Dominic was bored again. What was he supposed to do when he was up at 12 a.m. trying to figure out why Lucian and Tashira had been so reluctant to leave each other? It was late and unless he had some important work to do, he usually was fast asleep by now. But he just couldn’t get sleep tonight. It had seemed unusual for the two to be so upset about being separated during the night. Dominic had tried to chalk it up to the idea that they were twins and maybe they just didn’t enjoy spending time apart. Yet that didn’t seem to make any sense. That wouldn’t explain the look of abject fear on Lucian’s face that he had seen when Tashira had left. Even though the younger boy had tried to hide it later on, he could tell that Tashira’s absence was still nagging at his mind.

Perhaps, it still was just because they were twins. Brothers and sisters were supposed to share an unbreakable bond and it was supposed to be even stronger between twins. He had heard rumors that twins could often sense what the other was feeling and reacted as if it was them going through whatever was troubling their siblings. It must be nice to have someone to relate to like that. Dominic no longer had such a luxury.

Nadia had learned her lesson now and was content to leave him to himself. He knew it hurt her to see him every day and not be able to share her secrets with him as they had once done. Back when Nadia was younger, she had been his entire world. She had worshipped the ground he walked upon and he had granted her every desire. Before Aiden had arrived, she was the only thing he thought he could love. She was the only thing worthy of being loved in his life. She was such a gentle child, always wanting to help others and always yearning to take her brother away from his endless sadness. Nadia was like a rare goddess to him. Her word was law to him and he indulged her every chance he could get. There wasn’t a single school event he missed or a present that she hadn’t been thrilled to get. He had enjoyed making her smile. She brought so much light into the darkness that was his life with his father. When his stepmother was working as usual, it was always Nadia whom he could turn to for a reassuring word. Nadia told him that he meant something. She had been the first person to ever say that she loved him.

Now he had pushed her away for good. Dominic knew it was ultimately for the best. Nadia was too precious to risk losing just because of his cursed existence. He would not have her disappear like Aiden had. She was all he had left. Even if he could no longer embrace her light, at least he knew that it was still there. He could be content with that much. He had to be, for her sake. Because despite his cold words and hateful glares, he still cared about her.

He could no longer say that he loved her though. It had been such a long time since he had last thought of using that word to describe how he felt for someone. He wasn’t even sure he still knew what it meant. When he had been living as Wolf, he never had to contemplate things like this. Wolves had emotions, but they were much more restrictive than that of humans. They could feel affection, but it was for the pack. The pack was their life. True, they did possess life mates, whom they would die for. They never were the same after the loss of their mate. Of course, Dominic had not been too intrepid about finding a life mate even as Wolf. He didn’t want that anymore. He didn’t want to know that feeling of loss. As long as he was alone, he was safe. He couldn’t be hurt, nor could anyone else.

"Aiden, is this the fate you warned me of?" he asked the silence of the room as he opened his notebook and began to write. "Why did you have to leave me?"

He had only managed to fill one page when a keening wail broke through the quiet. Dominic jumped up from his bed at the sound, terrified by the amount of pain that was contained inside the heart-wrenching noise. Setting his notebook on the floor, he threw on a shirt and made his way into the hallway. As he did, he could hear the wail twisting into a deafening shriek. His ears registered the piteous cry, knowing in an instant whom it belonged to.

"Ambrose?"

The demon Armageddon faded from view as the scene was merged with that of two youths fighting against a man with jet-black hair and heartless blue eyes. There were intense flashes of light and splashes of ominous red. Wretched screams filled the air, accompanied with the sound of maniacal laughter. Grassy hills were transformed into seas of blood. A waterfall of white- silver crashed upon the sticky ground. It was attached to the broken form of a young girl. Hysterical brown eyes clashed with somber gray. A wash of crimson tainted the swirls of steely satin as more grievous moans sounded.

"Reyna!"

The melancholy cry reached Dominic as he approached the room at the end of the hall. "Ambrose?" he questioned in a low whisper as he turned the elongated silver handle adorning the door’s surface and held it ajar. "Ambrose? Are you awake?"

He was disturbed by the frantic screams of his younger partner. What was he screaming about? And who was Reyna? He had never heard either twin mention anybody by the name of Reyna before. But whoever this person was, their memory was sure causing Lucian some trouble. Dominic was certain of that as another broken wail sounded from the bed in the back of the room.

"Reyna! I’m sorry! Forgive me! I didn’t want this. I didn’t want this!"

The older boy stepped inside the dark room and was completely stunned by the image he saw before him. Lucian lay on the side of the queen-size bed, his blood red hair hung loose and was almost plastered to his face by the abundance of sweat trickling down his head. Most of the silken sheets were crumpled up at the end of the bed while the comforter and blanket lay splayed out on the floor as it tumbled from the mattress.

But it was the frantic boy himself on the edge of the bed that held the dark-haired youth’s attention. Lucian had his eyes closed shut and was clenching his fists tightly, so tight that tiny splatters of blood fell across the snow white covering of the mattress. His head was thrown back from his frequent shouts, one arm positioned right above his forehead as the other dangled from the side of the bed, both legs were arranged to the side so that his body was twisted into a sort of inverted S. As he screamed, his spine bowed underneath him. He looked like he was in complete anguish.

"Reyna, I love you. I never truly hated you no matter what. Sister. Reyna! No!" Lucian flailed in the bed as he held his chest with the arm from on top of his pillow.

This wasn’t making any sense to Dominic. It was obvious that Lucian was suffering from some kind of nightmare. But what was he dreaming about in the first place? Lucian had mentioned something like sister. Was he talking about Tashira? Why would she hate him? Tashira thought her twin walked on water. They were so close, one would think they were lovers instead of siblings. Why would Lucian be saying such nonsense to her?

Lucian whimpered and held out his hand to some unseen object, grasping at the empty air as if he were drowning. "Reyna speak to me. Reyna, it’s all right now, I understand. I don’t want to fight anymore. I just want to be with you again. Like before. Reyna please. Reyna don’t leave me. Reyna! Reyna!"

This time the scream was choked and full of agony. Tears flowed from Lucian’s eyes as his body trembled violently. "Reyna!" He continued to claw the empty air as he curled his legs closer to him. "Reyna!"

Dominic had had enough. Screaming was one thing but shaking and crying tears as real as these were completely different. Hoping to halt the freakish howl that was pouring from the younger boy’s throat, he raced over to the bed and leaned across it. Gripping Lucian’s shoulders, he shook him as hard as he could.

"Ambrose. Wake up! Ambrose! Ambrose!" he commanded jostling the boy as much as possible in attempt to bring him out of his fanatical state.

"Reyna! Don’t leave me! Please!" Lucian continued to holler, oblivious to his partner’s frantic shaking.

"REYNA!" Lucian roared, throwing back his head even further as the scream ripped through his vocal chords.

The intensity of his cry dazed Dominic momentarily as he shook his head to see if he still retained his hearing ability. Unwilling to experience another verbal assault like that, Dominic lifted the red-haired boy’s back half off the mattress and shook him even harder, watching Lucian’s head loll back and forth. "Ambrose what’s wrong? Ambrose! It’s not real. Wake up! Ambrose! Listen to me!" he pleaded with the unresponsive youth, growing really worried at the rising tone is Lucian’s voice. He was not eager to see the younger boy go into shock.

"Damn it. I said wake up!" Out of working options, Dominic pulled back his hand and quickly slapped the screeching youth across the face, the force whipping Lucian’s head to the side. At the blow, Lucian stopped his crying and his eyes flew open in surprise. They tried to focus on the strange person whom was leaning over him. But nothing seemed to distinguish the dark-haired youth in his mind. Unable to recognize the stranger who had apparently lashed out at him, the garnet eyes darkened and the redhead glared at Dominic in seething fury.

"Ambrose? Are you all right?" Dominic asked as he noticed the unusual glint in his companion’s normally jesting eyes. Something seemed to shed some light on the situation as Lucian’s glare turned into a bitter sort of recognition.

"Get away from me Sun Guardian!" he growled as he pushed with all his might against the older boy holding his shoulders, knocking Dominic over and sending him crashing on his back. "How dare you slap me!"

The strange way that Lucian had addressed him unnerved Dominic as he groaned on the floor. Sun Guardian? Why was Lucian calling him that? Especially after he had the nerve to ridicule Dominic for calling him by his last name. At least, Dominic had seen fit to use his name instead of an impersonal title. He pushed back the rising anger as he tried to convince himself that Lucian was just recovering from a painful nightmare and may not be in his right mind at the moment.

"A-Ambrose?" the dark-haired youth stammered in confusion as he pushed himself to his feet. The redhead back-pedaled on the bed, forcing his back to grind into the headstand.

"I said stay away. I’m warning you."

"Ambrose what are you talking about?" chastised Dominic as he ignored Lucian’s threat and approached the anxious boy. Lucian shot out his hand and clamped onto his wrist. Before Dominic could react, he jerked the older boy toward him, fingers digging into the skin. He lifted his crimson eyes to the amethystine orbs of the other youth, as the blood red pools seemed to bore into Dominic’s soul. His eyes shined dangerously as Lucian stared at his partner.

"I warned you. Don’t try to friggin’ touch me!" Lucian snarled as he yanked Dominic to the side and slammed him into the wall with an incredible force. Dominic cried out in surprise and slid down the smooth surface. He groaned under his breath and used one of his hands to force himself back into an unsteady stand.

"You don’t learn, do you?" assailed the younger boy, getting in position to attack him again. But Dominic had enough of this treatment. Nightmare or no nightmare, Lucian was acting insane. He was not about to let his partner deliver any more blows on his body. He was going to put a stop to this right now.

Before Lucian could make a move, Dominic rushed from the wall and leaned across the other side of the bed. Lucian cursed at him and was about to slug him when the older boy snaked his arm around the redhead’s neck and wrenched him backward. Lucian hollered in protest and tore at Dominic’s arm with his hands. Dominic just tightened his hold on the other boy’s throat, bringing him close to his chest. Lucian’s actions were making his head spin. No matter how wild the younger boy usually acted, he had never acted like this. Something was definitely wrong with him. This creature struggling in his arms was not the Lucian he had become accustomed to seeing everyday. It was a pathetic impostor.

"Get the fuck off me!" raged the younger boy struggling against the dark-haired youth who was had a powerful advantage over him since Lucian was not in complete control of himself. Under normal circumstances, Dominic was sure that he would have tried to throw him over his back. But the current Lucian employed no such tactic. He continued to fight him, trapped in the hold, and only managing to end up choking himself. He wheezed and gasped for air as his actions pressed Dominic’s arm further into his gullet.

Seeing that his partner was about to suffocate himself, Dominic reached down and snared Lucian’s chin in his hand. He jerked it upward so that he could see the highly pissed-off garnet eyes, which were burning with violent passion. Despite their ferocity, they appeared cloudy and dim, a sign that the younger boy was close to passing out.

"Ambrose, listen to me! I don’t know what the hell is wrong with you, but I’m not going to have you trying to kill me. Now stop acting like a damn psychopath before I break your friggin’ neck!" Dominic spoke with a cold and emotionless tone as the wild look in Lucian’s eyes slowly began to vanish as the voice began to register in Lucian’s tormented mind. His earlier look was usurped by one of surprise and slight fear.

"Damn it Nicky, let go of my neck! You’re strangling me!" the red-eyed youth sputtered, barely able to force the words through his pinched throat.

"Ambrose?"

"Of course dumbass! Who else would I be? Now, let go! I can’t breathe!" whined Lucian tugging feebly on Dominic’s arm. "Please Nicky! You’re going to kill me!"

Breathing a sigh of relief at hearing Lucian’s regular attitude, the older boy lifted his hand from the redhead’s chin and released his arm from around his throat. Lucian pitched forward and smacked into the soft mattress. "Whoa!"

Lucian groaned in pain and shook his head, sending the loose crimson strands in a myriad of directions down his neck and shoulders. He planted his palms into the surface of his bed and pushed himself into an upright position. Dominic still stood at the other side of the bed, scrutinizing him carefully for any signs of another outburst. Lucian coughed lightly and raised a hand to his throat to feel if it was bruised. He shot an annoyed glance at his so-called partner.

"Hey Nicky, what’s the deal with trying to throttle me? I thought we talked about his? You promised not to pull this shit with me. You promised!" he hissed at Dominic with a look of disappointment. He backed further away from the older boy, a shade of desolation falling over his misty eyes. "I believed you!"

"You were going to hurt both yourself and me. I had to do something to stop you. You forced me. Anyway, I wasn’t trying to kill you so I didn’t break our blasted promise. Now you can stop looking at me like that," Dominic argued as he turned his head from the sorrowful gaze. "I was just trying to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid."

He knew he should have been furious with Lucian for yelling at him after he had just attacked him. Yet something told him that none of that had been Lucian’s fault. He didn’t know what he was doing. So, of course, when he had broken out of his trance and seen that his partner was strangling him, he had freaked. That was understandable. He couldn’t berate him for thinking that he was trying to murder him. If he had been in his place, Dominic wasn’t sure he would have reacted any differently to the situation.

"Huh? I was trying to hurt you? Now why would I ever do something like that? We’re on the same team. Plus, you’re a guest and there’s some heavy reckoning for killing a guest in your own home. Haven’t you ever read Macbeth?" Lucian replied, seeming to buy Dominic’s explanation for the time being. "Ow! I think you left a mark around my throat," he griped as he wiped the lines of sweat away from his forehead. He brought down his hand and looked at it. Then his eyes lowered and he turned around to observe the disaster area that his bed had become.

"Good question. That’s what I’d like to know," the older youth snapped as Lucian grew quiet.

The red-haired boy gulped as he glanced at the mess surrounding him. Now he was beginning to understand what Dominic had been talking about. He must have interrupted him during one of his dreams. Lucian knew that he was never all there when he first woke up from the strange nightmares. A shudder ran through him as he pondered the possibility of Dominic hearing most of what he usually screamed about during the reveries. Tashira had usually been there to calm him down before things had gotten too bad. But with her gone, he must have completely flipped out. That was the only plausible explanation for Dominic coming to check on him.

Dominic brought his gaze up to meet the worried look on the Lucian’s face. "What was that all about Ambrose?"

It was the question that Lucian had been dreading. There was no way he could explain his nightmares to Dominic. He couldn’t even explain them to Tashira. More importantly, he did not want to see that look of disgust in Dominic’s eyes that everyone else had shown him after discovering him during his dreaming. He didn’t want Dominic to look at him that way. He didn’t want him to think him a freak. That was the worse thing that could happen, especially now when Dominic was showing signs of starting to accept and trust him.

If Dominic were to discover his problem, not only would he no longer be able to play his game with the older youth, but also Dominic would never think the same about him. It would ruin everything. He would have to find a way of getting around this. Maybe he could convince Dominic that it was nothing. It was late and Dominic had to be getting tired. He probably wouldn’t bother to debate the issue for that long.

"What was what all about?" he grinned innocently as he unconsciously clenched his fingers around one of the crumpled sheets. Dominic noticed this action and his burning gaze intensified.

"Don’t play dumb with me, Ambrose! I want to know what the hell was wrong with you a moment ago! You nearly tried to kill me so don’t try to pretend like nothing happened!"

"I...uh...well actually...um...it was..." stuttered the younger boy twisting the fabric into a tight knot in his hand. His head was swimming as he struggled to think of some way to respond.

Not good! This was definitely not good. If he had truly been freaking out as bad as Dominic said, the older boy wasn’t going to accept some cheesy fabrication. Damn! He’d really done it now. He just wished there was some way to make Dominic leave right now before anything else could happen.

Lucian shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts as the older boy set his amethystine eyes upon him as if they were homing lasers. "Well? I’m waiting," Dominic warned as he leaned across the bed, sinking his hands deep into the mattress.

"I...I..." Lucian began once more, still trying to come up with something plausible to say to the violet-eyed youth to make him go away. His head was starting to hurt him and he figured that he must be developing a migraine from all the stress. He turned his head to the side and brushed his dark red bangs out of his eyes. As he did, Dominic lurched over and snatched his wrist, almost crushing it in his grip. "Youch!" shrieked the red-haired boy as he yanked back his arm, but the older boy simply pulled him forward. "Let go!"

"When you tell me why you were screaming like that," the dark-haired youth responded as he tightened his hold on his partner’s wrist. Lucian’s eyes flashed in fear as he tried to pry the fingers off his wrist, breathing harshly in distress. Dominic stared at his partner’s reactions and sighed in frustration. "Why won’t you just tell me?"

Lucian fought like a wild cat, taking care not to hurt Dominic too much as he tore at his hand. "Please let go! I don’t want to talk about it! Please go away Nicky! Please!" the red-eyed boy begged as he desperately tried to scramble away from the older teenager.

This wasn’t happening! If Dominic found out that he....

No, he wasn’t going to tell him anything. He would just have to get rid of him for now. Any way he could. Even if it meant getting a little extra help. He wasn’t happy about it, but he knew that it was necessary to get rid of Dominic before things grew even more intense. There was no way he was going to be able to do it himself. He was going to need assistance.

Sighing, Lucian allowed his eyes to flutter shut for a moment as Dominic watched him in astonishment. He was just about to shake the younger boy when Lucian’s eyes snapped open. They regained the wild gleam that had possessed them a few minutes ago as they flashed with excitement. "Damn it! I said it wasn’t anything. Didn’t you hear me? Nothing! Now let go!"

Before Dominic could move, the younger boy twisted around and flung him over his back. Dominic sailed through the air and landed on his back, totally unprepared for the sudden retaliation. He growled in anger and limped to his feet as Lucian pushed himself off the bed and stood before his fallen partner. The older boy looked up, his violet eyes glowing. Without thinking twice, Lucian reached down and grabbed his shirt collar and hefted him to his feet.

"Get out!" he ordered as he lightly tossed his companion toward the door. Dominic braced himself with his hands as he hit the edge of the doorway. He stumbled a bit and then whirled around to face Lucian, his face contorted in pure rage.

"Ambrose, what the hell has come over you? Have you lost what little sense you seemed to possess?"

"Don’t push me Dominic! I’m not in the mood for your ridiculous outbursts! I really don’t want to see you right now. So please just get out of my room," Lucian spoke in a deathly calm voice. It was a tone Dominic had never even known that the jubilant trickster possessed. This was not the joking teenager that he had fought alongside. This was someone entirely different. It was just like earlier.

"I’m not going anywhere until I get an explanation," argued the dark-haired youth as he set his arms across each other and leaned against the doorframe.

"I don’t think so Dominic," ‘Lucian’ spat as he narrowed his eyes at his partner and swiftly moved to stand about a yard away from him. Dominic could almost see them shining with a dark brown hue instead of their normal red. He planted one food upon the door and stared back at ‘Lucian.’ "I really need to be alone right now. And if you can’t understand, then I’m going to have to make you see my point!" the red-haired boy exclaimed as he snatched Dominic’s arm and hurled him through the open doorway. Dominic leapt to his feet and charged the door only to watch it slam shut in front of his face.

"Ambrose! Open this door! I know you’re hiding something! There was definitely something deeply wrong with you earlier. I’ve never heard you say anything like what you were saying in your sleep. What were you dreaming about? What could cause you to react like this? You said you wanted to trust me. Well, prove it and tell me what’s going on!" railed the older youth pounding on the door with his fist. The door screeched under his blows and the hinges shook on the entrance.

"Wonderful Lucian, you have sure chosen one hell of a companion. Strength of the wolf all right. I don’t think that door can stand up to much more of this. Why are you doing this Sun Guardian? Do you actually care why Lucian was crying? That’s not like you," Lucian mused to himself as Dominic assailed the door with vicious blows.

Lucian groaned as he threw his weight against the door, pushing against it with all his strength. But he already knew his brute strength could never stand against the pure power of the Sun Guardian. It was the one advantage the older Guardian had above his partner. The Hell Guardian had his speed and agility while the Sun Guardian had his sheer strength and unbelievable endurance. These traits of vitality and velocity were mainly on account of the younger boy’s lithe body and his well-hidden but surprisingly toned muscle structure. On the other hand, Dominic’s pure force and stamina grew out of his intense stubbornness and his wolf instincts. For some reason, it was as if he and the wolf spirit he controlled were one and because of this, Dominic was able to push himself to limits that most people could only dream about.

The others thought they were evenly matched because their best qualities balanced each other out. For the most part it was true, but both Guardians knew that in a fight, it would depend on what ability was most prevalent. That would decide the final victor. Unfortunately for Lucian, the battle that was currently being waged pitted strength against strength. There was no way he could win against Dominic in these circumstances. The red-haired youth closed his eyes and continued to push against the weakened door using as much force as he could muster. But still it paled in comparison to the might of the Sun Guardian.

The door rattled again on its hinges as Dominic burst it open and faced his distraught partner with cold violet eyes. "Are you satisfied with this pointless game yet? Are you willing to just admit what you were so upset about?" He tossed back his head as he held the door open with one arm.

"Why can’t you ever listen? You’re so damn stubborn! Get out of this room before I decide to take this challenge seriously!" panted the younger youth as he stood apart from his companion.

"I’m not trying to challenge you, Ambrose. I’m just sick of you lying to me. You never lie! So why now?"

"You wouldn’t understand. No, you don’t need to understand. I just want you to leave me alone. I’m not playing with you anymore. Leave now!"

This was stupid! He didn’t want to hurt the Sun Guardian, but he no longer had a choice. If Dominic found out about Lucian’s dreams, he would never speak to him again. And if the two most powerful Guardians were separated, the Keys would be in more danger than ever before. He couldn’t let that happen. He had made a promise and it was his duty to keep it. If he had to force him out, then so be it! He just hoped that Dominic would be willing to forgive Lucian later.

Without warning, Dominic lunged forward and grappled Lucian’s wrist in his hand again. Lucian snarled in protest and backed up quickly, tugging at the hand around his wrist. "Don’t do this Dominic! Don’t make me hurt you!"

"Hurt me? I highly doubt that. Wait a second, did you just call me Dominic?" the older boy asked as a look of distrust crossed his face. "Ambrose never calls me Dominic. Who are you?"

NO! The situation was getting worse by the minute. He had better act fast.

"I can call you whatever I wish. You’re pissing me off and I can’t think straight. Now let go of me before I tear off your arm! I won’t tell you again." ‘Lucian’ lowered his head slowly and spoke with a dangerous tone. Dominic glared at him in anger, showing that he wasn’t buying the other youth’s pathetic excuse.

One thing was really unnerving Dominic and that was the strange look that had appeared in his partner’s eyes. Lucian’s eyes, though resembling deep pools of thick viscous blood, had always reflected a certain energy in them. They were what made him seem like the friendly teenager that he wanted others to think he was. His eyes were his means of deception, fascinating swirls of dark red and black that seemed to mingle together to create an endless abyss which could capture almost anyone in their intoxicating gaze. It was true that staring at the crimson orbs was almost like taking some incredible drug that allowed a person to see nothing around him but a sea of blood. Yet, one wouldn’t want to escape. He would want to stay trapped in that thrall of garnet and ruby light forever.

But now they appeared dark and deadly as if all the alluring color had been drained from them. They looked like a cell after it has been deprived of oxygen for too long. Their deep red color had become tainted with a muddy brown, causing them to lack all substance and soul. They were almost as cold as the glamorous gems they represented. Without life and without feeling. They did not look like Lucian.

"You are not Ambrose!" Dominic growled in utter frustration as he dug his fingers into the younger boy’s skin.

"Get off me!" snapped the red-haired boy as he lashed out his other arm and ripped Dominic away from him. Then he sunk his fingers into his partner’s arm and slammed him with all his force into the wall outside his door. Dominic yelped in surprise as his head crashed into the surface, making complete contact. He slumped forward and slid down the wall, a thin trail of red marring the wall’s pristine face. Unfortunately, ‘Lucian’s’ mind was already too preoccupied with a sudden pounding force to notice the dangerous mark. The younger boy eyed his fallen companion disdainfully for a moment before slamming the door close and pushing a chain under the handle. "I hope that’s enough to get the message across." Another sharp pain nagged at him, letting him know it was time to let go.

Lucian fell back across his disheveled bed with a sigh. His head was killing him. He looked down and noticed his hand was shaking badly. Lucian tried to shut his eyes, but the pain in his head prevented any such action. Annoyed, he placed one of his palms on his forehead and pressed against it lightly, hoping to ease some of the aching. But the sledgehammer force retained its assault and he rolled over in misery.

What was he supposed to do now? His head was really hurting. It usually didn’t hurt this much. But that last dream coupled with tonight’s ghastly events was building a painful pressure inside his skull. It felt like his brain was trying to bash its way out of his head. He was not having a good night.

The youth shifted uncomfortably in the bed and whipped his head backwards as another flash of pain surged through his skull. He whined and grasped the top of his sweat-soaked crimson mane. "I wonder why Nicky hasn’t tried to break in again. Maybe he figured out that I really wanted to be alone. I hope that nothing happened after I blacked out," Lucian thought to himself, attempting to use something to keep his mind off the dull throbbing in his head. "Nicky," he called out as soft as could to avoid the echo injuring his already hurting mind.

The silence that met him caused a jolt of fear to race down his back. He didn’t want to hurt Dominic. He had just wanted him to go away. Dominic could be so incredibly persistent sometimes. He couldn’t be sure he would listen without some help. But he was confused as to what had happened to his partner. The last thing he could recall was insisting that he had to make Dominic leave.

Lucian slowly lurched into an upright position, almost falling to his feet as he tried to stand. He steadied himself uneasily on his legs, the pain in his skull making it difficult for him to stay up. This queasy feeling was having a serious effect on his equilibrium. He stumbled over to the door and collapsed against the surface, his hand weakly pushing down on the handle. The door swung open and he spilled out the doorframe, still clutching onto the handle as he hit his knees.

He rested his head against the center of the door and looked around for Dominic. His eyes fell upon the sight of the prone youth lying at an odd angle against the wall. Dominic’s head was hung down across his chest and his legs were crumpled underneath him. The bloody splotch where the older boy’s head had come in contact with the wall stood out remarkably clear in the darkness of the hall.

"N--Nicky!" gulped the younger boy as his hand slipped off the handle and he tumbled to the floor. His head was raging even worse than before now, but at the current moment, his mind was not on the pain but on the still form lying a few feet in front of him. He began to crawl forward, his whole body trembling with each movement. "Nicky," he repeated, praying that the dark-haired teenager would give him some sort of response. His vision blurred a bit as the migraine in his head was forcing him to dance in and out of consciousness.

"Nicky!" Lucian shook his head roughly and threw himself at the older boy. He grasped his shoulders and shook him violently to no avail. "Nicky!" The younger boy was panting in terror as he nervously searched for a pulse, running his fingers over the injured youth’s throat.

A soft throbbing action moved underneath his fingertips and his eyes widened in surprise. "Thank god," he whispered as he carefully gathered the older boy in his arms. He struggled with the body in his arms as he carried Dominic back to his room at the other end of the hall. When he reached the older youth’s bed, he almost fell across it, allowing Dominic to roll onto the soft mattress. "Man, I’m so stupid. I should have never fought against you. I don’t even know what I did! You just wanted to talk to me, but I’m just so damn afraid of you finding out about my past. I don’t want to lose you. I guess I need you, Nicky. We all need you. I wish you’d just wake up and kick my ass right now. At least then, I’d know that you were all right," Lucian babbled as he slipped off the bed and rested on his knees.

He had to do something to stop the bleeding on the older youth’s head. Leaning on the side of the bed, he lifted Dominic’s head and ran his fingers through his thick black hair, looking for the injury that had caused the bleeding. Soon he discovered it near the bottom of the Dominic’s skull. Too worried to even think about retrieving a cloth from the bathroom, he ripped a piece off his nightshirt and set about cleaning the wound. It wasn’t a particularly dangerous wound, but it did look fairly nasty.

It was probably the impact of the hit that knocked him out. Dominic might be powerful but he wasn’t invincible. As he cleaned the blood off the injury, Lucian became even more nervous by the amount that was rushing forth. He knew that it was just because it was a head wound and those usually bled more than other wounds, but he still couldn’t help but feel anxious. He wanted to make the wound heal right now.

"Well, there is one way," he murmured as he looked toward the nightstand next to the bed. He pulled it open, discovering what he had expected to find. It was Dominic’s switchblade, resting on top of some miscellaneous school accessories. Kind of ironic. Taking another look to see if Dominic had woken up yet, he swallowed inside his throat and flicked the blade out of its casing. Then he held out a shaking palm and brought the knife to the unprotected flesh. He poked at the top of the palm and pushed the knife down his hand at an angle, making sure to only graze the skin enough to produce a decent stream of blood.

"Okay buddy, I hope this works seeing as how I can’t tap into the full potential of my power with this blasted migraine," he complained as he rested his hand on the wound upon his partner’s head and shut his eyes as softly as could, trying to ignore the aching feeling that was tormenting his mind. A comforting red energy began to form from within his palm and he directed its flow into the injury. The dark red nexus pulsated around the wound, drawing power from the weakened youth. Lucian allowed his power to pour from him as the full brunt of its coveted streams merged with the savage will power of the boy. His head swam with the influx of energy as he fought to keep himself conscious. The wound slowly disappeared as Lucian tilted backwards and collapsed on the floor.

His body yearned for rest but his headache wouldn’t allow it. All he could do was lie on the floor and listen to the rhythmic ticking of the clock. Everything was fading around him but he still found himself awake and forced to sit through this agonizing pain. Lucian moaned audibly and tried to force himself to sit up. His back protested the action and he promptly fell back on the ground. "It’s just not my night."

Dominic shifted in the bed and blinked his dazzling violet eyes as he took in his surroundings. He was in his own bed and the pain that had been trapped in his memory after striking the wall was gone. Curiously, he reached back and felt his head only to realize that the bleeding had stopped as well. That idiotic Lucian must not have thrown him as hard as he had thought. But if that was the case, then why was he unconscious just now? Why couldn’t he just get some answers for once instead of creating more questions?

The amethyst-eyed youth pulled himself upwards and gazed around the room, glancing down at the anguished teen lying on his floor. "Ambrose?" started Dominic, as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. In an instant, he was looming over Lucian, glaring down at him with his dispassionate violet orbs.

"Uh...hi Nicky. I should have figured that you wouldn’t stay out too long," Lucian strained, sounding as though something was hurting him.

"You! You tried to kill me! Or some part of you did!" Dominic hissed, trying to decide whether he should kick the fallen boy or just start beating the crap out of him. He wasn’t even sure whom he was talking to anymore. Lucian had called him Nicky so that was one good sign. But he wasn’t about to take any more chances with the enigmatic youth.

"Sorry! I just...I just...argh!" the younger boy suddenly screamed as he tried to explain his actions to the older boy. His dark red hair fell across his face as he jerked his head downward, crying out as grinding pain flowed through his skull. "Ahhh!" he yelled again as he held his head tightly with his hands, his fingers curled into claws.

"Ambrose!"

What could be the problem now? He was certainly not getting any sleep tonight. And why did he care what was wrong with him anyway. The little devil actually tried to kill him! Of course, he wasn’t absolutely sure that it had been Lucian who had knocked him out. The person he had fought with spoke to him in such an aggressive manner. He almost reminded Dominic of himself. Well, inquiries into what had happened earlier would have to wait. Lucian was in some kind of trouble. He couldn’t just stand by, especially since they were official partners now. Aiden would never forgive him if he just let the younger boy suffer.

Dominic knelt down to the screaming youth and pulled one of his hands away from the side of his head. Lucian shrieked in agony and convulsed in the older boy’s grip. "Ambrose, what’s wrong?"

"I don’t know. My head feels like it’s going to explode. I wish I could just go back to sleep," murmured Lucian as he pushed at Dominic with his one free arm, which was shaking terribly.

"Maybe I can help," suggested Dominic lifting the younger boy against his knee, still holding onto his hand. Unsure of how to react, Lucian slumped against the older youth’s leg.

"How can you help?" he whispered thickly as his crimson eyes clouded in pain.

"There was a trick that a friend of mine used to try whenever I got a really bad headache," Dominic responded as he looked down at the hurting youth with his deep violet eyes. Eyes that usually showed nothing but indifference and hate but now reflected genuine concern.

Unlike Lucian’s eyes, his eyes were like those of the wild creature he represented. They were mysterious and animalistic, their deep shadows hiding the true nature of their owner. They were like violet shards of glass that saw everything yet revealed nothing. But they too had a rather seductive pull to them that could make people listen and admire him. A definite advantage in his line of work. They made him appear charismatic to people. True, they could not substitute for his abrasive attitude but his eyes did come in handy when charming people into following his whims.

They almost seemed to be turbulent sky of misty amethyst that seemed almost to eat at a man’s soul. His were not the eyes of a mere fighter but that of a jaded and angry youth. They were the eyes of the wolf, if the beautiful creatures could ever possess eyes with the same fascinating shade of violet. Perhaps this is what brought Aiden and Lucian into his companionship. The lust to discover the secret behind those silent violet orbs had been deeply engraved into both beings.

Now he closed them and released Lucian’s fingers. Lucian’s eyes fluttered a bit as he tried to figure out what the older boy was trying to do. He relaxed completely against Dominic, letting his loose dark red mane trail down the sides of Dominic’s leg. Dominic ran his fingers through the length of Lucian’s hair, nudging it away from his neck. The younger boy sighed and lifted back his head under the gentle ministrations.

Dominic used the changed position of the youth’s neck to bring his fingers across the back of the youth’s neck as he worked his way to his shoulder blades. The touch tickled Lucian as he rolled to the side without realizing it. The next thing he noticed was the petal soft brush of the dark-haired boy’s fingertips along his upper back. They drummed sensuous circles across his skin, causing Lucian to hold his breath in shock. The cool feeling of Dominic’s fingers against his flesh felt remarkably good. He purred with delight and curled up alongside the older youth’s knee.

As Dominic’s massaged his back with feathery movements of his hand, Lucian noticed that the pounding sensation in his head was actually starting to dissipate. The stroking of his back was removing the tension and stress that had been causing the headache. Dominic actually knew what he was doing. Lucian had to admit that he was quite impressed.

After a few more minutes of the soothing touches, Lucian began to wonder if he should tell Dominic that his headache had pretty much vanished. But the fingers roaming along his upper vertebrae felt so good. He didn’t want it to stop. He had never known such tranquillity and yet, at the same time, exhilaration as was being shown to him. Never would he have imagined Dominic to be capable of such a pleasant action. Lucian felt a slight tremble wind down his back as Dominic ran his fingers down the flesh once more before lifting his hand from the youth's back.

"Better?" he asked in a dull voice, as though trying to pretend that what had just happened meant nothing to him. But Lucian could see a glimmer of rapture in his eyes as Dominic lowered them to his partner. The red-haired youth gave him a half-smile as his garnet eyes sparkled in rhapsody. The older boy just fingered his sun amulet absently as he tried to turn away from Lucian.

"Thanks," said Lucian as he laid his arm across his forehead and gave a sigh of contentment. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"I told you. A friend showed me," Dominic replied in an agitated tone.

"Must have been some friend."

"Yeah." There was an uncomfortable pause and then the dark-haired youth added, "Um...Ambrose?"

Lucian raised his eyes to him, mumbling, "Yeah?"

"Would you mind getting off my leg now?" the older boy requested as a slight flush came to his face and he quickly turned away.

"Oh! Of course Nicky." He placed his hand on the floor and started to push himself upward when a better idea entered his head. Allowing himself to fall back down, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Sorry Nicky, but I can’t."

"Why ever not?" grumbled Dominic, staring at the younger youth in puzzlement.

"I’m too tired to get up. I think I’ll just sleep here tonight."

"The hell you will!" snapped his partner as he pulled his leg from under Lucian’s head, causing the unsuspecting boy to smack his back against the floor.

Lucian gave him a hurt glance and rubbed at his back. Then he shut his eyes again and rested his head on his arms. Dominic regarded him skeptically as he rose to his feet.

"You’re not seriously going to sleep in here, are you?" His only answer was a determined nod. Dominic ground his teeth and tried to speak to Lucian in his most civil manner. "I’m sleeping here and this is my room."

"Don’t care. This is my house."

"You ungrateful little...."

The red-haired youth raised a hand to his lips, hushing his flustered companion. He peeked open one eye to catch the thwarted expression on Dominic’s face. A chuckle left him as he quickly closed the eye again, hoping Dominic hadn't noticed.

"You’ll make yourself sick and miss some more school." Lucian pretended to snore, further piquing the older youth’s temper. "I’m not going to get to sleep with you on my floor."

"You could always offer me the bed," Lucian pointed out as Dominic frowned in consternation.

"And where would I sleep?"

Lucian shrugged his shoulders as the dark-haired boy cursed at him. Then, before Lucian knew what was happening, he felt himself being lifted off the floor. "Sorry! I didn’t mean that!" he yelped, afraid that Dominic was going to throw him outside. But to his disbelief, he felt himself land on a cushiony surface that softened his fall. Realizing that he was on Dominic’s bed, he shot a frantic look toward the older youth that was glowering at him.

"I’m sick of arguing with you. I’m not going to be able to sleep knowing that you’re on the floor, probably freezing your butt off. So as long as you stay on your side, I don’t give a damn if you sleep here or not," declared Dominic as he threw himself down on his end of the mattress.

The other boy was stunned. This was the last thing he had thought Dominic would do. Still the bed was comfortable and he didn’t feel like trudging all the way back to his room in the pitch-black darkness. Maybe sleeping there wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

"Don’t move! And don’t try to yank off the covers," the dark-haired youth added for good measure as he closed his eyes.

"You have too many rules," moaned Lucian as he situated himself on his pillow.

"And don’t talk back!" Dominic heard Lucian mutter something under his breath, but decided he was too tired to yell at him for it. Still, there was something he had to ask the younger boy before he dozed off. "Do you think you’re going to be all right now? You’re not going to have any more nightmares, right?"

The younger teen yawned and stretched out his legs. "Huh? Oh. Yeah I think I can survive the rest of the night," he reassured his companion as he began to fall asleep.

Dominic contemplated his reply and then leaned on his left side, supporting himself with his hand. "Are you going to tell me what was going on tonight?"

Lucian was barely able to decipher the words amongst the slumber threatening to overtake him, but he was able to guess the gist of the question. "Please Nicky. I promise if it was important to either the Keys or the Guardians, I’d tell you. It’s just something I’ve got to deal with on my own most of the time. It’s nothing I can’t handle. Can’t we just leave it at that?" he replied, his voice full of regret.

"So you’ve always had these nightmares I assume. They’re not some recent trauma or anything?" persisted Dominic as Lucian could sense him boring into him with inquisitive amethyst eyes.

"Yeah. I’ve always had them ever since I can remember."

"Do you know why?"

"No," Lucian answered quickly, wanting to put an end to conversation as soon as possible. "I don’t know why. I’ve just always been haunted by them. I don’t know what they mean."

"Are they usually this bad? I mean you were screaming. I thought you were hurt," Dominic continued, trying to keep the obvious concern from his voice.

"They change. Sometimes they’re not so terrible but most of the time, it’s like tonight. I’ve learned to live with it. So you don’t have to worry about me Nicky," the younger boy quipped from his side of the bed.

"Who said I was worried?" the older youth shot back defensively as he reached over and shut off his lamp. "I just don’t want you in any sort of condition that might jeopardize the Keys’ safety, understand?"

"Whatever," Lucian grumbled, rolling his blood red eyes at Dominic’s pathetic attempt to hide his emotions. "Well, I won’t have any more spazzes tonight. I only have one per night. I guess that’s the best part of the whole thing. Now I’m tired and it’s already way late, so stop asking me questions and let me go to sleep."

"I know there’s more to this than you’re telling me, Ambrose and I plan on finding out exactly what that is," Dominic yawned as he slipped off.

Lucian listened to his partner’s words and smiled somewhat sinisterly. "Oh if you only knew the half of it, Nicky. If you only knew."

He tried to sleep on his left side but it felt awkward. It was hard when he was used to sleeping on his right side. Figuring that Dominic was too oblivious to notice, Lucian rolled over on his other side so that he was facing the snoozing youth. He had never seen Dominic when he was asleep and had to say that he looked completely innocent. His fingers were curled into half-fists as they lay underneath his thick jet-black hair and his legs were both bent at a slight angle. His breath scattered a few tendrils of midnight black across his eyelids as his chest rose and fell with a hypnotic movement.

Dominic looked so peaceful lying there on his end. Something inside Lucian urged him to bring himself closer to the unconscious boy. His heart began to race as he approached the other teenager, wanting to draw in the tranquil form. He brought his fingers so that they wavered just above Dominic’s forehead and then lightly pushed aside the fringe. His hand trembling, he withdrew it from above the older boy and rested it on the bed. As he pulled himself closer to Dominic, the dark-haired youth flipped onto his other side, making a small rumbling noise inside his throat.

Lucian sighed at losing the intoxicating sight of the violet-eyed boy and then closed his eyes. He missed Tashira. She had usually been the one to comfort him after his nightmares. Though she never understood why Lucian had them, she had insisted on helping him cope. He recalled the many nights he had spent next to her, arm flung across her chest, taking in the warmth of her body. He wanted that calming feeling again. But it had been nothing like Dominic’s healing touch. Even his twin could not produce that sort of euphoria.

Half-aware of what he was doing, Lucian pushed himself forward, closing the gap between him and his partner. What was Dominic doing to him? This wasn’t how the game was supposed to go. Dominic was doing more than just breaking the rules; he was outright changing them into something else. The thing was that Lucian was not so sure that he regretted the change.

Yearning for the reassuring feeling of another body next to his to quell his pestering memories, he draped his arm over Dominic’s stomach, sensing the older boy stir a bit from the touch. He held his breath, praying that Dominic wouldn’t wake up and push him away. He didn’t want to be forced away from the bliss that he was finding just by lying next to him, feeling the relaxing beat of his heart. This was a feeling he had never encountered before during his life. It wasn’t just security and peace. It was sheer nirvana. He wanted more. His prayers were answered as Dominic readjusted his head on the pillow and continued to sleep. Still not sure of why he wanted to do this, Lucian leaned his head on Dominic’s shoulder, basking in the glorious heat that rose up within him, as he soon joined his companion in the realm of repose.

An angelic form with dark silver hair stood before an enormous council. All within the council gazed at her with condemning eyes. The female angel hung her head and clasped her slender fingers behind her back. A familiar amethystine cross brushed against her chest as she tried to avoid the hateful expressions that were being leveled at her.

A crashing sound woke Tyrell from his dreamscape as he turned to realize that he had knocked his alarm clock to the ground, probably due to his flailing in his sleep. He rolled out of bed and picked up the broken object, noting how most of the outer casing had been smashed in upon its impact with his wall. Furious at his own actions, Tyrell grasped the clock and threw it across his room, hearing it tumble across his floor.

He had heard that name in his dream again. Evangel. It had been the title of that ravishing lady with the angel wings and the flowing strands of metallic hair. She had appeared just as he had seen her many times before, a perfect embodiment of grace and savagery. Yet this time she hadn’t been fighting, she had been begging for something. He had heard her mention something about a chance to live with her beloved. This was not the vicious creature that had tried to kill him in his earlier dreams. It was a sad and hopeless creature just trying to achieve her true happiness.

But she had been given that broach, the same broach that Angelique now wore along with the Amethyst. It was a symbol of the bargain that she had made with her masters. What did that mean anyway? The lives of her children? How were they supposed to inherit her power and what would become of them if they did?

Of course, the bejeweled cross had been there as usual. This time Tyrell had been able to get a good look at it and realized something that frightened him. The cross was an exact replica of his own except for the color. It was also an exact replica of the one that Danae had worn in his dream about Tavores and Vincient. Could it be the legendary Cruce that the Chimera were after? And why didn’t they notice it whenever he transformed it to Divinity? Perhaps, the Chimera were unsure of what the Cruce looked like. Maybe they were even unsure of what it was. The only thing that they knew was that the Keys had some connection to it? But why was it so important to them anyway? What could it do?

Feeling the nagging thoughts swirl inside his brain, Tyrell withdrew his cross from his shirt and stared at it, hoping to gain some pearl of wisdom. But the cross refused to glow or even become hot in his hand. There was no Chimera to trigger the usual reaction. Without a stimulus, the cross was just like every other trinket, no special and only harboring a glossy appearance. What was that saying that people used for these situations? All that glitters is not gold? It seemed to apply.

Tyrell groaned in irritation and allowed the object to slip back onto his chest as he fell back onto his bed. More questions. This was all he needed. As if he didn’t have another problems with the Chimera and Angelique’s desire to fight by his side, now he had to worry about being the owner of the coveted object of the Chimera. He wondered if the Guardians knew that it was him who possessed the Cruce. Erik had said that they were more interested in protecting it them him and Kat. So maybe they didn’t know either.

Then again, Dominic had referred to him as Tyrell Alistar during his encounter with Wolf in his dreams. He wasn’t sure if he could rely on a dream to determine what Dominic thought since Dominic himself lacked any telepathic abilities. It was doubtful that he could have entered his dream of his own free will.

He also knew that Lucian would have told him if he knew anything special about Tyrell. Lucian wouldn’t lie to him. He was the one person outside of his immediate family that Tyrell felt he could trust during these times. That made it obvious that Tashira couldn’t know anything about it either since she would have told her brother in a heartbeat.

Now, Erik was another matter altogether. He didn’t know much about the blond youth and wasn’t sure he should trust her just yet. Even Dominic seemed to be wary around her and that was not a good sign. Perhaps, Erik knew more than the rest of the Guardians. She sure had a more violent way of handling things than her cool-headed counter-parts. The way that she had been so ready to kill Dominic alarmed Tyrell even more. It was not that he liked Dominic since the boy constantly showed his disapproval of the younger boy and was a vicious brute to Lucian. Still, he was always there when Tyrell needed him and the boy realized that he couldn’t be too angry with his original Guardian.

Maybe this whole thing was worth talking to Kat about. She never seemed to have the problems that he had with the Chimera and she was a whole lot more careless than he was. Kat also was good with solving mysteries. She considered them a great adventure and adored the bragging rights that they provided her with. Such rights were good for impressing her many suitors. There was a chance that she could help him handle this new development.

Comment: Hey we have a bed scene. Well, not really. I meant we do have two guys and they are in the same bed. What more could you want? Wait on second thought, I don’t think I want an answer to that. Next up, it’s party time.