fires, and broken furniture, and realizes that it looks like they were trying to trash the place. Kieran has already left, so Namon grabs Aluana by the hand, and they run behind Brice and Kieran. What none of them noticed was Tiffany sitting in the other balcony, watching the whole fight.

"So that's what he is after. That wolf."

Outside everyone is running to their vehicles, and Aluana stops at her car.

"This one's mine I will see you Friday. I'll put your name on the list." She smiles.

He lifts her up in a big, spinning hug and then kisses her on the lips. It was an innocent kiss, but it was enough to set off fireworks on both their lips. They gaze into each other's eyes, not caring what's going on. Well, that is, until Brice grabs Namon, and in a fireman's carry takes him to the car. Aluana gets into her car as well, and drives off at high speed. Brice follows shortly behind her in their vehicle as they leave just moments before the police and fire department show up.

"Whew, what about a wild night, eh, buddy?" Brice asks Namon who is sitting in the back seat.

"Yeah, tell me about it. She's wonderful, isn't she?"

Brice and Kieran look at one another.

"Um, we were talking about the fight. What were those things, anyway? What does your little book say?" Kieran asks.

"I'll look it up when we get home. They are Seekers there is no doubt about that though."

He stares out the window, looking at the lights as they pass when they get onto the interstate. The fight may as well not have happened with as much attention as he is paying to it. The only thing on his mind is how it felt dancing with her. Then he reflects on it to himself about how there's no way possible she's a simple human, with that grace and her poise when dealing with the battle of creatures...



When Aluana gets to the mansion, she parks her car in the garage and goes to her room. Her thoughts are on Namon, and the fact that he is a werewolf. She should be worried about that, since werewolves and vampires aren't supposed to get along. She doesn't care, though. It just felt right, the connection they shared, and that electric spark she felt when he kissed her. If the kiss was that amazing, even as innocent as it was, she wonders how everything else with him would feel. She pulls out her journal and starts to write, suddenly inspired for a new song.

Tiffany pulls her white BMW X1 into the garage and walks toward the door, but stops when she hears Cyrus's voice.

"Nothing is more important to me than this, Drake. I will kill anyone to accomplish my goals," he says.

"What about Tiffany? I think she is under the impression that she is very important to you, and that once this is over you will be more focused on her."

"Tiffany is merely a pawn. I care about her no more than I do for Aluana. She will serve her purpose, and once done, she will be disposed of."

Hearing this makes Tiffany's heart break; she was so eager to return and give him all the important information that she discovered tonight because she though he loved her. Now, all she wants to do is die. She walks into the house, and goes into her own room instead of Cyrus's. She needs time to think, and figure out where she is going to go from this point on.



Once Brice pulls into the trailer park, they find Eric and the girls sitting around a bonfire, apparently waiting up on them to find out how the night went. The three of them get out, walk over, and have a seat.

"So how did it go? Did you get any numbers, Namon?" Eric asks.

"No."

Kieran smiles, and opens his hand to Brice, who rolls his eyes and reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a ten dollar bill, and puts it in his hand.

"I still say you cheated at pool," Brice says.

"I did dance with someone, though," Namon says.

Sierras heart sinks at hearing that. Oh well, she thinks. She knew that it had to happen eventually.

"Yeah, and poor guy got interrupted. There were creatures there that attacked him in the middle of the club."

Eric appears concerned, "What were they?"

"I'm not sure. I don't remember ever reading up on them before. Let me go get my book."

He gets up, and walks down to get his Beastiary.

"How did he do?" Eric asked Brice.

"He fought very well. I think he is ready, man. I think the woman gave him what he needed."

"What do you mean?" Eric asked.

"Well, she gave him something to fight for. I mean, when he fights with us he gives us everything, but when it came to her, it unleashed something in him I haven't seen before."

Namon comes back with the book, and flips through the pages until he finds the creature he saw.

"It's a seeker demon. They are summoned to look for people, items, or other monsters. Why did they pick me out though?"

Eric points at Namon's chest, and he looks down to see that the amulet is in view. That's when he realized that they saw the amulet, and that's why they attacked him.

"You got to be more careful with that; if they get their hands on it, its game over."

Eric looks over at Brice.

"He's ready, hmmm? I think you should lay low for a while, son. Who knows what else was in that club, and they may be looking for you to return."

"I am, though. I have to see her again Friday night."

"No, you're not. That's what they want," Eric says with authority to his voice.

"You're not my father. You can't tell me what to do, Eric," Namon says defiantly.

Eric is hurt by his words, and surprised by them. Namon has never gone against his command.

"If you want to remain in this pack and receive its protection, you will do as I say, and that is that," Eric says as he stands, and walks up the hill.

Everyone else looks at Namon in surprise.

"What's gotten into you? It's just a girl," Kaya says.

He lowers his eyes to the ground.

"She's not just a girl. For the first time, I didn't feel burdened by my destiny and my past. Why is it so wrong for me to want that? I need a break from being this "great holy warrior" that I am supposed to be. I have lost everything to this destiny, and you know what? I don't want it. I want to be happy. Is that so wrong?" he pleads.

"I want you to be happy more than anything, Namon. Unfortunately, when you have so much at stake, you have to make sacrifices."

His face turns red with anger.

"I am tired of making sacrifices. If my only reason for existing is to make sacrifices, then why am I even here? I may as well make the biggest sacrifice of all. I may as well march right up to Cyrus's mansion gates, and say. 'Hi, I am the boy you have been searching for during the past three years. Why don't you come out so I can shove this amulet right up your ass? Then I'm going to kill you because you killed everyone that's ever loved me!'"

"We all love you, Namon," Kaya says in a hushed tone.

Namon stands snarling at her, "You don't love me. You love what I am."

He turns, walks down to his trailer, and slams the door.

Brice stands up, and starts walking down to his trailer, but Kaya stops him.

"Let him go, Brice."

"I can't just let him talk to you and Eric like that. Let me talk some sense into him," he says while punching his open palm.

"No. I think he is right. Well, not completely, but we praise him for everything that he is capable of, but we don't pay enough attention to him as a person. The only one that has is Sierra. Let him sleep it off, and Sierra can talk to him in the morning."

"Alright, but if he does it again, I'll beat him to a pulp," Brice says as he marches up to his own trailer, and slams his door so hard it falls off the hinges.

Kaya walks up the hill to check on Eric, leaving Kieran and Sierra.

"I think I will talk to him now," Sierra says.

"You heard Kaya. Just leave it alone. Besides, do you think he will listen to you since he made such a big deal about seeing another woman? He doesn't want to be with you, Sierra. Why don't you open your eyes?"

"Because if he doesn't ever want to be with me, who will?"

Her words cut him like a knife through butter.

"If you would open your eyes to something besides him, you would see that there is someone who would give anything to be with you."

He gets up and walks away to his trailer. She sits there staring into the fire stunned at first, and bursts into tears, realizing now what she has been blind to for so long: Kieran had feelings for her, and she has been throwing Namon in his face for years. She feels lower than dirt. The night is now over, and everyone in the pack is mad at one another - Order has been disrupted.
Chapter Fifteen

Namon wakes up in the morning feeling horrible, and it is not because of the alcohol, either. He realizes that last night's behavior towards the pack was uncalled for. I really acted like a spoiled brat toward everyone, especially Eric and he does not deserve that. He gets out of bed and looks around for Oz, but doesn't see him anywhere not even the small bed he has at the end of his own bed. He rushes out of the house, concerned that something may have happened to him, and calls out his name. Brice, Kieran, and Sierra come out of their trailers to see what the commotion is all about. When they realize that Namon cannot find Oz, they join in on the search, since he is every bit as much a family member as any of them.

After half an hour of searching, they find him curled up underneath Namon's trailer. His little body is cold, and shivering from being exposed to the night air for several hours. Looks like with all the excitement that happened last night, someone had forgotten to make sure he was inside somewhere. They got lucky that nothing more had happened to him; there are many creatures out there that would love to be able to get their hands on him if they knew that he existed. Namon picks him up and holds him closely to warm him up. Guilt starts to eat at Namon as he realizes that he let his wants and desires to get in the way of those who are important to him. Brice, Kieran, and Sierra surround them, and they feel just as guilty as Namon does because they all stormed off in their own directions last night as well.

"I am so sorry, buddy. I should have paid more attention," Namon says sorrowfully.

Oz reaches his tiny hand to cover Namon's and offers a weak smile showing that he accepts his apology. Namon looks up at everyone else around the two of them.

"I'm sorry to you guys also. I lost sight of things and I let my temper get the best of me. It's no excuse for the way I behaved, and I wish I could take it back."

Brice pats him on the back, which causes Namon to slip a little, but he regains his balance and stands up.

"We all make mistakes, man. We may be part of this completely crazy, supernatural world, but guess what? We're also still very human, and it is our humanity that molds us into the people that we are meant to be. So what you blew off some steam. I was going to beat you within an inch of your life, but that doesn't mean that we don't understand," Brice said.

Namon gulps, and realizes that Brice was making a lot of sense. Not only that, but he sounded very deep and intelligent. Brice looks back and forth between Namon, Sierra, and Kieran as they all look at him like he just sprouted a second head.

"What? If someone passed gas, you know it wasn't me. None of y'all would be standing if it were me," Brice responds to them staring at him.

Just like that, the Brice they all know, and love...well, let's just stick with 'know' is back.

"We do care about you, Namon, and you are a big part of this family whether you want to be or not. Now that you know, though, there is something you need to do. You need to talk to Eric and Kaya. You really hurt the both of them last night," Sierra says.

Namon stares down at Oz.

"Yeah, I know. You're right," he says, and then looks up at Sierra. "Can you take care of Oz while I go talk to them?"

"Of course I will. You never have to ask that," She responds.

Namon hands Oz to her, and gently brushes her hand over the little guy's head. Then he walks up the hill to Eric and Kaya's trailer, and knocks on the door. Kaya opens the door, and Namon can still see the hurt in her eyes. That hits him hard, making the guilt even worse. He grabs her and hugs her tightly, hoping that will make the apology easier.

"I'm very sorry for last night? I know I said a few things that I shouldn't have, and I disrespected you and Eric. I know you both want the best for me, and to keep me safe. I just..." he stammers, "I just haven't been able to live my life in forever, and this was something that I wanted very badly, my chance at a bit of normalcy."

He lets go of her, and she wipes tears away.

"It's all right. You're young, and I know this life is not easy for you. The weight of the world is on your shoulders, and I get that, but Eric is the one you really should apologize to."

She looks over her shoulder, and see's that he is still asleep on the couch. Then she walks outside and closes the door behind herself so he won't wake up.

"I think what hurt him the most was when you threw it in his face that he wasn't your father. You see, he doesn't have any children and as you know, as long as he chooses to live his life with me, he never will. The day he made you officially part of the pack was one of the proudest days of his life. None of the others knows this, but the reason he is so taken with you is because your lives aren't so different. He was born into the pack life and the responsibility that comes with it. To find members, bring them in, and make them feel like family, there are a lot of alphas out there that do not care about love or compassion; they just command loyalty, and respect. That is another reason why Eric has been such a good leader, and why he is never challenged for his position."

"I am sorry. I had no idea," Namon says.

"Just keep that secret between us, all right? Don't even tell Eric that you know he is very proud. The proudest day of his life, even though he wouldn't ever admit it, was when he announced you will take his place. He has never chosen anyone before. Brice...well, we all know why he never would have chosen Brice. Kieran, though, is level minded as they come and a great warrior, but he chose you. He's sleeping right now he didn't get much rest last night, so please come back later and talk to him. Think about everything I said, all right?"

"Oh, I am, I promise I will make things right. There is something that I have to do first, though. I have to see her just once more, just so I can say goodbye, and so she won't be looking for me."

She looks at him with concern.

"You know what happens if they get the amulet," she reminds him.

"I know, and that is why I'm not going to have it with me. I promise I will be careful."

Namon takes the amulet off, places it in her hands, and closes them over it carefully before hugging her.

"I will be back. That is a promise."

Kaya places the amulet around her neck for safe-keeping.

"Wait right here."

He waits while she goes inside until she comes back out. When she returns, she hands him a pair of keys.

"What are these to?" he asks.

She points over to a tarp in the yard.

"That's your other birthday present from all of us. We wanted to make sure you were sober when you got it, just in case."

He walks over and pulls back the tarp to reveal a Yamaha V-Max motorcycle. It's shiny and black, highlighted with chrome accents. On the handle bars hang two black helmets with silver tribal designs on them and a jacket with similar tribal designs, but they form a wolf head on the back of the jacket. Namon looks at it in awe, and is not feeling very deserving of such a gift.

"I don't deserve this," he says.

"Nonsense boy, you go and enjoy it. Just make sure you handle whatever business it is you need to take care of, and make sure you come back."

He nods, and walks down the hill to check on Oz. Sierra has him wrapped up in a blanket like a little baby, and is carrying him around, but he is fast asleep now.

"Do you think he is going to be all right?" he asks.

"Yeah, he should be fine. Magical creatures are pretty resilient."

"Thank you for taking care of him for me. I need to leave for a little while. I have something to take care of, but I will be back in a little bit," he says.

"Be careful. I know you just got your license, and you passed all the motorcycle courses, and all, but..."

"I'll be fine, and I will be careful. Thank you so much for everything."

He heads back up the hill and puts on his jacket. It's a perfect fit, almost as if it were made just for him. He puts his helmet on, starts the motorcycle up, and heads on his way to Whiskey River in hopes of being able to find a means of contacting Aluana. Once he gets there, though, there is police tape all over the place. It's apparent that no one is going to be there tonight. Then he notices a poster for Aluana's band. "We also perform at parties," the sign says, and there is a contact number. He takes off his helmet, pulls out his phone and dials the number listed on the sign. A few rings later, and she answers the phone.

"Hello?"

He starts to melt just hearing her voice, and has a hard time responding.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

"Yeah, hey, it's Namon. Sorry if I am bothering you..."

"Hey! I am so happy to hear from you. My gig was canceled because of what happened last night. So I can't see you Friday, but hey, wait a minute. How did you get my number, anyway?"

"It's on your poster at Whiskey River. So you do parties?"

"Yeah! Not really for the money, but just for the singing. I love to sing," she says gushingly.

"So let me ask you, are you doing anything today?" he asks.

"No, I don't have anything going on at all. I'm just sitting around here being bored."

"Do you want to meet me for lunch or something?" he asks.

"Yeah, how does the Waffle House sound? I love their All-Star Breakfast special," she says.

"That sounds good to me, which one?"

"Well there is one really close to me on the south end of Riverside, close to Wilmington manor," she suggests.

Namon's heart starts to beat faster, hearing that name, and knowing that she lives so close to Cyrus. This is going to be a big risk seeing her so close to where his enemy lives, but he has to do it.

"I will be there in about ten minutes."

"I can't wait to see you there."

They both hang up, and Namon heads that way.

Aluana excitedly heads out the door, and bumps into Tiffany on her way out.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were out," she says.

Tiffany notices the smile on her face, and stops her.

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"I have a lunch date with a really cute guy. Looks like we both get to have a happy story, don't we, Tiffany?" Aluana says with a smile. "You have Cyrus and I may wind up with this guy."

Tiffany feels her heart twist hearing Cyrus's name. Yeah, happy story my ass, she thinks.

"I'm happy for you."

The other thing that pops into Tiffany's mind is the fact Aluana was dancing with a werewolf last night, and that has to be who she is talking about. Tiffany keeps this to herself, and just smiles at her.

"Well, you have fun, and give me details later."

Aluana nods as she gets into her car and drives off.

Tiffany no longer wishes to hold any allegiance to Cyrus. She will show him who the pawn is, and who is not important. She searches the mansion grounds for Drake, and when she finds him, she will have the answers that she seeks. Doesn't take long, and she finds him meditating outside, so she slowly approaches him.

"Why does Cyrus want the wolf?" she asks bluntly.

Drake's eyes flash open when he hears her demanding question.

"You have seen this wolf? Where is he?"

"I'm not telling you a damn thing until you tell me what he wants with him. I heard what the two of you were talking about, and I will show you both who is disposable. I have the information you two want, and I demand to know what is going on."

Drake rolls his eyes and sighs.

"The wolf has the amulet. That is why we are looking for him. Aluana has one of the rings, and Cyrus has the other, so all he needs is the amulet itself. He can use it to bring Galamythe into this world."

"So how loyal are you to Cyrus? Do you really think he will treat you any different than anyone else once he has control of the dragon?" Tiffany asks.

"I am no fool. What is it that you are asking of me?"

"What would you want to do if you had control of Galamythe yourself?" she asks.

"Nothing near what Cyrus has in mind," Drake says with a smirk.

"So if I were to deliver the completed amulet to you, would you help me?" she asks.

"I want to take away everything that Cyrus desires and make him suffer. He took away all of my dreams, so I will take away his."

"So what can I do to help you?"



Back at Waffle House, Namon pulls into the parking lot and sees Aluana sitting in a booth by the window. His heart begins to beat hard because he's not looking forward to telling her that he cannot see her again. His head begins to hurt, trying to figure out what to tell her and how to explain it. He parks his motorcycle and walks inside, taking his helmet off along the way. Once inside, he slides into the booth across from her, and smiles at her. It is difficult to look at her, and not smile. The waitress comes over and asks for their order, Aluana orders her All Star Breakfast, and Namon decides to have the same. Both of them have coffee with sugar and cream to drink. Once the waitress walks away, Aluana looks at Namon with a very big grin on her face.

"I have got to say that I very much enjoyed my time with you last night. I am glad that you found a way to get in touch with me because I didn't want to wait until Friday to see you even if Whiskey River was open."

Hearing her go on about how much she enjoyed spending time with him has all, but broken his will and he is moments away from not telling her he cannot see her again. She bats her eyelashes at him, and he becomes lost completely as he looks into her eyes.

"You are so beautiful."

She smiles at the compliment, reaches across the table, and takes his hands into hers.

"That is a very sweet thing for you to say."

Namon looks down at her hands, which are folded over his, he freezes when he sees the ring on her finger. One of the rings to the amulet is right in front of him.

"Where did you get that ring?" he asks.

She looks down at the ring. "I have had that for as long as I remember. Why do you ask?"

"That ring is one of two rings." He leans in closer and talks low so no one else will hear him. "My mother had one, and was buried with it."

Aluana looks insulted(,) as it seems like he was implying something.

"I assure you this has been my ring since long before your mother was buried." She covered her mouth as soon as she said that because that gave a little indication of her age.

"I didn't say you did, I know who stole it." He leans in again. "Someone that works for Cyrus Wilmington; Wait a minute what do you mean that ring has been yours since before she was buried?"

The waitress brings their food to them, and Aluana draws her hands back so that there is a place for the plates to be set. After the waitress walks away, Aluana looks at Namon, not to sure what to say. Here he is saying that Cyrus had done something bad, the same Cyrus that has protected her for so long. Granted, he has also kept her prisoner for most of that time as well. How well does she really know Cyrus? After all, he is always gone on his "business trips". Then there are the secret meetings he keeps having with the strange man with the bald head.

"How do you know it was Cyrus?" she asks.

"Well, you pretty much have an idea of what I am, right?"

She mouths the word "werewolf."

"Yes, well, sort of. Well, Cyrus is not what a lot of people think he is."

He looks around to see if anyone is paying attention to their conversation before picking up his fork and knife. He cuts into his waffle, and dips the bite into syrup.

"So how familiar are you with the movie Dracula?" he says, and then takes a bite.

"Are you suggesting?"

He nods his head.

"How could you know all of this?"

"My godmother taught me, and I have lots of books with detailed information of what's known of him and many other creatures. Like the demons that attacked me the other night."

Aluana starts eating her food as well, but chews slowly as she listens to him. She's not sure what to believe, but her heart wants so badly to believe him. For so long, she has longed for someone that she felt she could love, and he had fit the bill until now. So many questions enter her mind, and her head starts to hurt. Great, more questions. As if, I didn't have enough of them already.

"He murdered my godmother trying to get to me when I was seventeen. He also murdered my mother and father when I was young. So I am not a big fan of his, as you can tell. Then there is the fact of what will happen if he gets his hand on the amulet he is looking for. If he has both rings, he plans on doing something very bad."

A thought now enters Namon's mind that he wished didn't. That night when he and Katrina fought the sorcerers' zombies, Drake had said Cyrus now had all, but one artifact to make the amulet complete. That is when Namon connected the dots, and his heart breaks. Aluana has a ring that looks just like his mother's and she said she has had it way longer.

"Could she be a vampire? Is she in league with Cyrus?" he thinks to himself not wanting to believe that, even though all the signs point to it. Although, why would Cyrus keep her around, and let her hold on to the ring? He mouths the question, Are you a vampire? She nods yes, and reaches for his hand. Surprising to him he doesn't withdraw. Here she was, a vampire, and he didn't want to kill her. Once she touches him, he has a vision just like he does at random times, only this vision is different. Instead of seeing what happened in her past, he sees what could happen in her future. He is standing outside in what looks like Washington Park, and is dressed in a tux. Brice is standing next to him wearing one as well. Then Namon looks over and sees Aluana in a wedding dress, walking slowly in his direction. He expects the vision to turn into a nightmare just like most of his other visions, but strangely enough, it ends happily with them saying "I do," and kissing one another.

Aluana, though, is not so lucky. Her head starts to hurt and she puts her hand on her forehead like you would if you got brain freeze. She sees a memory from right before she became a vampire. There are several knights in full body armor around, holding the doors to her room from the inside. She stands behind them trembling, frozen with fear. The doors are knocked down by a massive creature that looks like it's made of stone. Drake enters the room right after the creature, and several vampires flood into the room with him and slaughter the knights as if they were defenseless. Two of the vampires pin her down to the floor, and then Cyrus enters the room. He straddles her, and then she snaps out of the vision by Namon shaking her.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

"No, I am not." tears welling up in her eyes, "I believe you. I think maybe we should go."

Namon waves at the waitress and asks for the check. He pays for their meals. Aluana stands up leaving her purse with her car keys, credit cards, and all her personal identification on the seat of the booth, and he clasps her hand as they exit the restaurant. That is where Aluana tells him what she saw.

"He lied to me for so long. He always told me he turned me to keep me from dying, that he had been protecting me for so long because I was important for some reason. I didn't have a single memory of my life before I became a vampire until now, and the first memory I have reclaimed is of Cyrus changing me, and now the first memory I have negates everything he's ever told me-I wasn't dying. He changed me for some other reason."

She starts crying, and Namon hugs her, pulling her closer to him and allowing her to cry into his chest.

"I don't think it's safe for you to go back," he says.

"I do not have anywhere else to go."

"You can come with me, and stay. I'll protect you, and I will make sure nothing happens to you."

She looks up at him with her eyes red.

"You didn't eat my sister or anything like that before I became a vampire, did you?" she says with a slight laugh.

"No, I'm only twenty-one. I promise."

She never did know what to expect from Cyrus, but when she hears the words "I promise" coming from Namon, she believes them, and she knows he will protect her. He hands her the helmet.

"So what is one thing that you wish you could do if you could do anything right now?" he asks.

"I want to see the stars. I have lived in big cities for so long that I haven't seen the sky full of stars in I don't know how long. Even the lights in Macon are too much for me to be able to see the stars the way I would love to."

Namon smiles before putting on his helmet and climbs onto the motorcycle. She gets on behind him after putting her helmet on, and the motorcycle speeds out of the parking lot. She looks back at her car knowing that she can never return to the life that she once had. It never truly felt right for her anyway, so she doesn't think that she will really miss anything about it. Other than her music studio, that is.
Chapter Sixteen

Tiffany searches through the study looking for the other ring. Good thing Cyrus is gone on a business trip. She goes through all the notes on his desk, but doesn't find anything. When she goes through the drawers, though, she finds a locked box with a pass code entry. She tries typing in several key words that she thinks may possibly work. Galamythe, fail, Cyrus, fail, Aluana, fail, Tiffany, fail. What the hell can it be? Then it hits her and she feels dumb for not realizing it at first. She types in Demetria and the box opens. You always remind everyone about how badly you want to follow her will. The first thing she finds is a very old journal, which she picks up and flips through. She stops on a very old drawing of a beautiful woman with red hair, and pale complexion. She removes the old sketched portrait, and looks on the back of it to read the message.

To Cyrus,

I give you this picture along with my heart. When I turned you into my first creation to use you against my brothers, it was just as a weapon. Never did I dream that I would fall in love with you. Love, such a human trait, and I wonder if that makes me any less of a demon than I was. If anything were to ever happen to me, I want you to carry out my legacy, and bring my brother Galamythe back before my brothers do. Each of us has our own desires for which we want to use him. Denominos is the main threat, so you must have Galamythe destroy him first.

With much love,

Demetria

Tiffany closes the journal, and puts the picture in her pocket. She has a better understanding of why Cyrus is the way that he is, but she has lost any ability of feeling compassion toward him since he shattered her heart. He never loved me; he has been too busy still feeling love for someone long dead. She searches through the box, and finds the ring. The ring slides onto her finger very easily, and she smiles at the thought of revenge. She always did care for the legend of Demetria, the mother of all vampires, being as she is the one that even made being a vampire possible, and it was a sad day for all vampires when Cyrus announced that Lance had managed to kill her. Everyone mourned, but none as much as Cyrus had. She walks back outside to meet with Drake.

"I've got the ring," she says while showing him her hand.

Drake places her hand between his, and chants until the ring is surrounded by a green light. He removes his hands, and the eye glows green and the light slowly fades away.

"Whenever you are nearby the other ring or the amulet, this ring will glow green. I could have used this sooner but I wasn't ready for Cyrus to have access to that knowledge just yet."

"Alright, but you're still coming with me in case I have use for one of your demons. Who knows who or what she has met up with by now?"

They get into Tiffany's car, and she drives, following the GPS signal that she had installed on Aluana's car. Within minutes, they pull into the Waffle House parking lot and see her car just sitting there empty. Tiffany gets out of the car and walks inside.

"Excuse me, do you know where the owner of that car is?" she asked, pointing to the car.

The waitress that served Namon and Aluana walks over, and looks out the window.

"No ma'am. She got on the back of some guy's bike that she was having lunch with here, and they rode off. I tried to catch her, she left her purse here," she says as she steps behind the counter and grabbing Aluana's purse to hand it over.

Tiffany takes the purse and peers inside noticing the car keys and everything are in it.

"Which direction?" she demands.

"Well, they turned right onto Spring Street right over there, and that leads into east Macon."

"Thank you for your help," Tiffany says with a devious smile.

Tiffany walks back outside and gets back into the car.

"Great, chances are she is in skin walker territory. Hope you have a plan on standby, Drake," she says while backing the car up and driving toward east Macon.



Namon parks his motorcycle outside of Eric's trailer. Down the hill, everyone else looks up, wondering why he has brought a woman here. He turns, facing her as they remove their helmets. The door opens to Eric's trailer, and he looks a good bit pissed.

"I thought I told you it wasn't safe to go out, and for you to lay low!" He notices Aluana, who is starting to look really uncomfortable and nervous. His mood starts to change slightly, not wanting to make a bad first impression.

"So is this her?" Eric asks.

Namon nods.

"I'm sorry I disobeyed orders, but it's a very good thing that I did," Namon says.

"I'll hear you out. Kaya!"

He calls for her in the trailer. She walks outside, and when she sees Aluana, she smiles. Standing beside Namon, she nudges him in the ribs.

"Wow, she's beautiful. No wonder you went through so much trouble," Kaya said under her breath

Namon starts to blush slightly.

"Never mind that," Eric says to Kaya.

"Can you take our guest," he pauses looking perplexed, "What's your name?"

"Aluana, sir."

"Right, take Aluana, and introduce her around while I have a few words with our rebel." He hikes his thumb at Namon.

Kaya takes her down the hill as Namon and Eric walk inside the trailer. Eric locks the door and turns, facing Namon, crossing his arms and giving him the "I'm waiting" look.

"First off, I really do want to apologize for last night. I shouldn't have disrespected you as I did. I also shouldn't have thrown it in your face that you're not my father. I," he stutters.

"I don't let many feelings out anymore because when I do, something bad happens to the person. You're not my father, but as you know, you are the closest thing that I have ever had to one," he says through the rush of emotion choking off his speech.

Eric seems to soften his expression some as he uncrosses his arms.

"I do accept your apology. Now back to her. Why is she here?"

"Well initially, the plan was just to meet her, and tell her that I can't see her again. It was the hardest decision I had to make because there has never been anyone I have wanted so badly to be around."

"So if you made that decision, why is she here?" the harshness creeping into his voice.

"She has a ring to the amulet."

Eric slowly, thoughtfully, strokes his chin at this news.

"I thought you had said Cyrus has possession of both rings."

Namon's eyes are lowered now, knowing that he can't lie if Eric continues this line of questioning.

"He did, and now we have one of them."

"How did she get the ring?" His tone became steely cold.

Namon curses to himself, knowing he is unable to lie.

"She has had it for as long as she can remember," He says quietly with downcast eyes.

"Namon, did you bring a vampire into our territory?" Eric asks with a scolding look.

"Yes, but she is different. She didn't choose to be a vampire, nor did she want it."

"If she didn't choose it, son, then why did Cyrus let her keep the ring? How do you know that she is not lying to you to get to the amulet?" His voice quivers in anger.

"The same way I knew about how Brice got those scars, and the same way I saw exactly what those vampires did to Katrina," Namon says with confidence.

Eric thinks about this for a few moments, his mood changes from anger to acceptance.

"I wish I knew why I cannot sense what she is. Vampires have a certain scent to them. They smell like old dusty mothballs, but she smells, well, human. How can you be certain she really is a vampire?" He glances out the window down to Kaya and Aluana thoughtfully.

"Well, she says that she is. Plus her hands are colder than a human."

Eric strokes his beard.

"Well whether she is or isn't. The point is that you have put all of this family in danger by bringing her here," Eric says.

"She doesn't have anywhere else to go, though," Namon says, almost pleading.

Eric considers the situation, and makes a decision that goes against all that he has taught his pack.

"She can stay tonight, but tomorrow you can take her to our cabin just north of here. It's only a little under a mile away. There are no roads on the way there, so you will have to walk. Hopefully that will be protection enough while I decide how to further handle the situation."

"I understand. Thank you for everything, and all your help," Namon says relief evident in his voice.

"Well let's join the others for now. Let's meet this vampire of yours."

They walk outside, and down to the bottom of the hill, and everyone is laughing.

"Hey, what did I miss that was so funny?" Namon asks.

Aluana looks over at him and then back to Brice.

"Brice, right?" she asks.

He nods.

"Well, Brice here was just telling me about a video he made of you when you first started trying to dance. He said you kept stepping on..." She looks over to Sierra who was sitting very closely to Kieran. "Sierra, right? Well he said he was surprised she had any toes left, and that her feet were as big as his when you were done."

"Size thirteen, yes ma'am," Brice says proudly.

Namon started to blush and Aluana takes him by the hand, leads him over to the log, and has him sit beside her.

"It's all right. Everyone hits that stage one time or another. It's nothing to be embarrassed about," she says.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be as embarrassing if it didn't just happen yesterday."

"Wow, and you danced really well last night. I couldn't tell that you didn't know how to dance. You're a fast learner."

"Maybe it's just that I had the perfect partner," he says to her.

"Aww, that is so sweet," Aluana says blushing.

Brice pounds his chest.

"He gets that from Brice," Brice says, referring to himself in the third person.

Aluana whispers into Namon's ear. "Why is it that when I see him do that, it reminds me of King Kong on top of a sky scraper?"

Namon busts out laughing so hard, and Brice just looks at the two of them funny. Then he starts walking on his knuckles like a gorilla and looking through Aluana's hair for lice, grunting like a gorilla. Everyone laughs hysterically by this point, and Namon looks over to Sierra. She looks so happy now compared to just the other night, and this makes him feel so much better. He looks over at Kieran as well, and he looks equally as happy. Guess he finally opened up about how he felt about her. Then he starts to think about Oz.

"Sierra, how is Oz doing?" he asks.

"He is much better now. He slept most of the morning, and he even got into your stash of junk food earlier."

"Who is Oz?" Aluana asks.

"He is my best friend." Sierra and Brice both look at him as though they were offended. "Well, he is my best non-human friend."

"He isn't human? What is he?" she asks cautiously.

She feels something hop onto the log next to her. Once she turns to see what is on the log with her, she jumps a little, slightly startled. Oz sits there calmly eating his puff corn as if nothing was wrong or out of the ordinary. He even raised the bag to Aluana, offering her some, shaking it a little to entice her to take some, which looks a little odd given the bag is the same size as he himself is. She reaches her hand into the bag and takes some out.

"Thank you. I'm guessing you're Oz."

Oz nods, giving her a cheese covered thumbs up, and then shoves his hand down in the bag for another piece of puff corn. Eric pays close attention to Aluana as she eats the puff corn. He has a puzzled look on his face when she doesn't regurgitate it. He has been always brought to believe that vampires couldn't eat human food, that their bodies reject it. So why was she able to? Plus, he had noticed the slightly pinkish coloration to her cheeks earlier when she'd blushed at Namon's comment. He isn't fully convinced that she even is a vampire.

"He must like you. He is usually so skittish around new people."

Oz hops down, and walks over to Namon, looking at Aluana up and down. Then he high fives Namon, gives him an orange thumbs up and a wink before he scampers off dragging his half empty bag of puff corn behind him. Everyone cannot help but bust out laughing at the outrageous behavior from such a little creature. Namon looks up to the sky to see the sun setting. Eric notices, and looks up as well, and then he claps his hands and rubs them together.

"Brice, fire up the grill. It's time for another cook out. So, Aluana do you like steak?" he asks cordially.

"As long as they aren't wooden," she says with a smile.

Everyone looks at her, confused.

"Why would you eat a wooden steak? That is just not right," Brice says.

Eric and Namon exchange a worried glance.

"It was a joke," she says.

Eric and Namon start to laugh just slightly as they realize that it was a poke at being a vampire: a fact that the rest of them didn't know, yet.

"Inside joke, guys. I'll explain later," Eric says.

The grill is fired up and everyone pitches in to help with cooking, and setting up the tables. Eric watches Aluana as she helps, and is still trying to figure her out. He sets the logs inside the bonfire pit so that they can have their nightly fire. Once everyone has finished eating, Aluana takes the initiative, and helps clean up. She is so selfless, and that is definitely not a vampire trait. Vampires are all about themselves, and their own goals(,) he thinks to himself.

Minutes later, everyone sits around the fire, and Brice looks at the couples sitting on logs. Kieran is next to Sierra, holding her hand, Eric is sitting next to Kaya, holding her hand, and Namon sits next to Aluana, of course, holding her hand. Brice starts to feel a little lonely at that point, then looks beside himself, and sees Oz sitting there with his bag of marshmallows.

"I'm not holding your hand," he says.

Oz sticks his tongue out at Brice, wiggling a marshmallow on his finger at him before popping it into his mouth.

"So everyone, I think we should try something new tonight. I think everyone should share their favorite memory. We will start with Kieran and work our way around the fire. Go ahead, Kieran," Eric says.

Kieran starts to scratch the back of his head.

"Well, I guess I could say my favorite memory was when Sierra was brought into the family. I mean, before then I was the new guy, and when she came in I had someone I could better relate to. That and, well, I never met anyone quite like her. So yeah, meeting Sierra is my favorite memory," Kieran says.

Sierra smiles big, and then kisses him on the cheek.

"I guess it's my turn now. My favorite memory was this morning when...um, I don't think I will share that, but let's just say we had a good morning," she says while blushing.

Brice clears his throat before responding. "Boom chicka, wow, wow." as he mimics cheap porn music. Everyone busts into raucous laughter, as Kieran and Sierra start turning very deep shades of red.

Oz stands on the log, shoving a marshmallow into his mouth with his cheeks puffed out looking between Kieran and Sierra, then when it dawns on him what they are talking about he starts choking on his marshmallow, as he starts laughing.

Oz begins jumping up and down on the log waving his little hands after he recovers from choking. Once he has everyone's attention, he points to each and everyone one of them as his eyes tear up, and wrapping his little arms tightly around hugging himself.

"Are you saying having us as your family is your best memory, buddy?" Namon asks.

Oz nods, and everyone smiles.

"And we all love you, Oz," Kaya says.

Brice stands, and places his hand over his heart.

"My favorite memory was the day that Eric found me. I was broken, devastated by the loss of my entire family. My wife and my kids were all taken from me, and I was left with nothing. I watched them being slaughtered in front of my very own eyes, and was helpless to do anything about it. That day, I felt that I didn't have any more meaning to my life, and nearly gave up. Eric found me, gave me a purpose, and a new meaning, and I vowed from that day forward to dedicate my life to making the world a better place, both by getting rid of the monsters in it, and by making everyone laugh," he says, and then sits down. Everyone is moved by this serious side of Brice, that a few eyes sparkle with unshed tears.

Eric and Kaya were the only two who had known that story, and Namon looks at Brice in a new perspective now, and a newfound respect. He has more in common with Brice than he realized, but he could never imagine how hard it must be to lose a child.

Aluana looks around as eyes are focused on her.

"Well, there are two days in my life that are the most memorable, so I think I should share both of them. They are both important. The first would be three years ago when I got to enjoy shopping out in public. For so long, I have felt like a prisoner even though I have been told that it was for my own good. So the day I got to go out by myself and enjoy life is one of my most favorite memories. I think I even met you that day, Sierra. Weren't you the woman I accidentally bumped into at the book store?"

Sierra thought she had recognized Aluana, but didn't know from where.

"So that's where I have seen you before," she says as it dawns on her.

"The other day that is my most favorite memory is the night I met Namon. Some drunken guy was trying to dance with me and Namon came to my rescue. I will always remember him as my hero," she says with a smile as she squeezes his hand.

Namon smiles just as he starts his turn.

"Well, as you all know, I don't have many happy memories in my life. All of you being my family is a very important memory that I will always cherish, and hold dear, but my most favorite memory is last night. I was standing in the balcony listening to that god awful song, and then I look down and I saw her. Never in my life had I felt a feeling hit me so hard, as it did that time. I knew I had to dance with her, so I did."

Everyone smiles, as they are glad that he has found someone to make him happy.

"I just wish that Katrina was here to see me happy. She took care of me for so long I miss her," he adds.

Oz jumps into Namon's lap and reaches his arms as far around him as he can, hugging him.

"We all wish that she could be here with us," Eric says sadly. "Now it is my turn. My most favorite memory is the day that Kaya said she would marry me."

Everyone especially Kaya looks at him confusedly because they aren't engaged.

"Oh wait, that's right. That hasn't happened, yet," Eric says.

Then he gets down on one knee in front of Kaya, and pulls out a box with a ring in it.

"You have been very supportive of me, and have tolerated my stubbornness for so very long. I know that I will never again find anyone on this world that will be as kind, understanding, beautiful, or have such good aim with a can as you do."

"Or a keg," Brice says, glaring at her.

"Yes, Brice, how could I forget the keg? Anyway, so I now ask you in front of our family, and our new friend Aluana. Will you marry me?"

She takes the ring, hands trembling, her breath caught in her chest, and tears flow down her cheeks as she puts it on.

"So, Kaya what do you say? Can I have an answer so that I can get up? This fire is making my butt too warm for my comfort."

She laughs.

"My favorite memory would have to be when I said yes," she says.

Eric gets up, and she stands with him, embracing him with a big hug. Then she grabs him by the wrist and drags him with her up the hill, slamming the trailer door behind them.

"Well, we know who is getting lucky tonight," Brice says. He looks over to Kieran and Sierra who are lost in their own little world, and kissing. Then he notices Namon grabbing Aluana's hand and leading her up the hill to his motorcycle as they get ready to leave. Then he looks down at Oz, who offers Brice a roasted marshmallow on a stick, nodding his head as encouragement.

"Thanks, buddy, but I'm not kissing you either."



Namon and Aluana ride down the country roads. Aluana takes in the fresh air and cannot believe how much different the night is out here compared to that of the city.

"Close your eyes, and don't open them until I say, all right?" he yells back at her.

She closes her eyes, and within minutes, the motorcycle comes to a stop. He takes off his helmet and then carefully takes hers off as well. He takes her hand and leads her down the hill, and into the open clearing. Careful of their steps so she won't stumble with her eyes closed.

"You can open your eyes now," he says.

She opens them, and sees him as he lies down on the ground and pats the ground next to himself. She follows his lead, and lies down next to him. When she looks up, she gasps at the most beautiful sight that she has seen in centuries. He has led her to a field deep enough in Jones County that the view of the stars isn't hindered by the light from the city. She scoots over a little closer to him and snuggles closely. After lying there for a while, she leans up, and looks at him. Leaning in closer, she softly kisses him on the lips. At that moment, their fates are sealed together, because the kiss is a lot different than the quick one they shared the night before. This one slowly builds up and lingers with every positive emotion that a person could feel flowing through their bodies.

An hour later, they return to the trailer park, and both go into his trailer and lie together in his bed, resting from an eventful day. They lie there wrapped up in each other's arms, and just stare into each other's eyes until they fall asleep.



Nearly twenty miles away in Milledgeville, Tiffany and Drake are sitting outside of the car waiting for AAA because they have a flat tire and no spare. Tiffany kicks the flat tire, cursing at their misfortune and not understanding how they got so lost.

### Chapter Seventeen

Namon wakes up with Aluana wrapped in his arms. Nothing happened, other than the kiss, but he couldn't be any happier. As soon as she feels him start to turn, she wakes up and rolls over to face him. They just lie there, for a few moments, staring into each other's eyes.

"Good morning, sleepy head," she says.

"Good morning to you too," he says with his tongue sticking out.

She playfully hits him on the shoulder and leans in to kiss him.

"Thank you for last night. It really did mean a lot to me getting to see the stars again. I felt like a prisoner for so long before coming to Macon. Did you know that any large city that I have lived in, I wasn't allowed to leave where ever it was we were living?"

"Great, just add more reasons for me to kill him, if I didn't already have enough," he says a growl forming in his voice.

A frown forms on her face at the idea of Namon fighting Cyrus and possibly getting hurt. Cyrus has been a vampire for a very long time, so he has much more fighting experience, not to mention power, compared to Namon. She scoots closer to him, wraps her arms around him, and starts kissing him.

"I don't want you to fight him. I'm afraid you will get hurt, or worse," she says pausing to catch her breath.

He reaches his hand to her cheek and rubs it gently.

"Unfortunately, one day I will have to fight him. Only then will all his victims get to cross over. The one I see the most, though, is my godmother Katrina. She shows up every now and then to give me guidance. I just wish I could see my mom and dad once before I kill him."

"I really am sorry for all of your losses. No one should ever have to endure all of the pain that you have."

She kisses him again and strokes his cheek with her hand, then gently nibbles on his lip.

"Can't we just run away together?" she asks.

"You have no idea how much I love the sound of that, but I am the last White Wolf, and that means I'm the only one strong enough to stop him. No matter where we go, he will not stop looking until he has all of the pieces of the amulet."

She hugs him again very tightly not wanting to let go of him. Then they hear the sound of someone knocking on the door. They both get up out of bed and Namon answers the door. Brice is standing there with his hand covering his eyes, and then he peeks between his fingers.

"Y'all decent?" he asks.

"Yeah man, what's up?"

"Eric and everyone else have made a big breakfast for the two of you before y'all go."

"All right, we will be out in a few minutes."

Namon shuts the door, and turns around to see Aluana standing there.

"Where are we going?" she asks.

"Well, Eric thinks everyone will be safer if we went to the cabin we have under a mile just north of here. Cyrus will be looking for you as soon as he realizes you're missing, and that will probably be the safest place for you to be right now."

"You will be staying with me there, won't you?" she asks.

"Of course, I mean, I may have to come back in case something happens, but I wouldn't be gone long, and I would only leave if I had no other choice."

They both walk outside, and the air is filled with the scent of smoked sausage and pancakes. The picnic table is covered with a feast of breakfast foods. Everyone is very welcoming and pleasant to Aluana. Eric must have had a good night last night because the serious face he has been wearing lately has been replaced by a goofy grin.

"Namon, before we all eat, I want to have a few words with you and Aluana."

"Sure."

They all get up and walk up the hill to Eric's trailer. Once inside, Eric touches Aluana's hand, and looks into her eyes.

"Just as I suspected. Aluana, how long have you believed you are a vampire?" Eric asks.

"Centuries, why? What do you mean 'believe' I'm a vampire?"

"Well, this may come as a shock to you, but you're not a vampire."

"What do you mean?" she asks truly befuddled.

"Well for one thing, vampires don't eat human food. Their bodies reject it as soon as they swallow it. Other than that, you don't even give off the scent of a vampire."

"Then how do you explain how I've been alive for so long?" she asks.

"I have seen this before. A sorcerer can make someone immortal by connecting the person's essence to that of the vampires. That enables the vampire to preserve the person for a special purpose for as long as the vampire wishes. Namon, you are the person most able to protect her until we can make a plan for getting rid of Cyrus. So when you leave, you stay with her at all times until someone comes for you. Understood?"

"Yes sir," he responds

"By the way Aluana, think of the vampires you lived with, what they could possibly need you for, anything specific. I know that's broad, but it might help you figure out why they bound your essence to them."

"Now, let's go join everyone else. I'm starving," Eric says.

They leave the trailer to join everyone outside who are already enjoying their breakfast. Once done, Sierra walks over and hands Aluana a bag with some of her own clothes.

"I thought maybe you could use some more clothes, since you didn't have any with you when you came here."

"Thank you so very much," Aluana says. Then, noticing Kieran close behind Sierra, she asks, "So is this the guy you were shopping for that day?"

Sierra starts turning red at the question.

"Um, actually, that was Namon."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to put you on the spot," Aluana says.

There is an awkward silence for a few moments, and Aluana feels bad now for putting Sierra on the spot like that. She also feels a little uncomfortable because they both have shared the same feelings for the same guy. Does she still feel that way about him? Then Kieran walks the extra steps and gives Sierra a hug from behind. She smiles and holds his hand in hers. Aluana smiles at the two, and feels a little bit better about the situation.

"Thank you again for the clothes. That was very sweet, and considerate of you," she says.

Brice comes up towering over Aluana; then lifts her into the air, giving her a big bear hug. Then he puts her down and gives her a very serious look.

"You take care of my friend, all right?" he says while tilting his head in Namon's direction.

"I will," she says with a smile.

"And you," Brice says while pointing at Namon. "You get into any trouble, just howl, and the B-man will be there before you know it."

"You've got it, man," he says while tapping his knuckles with his own.

Brice then picks him up for a bear hug as well. When he puts him down, he picks Oz up.

"Don't worry about my little buddy here. I'll take care of him while you're gone," Brice says.

Oz tugs on Brice's shirt and points to Aluana when he has his attention. Brice walks over to her and Oz jumps into her arms hugging her. She hugs him gently back, then he launches himself back at Brice, and clamors his way to his shoulder. Kaya walks over, and gives Aluana a hug as well.

"You two, be careful out there. Namon, you let us know when you two get there ok?" Kaya requests.

"The cabin is fully stocked for any need you may have," she states.

"I promise," he says tapping his pocket with his cell phone in it.

Eric walks over patting the two of them on their shoulders.

"Be careful, and once this all blows over, Aluana, you are welcome here with us anytime."

"Thank you. I will definitely hold you to that," she says with a smile.

She feels at home with them, and believes that they truly care for her. They aren't putting on a show like Cyrus always has. Aluana slides the straps of Namon's backpack over a shoulder and lifts her bag as Namon phases into his wolf form so that he can better sense any dangers that could be around during their trip. They enter the woods, and several thoughts enter her mind. I wonder if anything has ever happened between Namon, and Sierra? She is very pretty.

"No, nothing has ever happened with us," Namon said to her with his mind. "Don't freak out this is another one of my gifts. When I am in my wolf form, I can hear thoughts. It's sort of like telepathy."

"Wow, that's really cool. I wish I had that around Tiffany," she says.

"Who's Tiffany?"

She rolls her eyes. "She's one of Cyrus's favorite vampires that sucks' up to him every chance she get, a bane of my existence, basically. She tries her best to cause trouble for me every chance she gets."

"Sounds like you've had it pretty rough," Namon says.

"Yeah. So, how come nothing ever developed between you, and Sierra?"

Namon sniffs around concentrating on the best way to answer the question.

"I just never felt that way about her. I mean, she was my first kiss, yeah, but I never had that feeling I always thought you should have when you are supposed to be in love with someone. She never felt more to me than a friend, anytime she made it clear that she wanted more, that just made me feel uncomfortable. I thought I may not have felt that way because of this big destiny that I'm supposed to be a part of. So I didn't even try to feel anything more for her or anyone else. When I first laid eyes on you, though, all of that changed. The whole world as I knew it just froze in place right then."

She smiles hearing those thoughts, knowing that she felt the very same way when she first saw him.

"So have you ever had a girlfriend?" she asks.

"Do you count?"

"Well, we haven't technically established any form of relationship, yet. So, no, I do not count," she says with a slight laugh.

"In that case, No, I was home schooled for most of my life, other than Katrina, Kaya, and Sierra, you're the only woman that I have ever been around for an extended period of time."

"So that means you're a virgin, then?"

It's a good thing that he is in wolf form, or else he would be turning several shades of red at this moment.

"Yes," He answers uncomfortably.

"I could have had sex and just do not remember it. Anyway, it would feel like a first time for me," she finishes, blushing a little. She isn't used to reading wolf facial expressions, so Aluana can't tell whether, or not Namon is uncomfortable. In case he is, she keeps chatting. "So yeah, can't remember much at all before Cyrus got hold of me. I do get these headaches sometimes, and I see glimpses of what may be memories, but I do not know for sure. The most vivid one I have had was about a dragon trying to eat me."

"Maybe you have some kind of connection with the dragon, and that is why Cyrus wants you. Maybe that is also why you have the ring," he suggests.

"Maybe," she says with a slight bit of uncertainty.

The closer they get to the cabin, the stronger the sound of flowing water gets. Namon's ears perk up at the familiar sound, and he gets an idea.

"Follow me. I want to show you one of my favorite places to go when I need to think," he says.

He leads her to the river nearby and she gasps at the amazing view. She gets too close to the edge of the steep cliff, and Namon pulls her back by grabbing her shirt with his teeth.

"Easy, I can't save you if you wind up falling in."

"Why not? You can't swim?"

"No. No one has taken the time to teach me. Well, all I have had is Katrina and she kept me hidden as much as she could to protect me. It got frustrating at times, but now I understand why she did it. I truly miss her," he says with his head lowered. "Then there is the pack and they are all afraid of water. Plus, it's a long fall into some really rough waters. Even the strongest of swimmers could drown."

"Stay away from water. Check," she says.

"There is a relatively safe way down over here, though."

Namon walks farther up the side, and there is a small pathway that leads down to the water. She follows him carefully as they make their way down. Namon hops onto one of the large boulders that's beside the river and lies down, staring into the water.

"This is where I come when I need to be alone. With so much going on, I tend to have a lot on my mind and need time alone to think."

"It's beautiful," she says as she sits down on the boulder next to him.

"I also come here to read my mom's journal. It's the only connection that I have with my parents. That is how I have learned about the other White Wolves. I just wish that I had them instead of the journal," he says.

She leans down and kisses him on the top of his snout.

"I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do."

"You are doing plenty just by being here with me."

Several minutes go by, and they just gaze into the water.

"Well, I guess we need to head to the cabin," He says.

They get up, climbing back up the pathway, and continue on their way to the cabin. Soon they see the cabin ahead of them. Once they get to the porch, Namon turns around, and howls to signal everyone that they made it there safely. He then phases into his human form so that he can open the door, checking all the rooms. Once satisfied things are secure, he raids the cabinets searching for food. Aluana sets his backpack beside the bed and the bag Sierra gave her on the bed, then goes through the clothes, looking for something to change into. She decides on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She walks into the kitchen and catches Namon stuffing his face full of junk food.

"Damn honey, didn't we just eat a little while ago?" she asks.

"Yeah, it's a side effect from my phasing. It burns many calories, so I have to eat shortly after I phase to human. I could replenish while I am in wolf form as well, but I wouldn't want to gross you out by eating a deer, rabbit, or something. Too many times switching form and I could pass out."

"We definitely don't want that to happen. I think I am going to go take a shower," she says.

"All right, and I will take one after you. I'm sure you would appreciate it if I didn't smell like dog."

She sniffs the air in his direction realizing that that he is right. He does smell like a dog.

"Yeah, that may be a good idea," she says with a grin.

She turns around, walking through the bedroom to get to the connecting bathroom. After turning the shower on, she removes her clothes while allowing time for the water time to become hot. Once satisfied of its temperature, she gets into the shower, closing the curtain behind her. She places her hands to the wall as the hot water hits her body. Her thoughts drift to Namon, and how kind he is. She believes that he will do anything to protect her, and that makes her feel the safest she ever remembers feeling. The smell of mint mixed with oatmeal lingers in the air as she rubs the bar of soap all over her body. She lathers up, making sure she is all nice and clean before rinsing off. When she uses the mint-scented shampoo to wash her hair, she breathes in soothing scent.

She shuts off the water after thoroughly rinsing her hair, then pulls the curtain back and reaches for the dry towel to dry off. She wraps the towel around her body once she completely dries off and ties it right above her breasts to make sure she is all covered up. Then she steps out of the shower, grabs another towel, and uses it to dry her hair as she walks out into the kitchen. She watches him for a moment as he throws away food wrappers, and is surprised when she sees him carefully wiping the crumbs from the kitchen table.

"Good looking and you can clean up behind yourself. Yeah, I think I might keep you," she says.

"Good because you're stuck with me," he says with a confident smile.

"I'm all done with the shower. I'll dress while you're in there."

He walks over to her and wraps his arm around her, and then kisses her on the lips before he walks into the other room and prepares for his shower.

While Namon is in the shower, Aluana holds tightly to the towel as she walks around the cabin exploring a little bit. She looks at the movie collection by the flat screen television in the den. The movies tell her that this cabin is generally used for romantic escapes, since they are all romance movies or romantic comedies. Once she is done looking through the movies, she can hear the water being shut off, so she returns to the bedroom.

Namon finishes drying himself off and puts his clothes on. He looks at the convenient selection of colognes and decides on one that isn't too strong, or overpowering. He wants to smell good for her, but doesn't want to drive her out of the house. Once satisfied with a choice, he sprays some on. He opens the bathroom door, and sees her standing there with the towel still wrapped around her.

"I thought you were going to get dressed?" he asks.

She silently walks over to him and wraps one arm around his waist, and the other behind his head as she pulls him down closer to her. She kisses his lips softly at first, but then the passion builds, and she pries his mouth open slightly with her tongue. He doesn't resist, allowing her tongue access, and she uses it to rub over his making their kiss very deep, and passionate. Their tongues tangle around one another, causing a hunger to build inside both of them. His instincts start to take over as he grabs her by the buttocks and lifts her. She wraps her legs around his waist as he lifts her. The two of them turn together as he then presses her body against the wall. She grabs his shirt and tears it down the center hungrily. The torn pieces fall freely, allowing her access to his chest. She rubs her hands all over his chest, and starts kissing his shoulders. He leans in closer, and starts to kiss her neck as well and then he gently sinks his teeth into her shoulder. She gasps as he does this, and then drags her fingernails across his back. The two of them moan out slightly in pleasure as she explores him.

He carries her over to the bed, lays her down gently, and then kisses her lips passionately. His hands rub down over her shoulders on the way to the towel. He slowly pulls it open, exposes her breasts, and massages a breast with one hand as the kiss continues. She moans a little into his mouth as his fingers rub over her sensitive nipples. He breaks away from her lips and starts to trail his lips down her neck, alternating from kissing to a gentle nibble. The trail continues on to her breasts as he kisses each one of them, taking the time to suck on each nipple, driving her into frenzy. She has difficulty staying still, and she grabs him by his hair and encourages him to continue going down further. He kisses all over her tight stomach and then, as he spreads her legs, he begins to kiss her thighs. He can smell her passion building just a few inches away from where he is kissing, so he decides to move closer. Instinct driving him on, he kisses the warm wet area where she burns with desire. She lets out a few gasps, and whimpers before she starts pleading with him.

"Please. I want you inside me. Please."

He stands up, removes his pants and underwear in one single movement. Trembling from excitement and nervousness he slowly climbs on top of her, positioning himself between her legs. He kisses her again as he slowly penetrates her. She cries out in pleasure and wraps her legs around his waist. She scratches his back, and then grabs his buttocks as he thrusts deep and slow. Both of their bodies glide over one another again, and again, building their passion until they both burst with orgasm at the same time as if they were one complete being.

Namon collapses beside her on the bed, and she rolls to her side, wrapping an arm around him, and using his chest as a pillow with the biggest satisfied grin she has ever had. Well, that she can remember, that is. Namon catches his breath, holds her close to him, and kisses her.

"So that's why Eric looked so happy today," Namon says.

Aluana laughs and then kisses him back.

"Promise me that we will always do that, that you will let me be your first, and your last," she requests of him.

"I know it hasn't been long since we first met, but I believe that is definitely a promise that I can keep."

She smiles before laying her head back onto his chest.

"Good. Because you're mine now," she says while squeezes him tightly.

Namon smiles while enjoying the blissful feeling of holding her. He doesn't know what it is about her, she looks so delicate, but she also has this quality he cannot describe. Something tells him that she is fully capable of handling herself. All the trials he has been through and all the trials he has ahead of himself have led him to this. He truly feels that the two of them are supposed to be together, and he will do whatever it takes to make sure that is possible.
Chapter Eighteen

The following morning, Tiffany and Drake are now back on the road, and continue their search. They decide to head back toward Macon through Gray. Their vehicle comes to a stop at the traffic light, and the ring begins to glow. Then the light fades slightly, so Tiffany moves her hand all around, and aims it into the direction that causes its light to glow the brightest. When the traffic light turns green, she turns her left blinker on, and pulls into the Ingles parking lot. The ring glows brighter the closer she gets to a woman who is walking toward the store.

"The wolf must have given her the amulet," Tiffany says.

She parks the car then gets out.

"Keep an eye out for me. We may have to leave in a hurry when I come back out," she says to Drake.

Tiffany follows the woman everywhere she goes in the store. She keeps a little bit of distance between the two of them so that she isn't noticed, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a move. Then, as if willed by Tiffany's wishes, the woman walks into the women's restroom. Tiffany smiles as the perfect opportunity presents itself to her.

Kaya enters the restroom, and goes into one of the stalls. As she sits on the toilet, she can hear the door open and close. The clicking sound of the door being locked alerts her that something isn't right. Her senses are assaulted by the scent of dusty old mothballs. Her heart begins to pound when she realizes that she is locked in the restroom with a vampire. To make things worse, she is wearing the amulet that the vampires are after. Stupid move, Kaya. You may as well gift wrapped it for them, she berates herself. Pulling her pants up, she reaches for her cell phone just as Tiffany bursts through the stall door. Tiffany grabs Kaya by the hair and pushes her head first into the mirror. The impact sends shards of broken glass across her face, making deep gashes.

"Where is it? Where is the amulet?" Tiffany yells.

She snatches Kaya back, pushes her down to the floor, and proceeds to kick her in the ribs repeatedly.

"Give it to me, and I may let you live."

Tiffany kicks her again, and this time the amulet falls freely from beneath Kaya's shirt. Tiffany reaches down, pulls the amulet over Kaya's head, and then places it over her own.

"Thank you for your help," she says with a sweet voice.

She unlocks the door and runs out of the restroom, pushing the people on the other side down. As fast as she can, she runs out of the store. Drake has the car waiting for her just outside the store doors, and as soon as she jumps in, they speed off.

Kaya struggles to stand, holding her side where she is sure that her ribs are broken from the heavy abuse inflicted by the vampire. Being kicked in the ribs by a human hurts bad enough, so being kicked by a vampire is brutal. The surrounding crowd encourages her to stay still, telling her that help is on its way, but she pushes her way through the crowd. One woman even tries holding on to her, but decides it is in her best interest to let go once Kaya growls at her. Once she makes it outside of the store, she realizes that she is too late. The vampire is long gone, and there is no way she can track her in this condition. Barely able to breathe, she walks to the car and gets in. She fumbles with the keys and cell phone, trying to start the car and call Eric at the same time. The phone rings, but as soon as someone answers the phone, she looks into her rear view mirror, and sees that her face is covered in deep gashes and blood. She passes out due to the sight of her lost blood as Eric continuously calls her name from the other end of the phone.



Namon and Aluana wake up naked in each other's arms. Both of them have the cheesiest grins on their faces. It's amazing that they got any sleep at all as many times as they made love during the night. Since they have been waiting their whole lives for one another, they didn't want to miss out on anything if they could help it.

"Good morning, beautiful," he says.

She smiles, looking at him.

"Good morning, handsome. How did you enjoy your night?" she asks.

"It was amazing. Seems like anything outside this cabin didn't even exist, I didn't have a single problem, or responsibility hanging over my head. All that existed were you and me. It was heaven."

She smiles, and kisses him on the lips from his sweet words. She rests her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

"So are you hungry?" she asks while batting her eyelashes.

"Always," he says with a smile.

"Good," She says.

She gets out of bed and puts on the clothes that she had laid out last night since she never got the chance to put them on. Then she walks into the kitchen to see what there is to cook. There isn't much to choose from, so she decides on pancakes since she knows that he at least enjoys eating that. Namon gets out of bed, putting his underwear on along with his pants, and walks into the bathroom. He looks into the mirror, he barely recognizes himself. He gets a brush and tries to tame his long, wild hair, but gives up in a few minutes, and just ties it up into a ponytail. He looks into the mirror again, not used to seeing himself happy. The feeling doesn't last long, though, as a new vision enters his mind.

It is night and the wind is blowing hard. Namon looks all around at the army of demons surrounding him. He sees Wilmington Manor, a bright green light forming a circle above it. From within it, the dragon comes out. It flies over his head, and goes towards down town Macon. Then he turns around just in time to see Cyrus swing a sword at him, and right before the sword would slice through his flesh, the vision is over.

"Katrina, where are you?" he says in his mind.

His own reflection is replaced with the image of Katrina.

"I'm here, son. What's wrong?"

"I had a vision of the future. I'm not ready for the fight ahead of me. I don't think I can win."

"Do not underestimate yourself, son. There have been overwhelming battles against great odds before where White Wolves have come out on top. Your father and the others against the Shadow Cats, and the army they had made, for example. I know you also haven't forgotten Lance and Alexandria's battle with Galamythe. They weren't able to destroy him, but they did imprison him. You know what one thing turned the tide during both of those battles?"

"What?"

"Love."

Katrina's image fades away as Aluana calls for Namon. His attention then turns to the very familiar scent of pancakes. He splashes water on his face and dries it off with a towel, trying to remove any worry away from his face so that Aluana will not notice. His smile is big once he walks into the dining room and sees this beautiful woman setting the table with his most favorite breakfast food. He takes a deep breath, taking in each of the wonderful smells.

"Smells like heaven in here," Namon says.

"It's just pancakes, silly."

He walks over to her, wraps his arms around her waist from behind, and hugs her. Then he pulls her hair back behind her neck and kisses it.

"Who said I was talking about the food?"

She smiles at the sweet gesture even though it is cheesy, and she almost even laughs at it, but decides not to.

"Sit down and eat, silly man."

She turns around, leans up and kisses him on the lips before pulling her chair out to sit. He walks around the table and sits across from her on the other side. Usually he would just dig in and eat pancakes like a pig, but he wants to use his manners. So he takes his time, and actually cuts the pieces smaller for a change, and eats average size bites at a time instead of the large ones he is used to.

"This is so good, thank you so much. You just don't know how much I love pancakes."

"Well that is all there really was to fix. Plus I knew that you liked them since you ate so many of them yesterday morning. So it's not really that big of a deal."

"It is, more than you know. That is one of my favorite traditions. When I was little, my mom would make us a big pancake breakfast every Sunday morning before church. As a way of keeping that tradition going, my godmother Katrina would do the same thing. I always could tell she did it just for me because she hardly ate any when she made them."

Aluana listens to him, hearing the sadness in his voice.

"You miss them a lot, don't you?" she asks.

He nods while taking a sip from his glass of orange juice that she had ready for him. She takes a bite of her pancakes, and thinks to herself she couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose her whole family. Then again, she has no memory of her family to begin with, so it's hard to imagine what she doesn't remember.

"I don't remember much about my mom and dad. I mean, I know they loved me, but I just wish I hadn't missed out on so much with them. Hell, I have missed out with Katrina too. She was like a mother to me, and she wasn't here to celebrate my eighteenth birthday or my twenty-first birthday with me."

"I'm sorry," she says. "I tell you what, how about we keep the tradition going, and I will cook you pancakes every Sunday morning. Just me and you, how does that sound?"

Namon smiles at the thought.

"I think I could get used to that idea."

"So when was your birthday?"

"Actually, the same night I first met you. It was the best birthday ever, in my opinion, just for that reason."

She cannot help, but smile at him.

"You're so sweet, you know that? Cheesy as hell, but sweet."

He dips his finger in his syrup and then trails his finger over the bridge of her nose.

"Now why did you do that?" She says wiping it off her nose.

She pretends to be paying attention to her pancakes, but keeps glancing over at the bottle of syrup. He notices this and tries to grab the bottle, but she gets it right before he does, squeezing it, making syrup squirt on him. The two of them wind up having a little breakfast food fight right there at the table, both of them laughing and smiling the whole time.



Meanwhile back at the trailer park, Brice carries Kaya gently over to the picnic table.

"I found her at Ingles, boss. Whoever did this roughed her up pretty bad," he says.

Eric holds Kaya's face and kisses her gently as tears form in his eyes.

"Kaya, baby, are you still with me? I need you to try and phase, baby. I know it's going to hurt like hell, but you will heal a lot faster in your wolf form."

She cries out in agony as her body goes through the changes needed. Fifteen painful minutes go by before she completes the change. Sierra comes out with the all-purpose skin walker medical kit and treats the wounds on her face.

"Now Kaya, this is going to hurt. I need to reset your ribs, all right?"

Kaya whimpers with understanding. Sierra puts pressure on her rib cage, and presses in the areas needed to reset them. She howls out in pain as her bones are pieced back together. Eric paces back and forth, worried about Kaya, and trying to figure out who or what could have done this.

"Is she going to be all right, Sierra?" he asks.

"Yes, she will be fine, but her face will be scarred. The wounds were too deep, and she was in human form for too long for the scars to completely heal away after the phase. She should be able to change back in half an hour, though."

Eric hugs Sierra.

"Thank you so much. I would be lost without her," he says.

"I know. It's going to be alright, Eric," she reassures him

Half an hour later, everyone stands around. Eric is still pacing, and then Kaya phases back to her human form.

"I need water," she says softly.

Sierra rushes over with a bottle of water and helps Kaya lean up to drink. Eric kneels on the ground so that he is closer to her. He kisses her forehead over her scars, and she looks at him with a weak smile.

"I love you," she manages to say.

"I love you too, baby. Who did this to you?" he asks.

She sits all the way up fast, and then stands. She tries to walk, but stumbles since she hasn't regained all of her strength. Eric helps her back up, and has her sit on the bench.

"We have to warn Namon. They are in danger," she says.

"From what?" Eric asks.

"I was attacked by a vampire, and," she chokes on her words, "I failed him.

"He asked me to keep it safe, but I failed," she says right before she starts sobbing.

"What do you mean?" Eric asks.

"She took the amulet."

Brice turns shredding his clothes off as he runs toward the woods. Once he reaches the tree line, he stops long enough to phase into his wolf form. Once changed, he lets out a long warning howl so loud that the ground around him shakes. Then he runs full speed into the woods toward the direction of the cabin.



Back at the cabin, Aluana and Namon finish with cleaning up after breakfast. It took them a while to get the syrup off the table Namon even had to take a shower. It was a disadvantage, her having the bottle of syrup like that. When he shuts the shower water off, he hears the faint sound of a wolf howl. He immediately recognizes the howl as Brice. He doesn't worry about drying off, and just puts on his pants, and rushes out of the bathroom.

"Something is wrong," he says.

Namon passes by Aluana and opens the front door. He is greeted by several warrior demons as they grab him by the arms, dragging him outside of the cabin, one of them on each arm, and two more at his feet. Then another one materializes, starts jumping up, and down on his stomach. He lies there for a moment out of breath.

"Aluana, run!" he manages to yell after regaining his breath.

She comes out of the front door, and Drake grabs her. Her legs kicking as she tries to break free of his grasp, but then Tiffany approaches, punching her so hard that it renders Aluana unconscious. This sight fills Namon with rage. He rolls over, making the demons fall, and he phases mid roll. Then he sinks his teeth into the nearby warrior's throat, ripping it out while shaking his head back and forth. Snarling and growling, he looks at Drake and Tiffany then starts running in their direction, but he is pinned to the ground by several warrior demons. His eyes are locked onto Drake, and he slowly continues his way toward him, dragging with him the pile of demons that are on top of him. He sees Drake chanting and within a few moments, the ground starts to shake as a massive form rises from the Earth.

Namon manages to break free of the warrior demons just in time to be hit by a large stone fist. He falls several yards away and lands on his feet, but slides a few more feet before stopping. His legs are wobbly as he stands back up on all four legs. He looks over, and sees that Tiffany and Drake are leaving with Aluana. Between them and himself, stands the creature that knocked him silly. He stares in horror at the destroyer demon as memories flood back of a creature just like it causing the car to crash when he was a boy. He never told anyone, but he had seen the creature from the Waffle House window crush his mother with one fist, and then had seen it fall on his father, crushing him as well. Namon has had many restless nights during his childhood due to nightmares of this demon.

"Run, Namon!!! Don't let this thing catch you, or you're gone!!!" Katrina says into his mind.

Part of him agrees with Katrina, and he knows that he shouldn't try to fight this thing, but his heart is telling him that if he doesn't, then Aluana will be lost to him. He remembers reading in his Beastiary about the destroyers. He took special attention in his research of them in case he ever had to fight one, since one of these killed his parents. Gem in the back of the neck. No problem, just run by, jump on its back, and rip it out. Piece of cake. The destroyer's footsteps make the ground tremble as it approaches Namon. Yeah, piece of cake, my ass. He runs beneath its legs just before it brings its massive fist down onto the ground where Namon was standing. The force of the impact knocks him off his feet. It turns around slowly to face Namon as he just starts to get back on his feet. They may be slow, but I can't stay on my feet if it keeps hitting the ground like that. He backs away from the creature, keeping his eyes locked on it. Then he looks over past it, watching Drake and Tiffany entering the woods.

He runs straight for the creature in hopes of dodging it, intending to get by it to save Aluana. When he reaches the beast, he manages to dodge beneath its legs and run through. He focuses on Aluana, who is unconscious and helpless to do anything. He doesn't notice the warrior demons that have regrouped as they tackle him, forcing him to the ground again. The destroyer demon then turns around, and Namon can feel the impact tremors from its feet as they pound the ground, walking in his direction. There is silence, and time seems to stop. His eyes lock onto Aluana, and he is overcome with sadness.

"I failed you...I love you, and I'm sorry," he says, trying to connect his mind with hers, but he hears nothing. He closes his eyes, and then he feels the impact as the destroyer hits the demons along with Namon. He is force phased back into human form as his limp body soars through the air. He doesn't feel anything as he blacks out. The water doesn't even wake him as he lands in the nearby river.

### Chapter Nineteen

Cyrus walks into the mansion, and no one is to be found anywhere: not a single guard at any post, and neither Tiffany nor Aluana. He walks from room to room, and still doesn't find anyone. Then the front door opens, and Tiffany walks through. Drake follows behind, carrying Aluana. He drops her a little less than gently on the marble floor. Cyrus enters the lobby, and sees them.

"What is the meaning of this? You know not to treat her that way until..."

Cyrus pauses as he sees Tiffany holding the completed amulet in her hand. His eyes light up with excitement as he reaches for it, but she withdraws it just barely out of his reach.

"Take him away," she says to the warrior demons behind him.

He lunges out at Tiffany, but right before he can touch her, the demons grab him by the arms and drag him away. His arms sizzle from the contact of their touch. He tries to resist them, but they over power him.

"You will pay for this!" he yells.

"Make sure you bind him with chains so he cannot get free," she says to them.

She turns to Drake and hands him the amulet.

"Here you go just like I promised."

Drake grins as he accepts the amulet. As soon as it is in his hands, his eyes start to glow green.

"Child, you truly have no idea what it is you have just done," he says.

Tiffany watches as scales form over Drake's hands. His head changes its form as his body mass increases.

"What are you?" Tiffany asks, quaking with fear.

"I am that which your beloved Cyrus fears," he says as his tongue flicks about.

"He doesn't fear anyone!"

"My, my, my, just a few moments ago you couldn't stand him, and now here you are defending him. Just like a woman," he tsk tsk her with a flick of his tongue, "cannot make up your mind. Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway. The ironic thing though is that I used my dear sister's own creations to do my dirty work for me."

Drake laughs a very deep and dark laugh, as his head becomes more reptilian, and horns form from his head.

"You just delivered the amulet to Denominos," he says speaking of himself in third person. "Take her away, and lock her up with Cyrus."

Two more demons appear to drag Tiffany away. Denominos lifts Aluana, carries her to the roof, and has her tied to a chair. Then he prepares for the ceremony to bring back his brother, the demon dragon Galamythe.



Namon is kissing Aluana in front of everyone at Washington Park. Everyone is dressed up, and it is obvious that he is at his own wedding. He is the happiest that he has ever been. They leave to make their escape for their honeymoon, and everyone is throwing rice at them as they get on the back of his motorcycle. She holds on tightly to the veil as they ride down the street, happy as she holds him close to her.

Next thing he knows, he is carrying her across the threshold, and throws her down onto the bed. They strip each other of their clothes, and prepare to make love until all the light in the room seems to be sucked away. He rushes to the window and pulls back the curtains to reveal the skyline, which is covered with dark clouds, and then fire rains down from the clouds. People in the streets run in panic as the flames hit their skin causing several burns to form, and singing their hair. Legions of demons fill the streets attacking people as well.



Brice finds Namon washed up on the opposite riverbank. He phases back into human form, he hesitates because he hates the flowing river as much as any other wolf, but saving Namon is more important. So he dives in swimming across to him and wraps one arm around him. Then with his other arm, he swims back to the packs' side of the river, pulling him ashore. He performs CPR to expel the water from his lungs. Namon starts coughing up water, and then turns to his side.

"Aluana," he barely manages to get out.

Brice picks him up and carries him all the way back to the trailer park. Once there, everyone rushes out to check on him. He slowly starts to come around. Once he becomes fully aware, he jumps up.

"They got her! I've got to save her."

Brice grabs him, and locks his arms around him to hold him there.

"Easy there, buddy. Who has her?"

"The sorcerer Drake and a vampire woman."

Then Kaya walks around, and Namon sees her face all scarred up.

"Oh my god, Kaya, what happened?" he asks.

"The woman vampire attacked me in the bathroom at Ingles. I'm sorry Namon, but she took the amulet."

The vision is going to come true.

"Let go of me, Brice, I have to go. They have both of the rings, Aluana, and now the amulet. They are going to bring Galamythe back tonight! I have seen it."

"Not alone, you're not!" Eric says.

Everyone moves aside as Eric walks closer to Namon.

"I have to. I cannot let anyone else carry this burden. It is mine, and mine alone. You have seen what happened to Kaya!"

"Yes, what happened to her is unfortunate, but if you do this alone, you will fail, son. You are part of this family, and you have helped us keep the wilderness here safe. So what kind of family would we be if we didn't help you save the world? If Galamythe is free, what is there to stop him from burning the entire world down?"

Namon considers this and realizes that Eric is right. Brice slowly lets go of him, as he feels the tension leaving Namon's body, but still making sure that he isn't going to run off.

"As usual, you're right," Namon says.

Eric offers his hand out, palm up to shake his hand.

"So, what do you say? You ready to lead us? No one else knows these things better than you do."

Namon takes Eric's hand and shakes it. Kieran approaches and hands Namon his jacket.

"You may need this."

Sierra hands him his sword and chainsaw dagger.

"And all of us," Kaya says.

Eric looks at her concerned.

"You need your rest, dear," he says.

"I have a score to settle with that bitch," She snarls.

"So what should we do?" Brice says.

Oz comes out, throwing punches into the air showing that he is ready to join the fight as well, anger evident on his little face.

"No, buddy, you need to stay here. There are too many things that can eat you where we are going," Namon says.

Oz pouts and stalks away, but as soon as he gets to where no one is paying attention, he sneakily heads into the direction of the car.

"Well, Brice and Kieran, the two of you are the best fighters. So you need to get whatever weapons you may need. From what I saw in the vision, there will be zero time for anyone other than me to phase. So that means the rest of you will need to be in your wolf forms when we get ready to fight," Namon says.

"So what are we up against?" Eric asks.

"Well, there were warrior demons in the vision. Don't let them touch you any longer than a few seconds, or they will burn you. They are fire element based, so their touch can be deadly when they touch you for too long. My suggestion is to remove their throats as fast as you can to avoid a long fight. Then there are the destroyers. Those are stronger ones. They are made of stone and mud. If you destroy or remove the blue gem that is located on the back of their necks, they won't be able to hold their form together. Then there was Galamythe, but let's hope we won't have to deal with him. He is very powerful, and nothing has been able to kill him, yet, or we wouldn't be having this situation."

"Gotcha," Brice says.

Everyone prepares for the upcoming battle. Brice, Kieran, and Namon put on thick, padded leather for extra protection. Namon then puts on his leather motorcycle jacket that was part of his birthday gift. Then he places the sheath over his shoulder, strapping it across his chest. He takes the sword and slides it into the sheath. He wraps the belt around his waist for the dagger, and places it in its sheath as well. Kieran decides on his two katana, Japanese Samurai swords, for his weapons of choice, and straps the sheaths to his back. He twirls the swords around, and then slides them both deftly into their sheaths. Brice straps a two handed massive war hammer to his back, and then ties the wrist straps from his single-handed war hammers to both wrists. He twirls his arms around, making them spin, to test the durability of the straps. Eric, Kaya, and Sierra come out wearing loose fitting clothing so it will be easier to remove when it's time to phase. Everyone stands around ready to go.

"Before we go, are you guys sure you're ready for this?" Namon asks.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"All right, well you guys do the best you can, but do not hesitate to run if things get too bad. Thank you everyone for being my family, in case I don't get to say so later."

He puts on his helmet and starts his motorcycle while everyone else loads up in the SUV. Once they are ready, they all ride out ready for battle.



Inside the mansion, Tiffany, and Cyrus sit in a room together, both restrained.

"Do you really know why Demetria wanted so badly to bring the dragon back?" Tiffany asks Cyrus while trying to free herself of her bonds.

Cyrus fumbles around with his chains, trying to free himself as well.

"Why do you care? You betrayed me!"

"You betrayed me first, you son of a bitch. I heard you tell Drake you were just using me."

"I'm sorry you heard that, but this is so much more important than your desires."

"My wants are important too!"

"Not when it comes to the end of the world as you know it," Cyrus says.

"What are you talking about?"

"Demetria wanted control of Galamythe to use him to destroy Denominos. She wanted to control both humans and demons. Damerez wanted to destroy him so that he couldn't be used at all. He became weak when he fell in love with a human woman, and would have us all banished back to the demon realm, including himself. Denominos, though, is very demented. He wants to destroy all of humanity, Damerez, Demetria, and all of their creations."

"Oh shit!" Tiffany says.

"What did you do?" Cyrus asks.

"Drake is really Denominos."

"Fuck me! You really screwed up this time, haven't you?"

"You're the one who had him as an employee all this time! Enough about that though. We have to get free," Tiffany says.

"No shit. Now try to move over here closer so I can untie you," He says exasperatingly.

She scoots her chair closer to him, and tries to turn it so that he has access to her chains.



Aluana starts to wake up, and sees Denominos. She screams, seeing the monstrous being. He simply laughs as he chants, looking over the edge of the roof. Down in the field in front of the mansion, the earth opens up and a large army of warrior demons starts to climb out from the hole. Then destroyer demons start forming from the earth as seekers fly up into the sky from the hole.

"I'd like to see anyone try to make it past this army," Denominos says.

He turns to Aluana.

"So, my dear, are you ready to say hello to Galamythe again?"

She looks at him, puzzled, as he walks over, and uses one of his claws to cut her arm. Then he takes the completed amulet, and holds it under her arm where the blood drips, and he covers the amulet with her blood.

"Oh yeah, that's right. You do not remember him thanks to Cyrus's mental block he had me place on you. Well that should be enough of your blood. The amulet won't work without the blood of the one who imprisoned him in the first place."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asks.

Denominos laughs and just looks out at the army as the holes close up.

"When Cyrus is dead, you will have all the answers that you have ever needed or wanted. You see, he had me put a mental block on your memory, and had me convince you that you were a vampire for all these years."

Her skin starts to feel cold and clammy. She doesn't understand why. She looks out at the army and thinks about Namon, hoping that he is all right. She doesn't know what happened to him after she fell unconscious. She realizes, suddenly and completely, that she may not get out of this alive. Tears form and streak down her cheeks.

### Chapter Twenty

Namon and the others stop their vehicles in front of the massive iron gate that closes off entry to the front lawn of Wilmington Manor. Everyone gets out, and Brice walks over with his big war hammer in hand. He swings it hard over his head, hitting the gate with a blow so hard that it knocks him back. Unfortunately, the strike didn't even dent the gate. Brice scratches his head, and then turns back.

"We're not getting in this way, boss."

Namon gets off the motorcycle and removes his helmet. They begin discussing possible options as Oz sneaks out from beneath the SUV. He holds on to his small radio that was given to him by Brice. It came in handy to listen to on the trip there. He looks around, searching for any way that he can help, until he hears a voice over a P.A. system attached to a nearby old locomotive. The voice tells the history of the freight train station not too far from them. The old locomotive steam engine had been placed as a monument for the nearby train station when it was first established. He looks at the train, and then back at the gate. He does his little sneaky chuckle as he heads into the direction of the train. When he gets there, he concentrates with all the magic he has, and the old train starts to shift around, its parts moving to adapt to his will. His radio floats through the air, and mounts itself onto the control panel.

Everyone stands, trying to solve the problem, until they hear metal rails clanging hard onto the ground. A path of rails slams to the ground on its own, the rails connecting to one another, and forming a trail from the gate all the way back to the old train. Namon looks into the direction of the train when suddenly he hears Ozzy the musician, now the Gremlin yells as the song "Crazy Train" starts blaring over the P.A. system on the train. They see Oz hovering mid-air around inside the train, parts and pieces floating around him and connecting at his will, as the music plays loudly. Suddenly, the smoke stack blows its top with a cloud of smoke, and fire erupting from it as the train backs up to build up enough momentum. Then it heads forward with all the speed Oz can put into it.

The train crashes into the gates, knocking it free from the wall. Eric, Kaya, and Sierra shed their clothes and start changing into their wolf forms. Namon draws his sword, and Brice starts spinning his smaller hammers, ready for battle. Kieran draws his two swords, and everyone stands ready. They hurry over to the train to make sure Oz is all right. He jumps down from the train and starts walking, wobbly, and having a hard time keeping balance from the impact.

"You doing all right there buddy?" Namon asks.

Oz does a salute before falling down.

"When you get back up, you need to find somewhere to hide, Oz."

He gets back to his feet and looks around. Everyone walks through the gate, but Namon stays behind and looks down at him.

"Thank you, my friend. We couldn't have made it without you. If anything happens to us, just run, okay?"

Oz nods in agreement.

On the mansion's roof, Denominos loses concentration as the train plows through the iron gate. Aluana looks over into that direction, and she sees Namon, Brice, and Kieran walk through the rubble. Alongside them are three wolves. She guesses they are the rest of the family. Her heart begins beating faster at seeing him, knowing that he can save her.

The pack looks around, and they see the large number of enemies before them. Warrior demons start to approach them, and the destroyers aren't very far behind them.

"I got dibs on the big guns," Brice says.

"Everyone remember what I told you. Just take them out as fast as you can. Brice, you run through the middle, and take out as many as you can. Kieran, you and I will run behind Brice and take out any that he doesn't hit, or finish the ones that he has stunned. The rest of you finish off the ones that we knock on the ground, or any that try to sneak up behind us. So is everyone with me?"

Brice and Kieran yell out while the others howl. Brice runs toward the oncoming horde, swinging his hammers. As soon as they come into reach, he swings the hammers, hitting several of the warriors with each swing. Kieran runs along the left side using his swords to stab, slice, disembowel and decapitate any demons in his path, or lying on the ground because of Brice's attack. Namon does the same along the right side, and when a seeker swoops down, he slices through one of its wings, making it crash to the ground. Shortly after it lands, Sierra is upon it, biting into its throat and ripping it out. Kaya runs between Eric and Sierra, picking off any warriors that missed Namon's or Kieran's attacks through the center. Eric is steadily ripping out throats of warrior demons that have fallen to the ground or any that get too close to Kaya.

Back at the front line, a seeker swoops in low and Brice brings down one of his hammers over its head. As it falls, Namon phases and collides with it in mid-air, sinking his teeth into its throat and ripping it apart. Then he runs ahead, making a quick pass biting and clawing the legs of the oncoming warriors, making their legs burst into flames. Then he returns to his spot in the formation and phases back to his human form just in time to remove a demon's head, which was ready to attack Brice from behind.

The pack is fighting very well, but they are still against heavy numbers, and just ahead of them is a destroyer blocking the path.

"Everyone change directions now!" Namon commands.

Brice ignores the command, though, and confronts the destroyer.

"You see, this is what's going to happen." He holds one of his hammers up. "You see this? I'm going to throw it at you, you're going to duck, and then it's going to come back to me and hit you in the back of the head. Ready?"

Brice throws the hammer and the destroyer ducks, but then turns around to intercept the hammer. It looks around in the sky, but doesn't see it, and then it looks down and sees it just lying there on the ground. When it turns, Brice swings his war hammer against its knee, causing it to fall down to one knee as it loses balance. Then he spins around with the war hammer, connecting with its head, forcing it down to the ground. He brings the war hammer down on the gem behind its back, shattering it.

"This ain't no comic book, bitch!"

"Good job, Brice. Now do you think you can do that with five more?" Namon says while he points at the five incoming destroyers.

"No prob, Bob." He turns, and rushes in their direction.

Inside the mansion, Tiffany, and Cyrus free themselves.

"We have to stop him, Tiffany!"

Cyrus grabs a sword off the wall and throws it to her. She catches it as he grabs another one. They both rush up the stairs, and climb up to the roof access. The wind begins picking up as they walk across the roof. Cyrus draws his sword, ready to attack. He rushes into Denominos's direction with the sword held high. At the last moment, though, Denominos turns, grabs Cyrus by the throat, and holds him over the ledge.

"I knew I should have killed you earlier."

Tiffany sneaks up behind him, but Denominos grabs her sword as she swings it. A long tail comes out from under his robes and slaps her across the face, knocking her on her back. Aluana just sits there watching, helpless to do anything, really, as she is tied to the chair. Denominos turns his attention back to the battle below. He can see the skin walkers are doing really well with the White Wolf leading them.

"I think our friend down there needs a distraction, Cyrus. What do you think? I'm sure that meeting the one responsible for his parent's deaths would distract him long enough while I call my brother."

Denominos snaps his clawed fingers, making seeker demons come to his side.

"Deliver the vampire to the White Wolf."

The two seekers snatch Cyrus up, fly down low, and drop him to the ground right in front of Namon. He watches Cyrus get on his feet. When he sees his face, the visions show him breaking Katrina's leg, making her unable to leave the church while she burned alive inside of it. When he snaps out of the vision, he notices Cyrus has a sword, and is raising it up.

"I know you have some issues with me, but we really should be fighting Denominos."

Namon's sword passes over Cyrus as he dodges the blow. The two of them engage in a sword fight. The sound of metal striking metal fills the air as the two of them meet each other's strikes on point.

"You have taken so much away from me!" he screams while swinging his sword again.

Cyrus kicks him in the gut, hard. Namon feels his ribs crack as he falls back from the kick. He grabs his side and looks around. Everything slows down just as it did in his vision. Everyone is being overwhelmed. Brice is on the ground pushing up a destroyer's foot, trying to keep it from crushing him. Kieran is surrounded by warrior demons, and it is obvious he is really starting to tire out. Kaya and Sierra are tail to tail as they are surrounded by demons as well. Eric gets between Namon and Cyrus, growling a threat.

"No, Eric, don't!"

Namon is too late, though, and his heartbeat slows as he sees Eric lunge at Cyrus. Cyrus raises his arm, pushing the tip of his sword through Eric and holds him up high. Namon cries out and falls to his knees as Cyrus pushes Eric off the blade of his sword, making him fall to the ground. His breaths are labored, and Namon tries to crawl over to him, looking up at Cyrus with tears in his eyes.

"Say hello to your parents for me," Cyrus says.

He grabs Namon by his arm and leg, and spins him around throwing him against the wall of the mansion, making a hole in the wall as Namon passes through. Cyrus looks into the dark opening, and doesn't see anything.

Time stands still for Namon as he enters a deep dream like state, and suddenly he is standing in Central City Park as it was before Cyrus bought it and leveled it. Katrina walks to him, and hugs him tightly.

"Am I dead?"

"No son, not yet, I just thought that you needed to talk to someone before it's time for us to go. We brought you here in limbo."

"You're getting to cross over after all?" he asks.

"No, baby. We have made a decision to give up our life force to help in this time of need. You have to succeed, or the whole world will be taken over by demons, and humanity will be annihilated."

Namon isn't prepared for the two people that are behind Katrina. His mother and father stand there. He moves past Katrina, and hugs the both of them tightly with tears flowing down his cheeks.

"I've missed you so much," he says.

"We know, son, and we are very sorry that we weren't able to raise you," Chase says.

"We are so proud of the man that you have turned out to be, though, and we never stopped loving you," Michelle says.

"We had to come so we could say good bye," Katrina says.

"I can't do this without you. I'm failing, and I'm not strong enough," he says.

"Son, I have to tell you something that we discovered. You know how it's never been explained how I became a White Wolf?" Chase says.

Namon nods.

"Well the reason was so that I could have a son. Everyone else was descendants of the original four, but I was destined to have a son to be the reincarnation of the original Lance Averett. I had to become a White Wolf to be able to protect you. You have his spirit, and enough power to do what you need. Good bye, son," Chase says.

The three of them start to fade away.

Oz is sitting on Namon's chest slapping him with his left hand, then his right hand, and then his left again. Namon's comes to with cheek s stinging from the multiple slaps from the tiny hands. Who knew it could sting so much.

"Wow it's still good to be here," he says while rubbing his cheek lightly.

Oz nods vigorously with a huge smile.

"Thanks for the wakeup call," he pauses.

"I guess. Now go, and make yourself useful," he says.

Oz frowns and sticks his tongue out at him.

Outside of the mansion, Cyrus looks up, seeing the green hole begin to open in the sky. Then there is a blinding white light from the hole he knocked Namon through. A very loud howl echoes from within the mansion. The next thing Cyrus hears is the sound of leather ripping, and then the two leather sleeves from Namon's jacket come through the hole and smack him in the face. Confused, he looks into the hole, and then he is punched hard by a hairy fist. The impact catches him off guard as he is knocked back several feet. Namon steps out from the hole in the wall, and Cyrus's eyes open wide. Namon stands over six feet tall, and is more muscular than he was before. His arms are covered with silver and gray hair, and his head is now shaped like a wolf. Namon has discovered that he has a warrior form, and just at the right time.

"You ready for round two?" Namon asks.

The moonlight shines on his claws, which look very sharp. Cyrus stands up, holding his sword ready to strike. Namon has lost his sword during their fight, but he doesn't need it any more. He growls as he side steps, keeping his eyes locked on Cyrus. His palms open and claws stretch out, ready for him to make the first move. The sword glides through the air and Namon grabs his arm by the wrist, squeezing with enough pressure to cause Cyrus to drop the sword. He swings on Namon with his free hand, but Namon grabs that wrist as well and then lifts him up off the ground.

"You broke my godmother's leg, and left her to burn to death in that church. She was unable to do anything, but scream in pain as she burned. I'm going to return the favor."

Namon twists his hands around, causing Cyrus's arms to break in the center before dropping him to the ground. He screams in pain and starts to crawl away, but doesn't get far. Namon kneels down, grabs Cyrus by the leg, and pulls him back. He grips, and then snaps his leg like a twig. Then he takes one clawed finger and scratches his back, each scratch causing blisters to form on his back. Within moments, writhing in agony, Cyrus's back bursts into flames and his screams fill the air as he is burned alive.

Namon then kicks the pile of ashes, making them scatter across the wind. Then he turns, walks over to Eric, and kneels.

"I'm sorry I couldn't reach you in time."

Then he can see the spirit image of his father's wolf form step close. He melds with Eric's body causing it to glow with a white light, and then he gets on all fours again, and shakes the feeling away from the power surge. He then looks up at Namon.

"Wow, what happened to you? Is there something you weren't telling us?" Eric says with his mind. "Well don't just stand around there, boy. We've got work to do."

Eric then runs off and joins in the battle. Namon looks over at Kaya and Sierra as Samayah's spirit wolf form runs to Sierra and merges with her. He sees Katrina's run to Kaya, and merge with her. Their bodies give off the same glow, and they shake it off like Eric had. Then they attack the nearby demons with a surge of power, biting and slashing, the wounds catching fire, and the demons bursting into flames. Kieran is overwhelmed with demons, and they tackle him to the ground, and pile on top of him. Then Lance's spirit warrior form jumps onto the pile, going through the demons. A white light flashes beneath them and the pile of demons are thrown. Kieran stands, now having a warrior form as well. Brice still lies on the ground still attempting and struggling to keep the destroyer demon from crushing him with its foot. Clint's spirit in warrior form lies on the ground and rolls over onto Brice. Brice's body glows and starts expanding to a massive size, even compared to how big he already was. Suddenly an explosion of power surges through him and into the destroyer demons foot throwing it into the destroyers behind it.

The tide has turned now there are six White Wolves. Namon's attention is brought to the sky as a loud roar fills the air. A massive black head appears from the green portal in the sky, and an evil laugh follows.

"Brice!" Namon yells.

Brice runs over to him, each step his massive foot takes causing impact tremors.

"Yeah, boss? Can you believe it? I have a warrior form too now! Wait a minute, when did you get one?" Brice asks excitedly.

Namon has to look up at Brice since he is a good foot taller than he is to begin with, even in warrior form, so he has to be well over seven feet tall. Namon points up to the sky above Brice. He looks up to see the dragon's head coming through.

"Whoa. Okay, I got dibs on his head when we kill him," Brice says.

"Aluana is up there and I need a fast way up there. Give me a lift?" Namon asks.

Next thing you know, Brice grabs Namon's arm and leg, then spins round in circles before tossing Namon to the roof. Namon spirals in circles as he flies through the air.

"I'm going to hurl!" he yells as he spins through the air.

Brice winces.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I should have thought about that before I threw you."

Kieran is fighting ferociously, slaying several demons that stand in his path. He is so caught up in the fight, though he doesn't realize there is a seeker demon swooping down from the sky behind him. It has its claws ready to strike, but right before it can reach him, Sierra leaps into the air and bites down on one of its wings. Her added weight brings it down, and as soon as they land, she is upon it. She wraps her jaws around its throat and bites down. She snatches her head back and forth, ripping and tearing until the demon bursts into flames.

Kieran turns around to see Sierra leap free and back away from the flames.

"Thanks love."

She runs over and bites him on the rear.

"Owww, what was that for?"

"Just a love bite," she says in his mind.

Then she turns, and heads back into battle.

### Chapter Twenty One

The moment Cyrus dies, Aluana feels something pop in her mind. Then she has the biggest headache she has ever had. Every memory of her life from before the day he put the mental block on her rushes into her mind like water bursting from a cracked dam. She stands and the restraints just sort of fall off her as she looks up at the dragon making its way through the portal. Her surroundings are blurred as she remembers exactly who she is. She sees Tiffany trying to get back onto her feet again after being rendered unconscious earlier. Tiffany sees her and decides it is time to get out of here. She turns around to run, but Aluana is on her before she gets far. Aluana grabs what she can of Tiffany's hair, drags her across the roof, and throws her over the edge out into the field.

Tiffany lands hard on the ground, and her landing draws the attention of a particular wolf. Kaya approaches her, growling. She can smell the fear on Tiffany as she stands. Tiffany turns to run in the other direction, but within moments, Kaya leaps through the air and knocks her down, landing on her back. Tiffany's shoulders sizzle and smoke as Kaya's claws dig into her shoulder. She screams out, then Kaya jumps off her, and her body glows white while she phases instantly into her human form. Tiffany looks up and recognizes her face instantly, and she realizes now how big of a mistake she made before.

"Don't you recognize me, vampire?" Kaya asks while drawing attention to her face. "You did this to me? You made my face look this way?"

Kaya grabs Tiffany by her shoulder, and roughly turns her over so that she is on her back. She then straddles her before her body glows white phasing back to her wolf form. Her teeth come down on Tiffany's face biting it, and causing several wounds on her face. Tiffany's face steams and then bursts into flames. She screams and flays about trying to put the flames out and attack Kaya at the same time. Kaya then jumps off so she doesn't get burned. Tiffany gets up and runs around blindly, a high-pitched wale emitting from her throat as she continues trying to put the flames out, as destroyer demons stomp around, she tries to avoid them by fear alone. Suddenly, one of those demons instantly crushes her as she makes a mistake of crossing one's path.

Namon lands awkwardly on the roof. He straightens up somewhat, but he can barely stand as he walks to Aluana. He is surprised she isn't reacting to his new appearance.

"Lance? How can it be? You died centuries ago," she asks.

Her memories take her back to long ago.

Lance kisses her right before he heads toward the door. He looks at the guards with a very concerned look on his face.

"Make sure nothing gets in. I'm counting on you," he says to the guards.

Lance walks out and she rushes to the window, and looks out to see the battle between Gilles, and him. The fight is very brutal and Lance becomes out-numbered as other werewolves surround Lance. It doesn't take long for him to be overcome and Gilles approaches with an axe. He swings it and with one movement, he removes Lance's head from his body. She cries out, and Gilles turns his attention to her.

Then she sees Cyrus approach with his sorcerer. Drake chants, and has a destroyer demon form. The massive beast knocks the door down with ease, and the guards' attacks have very little effect on the creature. Cyrus enters the home, and he has two vampires grab her and pin her down to the bed. Gilles walks into the room, and then she can hear the conversation going on between him, and Cyrus.

"Just as we agreed, here is the witch. Cyrus."

"You did well and as promised, I will make sure you have the means you need to seek out your vengeance on the White Wolf. You can go, and hunt down his progeny so that they will not become like him."

Cyrus then turns to her, and Drake starts chanting a spell, and within moments, she blacks out.

She snaps out of it as Namon shakes her gently.

"You all right? It's me, Namon."

"Yeah, fine, I just...I remember everything now," she stammers.

"You need to get out of here. Things are about to get bad."

Namon doesn't notice until too late that Denominos has noticed his presence, and wraps his tail around Namon's neck. He pulls Namon to himself and turns him around, facing him.

"I don't care how much you look like him. You have failed because my brother is free," Denominos says.

The massive black dragon lands on the roof. The foundation starts to tremble slightly under its weight. Namon claws at Denominos' tail and the scratches sizzle, but he doesn't loosen his grip. Galamythe licks his lips, ready to eat Namon, since he hasn't eaten in a very long time. Namon closes his eyes, not wanting to see, especially since smelling his breath is bad enough.

"I have always wondered what a White Wolf tastes like," Galamythe says.

He opens his mouth ready to devour Namon, but instead receives a mouthful of ice. Namon opens his eyes, surprised not to find himself in the dragon's mouth. He looks around to see what's going on, he sees Aluana forming an ice spear out of mid-air, and she throws it at Denominos. He staggers back as the spear cuts through his tail, releasing Namon. He looks back at the dragon as it attempts to chew through the ice that sticks inside its mouth. Aluana then steps between Namon and Galamythe. She moves her hands around in circles, making a barrier of ice to shield the two of them from the fire that Galamythe produces to melt the ice in his mouth.

The building starts to shake and tremble under the weight of Galamythe. Denominos calls his seekers to come to his aid and they swoop down, and lift him carrying him away to safety.

"We have to get out of here. This building won't take much more of this weight," Aluana says.

She grabs him by the wrist and drags him away. They run toward the ledge and as they leap from the roof, she creates a slide from ice. They land on it, sliding down safely. They turn to look up at the roof, and see Galamythe spreading his wings and flapping them to lift off. The combined pressure from his weight and the wind his wings produce as he lifts off causes the building to collapse.

Galamythe soars through the sky, looking down at the battle beneath him. He sees fellow demons falling before the wolves, and this fills him with anger and disgust. He roars aloud and dives, landing on the ground very hard in the center of the battle field. The impact from his landing sends a shock wave that knocks everyone and everything off their feet. The demon army gets back on their feet and starts to creep back, sinking back into the earth where they came from in fear of the dragon. Then he turns to face what is left and breathes fire, rendering the demons to nothing.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves, allowing yourselves to be defeated by a few dogs!" He roars to what is left of the army.

They sink away into the earth now, even the destroyers, leaving just Galamythe, Aluana, and the White Wolves. Aluana starts walking toward Galamythe, not showing any sign of fear.

"So you still challenge me, Alexandria. You will not be as lucky this time around," Galamythe says with a challenging tone.

Namon looks at Aluana, and sees a vision of her standing before the dragon once before, but in that time she had long, flowing, wavy brown hair, and she wore a dress. Now that her memories have returned, it has become obvious who she is from the way she thought he was Lance and now with Galamythe calling her Alexandria. His girlfriend is actually Alexandria Averett, mother of the original four White Wolves, and the one responsible for imprisoning Galamythe.

Namon walks over, stands beside her, and kneels into an attack position ready to charge. Brice comes and stands on her other side, patting the head of his war hammer with his hand as he snarls and lets out a threatening growl toward the dragon. Kieran walks around them and stands in front of her with his swords drawn, and growling as well. The three wolves that are in warrior form stand with Aluana in the center of the triangle. Eric, Sierra, and Kaya make their way in front of them. Making a line, they all howl out to signal that they are ready. Aluana looks around at her new friends and the man that she now loves, all ready to protect her.

"Looks like we out number you, Galamythe. You sure you don't want to give up?" she asks.

He roars in defiance, blanketing the sky with fire then he brings his head down to bathe all of them in flames. Right before the flames have a chance to reach them, though, Aluana raises her arms, making an ice barrier to block the flames out. She concentrates with everything she has to keep the ice reforming against the heat. When Galamythe feels he has burned all of them to nothing, he stops to see. He is surprised to see they are not only all still alive, but moving in to attack. Brice kneels down to allow Kaya and Sierra to climb onto his shoulders, and he leaps into the air, landing on the dragon's back. They get off his shoulders and both of them head to a different wing, and bite into the meat that connects his wings to his body. Brice starts running along its back, and then leaps into the air with his war hammer held high. As he lands, he brings the hammer down directly on Galamythe's spine. The dragon lets out a painful roar as it falls down to the ground from the resulting impact to his spine, and this puts him at just the right position so that Eric can run in and lunge at his throat, sinking his teeth in. Kieran runs past Galamythe's legs, trying to slash at the tendons on his ankles, but his hide is too tough to penetrate with the blades. He finally tosses them aside, and swipes with his own claws. He slices through the dragon's hide, and the smell of burning meat fills his nostrils. Aluana uses her powers to freeze his hind legs to the ground so that her friends can continue attacking him.

Galamythe roars loudly, raises his front legs, and brings them down hard on the ground repeatedly. This knocks Kieran off his feet, and Brice falls off his back, landing on the ground hard and knocking the breath out of him. Eric still barely hangs on with his teeth gripped on the dragon's throat, but that change's as soon as he starts breathing fire. Eric has his teeth wrapped around the fire sac, so when the dragon breathes fire, his teeth get too warm and he loses his grip. Then Galamythe starts flapping his wings, and it forces Kaya and Sierra off his back. He starts to gain altitude.

"Brice! Heads up!" Namon says as he runs in Brice's direction.

Brice turns to face Namon, and laces his fingers together to hoist Namon up. Namon jumps and lands on Brice's hands, and then Brice tosses him in the dragon's direction. As soon as he lands on the dragon's back, he sinks his claws into his thick hide. Galamythe then flies high into the sky, and then heads toward downtown.

The people in the streets look to the sky in disbelief at the dragon. They start to panic, and start pushing one another down as they seek refuge indoors. Several people point their cell phones to the sky and video tape the dragon as it lands on the roof of the Ramada Plaza. It bellows fire into the sky, and windows shake from the sound of his roars. Then he leaps from the roof, and, and expands his wings and glides down gently. Namon barely holds on as the dragon then rubs its back against a building, trying to knock him off.

A woman screams, and this draws the dragon's attention. He looks down at the woman that failed to get to safety in time. The ground shakes from the impact of his steps, and the car alarms start going off. The woman is paralyzed with fear, and he opens his massive jaws, and prepares to swallow the woman whole until sirens start to wail nearby. The police vehicles stop and the officers get out, and a hail of gunfire rains on the dragon. He roars out, and then breathes fire on the police, and this distraction gives the woman just enough time to get away.

Namon climbs up the dragon's back, and tries to head for one of its wings. The dragon feels the claws penetrating his hide and can feel a slight sizzle, and this irritates him. He flaps his wings and lifts off, heading toward the sky once again. Then he heads toward the direction of the mansion.

"Why do you try so hard, little wolf? This world isn't for you, so why not give in, and allow me to do as I please?" Galamythe says.

Namon reaches for one of the wings and holds on tightly.

"The world will never accept you, wolf. Humans never accept anything that is different from them. So why save them?"

"Who said I was trying to save them?" Namon says as he grabs his dagger.

"What is it that you are fighting for, then?"

"LOVE!"

Namon presses the button on the dagger, and its teeth spin around. He then brings the blade down on the wing and saws through the dragon's flesh until the wing is detached from his body. The thin membrane under the wing snaps off along with the wing, and Namon falls free from Galamythe.

"How can this be?" the dragon says as it falls.

"Compliments of Oz," Namon yells as he falls.

The dragon spins as it falls down to the ground. Brice looks up to see Namon free falling in the sky too, so he runs over and catches him right before he can hit the ground. The ground trembles from the impact of the dragon hitting with great force.

"Thanks, man."

"Anytime. So let's do this thing!"

"You still aren't strong enough to stop me. I still live, little wolf, and I am going to eat you and that bitch."

They turn, and everyone runs in the direction of the dragon. Aluana throws shards of ice at the soft tissues under his belly, and pierces the hide. Kieran rushes to Galamythe's back and swings his swords, removing the other wing. The dragon roars out as the very unfamiliar feeling of pain spreads across his body. He tries to breathe fire to try and stun them, but Aluana freezes his mouth shut, and he is unable to move his mouth.

"Things are a lot different now than they were back then, Galamythe. I have a lot more help now than I did in the past," Aluana says.

Namon approaches her, phases back into his human form and takes her hand. Brice picks his war hammer back up and walks towards the dragon. He raises the hammer over his head and brings it down with all the strength in his new form on the dragon's neck. A loud cracking sound occurs, as the spine is broken. Brice drops the big hammer, then walks over, and continuously pounds the neck with the smaller hammer, turning it into mush. Once he gets through the meat, he hits the vertebrae with his hammer and grabs the head, removing it from the rest of the dragon's body.

"What are you doing, Brice? I do believe he is dead now," Namon says.

"I'm putting this bitch's head on my wall."

"Dude, you don't have enough room on your wall from that big ass fridge. Besides, there's something you should know about most demons when they die."

"What's that?"

The dragon's body and head burst into flames in Brice's hands.

"Hot, hot, hot, hot," Brice says while jumping back.

He gains a bit of distance between him and the burning corpse, and he phases to human, and drops to the ground and starts rolling around.

"Stop, drop, and roll, stop, drop, and roll," he says.

Everyone else starts laughing so hard it forces them to phase back into their human forms. Then Brice gets back on his feet and sees the head still burning.

"Nooo, my trophy," he says as he drops to his knees. "It would have been beautiful on the wall, I tell you."

Aluana turns to Namon, and kisses him full on the lips.

"You sure do know how to show a girl a good time, you know," she says with a huge smile.

He smiles as well.

"So who's hungry?" Brice says as he forces his way between them. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I am hungrier than I have been in a long time."

"Yeah, we all better go eat before we get weak. Who knows what may pop up next," Namon says.

They all start walking in the direction of the gate.

"Yeah, but we can take anything thrown at us, though, man. You were badass riding that dragon like that. Was it fun? I would have done that for you, but my fat ass needs to stay on the ground," Brice says.

"Brice, has anyone told you that you ain't right?" Kieran asks.

"Every day. I don't listen, though. They don't know what they are talking about."

Once they all reach the other side of the gate, squad cars and police officers surround them with their weapons drawn and aimed right for them. Then the mayor gets out of one of the cars.

"Is the dragon dead? What about Cyrus?" the mayor asks.

"They are both dead, and all the demons are gone," Aluana says.

The mayor lets out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad to see that you are safe. Are these friends of yours?"

"Yes, sir," she says while taking Namon's hand into hers.

The mayor notices the smoke in the sky, and peeks around them to see the rubble that was once a mansion.

"So I take it you have a place to stay then, since the mansion is gone."

She nods an acknowledgment.

"Do you all mind coming downtown to my office to answer some questions?"

"Can we just skip all of that?" she says.

"We really need to find out more details about what happened."

A loud growling sound draws everyone's attention, and they all look toward Brice.

"Y'all are keeping me from food. Not a good idea," he says.

"Mayor Bowman, do you really want to keep me and my friends from going out to eat? They just took on a full army of demons, slew a dragon, and prevented the possible end of the world."

"You've got a point."

"We will be there," she says with a smile.

"Are you still going to do that charity gig for me? Just wanted to make sure."

"Yes, I still am."

Then Oz pulls up in the SUV and the back is completely full of pizza boxes. Brice runs over to the car and hugs it.

"I love you man. Hey wait, how did you drive?" he says to Oz.

"Seriously Brice? He used his powers to drive a train into an iron gate and you question how he can drive a car?" Namon says.

Everyone else approaches the car as well.

(")Wow. I did say make yourself useful, buddy," Namon says with a smirk.

Aluana takes Namon's hand into hers, leans up, and kisses him again.

"I don't think I will ever get tired of you doing that," Namon says.

"Good, because I love you," she says with a smile.

His grin spreads across his face wider than it has ever been before.

"I love you too."

"We better get home if y'all want any of this pizza. Otherwise I'm going to stand right here and eat it all," Brice says while holding two slices in his hands.

Namon laughs as everyone else gets into the SUV while he hands Aluana a helmet. She puts it on, and they get onto the motorcycle and head home.



Back in the middle of the field, Galamythe's ashes still sizzle, and flames still flicker across the lawn. Denominos kicks a pile of the ashes and curses while changing into human form.

"I guess I need to find another way to handle this. Mark my words though I will kill every single one of them if I can help it."

Denominos turns and leaves the property, fading into the shadows. At the fire, the flames flicker, and part in one area where Galamythe's stomach was lying. From the flames, a naked woman with long black hair walks out, and looks around herself. She turns, and looks at the ashes that litter the ground behind her, and she smiles. Then she leaves the area as well, also fading into the shadows.



Later that evening, back at the trailer park, everyone sits around the bonfire and Brice taps the keg as usual. They go about the night just like every other night everyone sitting around the fire.

"So Namon, not that I am complaining at all, by any means, but what exactly happened to us back there? We were all showing White Wolf traits," Eric asks.

Everyone looks at him intensely, all wanting to know the answer to the question.

"Yeah, and better yet, why didn't you tell us you could change to a different form?" Sierra asks.

"Well, you guys are White Wolves now. How that happened. I am not sure, but I saw the spirit forms of the previous White Wolves visit each of you before, sort of merging with you. I guess each of them were able to choose you guys based on your character traits because who they merged with makes a lot of sense."

Namon reached into his pocket, and pulled out the picture of his parents with all the other White Wolves in their human forms.

"Katrina chose you, Kaya," he says.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Yeah you're like our pack mother, and you're always concerned about each of us. You're the caregiver, just like she was," Brice confirms.

"Lance chose Kieran, I think because they are both equally balanced with their skills. I mean, Kieran is a great fighter in both of his forms, and he is just as good fighting with his hands as he is with weapons."

"Yeah, he is definitely good with his hands," Sierra says.

Everyone looks at her, surprised at the comment.

"Sorry, did I just say that out loud? I didn't mean to," she says as she turns bright red.

They all laugh.

"I think Samayah picked you, Sierra, because you speak your mind, but you're still very considerate of others."

The compliment makes her turn even redder if that were possible. Brice steps forward, clapping his hands together.

"My turn, my turn! What about me?" he says excitedly, like a child.

"Oh, now that one is definitely obvious," Namon says.

"Why, because I'm so handsome?" he says while doing a not-so-sexy pose. "Or because of my quick witted charm?"

They all laugh at Brice being the typical clown that he is.

"Clint was the strongest one of the pack. I think he was drawn to your strength."

"Hell yeah, that's me. You hear that guys? I'm the strong one."

"Yeah, strong smelling," Kieran says.

Everyone laughs again, and Brice is caught off guard.

"Since when did you grow a sense of humor?" Brice asks.

Then they all get silent when they notice the serious look on Namon's face.

"Eric, my dad chose you, and there is no question in my mind why. You have been the closest thing I have had to a father since he died. I think he chose you because you are my dad."

Eric gets a slight bit teary eyed, but then wipes his eye.

"Damn, Brice, what did you put in this fire? It's got my eyes burning like crazy."

Everyone knows he is just putting on a show, though, and that he was truly touched by Namon's words. They then return to their drinking, and having a good time, and after the night they have all had, they truly deserve it.

### Epilogue

Hours later, footage of the dragon goes viral on the internet. So many generations of hard work keeping the dark things in the world from becoming general knowledge have pretty much gone down the toilet. The world has now been exposed to the supernatural, and it all started here in Macon, Georgia. The following morning, Mayor Bowman makes a public announcement concerning the previous night's events.

"As everyone across the world is now aware, it has been brought to light that dragons really exist. The dragon was stopped before it could cause too much more damage to the city, but I am not at liberty to discuss how this occurred. However, since dragons are real, the question now is what else can be real out there? I will be starting a special investigative team to research this phenomenon and to develop ways to protect us from anything such as this from happening again. Despite my shortcomings as a public servant so far, from this day forward I am rededicated to this beautiful city. I am going to fix all the problems."

Cyrus is now gone, and a few weeks later Aluana is able to claim his property and fortune since the paperwork for the property listed her as his adopted daughter. Bet Cyrus didn't anticipate anything like this happening. The ironic thing is that he raised his fortune for the purpose of taking control over humanity, but she, however, has set plans with the mayor to rebuild Central City Park the way it was before. She also funded the mayor's plans for a better Macon without having a fundraiser. One more thing that she has done with this fortune is she has funded the mayor's special Paranormal and Supernatural Investigation team, also known as P.S.I. A headquarters has been built at the far end of Central City Park, which seems appropriate since this is where it all started. The corporation currently seeks anyone or anything with knowledge of the supernatural to join. The mayor extended an invitation to Namon, Aluana, and the White Wolves to join P.S.I. to assist with training new recruits with what they know. They are taking the offer in deep consideration, especially since the job pays significantly more than the meat processing plant, especially since they have been eating more inventory than they are selling since becoming White Wolves. They agreed, but now they are just wanting a little bit of rest from the events of that night.

### A few months later

Namon and his friends decide to go out together to Whiskey River on the night of its grand reopening. They are really excited to do something as a family outside of the trailer park as well as anxious to see Aluana perform. This will be her first time performing since she won the battle of the bands, and her band become the new house band. She is dressed in the very same outfit she wore the first night she had met Namon. She wants this night to be every bit as much for him as it is for her. If not for him, then who knows how everything would have turned out, and if she would have ever reclaimed her memory at all or had the courage to just leave like she did.

Aluana is on stage, getting ready to perform. Her band tunes their instruments, and she looks over the crowd that has gathered. Namon stands right in front at the center of the crowd with Brice on one side of him, Kieran and Sierra on the other side. Kieran's arms are wrapped around Sierra, and she has a big smile on her face like she is having the time of her life. Kaya and Eric are there as well, but they are sitting at a table away from the crowd.

The music starts and Aluana speaks.

"I wrote this song for a very special guy."

I have walked through this world

Vulnerable, and alone.

Searching for some good

To keep my heart from being stone.

I'm a prisoner in this world,

With no hopes of a hero to save me.

In the dark, your light shines,

And so begins my destiny.

You came, and chase away the darkness,

You drive it from my sight.

Your strength so strong, and true,

You cut it with your light.

You make me want to be like you,

Beautiful, wild, and free.

You _'_ re my hero of the wild,

It _'_ s your light that saves me

As my heart calls for you,

Yours calls for me

We _'_ ll make it through, I promise you

And together we will be.

The odds are against us

And we are worlds apart.

No distance can separate us

Or tear you from my heart

You came, and chase away the darkness,

You drive it from my sight.

Your strength so strong, and true,

You cut it with your light.

You make me want to be like you,

Beautiful, wild, and free.

You _'_ re my hero of the wild,

It _'_ s your light that saves me

No wall is tall enough

To come between us

Or to keep me away from you,

We _'_ ll kick we _'_ ll fight, we _'_ ll cuss

And those walls will crumble and fall,

I _'_ ll feel safe by your side,

As we stand side by side and face it all.

Being near you,

I will never forget.

I will live every moment without regret

You came, and chase away the darkness,

You drive it from my sight.

Your strength so strong, and true,

You cut it with your light.

You make me want to be like you,

Beautiful, wild, and free.

You _'_ re my hero of the wild,

It _'_ s your light that saves me

Once she's finished, the crowd goes wild and Aluana hops down. Namon catches her with ease and spins her around, kissing her.

"How did I do?" she asks.

"You were wonderful, baby!" he says.

She smiles wide at his approval and jumps on him, wrapping her legs around him as he catches her. She kisses him, and then hugs him before letting her legs touch the floor again. Then the same song starts playing that they first slow danced to. She reaches up and wraps her arms around his neck as he places his hands on her waist. They gaze into each other's eyes, smiling because they recognize the song, and she moves in closer, pressing her chest against him as she leans up to kiss him. They kiss for what seems like an eternity to them, and then she lays her head on his chest. They move together, dancing as if nothing else matters, and they are the only two people in the room.

Kieran and Sierra dance a few feet away from them, and they look over at the happy couple and smile.

"I'm happy for him, really. He deserves to be happy for once in his life, you know," Sierra says.

"You sure that you don't want to knock her out, and take him instead?" Kieran asks.

She playfully hits him on the shoulder.

"You know better than to ask that. I am more than happy to be with you."

Sierra leans up, kisses him on the lips, and then rests her head on his shoulder.

Kaya watches the youngest members of the group dancing, and then she looks over at the bar, and sees that Brice is standing at the bar, drinking a beer, watching them as well. She taps Eric on his knee and points in Brice's direction. He looks over, sees Brice, and gets the hint. He takes the final sip of his beer.

"Yeah, I need another beer anyway."

He gets up, walks over to the bar, and orders another beer. He takes a sip from his new beer and turns to Brice.

"You doing all right, Brice? You look a little lonely over here."

"Yeah, I just miss them, that's all. My family, that is. Seeing all of them over there makes me miss them more," Brice says while sipping his beer.

"I know it hurts. It will get better in time, trust me. Take Kaya for instance, she will be my fourth wife. It took me so long to ask her to marry me because I didn't want her to meet the same fate as the others. We have many enemies, Brice, and it's difficult for us to have wives that cannot protect themselves. One day, you will find someone as strong as you. Just wait and see."

"Yeah, I know. You're right." Brice drinks his beer, and then looks over at Kaya. "She looks pretty lonely over there, man. You better go dance with her before someone else comes over to ask."

"I'll do that, my friend." Then Eric leans in closer. "There is another benefit of this White Wolf thing, you know. You see my beautiful lady over there? She is pregnant now, thanks to this gift," Eric says with a smile.

"That's great, man. Congratulations," Brice says with a slight sadness to his voice.

Eric chugs the rest of his beer, hands the empty bottle to Brice, and then pats him on the shoulder. Then he walks over, and Kaya stands up. He leans over, and talks to her belly.

"Do you mind if I dance with your mommy? You don't? That's good because you have such a beautiful mommy, and if I don't dance with her, one of these young men may try to take her away from me."

She laughs, "Like that will ever happen!" She then starts dancing with him. Brice stands there watching, and thinks back to the years before he joined the pack. He can see his wife's image dancing as if she were standing right there in front of him. A single tear falls from his cheek as he thinks about her, missing her, needing her.

"Cheers to you, Sheila."

He raises his beer, and then drinks the whole bottle in one gulp.

"I love you, baby, and it would take someone really special to match up to you," he says.

Then he can tell that a woman is watching him out of the corner of his eye. She walks over to him. He looks her up and down from her long legs up past all of her curves that her black dress hugs very nicely, and then all the way to her beautiful face. She has long, wavy, red hair, and deep purple eyes that he becomes easily lost in. He tries to hold tight to the vision of his wife, but the longer he gazes into her eyes, the more lost he becomes.

"Do you want to dance, big guy?" she asks.

"Hell yeah, I want to dance."

Brice takes her hand, and they walk out onto the dance floor. Everyone looks his way, and cheers at him as the red head grinds over him in suggestive movements to the rhythm of the music. Then the song changes and it's a slow song now. She turns to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck, keeping her eyes locked onto his. He can feel himself unravel in his mind as the pain that he has felt for the loss of his family starts to fade away. This woman is amazing.

She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him, rubbing her fingers through his short hair. The kiss could have been a lifetime as far as he is concerned at that moment. The kiss makes him feel intoxicated, much more than the beer does, and he craves another. He leans down and speaks into her ear.

"I'm Brice. What's your name?"

"I'm Lilith, but my friends call me Lily."

