He couldn’t believe how very pissed off he was at the moment. Beaten by a girl, a very dangerous and confused girl no less. Dominic scraped his fingers against the window’s edge as he shot a maddened glance toward Erik. They had not spoken to each other since she had forced him into the car at gunpoint. He was glad for that much. There was little doubt in his mind that he would have tried to slug her if she had said anything else during the ride. She had already said plenty.

Luckily, there were other thoughts running rampant in his mind at the moment. If Tyrell was in the custody of the Chimera, what would they do him? They wanted the Cruce and none of the group, especially Lionelle and Lupe, had ever seemed to ask for things nicely. They preferred pain. What if they hurt the youngest boy?

Dominic dug his nails even deeper into the vinyl inside of the car door as he tried to force the fear from his thoughts. He shouldn’t be getting all upset just yet. How was he even supposed to know that Erik wasn’t lying to him just to get him alone so she could seek her vengeance for their initial fight? They had not yet had a chance to settle their problems and Erik was not remotely trustworthy. This was just perfect. As if he didn’t have enough stress in his life after abandoning the youth who had seemed to take such an interest in him, now he had to worry about either the possibility of the capture of his charge or the desire of a cross-dressing girl to kill him. His life had officially reached a new level of suck.

"Quit moping, Solanis. We’re almost there," Erik quipped as Dominic turned from the window to give her the most wicked glare he could manage.

"I’m not moping. I’m just contemplating the perfect way to kick your ass if you’re lying to me," snapped the dark-haired youth.

"Oh, I’m not lying to you. That boy is in danger. So unless you want to find your beloved Key dead, you better cooperate."

Beloved. The word sounded so harsh coming from the blond’s lips. Could she even fathom the meaning of the term? How dare she speak so casually about such a strong subject? He didn’t love the Keys. It was a much deeper bond that pulled him toward them. More than destiny, more than fate. It was an oath, an oath he had made to the one person he would rather die than break his promise to.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about as usual, Erik. Now, I don’t feel like listening to any more of your stupidity so just be quiet until we reach our destination, wherever the hell it is."

Erik viewed him through the rear-view mirror. As she caught the sulking expression on his face, she grinned and made her final turn. "Well, you actually seem more testy than usual, Solanis. What’s the matter? No longer used to doing your job on your own? Do your miss your little partner? Maybe we should go find him," she taunted.

"No! I don’t want him! I’m sure I can tolerate you for the time being. As long as I get back Tyrell, I can put up with pretty much anything," Dominic protested, whipping his head back to the window.

"I see," the blond sneered, pulling the vehicle into park. "We’re here. Ready?"

"Just stay out of my way."

Both Guardians crawled out of the car and approached the building that Erik had stopped at. It looked like a basic business dwelling except for the strange bars blocking the windows. That wasn’t normal.

It was also a bit on the obvious side. The Chimera may have been powerful and dangerous, but they weren’t too bright when it came to hideouts. Dominic sighed and called out Aurora as Erik checked her gun’s chambers.

"Why a gun? Are you too good for a sword like the rest of us?" he jeered as the girl snapped the barrel back into place and whirled the weapon on him.

"As a matter of fact, yes I am," Erik informed, grasping the jade amulet on her neck with her free hand. "I don’t need a worthless sword. How is one supposed to have an advantage in a fight if one has to be close to the enemy in order to strike them? Besides, the gun is the modern weapon. We’re not back in the ancient days of chivalry where the brave knight always had to go rescue the fair and weak princess."

Dominic noticed the hint of anger in her voice. Not only had she revealed her wish to prove herself better than the average fragile girl, but she had also shown him the real reason that she didn’t hold a sword in her grip. He watched her clench the green rose as tight as she could as she spoke. Her eyes wandered to the radiant weapon wrapped in his fingers, inching over the elegant spiraled hilt to the orange glow that enveloped the blade. He smiled as he stared down the barrel and tapped his sword against his hip.

"That’s not the real story, is it Erik?"

The blond’s eyes flickered with confusion as she lowered the gun from the older Guardian. "What do you mean by that?" she demanded in a savage hiss.

"The reason you don’t use a sword is because you can’t summon one. For some reason, you are the only Guardian who is not given the luxury of using her own weapon. How sad. Even the Keys, whom you seem to find so frail, have the ability to call forth swords. Face it Earth Guardian, you’re just jealous."

"Shut up! I wouldn’t use one of those weakling weapons even if I could create my own!" Erik jerked back up the gun and pointed it at the Sun Guardian’s forehead.

Unfazed, Dominic smirked back at her, still making sure to check the area around them for the Chimera. "Interesting how you can be a Guardian and not have a sword. Maybe you’re just a witch."

"I will kill you! I don’t need you to help me get back the Key. Do NOT test me, Solanis. I’m not like your tail-wagging Ambrose, I am more than willing to...."

"Do not bring Ambrose into this!" Dominic snarled as he spun out his sword and slammed the blade into the gun, knocking it out of Erik’s hand. "I am this close to walking away from this place right now. There’s no Chimera anywhere. This amulet would have been glowing by now if there were. You lied to me bitch and now you’re going to pay."

He brought Aurora up to the girl’s throat, eyes becoming frozen and dispassionate. There was no way he was going to let her drag his ex-partner’s name into this just to get into him. It wouldn’t work. Erik had tricked him and after last night, he was not willing to let her off so easily. He was feeling vile enough as it was. A good fight was just the thing he needed to wash all of those wretched feelings away.

"Let’s finish what we started, Erik. I played your game long enough. You brought me out here for nothing!" the older youth shouted as the blond’s eyes shook ever so slightly. She was afraid. Good. He was starting to feel better already.

Then, Erik’s eyes lost their trembling state as they raised upward. She smiled and changed the direction of her weapon. "Oh did I?"

As Dominic tried to comprehend what had caused the change in his opponent, a searing pain tore into his back. Erik dashed to the side and fired off a set of rapid shots, following his collapse to the ground. The Sun Guardian clenched his teeth from the ache that cascaded down his skin. It felt like a blast of pure heat had slammed into him. That was when he noticed the topaz glistening from where it hung slack against his throat. He had been wrong. There was a Chimera here after all.

"Quite stupid of you to come here unprepared, Sun Guardian. Maybe next time you’ll put more thought into your plans," a cocky voice chuckled.

Dominic pushed himself to his knees, glaring at Erik who was gloating at him while she re-cocked her gun and tried to train it on their attacker. He turned to his side and lifted his eyes to see Fang twirling his sword by his side and jumping down from the top of the building. Fang pointed his sword at the Guardians, cornflower eyes shimmering with anticipation.

"Come to save the young Key? I’m afraid you’re too late. Lionelle doesn’t take his time in getting his answers," he giggled as Dominic’s face contorted with bitter rage.

"Where is Onyx?" the Sun Guardian roared, lurching to his feet and rearing back Aurora.

Amusement filled the Chimera’s visage as he peered over at the injured Guardian. "Ooh a sword fight. Sounds fun. But what about the Earth Guardian? What’s he going to do while we have our little dance of the blades?"

"Shoot you," stated Erik in a tone of blasé.

"Now that isn’t fair," Fang pouted, running his fingers down the sharp edge of his blade.

The dark-haired Guardian had had enough of this artifice. He was horrified by what Fang had said about Lionelle and Tyrell. The leader of the Chimera was going to hurt him. He may have already. Fang wasn’t going to stall him any longer. He had come for a fight and was going to get in one way or another.

Launching a gust of his power at Fang, Dominic charged forward and clashed his sword against the Chimera’s. "Tell me, where is the Key!"

Fang laughed again and pushed back against the offending blade, forcing the Sun Guardian to apply even more pressure to his attack. Startled by the might, with which his enemy was using against him, Fang decided a change in strategy was in place. Whispering a quick incantation, he pulled one hand from around the hilt of his weapon and grabbed Dominic’s wrist, surrounding it with burning agony. Dominic screamed as his force on the thrust faltered. Fang flipped the sword in his hand and drove it into the Sun Guardian’s upper thigh. Within moments, the dark-haired youth lost his balance and crashed down to the ground, clutching at the massive wound in his leg.

"Hmm. It looks like the other Chimera were wrong. I guess I’m not so helpless on my own after all. I even took down the powerful Sun Guardian," the Chimera praised himself as Dominic watched the blood start to coat his leg. It hurt to move but it wasn’t broken. He wasn’t beaten yet.

When Fang brought down his sword to strike the Guardian again, Dominic countered with Aurora, limping to his feet and staving the blade from his flesh. "Don’t celebrate just yet, Chimera," he groaned, causing the flames of his weapon to travel up the steel blade of his assailant. Fang pulled away hastily and leapt back, summoning another spell to retaliate this move.

A shot in his shoulder stopped his procedure and he jerked his head back as the Earth Guardian fired another round at him. The Chimera cursed and ducked from the shot, leaping into Dominic and hurtling him to the ground. Their swords met as the Sun Guardian braced his in front of his chest to ward off an attack. Still keeping a steady grip on Aurora, Dominic carefully slid one hand away from the winding hilt and snatched Fang’s throat. Feeling the action, Fang jabbed his knee into the youth’s wounded leg as viciously as he could.

Choking back his yell, Dominic pinched his fingers around the pulsing flesh and glowered at the Chimera with fierce violet eyes. "Tell me where to find my charge or I’m going to squeeze until something breaks," he growled, the hard ground scraping his raw back.

"Sorry Guardian, I’m just as loyal to my boss as you are to your Keys. I’m not telling you anything," Fang replied in a surprisingly cool voice.

"Where’s the boy!" Dominic hollered again, his voice breaking from sheer frustration. "I swear I’ll kill you if you don’t tell me!"

Fang’s eyes flashed with muted curiosity as he continued to grind his knee further into the Sun Guardian’s injury. "You care for the young Key so much? He’s far weaker than you. Why bother?"

"You couldn’t understand. You only know how to follow orders. You’re nothing more than a mangy cur responding to the snap of your master’s fingers. You’re pathetic."

"Am I? What about you, Sun Guardian? Aren’t you the loyal guard dog of your Keys? Don’t you come racing every time they need you? Just like Lassie or any of those television mongrels. You have no right to judge me when you and I are the same."

Tightening his grip, Dominic yanked the Chimera closer to him and set his amethystine eyes against the deceivingly innocent eyes of his opponent. "I’m nothing like you! Now. Where. Is. Onyx?" he spat, taking his time to grit out each word of his demand.

His captive didn’t respond this time and continued to choke in his grasp, still refusing to yield anything. Damn. He had not counted on the Chimera being this loyal, especially the youngest and most foolhardy of the group. This was impossible. Fang wasn’t going to talk to him no matter how hard he applied the pressure to his neck.

The Chimera rolled satisfied blue eyes at him, unable to get away or fight back since his sword was blocked by the youth’s. "Lionelle...will...get...the Cruce...and your...damned...Key...will...die!" he spat despite the suffocating fingers around his throat.

Dominic heard the click of a safety and averted his eyes to the side to watch Erik train her gun at the side of Fang’s skull. "Want me to take care of him?" she inquired, chestnut eyes flaring at the chance to have some say in this contest.

Shaking his head, the Sun Guardian turned his eyes back to Fang. "He’s just a kid. The Key doesn’t deserve any of this. And I won’t let any of you hurt him. Last chance, Fang. Where is he?"

Fang tossed a glance over to the Earth Guardian with her weapon leveled at him and then gave Dominic an odd smile. When he didn’t answer this time, the dark-haired youth dropped his eyes and held his hold until the Chimera’s head lolled back in unconsciousness. With the limp figure went his one chance at discovering the location of Tyrell. He threw Fang to the side and tried to work his way back to his feet, wincing from the stiff feeling in his leg. This time, it was almost impossible to move it. Fang’s ministrations had aggravated it far too much and now it was just a mound of swirling white-hot pain.

Erik walked over to the Chimera as the older boy held up a hand to stop her. "Leave him. He’s not important right now. We have to find Tyrell."

"How do you suppose we pull that off? You just rendered our only means of finding him unconscious," mocked the girl, putting the safety back on her gun.

"He wasn’t going to tell us anything anyway," the dark-haired boy sighed trying to massage some feeling back into his upper leg. Well, the aching in the limb told him that running and fighting were now out of the question. Even if he knew how to find Tyrell, how was he supposed to do it in his current condition? He felt like a helpless puppy. Puppy? Now that gave him an idea. Certainly a puppy wouldn’t be useful in this situation, but maybe a wolf would be. Wolves ran on four legs so one bum leg wouldn’t cause too much trouble. Not to mention that the beasts had a fairly good sense of smell. And Wolf had tracked down Tyrell many times. This should be no different than the rest.

Turning his head to the side, he rested his eyes on the still form of Fang and the antsy form of the Earth Guardian. "Hey Erik, why don’t you try checking for a key or a card. I’m sure Fang had to have some way of maneuvering around that building."

The blond scoffed as she slid her weapon back into her blazer and lowered her eyes to Fang. "What good will that to? Can you even walk? That wound looks serious."

"It’ll heal. Check!"

He watched the girl lean down and rummage through Fang’s clothing for some sort of entrance key. After some minutes of searching, Erik managed to locate a tiny card hidden in one of the Chimera’s back pockets. Thank goodness, the twenty-one-year-old assassin still dressed his age in sloppy jeans. The younger Guardian held up the card as Dominic nodded his head in confirmation.

"So now what do we do?" Erik asked, shuffling the card in her hands.

"Patience is always a virtue," chastised the older youth in an almost rumbling voice as he touched the topaz sun on his necklace. The gem emitted its usual glistening luminescence that wrapped around him, changing smooth flesh into a pelt of lovely ebony. Within moments, an anxious pacing wolf had replaced the boy standing a few feet away from her. He glanced back at her with his slanted violet eyes and motioned toward the door with a quick toss of his head.

"Wonderful plan, Solanis. How am I supposed to talk to you now? I’m not a telepath like the Key or Ambrose," the blond girl griped as she walked over to the building and used the key card on the slot beside the entrance.

Wolf shot her an icy look and then limped over to the girl as the door made a small clicking sound to let the pair know it was unlocked. He sniffed the air, searching for the familiar scent of his charge. It had been some time since he had used his senses to scout him out. He was a bit rusty. The nagging pain in his front paw and back leg wasn’t really making things any better. But Tyrell was in immediate danger and it was his job to do something about it. He couldn’t give up this quick. Closing his eyes, he tried again, inhaling the aromas in the air while trying to sink back into the wolf’s persona. Fighting as Wolf was easy since it just required him to bite, scratch, and jump. These were natural reflexes for an animal struggling to protect its own. But when it came to utilizing the creature’s special senses, he had to merge with the psyche of the beast in order to pull it off.

"Found anything yet?" Erik whispered to him, withdrawing her weapon and holding it at her side.

The animal snarled at her for disturbing him and continued his search. He let everything fall away, last night, Erik, Aiden, and his past, focusing only on finding the scent of his quarry. Footsteps sounded in his perked ears, almost drowned out by the heavy breathing noises coming from the Earth Guardian. His eyes adjusted to the darkness encircling the Guardians, making out gray shapes of walls and doors ahead. Who needed colors when they could see things like this?

As the old senses fell back into place in his cleared mind, Wolf was finally able to detect the faintest scent of the one he was looking for. A determined growl poured from his throat and he padded forward, drawn by the musk of the Key. Erik shrugged her shoulders and crept after him.

By now, he was sure that they looked beyond ridiculous, a seemingly blond boy with a gun trailing an enormous black wolf through the innards of a building. But Tyrell was close, he could tell by the strong scent that came rushing toward him. To his shock, it was mixed with something. Something bitter and metallic. Blood. So the young Key had been injured. How badly?

Suddenly, a different sensation hit him as the sun amulet on his chest flared to life, indicating the presence of the one thing he didn’t want to face right now. A Chimera. This one had a slight tinge of wolf in its scent, telling him that the person who was approaching them was the bloodthirsty Lupe. Freezing he whirled around to Erik and snarled lowly. He wasn’t sure if she would get the message as he jerked his head to the left path ahead of them. The Earth Guardian’s jeweled rose sparkled upon her throat, making a tiny shade of red appear beneath it. Erik brushed her fingers across the relic, and then nodded her head in understanding.

"Alright, I’ll distract the wolf-bitch and you recover the Key," she explained, charging ahead of Wolf and toward the left side that he had shown her. An angry shout and then a thunder of gunfire followed her departure. There was a feral roar as an instigating laugh reached his ears.

"That’s right, Chimera. A Guardian has infiltrated your sanctuary. Come and teach me the error of my ways," the Earth Guardian’s voice echoed through the hall. The hastened fall of footsteps, both shoed and padded, told him that Erik was carrying out her part of the plan. It was time he got to his.

Wolf hobbled up to the area that the Guardian and Chimera had disappeared from; noticing that Erik had been kind enough to drop the key card in her escape. Tyrell’s scent was even more powerful here, which meant that the boy had to be behind the door in the center of the wall. Why else would Lupe have been watching it? He had to chuckle at the naiveté of the Chimera in leaving only one member behind to guard their prize. This was going to be much less challenging than he had anticipated.

Rearing on his back legs, the beast quickly braced his front paws on the wall to prevent his bad leg from giving out to soon. He eyed the slot for the card and allowed the card in his mouth to just about slip out as he caught it by the tip. Leaning his head forward, he swiped the card as smoothly as he could due to the unstable state of the item between his teeth. When he heard the reassuringly click, Wolf dropped back to his feet and released his hold on the card, letting it topple to the ground. It was no longer needed. Then, knowing that he had little time before the door re-locked, he leapt at the door, twisting the handle with his curved claws. Fortunately, the knob had a slight slit in the center, proving him with the ideal grasping point to latch onto. Yanking his paw backward, he turned the handle and the door pried open just enough for him to squeeze his lean body through. The door remained ajar as he started to scan the room for the object that he was seeking.

There was a muffled shuffling in the far corning, accompanied by a shaking whimper.

"Stay b-back…don’t touch me…"

The darkness of his holding had given Tyrell a decent amount of time to muse over what had happened. He recalled the park and talking with Erik. For once, Erik had not seemed to want to discuss Guardian matters; she had only wanted to talk about him. She had inquired about his foreseeing dreams, his feelings for Angelique, and his concerns with the discord between his Guardians. Somehow, the blond girl had known of his fear of the boys and Tashira snubbing the idea of working with her. Tyrell hated to see any of his friends fight and although, Erik was by no means his friend, it was important to him that she and the other Guardians settle their differences to prevent further problems in battle. Lucian had claimed to be doing the same thing by trying to bring Dominic into his little group. Of course, Lucian had failed and now Dominic no longer wanted the companionship of the other youths. Tyrell was determined not to fail at his mission to unite his Guardians. That was one of the main reasons he had consented to following Erik to the park. Perhaps, if he could discover what made her so hostile most of the time, he could find a way of remedying it and then the youths would be able to work together much more peacefully.

Erik had also seemed extremely interested in learning of his new attack skill. She had made him explain to her just what he was able to do with a sword and how fast he could move when performing his attack. The girl had noted each of his descriptions and responded with an intrigued flash of her eyes or a subtle nod of her head. It had bothered him slightly since he only knew Erik to fight with guns. Why would she have any interest in the mechanics of a sword fight?

Later, it had occurred to him that he was probably revealing too much information as usual and Dominic would be very angry when he found out. The last thing he wanted was to hear the eldest youth berate him yet again for failing to understand the essence of secrecy when it came to the Keys. Dominic did not approve the idea of Tyrell trusting anyone. Tyrell believed that his Guardian’s demands were a bit strict but still he was testing his chances by detailing his entire fighting strategy to the girl who had once tried to kill one of his Guardians. It was probably a better idea to hold off on saying anything more until he was one-hundred-percent sure that he could trust Erik.

This reasoning had led him to declining from the conversation under the guise of getting a drink. Erik had seemed wary at the way he scurried off so quickly, but she had remained on the bench, resting her sleek blond hair against the backing. It had been late by this time and Tyrell had counted on a hasty trip to the fountain and then an attempt to convince the girl that they should be leaving before his parents got worried. He had scrambled through the night atmosphere, seeking out one of the many water fountains that littered the park. Upon finding one, he had splashed the water on his face to cool himself down from the rising feeling of uneasiness inside him. It was when he had turned around that he realized that the heated sensation shooting through him was not from his anxiety but from the relic planted on his chest.

The explanation for the Cruce’s reaction was standing just in front of him, brandishing that hated whip as usual with a confident sneer on his facial features. Unsure where Erik was, Tyrell had moved his hand toward the cross, only to yank it back again. His old doubts had clouded his mind. He couldn’t fight with the Cruce. The chance at losing it was too high. But if he couldn’t use Divinity, then how was he supposed to defend himself? He was trapped.

Screaming at the Chimera to get away had been just as useless as he had predicted. Lionelle had used the whip to form a circle of fire around the pair as Tyrell had started to back up. The flames had nipped at his heels and the boy had shrieked in terror, staring into the malicious golden eyes of his enemy. Terrified, he had swallowed his pride and called for his Guardian. But Erik had not answered his plea and he had been left to stand his ground with the most sinister of the Chimera.

Out of ideas, he had grabbed at the Cruce, intending to use it as something to hit Lionelle with. Its edges were sharp enough that if he aimed right, he should at least be able to do some damage to an eye. That would give him a small portion of time to escape. But before he could rip the item off his throat, Lionelle’s whip lashed out at him in an unusual upward arc. It had caught him on the side of the head, the force of the action slamming him against the stone fountain. The second his head had bumped against the stand, everything had begun to get very blurry and the last thing he remembered before sinking into the darkness was Lionelle laughing in delight and strutting over to his limp body.

After waking up, he had discovered himself bound by both his wrists and ankles, suffering from a severe pounding in his skull. He probably had a concussion. To say that that was a bad thing would have been a massive understatement. The blood trickling down his face had brought him out of his daze long enough for him to see Lionelle glaring at him while cracking his whip on the ground. Lionelle had shouted something at him but he had been far too groggy to have any cognition of the statement. He guessed that it had something to do with the Cruce so he settled on chewing his lip to avoid saying anything. That hadn’t been such a good plan to the Chimera who had immediately responded by slapping him across the face so hard that the sound resounded throughout the room they were in.

There had been more requests for information; each of these had received the same action from Tyrell. It wasn’t like he could even understand them anyway. His head was feeling heavy and most of the room was spinning as he kneeled on the freezing floor. Infuriated, Lionelle had proceeded to beat the crap out of him, striking him with the whip this time and creating shallow furrows in his back. Tyrell had been too stunned to hold back the tears that appeared in his eyes from the pain or the strained yelps that escaped his throat.

Satisfied that he was producing a significant amount of pain upon the young boy, the Chimera tried again to ask for details involving the Cruce. When Tyrell had refused to acknowledge the question again, he had ensnared the Key’s throat in his hand, claws unsheathing and pricking the tender skin. His proximity brought the cross to life underneath Tyrell’s shirt and it scorched his unprotected skin. Lionelle had banged the youth against a wall and demanded the whereabouts of the Cruce once more. The further jostling had added indescribable misery to Tyrell’s already hurting skull and he had started to black out.

He was still confused as to what exactly Lionelle wanted with the Cruce. None of the man’s phrases were making sense in his swimming mind. If he had some clue of what the Chimera wanted, he might have been able to try and trick him with false information. Tyrell wasn’t skilled at lying but it wasn’t like his voice was going to give him away now with the stuttering quality that it had acquired from all this manhandling. But he couldn’t decipher a solitary word. Not only that, the combined agony of his head, his chest, and his back had robbed him off his voice. There wasn’t a thing he could do, except wait to pass out or pray that Lionelle would give up soon.

His prayers where answered as the hazy form of Lupe made her way over to Lionelle and called something out to him. Tyrell could just make out the word ‘Vincient’ in her speech. Lionelle had seemed annoyed at the thought of not being able to finish tormenting his captive but he had walked out the door, cursing at both Lupe and the intangible entity of Vincient. As soon as he had left, Lupe had leaned down and tore a piece of his sleeve from his arm. She had whispered something about Vincient waiting to see the young Key very soon as she had swept the clothing over his eyes and tightened it in the back. Then, she too had left, abandoning him alone in the room, racked with dreadful thoughts of what the Chimera wanted to do with him.

Just now, he had thought that he had heard the sounds of a possible fight ensuing from outside his room. He was still feeling too dizzy to figure who was fighting and to tell the truth, he didn’t really care right now. All that he wanted was to get out of here and go home. His back stung from the patch of slashes that the whip had graced him with. To make matters worse, he was queasy and heartsick. One of his Guardians had deserted him and the other one that he could usually depend on was playing the isolationist at the moment. This was hell.

Then, there had been the unmistakable echo of the latch on the door sliding out of place as something entered the room. Thinking it was a Chimera, he had panicked, pushing himself as far back against the wall as he could manage and shivering with hysteria. Working up enough courage to warn the intruder, he had managed to force out a weak cry.

"Stay b-back…don’t touch me…"

But the intruder chose not to answer as it stalked over to him, brushing up against his side. Tyrell could feel the silky hairs tickle him through his shirt and he let out a loud gasp. Then, the creature next to him lowered its head against his bound wrists and tugged on the chords. Still nervous about what was going on, Tyrell tried to struggle away from the sharp teeth that grazed his wrist.

"Who’s there? Get away!" he pleaded, falling forward on his stomach as he fought to escape the dangerous being behind him.

The fangs changed position to adjust to his new posture, dipping down to gnaw at the restraints held behind his back. <Must you keep moving, Tyrell. This is hard enough as it is.>

Tyrell recognized the irritated growl inside his skull. "Wolf?"

<Who else? Now quit struggling and stay still if you don’t want me to cut you with my teeth anymore than I have already.> snapped the beast, still chomping down on the thick bonds. <I don’t know how you manage to get yourself into these fixes, boy. You must have some rare talent.>

His charge was dumbstruck. "I’m sorry," he mumbled, scraping his cheek against the bottom of the floor.

<Forget about it. I blame that irresponsible Earth Guardian for this. I don’t care if she helped me get here. I’m going to tear her throat out!>

So Erik hadn’t forgotten about him after all. She had just recruited the Sun Guardian to give her a hand. He had to admit that he had forgotten that the girl was up against three Chimera. None of the Guardians were used to fighting anything larger than one on one. Most likely, she had been delayed from helping him when Lionelle attacked. Perhaps, one of the other Chimera had come after her and she had been unable to respond to his summons. It had been wrong of him to think so negatively of one of his Guardians. Still, he was happy that it was Wolf currently aiding him and not Erik. He could trust Wolf.

"Don’t be too angry with her, Wolf. I’m sure she was doing her best."

<Not damn likely!> Wolf retorted, slicing through one of the cords. <She’s useless. Ambrose does better than...> He cut himself off and continued to tear at the rest of the layers entrapping Tyrell’s wrists.

Tyrell was puzzled by the abrupt change of mood. "What about Lucian?"

<It doesn’t matter. And stop talking so loud. You’re going to attract attention.>

His companion remained silent as the animal tore through the remaindering of the boy’s bonds and made quick work of the ones wrapped around his ankles. Realizing he was free, Tyrell made an attempt to raise an arm toward the blindfold on his face but the numbness in the limb prevented the action. He winced and moaned dejectedly.

"It hurts to move," he whispered, hanging his head upon his chest. "What am I supposed to do?"

Without warning, the wolf’s tongue lapped at the blood pouring from his torn wrists. Then, he could feel him setting his paws against his back as the beast snapped through the cloth around his eyes. The blindfold fluttered to the ground, bringing the darkness of the room back to Tyrell. He trembled and tried again to move his arms, rolling his shoulders slightly to get the feeling back into them. Wolf helped, nipping at the flesh while running his tongue down the raised welts that his fangs were making. Suddenly, he stopped as his ferocious growl filled the room.

"What’s wrong?" Tyrell questioned, not liking the nasty timbre of the creature’s sound.

<What happened to you?> responded the wolf, his growl fading into an apprehensive whimper. <There’s blood on your back and your face looks terrible.>

Now, Tyrell understood what his companion was looking at. He knew of the marks on his back and the bluish splotches decorating his face and neck. But Wolf didn’t sound angry with him; he sounded upset. Had the Sun Guardian changed so much over the time he had spent with the Artemes? He had always protected him but he had never before shown such concern over his injuries. Maybe Wolf did care about what happened to him. He still was afraid, but right now he wanted to know he had someone to stand with, someone who was going to help him. Someone who could reassure him that it was going to be all right.

Dominic was always so aloof. His spiteful leers and cruel words did an excellent job of distancing most people from him. That was what he wanted. Tyrell had been able to figure out that much from the time that he had spent with the older boy. Though Lucian had been able to partially tame the rage that subsided in the eldest Guardian, Tyrell had quit trying to gain his favor. Dominic was too dangerous to mess with. Outside of his role of Guardian, Dominic wanted nothing to do with his younger charge.

Wolf, on the other hand, was a different story. It was Wolf who had first approached him on non-Guardian terms. He had allowed him to pet him and hold him. Even though, that creature was also distant, it was much easier to reach out to him than the human persona. Wolf was tangible.

He was gambling on this notion as he carefully lifted one shaking hand and grabbed the ruff of the animal’s neck, jerking him toward him. Tyrell needed the comfort now. He needed the warmth. This time, Wolf didn’t try to break away from him and allowed the younger boy to drag him backward. It seemed that he understood the Key’s unstable state at the moment and didn’t want to hurt him further by shunning him.

"Lionelle caused my injuries. He kept asking me things. I couldn’t understand what he was saying so I didn’t speak back to him. Then, he hit me. He only stopped when Lupe told him that Vincient wanted him. He’s probably going to be back soon," the green-eyed boy replied, wrapping his arms around the wolf and squeezing him roughly. "I want to get out of here."

The dark creature stared up at the youth with his violet eyes and lay his head on his shoulder. <They won’t hurt you anymore. I promise. I’ll kill them before they lay another hand on you,> he assured inside the teenager’s mind.

Tyrell looked back at his Guardian as his eyes crossed over the dazzling amulet hidden among his black fur. It reminded the boy of his own relic and of the fact that he still hadn’t told the eldest Guardian that it was the Cruce. Wolf seemed so insistent on protecting him. There was no way he would abandon him after discovering the Cruce. Erik had to be wrong. It was time to find out the truth. Dominic had always said to be careful whom he trusted. Could he trust the same being who had uttered those words?

"I have something I need to tell you, Wolf," he started, rubbing his fingers down the animal’s back and encountering strange burn marks.

<What?>

"I haven’t been entirely honest with you. But I think it’s time I told you the truth."

Wolf cocked his head to the side, amethystine eyes darkening with suspicion. <Truth?> he repeated, his fur beginning to stand on end.

Nodding his head slowly, Tyrell continued his explanation, still embracing the large beast. He leaned forward so that his mouth was directly in front of Wolf’s receptive ears. "Yes. I know where the Cruce is."

The animal pulled back with shock, his eyes widening as his lips curled into an ominous snarl. <Where?>

"I have it. It’s the cross that I always wear," stammered Tyrell, scared by the menacing reaction of his protector.

<Only the Alistars hold the Cruce. I was told that much. How can you have it?>

"Maybe I’m an Alistar."

<Ridiculous!> Wolf spat, trying to disentangle himself from Tyrell’s hold. <There’s no way you can have that ancient relic. I don’t believe you.>

Yanking the cross out of his shirt, Tyrell draped it on top of the wolf’s muzzle. "Why would I lie to you? When have I ever lied to you? You would know in an instant if I was, Wolf! You would know!" He drew close to his Guardian again and whispered ardently in his ear. "Can’t you feel it? Can’t you tell? Anyone who touches it can sense its power. That’s why I can’t fight with it. I don’t want to lose it when it’s Divinity. That’s why you got hurt that night. It was my fault for not trying to stop Lionelle, just as it was my fault for not fighting back when Lionelle caught me this time! Do you honestly think I would lie about something like this? You told me not to trust anyone, Wolf. What I need to know is do you trust me?"

Tyrell watched Wolf’s eyes sparkle with realization as he jerked back his shaggy head, allowing the cross to swing back into the boy’s chest. <That is the Cruce,> he murmured. Then, he lifted enraged eyes to his companion as his fur bristled and that same blood-curdling growl echoed from his throat. <How long have you known about this, Tyrell?> Wolf lunged away from the youth, standing with his head bowed and his eyes glowing like a pair of dangerous gems. <Tell me, boy!>

Dipping his relic back under his clothing, Tyrell reached out toward the wolf only to have him snap at his unsteady fingers. "Ever since the night before the dance. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. I was afraid," he moped, gazing back at his Guardian with forlorn emerald eyes.

<Afraid! Afraid of what? Afraid to fight?>

"No. I was afraid that you and the Guardians would leave me. Erik told me that the Guardians only wanted the Cruce. I thought that you would just take it and forget about me. I don’t want to lose my friends. The Guardians are important to me. We’re like family."

<Family! Family! Is that all you stupid children ever care about? I hate that word!> Wolf roared, renting his claws across the wooden floor.

His charge became distraught, pushing himself away from the frenzied beast, and knotting his hands in his soaked mahogany strands. "So it is true. You just want the Cruce. You never gave a damn about me!" the youth yelled out shrilly.

In a second, Wolf lunged at the boy, throwing him on his back, and pinning him down with his heavy paws. <I told you to keep your voice down!> he reprimanded, gnashing his jaws as he leaned down to the disillusioned Key.

"I don’t care. Get off. You’re hurting me."

<Good. Maybe that will make you shut up and listen instead of throwing a tantrum like some spoiled-rotten brat.>

"Leave me alone."

Wolf’s eyes shone with a strange light as he quit pushing against Tyrell and lay his head on the boy’s upper chest. <I can’t leave you. You are my responsibility. I don’t care about some prophesied trinket. All I know is that I was chosen to protect you and I will continue to do that until the Chimera no longer pose a threat. That is the bond between a Guardian and a Key.>

"Wolf…." Tyrell began as the ebony animal slid off him and sat on the ground, regarding him with patient eyes.

Tyrell felt really stupid. He had accused his Guardian of not being concerned about his well-being. In doing so, he had denounced the one person…animal…creature…whatever that had always defended him against the enemy. Both Dominic and his alter ego had risked their lives innumerable times to make sure that he survived encounters with the Chimera. Of course, Wolf was more worried about him than the Cruce. Why had he ever believed Erik’s words? She may have only been out for the Cruce, but the rest of his Guardians fought to protect the Keys. What right did he have to speak so violently to Wolf after the Guardian had endangered himself in coming there? Come to think of it, he had also treated Dominic with little respect in return for all of the scrapes the youth had pulled him out of. Dominic had been right that one time he had reproached him during his fight to get Angelique back from Fang. He was ungrateful.

Glancing over at his resplendent black wolf, Tyrell sat upright and laid a hand on the animal’s side, caressing the satin-like coat. He braced his forehead upon his straightened arm and shut his eyes in guilt. "I’ve been such a jerk to you, Wolf. I treated you so rudely. You, my first Guardian. I don’t deserve your loyalty."

<Why did you tell me about the Cruce now? Why didn’t you tell me when I saw you the other day?>

"I don’t know. I guess I feel closer to you as you are now. Remember, this is how we first met," answered the Key with a tiny giggle.

<I haven’t forgotten,> Wolf said gruffly, tensing slightly as Tyrell ran his fingers through his thick pelt. <So you trust Wolf more than you trust Dominic. Why? We are the same entity.>

"No. Whenever I see you as Dominic, you’re always putting me down or screaming at me. As Wolf, you’re usually either saving my life or telling me something important. Moreover, I can feel a connection with Wolf because of the whole telepathic thing. It’s kind of cool to know that only two people can understand you and I’m one of them. It’s almost like we share some bond deeper than the simple restrictions of Guardian and Key. I like knowing that," Tyrell replied, lifting his head as he moved his gentle fingers closer to Wolf’s back, coming across the fresh scars once more.

<Heh. Ambrose wants me as a human, you want me as a wolf, and fate wants me as a Guardian. When do I ever get to have a piece of me to myself? Then again, when have I ever been allowed to have even one thing that I desired?> the Guardian bit, glaring at his young Key.

Saddened by his companion’s tone, Tyrell made an attempt to remedy the situation. "Sorry. I guess what I said what stupid anyway."

<Perhaps.>

The boy smiled at Wolf, getting as close to him as he could. "Is that your default response when you have nothing better to say?"

Wolf gave a pretend snarl and threw his head back, peering at Tyrell with one violet eye. <Perhaps. But that’s none of your business, now is it Tyrell?>

Tyrell started to laugh as his eyes fell upon Wolf’s bleeding leg and his scalded forepaw. "You’re hurt."

<I’m always hurt. I’m beginning to suspect it comes with the job.>

"This is my fault," Tyrell sobbed, burying his face in the wolf’s ravishing fur. "You got hurt trying to protect me as usual. I wish I was strong enough to defend myself like you and the other Guardians."

<Stop crying. We’re wasting time. Erik can’t hold Lupe off forever,> commanded the Sun Guardian, pushing Tyrell away with his shoulder.

"Alright. I’m ready," announced the Key, climbing to his feet by using the wolf as his support. He rubbed away the tear lines on his cheeks and made his way toward the door.

<I’ll scout it out,> Wolf snapped, rushing in front off the teenager and sneaking out of the room, ears alert and body close to the ground. <And Tyrell…> his voice reached the waiting boy, sounding less authoritative than before. <I believe that you are strong. I have known this ever since you and I had our little spar. You have great potential. You just have to learn how to trust in your own abilities. If you concentrate more on winning a battle and less on worrying about the Cruce, you will have no trouble holding onto it during a fight. Don’t let such a petty fear prevent you from acting as a Key. Both the Keys and the Guardians need each other to be prepared. Show me your true strength.>

The Sun Guardian examined the hallway, searching for indicators of stray Chimera or anything else that might further injure his Key. He was glad to know that Tyrell had not been hurt as bad as he had feared, but he was still revolted by the fact that he had allowed the boy to get hurt in the first place. It was his purpose to defend the youth and he was doing a very poor job for once. It was all because of that other reckless boy, Lucian.

He just couldn’t get him out of his head, which was why he planned on running away for the second time in his life. Lucian didn’t understand what he was getting into by trying to befriend him. The younger teenager could never fathom the inescapable danger that he was putting himself in just by spending time with Dominic. His leaving was supposed to lie out for Lucian that he would be better off staying away from him. But in doing so, he had focused entirely on his own problems and neglected to maintain proper surveillance of his charge, leaving him to the untrustworthy hands of the Earth Guardian.

Now, she was busy keeping an eye on Lupe, while he was supposed to be breaking Tyrell out of there. Too bad, they had wasted so much time in simply calming the younger boy down. He couldn’t blame him for being upset. Those injuries looked quite painful. So, against his better judgment, he had consented to letting Tyrell haul him around like some pet and use him to relieve his emotions. He was actually surprised that he had allowed Tyrell to handle him like that, especially petting him like a master would do to his devoted hound. Any other time, he would have warned the boy against it. But his days with the other youths had done something to him. He knew that it would have had a very negative effect on Tyrell to lash out at him when he desperately needed reassurance.

Probably, the strangest thing about the whole circumstances was what Tyrell had said to him. Tyrell liked him better as Wolf. It made some sense. As Tyrell had accounted, they had first met when he was in this guise. Tyrell had called him beautiful back then. Of course, the wolf was beautiful. It was powerful, graceful, and immune to human flaws. That was the purest form of beauty, wasn’t it? Like a work of art, an illusion for the rest of the world. Yet, that was what Tyrell preferred as his Guardian. Tyrell wanted the illusion. Maybe, the Key just wanted an escape from the reality that seemed to distort everything in his life. If Dominic could yearn for release, then why couldn’t Tyrell? They may have different reasons, but the desire for serenity was universal.

Then, there was the matter of the Cruce. Tyrell had had it all this time. From what he had been told, the Keys were supposed to be the link to finding the Cruce. But it was supposed to be the Alistars that owned it. Did Tyrell have some connection to the Alistars? This was all so confusing. He didn’t even know why the Chimera wanted the Cruce save for the theory that it possessed great power. Then again, it was believed that only the Alistars could harness that power. So what good was it to them?

Erik had seemed to know a lot about these matters. She had appeared to the Keys around the same time as he and the other Guardians and had also been skilled at predicting the Chimera’s plans. Though she had not shared much of her information with the rest of the Guardians, he was sure that she was harboring some sort of secret. That would explain why she was unable to summon a sword when all the others could. Yet, Erik had to be a Guardian for she did have an amulet and she could perform magic using it. Her amulet even responded to the pulse of the other relics. It was genuine. Still, there was something about her Guardian ability that constantly set him on alert. For one matter, if she was able to predict attacks, how come she had not been prepared when Lionelle had attacked Tyrell? And why had she not warned him of Fang’s presence during the fight outside? He would have to bring up this subject after they had freed their Key.

As he motioned for Tyrell to follow him, he heard a long scream. His sensitive ears told him that the cry had belonged to the missing Earth Guardian. He waited a few minutes, feeling Tyrell grip the back of his neck. No additional noises reached his ears. What had happened?

"Was that Erik?" the boy beside him asked in a frightened undertone.

<I don’t know. It’s possible.>

The fingers clenching his fur tightened, blunt nails digging deep into the skin lying beneath the blanket of jet-black silk. "Do you think she’s in trouble?"

<Don’t worry about her. She can handle herself. Let’s go,> urged Wolf, jerking away from the sound and turning back down the hallway.

"No!" Tyrell refused, yanking him to the side and nearly toppling over from the wolf’s bulky form. "If she’s in trouble, we have to help her!"

<She’s a Guardian. She has a gun. She’s fine. Now come on!>

But Tyrell planted his feet against the ground, clutching onto the beast and pulling him even harder. "She’s hurt! You can’t just leave her."

<Watch me.>

Another voice echoed from the same hallway where the scream had descended. This voice was clearly masculine and saturated in malevolence. "Lupe, whatever are you doing with that Guardian? It’s the Key you’re supposed to be watching. Well, if that one’s here, that must mean that Fang failed us yet again. I’ll discipline him later. But first, I must finish up with that other boy. Perhaps now that he’s had some time to think, he’ll be more willing to tell me something useful. In the meantime, finish off the Earth Guardian. He’s no use to us when we have the Key."

Wolf’s hackles rose and a tremor of rage curved down his spine. He snarled loudly as his ears flattened against his skull. Tyrell had not been able to hear anything just now. It was too far away. But what he had just heard informed Wolf that the pair of them would be receiving some very unwelcome company any time now. They had to get out before their visitor arrived.

<Forget the Earth Guardian!> he ordered, snapping his head to the side and clamping down on Tyrell’s wrist. He tried to lessen the force of the bite so as not to tear any flesh, but his charge jumped back in alarm, pulling on his skin and forcing the animal’s fangs to sink into him. The boy wailed as Wolf tugged him forward, doing his best to ignore the sniveling sounds coming from the Key. He could taste hot blood on his tongue and it was driving him crazy to know that Tyrell had forced him to resort to such unorthodox measures with his never-ending sympathy for all creatures. Tyrell was such a sap.

"Stop! What about Erik?" bawled the grief-stricken youth, still fighting to free his hand and run to his Guardian’s rescue.

<I said forget about her. Lionelle is on his way here. Do you want to play with him some more?>

"Lionelle?" Tyrell gulped, his gray-green eyes alight with fear.

<Yes. So hurry up!>

"We...we...can’t leave Erik."

The Guardian had had his fill. Wolf spun around to Tyrell, baring deadly white teeth that rested within the boy’s milky flesh. <Damn you Tyrell! If you go to get her, you’ll have to fight Lionelle and Lupe! They’ll kill you! I’m not going to let that happen. I promised you that I wouldn’t let you get hurt again and I meant it.>

Tyrell averted his eyes and gave a shuddering sigh. "I know. I know you just want to help me. But Erik is here because of me too. She’s a Guardian just like you. She needs our help. I don’t care what happens. I’m not going to lose one of my Guardians just because I don’t want to get hurt."

<You want to fight?>

"I don’t have a choice. Erik needs us. I almost lost you because of my cowardice; I won’t lose her. If I have to fight, then so be it."

As much as he loathed admitting it, Wolf knew Tyrell was right. Erik was a Guardian. That made her one of his own, just, as were the Heaven Guardian and the Hell Guardian. He had aided Lucian during his assault on the illusion for the basic reason that he was a Guardian. Under that criterion, he was also obliged to provide assistance to the Earth Guardian. And even if that logic wasn’t reason enough, there was the realization that Tyrell wasn’t going to leave without her. Tyrell felt something for his protectors. He wouldn’t allow him to drag him away, knowing one was in mortal danger. Tyrell was right. They had no choice.

Wolf released his hold on Tyrell, letting the boy fall onto his back from the momentum of his struggle. <Damn it! I hate you! I hope you know that, Tyrell. I can’t believe you’re going to do this.>

"You’re going to help?" the Key quipped, scrambling to his feet as his hand went for the Cruce.

<If I let you go alone, you’ll just get your ass kicked. At least this way, I can keep an eye on you while you engage in your philanthropic ideals like some doe-eyed moron.>

"Got a plan?"

<Yeah. I’ll handle Lupe while you tangle with Lionelle. Lupe’s a wolf right now so it’ll be easier for me to take her down. Don’t worry about the golden-haired sadist; all you have to do is stall him with your fancy swordplay. If you get yourself in trouble, I’ll see what I can do. Two against two shouldn’t pose that much of a challenge. And you damn well better use Divinity or we call this whole thing off right this minute. I don’t care if you’re afraid of dropping it. I won’t have you being a sitting duck for the Chimera. Remember what I said about fighting and you’ll be fine.>

"I’ll try," Tyrell promised, tearing of the cross and changing it into his sword.

<One other thing, if this doesn’t work, I want you to remember whose asinine idea it was,> added the Sun Guardian racing forward as Tyrell dashed behind him.

The youngest boy couldn’t believe what he beheld when Wolf and him entered the hall where the Chimera and the Earth Guardian were fighting. Erik lay on the ground, unconscious with blood flowing around her arm and Lupe’s fangs spread around her throat. Her gun glistened in the far corner, silent and useless to its incapacitated owner. Lionelle gaped at the incoming pair from where he stood, observing Lupe and her prey. The depraved yellow eyes seemed to sparkle when they fell upon the limping youth.

"Well, look who it is. Our dear little Key. So happy to see that you still have some fight left in you boy. I had thought that after our precious game that you wouldn’t want to play anymore. Tell me, how is your back?" Lionelle purred, snickering at the way Tyrell trembled at his question. He caught sight of the growling form at his side and smiled broadly. "And we brought the puppy to play too. Wonderful. Lupe never did get her chance to rip open his jugular. But where are the other Guardians? Is it just the two of you?"

"Shut up!" yelled the Key, holding his sword in front of him. "I’m not going to be afraid of you anymore, Lionelle. I’m going to make you pay for all the pain you’ve caused."

"Bold words, boy. Care to have me ram them down your throat?"

Wolf’s lunge at Lupe prevented Tyrell from his retort as Lionelle used the split second to fling out his whip. Tyrell leapt back, slicing at the weapon with Divinity and nicking it just a bit. He saw the Sun Guardian roll the Chimera off Erik, snapping frothing jaws and releasing bestial cries. Lupe fought back, slashing with her quick fangs and diving for the fragile bones of Wolf’s legs. She clearly intended to cripple him and then finish him off. Her quarry saw through her attack, snatching her nape and hurling her over his back.

Another attack from Lionelle reminded Tyrell of whom he was supposed to be focusing on. He dodged another lash and sent a spike of electric energy toward the Chimera. Lionelle avoided the maneuver and retaliated with his own spell, creating arcs of fire. A few caught the young boy on the side, making him cringe and spring to the side. He cursed himself for not being ready and struck out again with his power. This time he nailed Lionelle in the shoulder as the man roared, the sound resembling his animal form.

His own cry seemed to awaken something in his mind and he smirked at the Key. "So the Key wants to play rough now? Fine. Maybe you can recall this!" he screamed as his transformation overtook him, changing him into the huge lion that Tyrell had fought with once before. With a thundering bellow, he threw himself at Tyrell. The boy hollered and swung out with Divinity, ripping through the beast’s front leg as it crashed down next to him, swiping at his legs.

Before he could back up fast enough, a mammoth paw pounded against his lower thigh, claws mangling through his pants and flesh. The impact smashed him into the floor. He held his sword before his chest, using it to ward off the lion as he tried to push himself backward, feeling bursts of pain lance through his leg. Tyrell was terrified. How long could he keep this up? Lionelle was too big to force away and his claws could disembowel him in an instant. What was he going to do?

He heard a yelp as he watched Wolf’s eyes wander over to him. Lupe’s fangs were latched onto his throat and she was striving to reach at the soft throbbing underneath all the bloody fur. Wolf flipped himself on his back, digging into the Chimera’s vulnerable stomach with his claws. The unexpected move stunned Lupe and she released his neck, whimpering as dark lines streaked her belly. Not giving her a chance to make another attack, Wolf turned from her and charged into the lion, grabbing onto his side and using the leverage to climb upon his back. He bit into the back of his neck, scratching at his skull with his much duller claws.

Lionelle roared and reared back from Tyrell, reaching toward Wolf with his paws. He shook his back and jostled the animal from his skin, tossing him to the floor. Wolf bared his fangs and prepared to make a jump for him as Lupe flung herself onto him, forcing him off his legs.

<So eager to die, beast?> her voice laughed in Tyrell’s head as it was met by a deeper and more vicious one.

<The Key can wait. This one has messed with us too many times. It might even be a Guardian. It’s always around the boy. Time to put an end to its heroic exploits,> Lionelle rumbled, tearing at the downed Wolf.

Wolf attempted to stumble to his feet but Lupe went for his throat, hurtling him to his back. He feebly snapped at his opponent, violet eyes dimming. <I won’t let you hurt that Key.>

"Wolf!" screamed Tyrell, forcing himself to his knees and crawling toward his Guardian. Lionelle cuffed the animal again, relishing the crimson that covered his claws. Tyrell lifted Divinity and waved it through the air, flinging his magic at the lion. "Get away from him!"

The lion turned swatted away Lupe and grabbed Wolf by his neck, not yet biting hard enough to break it. Excitement flooded his golden eyes as he raised his paw to strike the green-eyed boy. Wolf was snarling and trying to kick at his chest. He looked up at Tyrell.

<Get Erik and run!>

Tyrell shook his head, rearing back his sword. "Not this time." He sank the blade into Lionelle’s shoulder, calling upon his power at the same time. Divinity sizzled and filled the Chimera with the voltage, making him sway on his back legs as he rose up, roaring piteously. Wolf also howled in pain as the backlash of the attack reached him. Both beasts collapsed to the floor, unmoving as sparks of the Key’s energy remained in the air above their lifeless forms.

Wrenching his weapon out of Lionelle, Tyrell gasped and moved over to his prone Guardian, forgetting about the red-haired Chimera that still remained in the room. Lupe’s victorious cry alerted him to her lunge as she sprang for his curved neck. Her movements were halted when a shot rang out and the wolf rolled to the ground with a whine.

The boy’s head twisted to the side, knowing what his eyes would reveal. There was Erik, holding a hand to her bleeding head and pointing her gun. "Not too smart trying to take on both Chimera by himself. Whatever did he think he was doing?"

"Erik! You’re all right! I was worried about you," cried Tyrell, smiling at the Earth Guardian as she walked over to him.

"Guess it’s nice to know that someone cares. I’m surprised though. I thought for sure that Solanis would have let me die. We’ve not exactly the best of friends. I assume it was your doing in making him come back for me," Erik suggested, putting the safety back on her gun and placing it back in her blazer.

"Yeah."

"Then I can also assume that you understand that the condition he’s in now is your fault."

He looked back at the blond Guardian in bewilderment. "My fault?" he murmured, stroking the messy pelt of the black wolf. It was true. He had forced Wolf to go back for the other Guardian. Then, his inability to handle Lionelle had resulted in the beast being cornered while trying to save his skin. Wolf would have known there was no way for him to fight off both Chimera by himself. He had risked it to protect his charge. His Guardian was completely faithful to him despite his attitude or his antisocial persona. And he had allowed him to get wounded again by his own stupidity.

Tyrell knew that he should have known better than using his power when Lionelle and Wolf were so close to each other. Yet, he had been so scared of losing the Sun Guardian that he had just reacted on instinct. Tyrell had thought that he could do something useful instead of just waiting to be rescued all the time. He was wrong.

Erik knelt down beside him, feeling at Wolf’s throat. "Well, you didn’t kill him so I guess we can consider that a good thing. But he’s sure going to be hurting when he wakes up. All in all, I wager that you did your job. The Chimera will be out for a while and none of your own are dead," she acknowledged, giving Tyrell a praising smile.

Gathering the wolf in his lap, Tyrell wiped off his matted neck, and then shot a glance over at the curled form of Lupe. "What about her? Did you kill her?"

"The Chimera? Why does it matter?"

"Because we’re not like them. We understand that it’s wrong to kill. We’re above that."

"Are we?" mused the blond, giving him a condescending look through her chestnut eyes.

Moving his eyes back to Lupe, Tyrell noticed the slow rise and fall of her chest. There was blood staining her head but she was definitely alive. He turned back to Erik with a piercing gaze. "We’re supposed to be."

Realizing that her charge understood that the Chimera was merely stunned, Erik shrugged indifferently. "So I was off on my aim and only grazed her enough to give her a good shock. Next time, I’ll be sure not to miss."

"I’m glad she’s okay. Even if she’s our enemy, I don’t want any of my Guardians responsible for death," the boy confessed.

"She almost killed the Sun Guardian twice now and you’re worried about her life. I think you have your priorities messed up, Tyrell. I’m sure neither Ambrose nor his sister would have thought twice about killing her after seeing what she tried to do to Solanis. You’re weak."

"Whatever." Brushing off the comment, Tyrell attempted to lift Wolf in his arms but the beast was too heavy for him and he plunged to his knees. "Ow!"

Erik glared at him in repugnance. "You really are hopeless, boy! Let me help and maybe we can get out of here sometime before those killers wake up," she nagged, bending down and taking the Sun Guardian from the younger youth.

Her charge gawked at her in amazement. "You want to help Wolf? I thought you hated him."

"I do hate him. I hate him to no end. But he is a Guardian and thus, I’m entitled to help whether I want to or not."

"I give up. You and Dominic are just too hard to figure out. Show me the way out of this place."

Wind swept against his tangled hair as he rested his chin on the edge of the windowsill in Erik’s car. He was already way late for school so there was really no point to him showing up today. Erik had suggested that he go home and rest. That plan sounded feasible to him. He would go home and rest and maybe even convince Angelique to see if she could heal any of his injuries with the Amethyst. With any luck, he could use the time with her to try and get her to give up her pendant. Tavores had been rather insistent that he get it away from her.

But how was he supposed to get it back to Tavores? He doubted that Lucian would consent to letting his other ego take control. Lucian detested his former self. He had expressed that most emphatically the other night. Also, he really didn’t want to go upset the older boy further today since he assumed that Dominic’s decision to break up the partnership would have some bad affect on the youth. Maybe Lucian would come to him when Tavores told him about the Cruce. He could hope.

Now, there was the matter with Dominic to settle. Dominic would not be pleased to be dropped off with the Ambrose twins nor would he be too elated at the thought of waking up at his house where Angelique resided. The eldest youth appeared to have a genuine distrust of his cousin. But where else did that leave? He didn’t know where Dominic used to live and aside from Nadia, he didn’t know of anyone else who was related to him. Nadia herself was out of the question. Dominic would flip if he ended up at her place.

"You know about the beast here, I was thinking," Erik interrupted, seeming to be able to sense what was bothering him.

"What were you thinking, Erik? It better not have anything to do with killing him or leaving him by the side of the road," grumbled Tyrell, used to the blond’s pattern of thought.

"As if I would ever do anything like that," jeered the girl with a deceiving smile. "No, I actually have an idea that doesn’t involve destroying your stubborn pet."

"Huh?"

"My mother used to be a vet a while back. I think she still has some supplies lying around the house and since the Sun Guardian probably isn’t going to be changing back until he regains consciousness, I figure that it will be a good idea to have me take care of him. I’ll see what I can do about his wounds while he’s still in this form. It’ll be much easier than dealing with a human."

"How long will he have to stay with you?" inquired the Key, still not convinced by Erik’s mysterious hospitality.

"A couple of hours. All I want to do is check on the injuries and then he can scamper off to wherever he was going before I found him this morning. Oh and I’d like to ask him a few things when he wakes up. They are of some importance," Erik assured, returning her eyes to the road.

"Let me guess. What you want to ask him isn’t any of my business."

"Solanis has trained you well, Tyrell."

Tyrell smoothed the fur around Wolf’s neck, happy to see that the flow of blood was lessening. "Why do you want to help? You never cared before?"

Erik removed one hand from the steering wheel and patted the wolf’s side affectionately. "Let’s just say that today’s fight introduced some new elements into my observation," she replied.

"You won’t hurt him?"

"I swear I won’t hurt him. I just want to talk."

"But how will you talk to him? Nobody except me and Lucian can speak to him as Wolf," argued the boy, eyeing Erik in wonder.

"Oh that’s easy. After I handle his injuries, I’ll simply convince him to change," the older youth asserted with a toss of her head.

"Dominic doesn’t like being forced into things."

"Don’t worry. I won’t force him, but I will make him change. I think he’ll understand when he recovers. Solanis is such a smart boy."

Tyrell didn’t like the sound of any of this, but he knew he had to agree to his Guardian’s offer. There was no other place for Dominic to go and she did say that she wanted to talk to him. Why shouldn’t he trust her? Erik had saved him from Lupe. She had helped him get out and carry Wolf back to the car. In addition to that, Erik was also a Guardian. She had no reason to harm Dominic. If she could help him, then he had to take the chance. Didn’t he?

The younger teenager gave a tiny nod of his head. "Alright."