Tashira could hardly breathe due to the heavy blanket of fear that descended over her. She had never felt anything like this before. It felt like something had wrapped insubstantial fingers around her heart and was squeezing it, as one would do to a piece of fruit. Her form shook with the awful sensation and she dropped to her knees, supporting herself with one hand on the bathroom cabinet. Light spun before her widened eyes like surging bursts of electricity.

"Lucian!" she shouted even though she wasn’t certain how she knew that this feeling was related to her brother’s condition. Grasping at the edge of the sink with lethargic hands, she managed to pull herself to her feet. Tashira turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water to lessen the sudden fatigue that had struck her. Its freezing liquid was enough to snap her back into reality though the strange pain in her chest still continued to pester her.

"Luce, what happened? Where are you?" her voice flowed from her in an anxious gasp. There had to be something wrong with her sibling. She hadn’t seen him since he had fled from her that afternoon. It was getting dark now. He should be back by now. Where could he have gone? She had seen the lost look in his eyes when he bolted. Lucian had never looked so devastated in his life, even during his younger days. Something had been devouring his spirit over the last month. She had her own ideas about what that something could be.

Damn him! It was all that jerk’s fault that Lucian was acting so precarious now. He couldn’t even mention his name without becoming irrational. She didn’t blame her twin in the slightest for what had happened that day. It was yet another blame that could be placed solely on that hateful boy. That Dominic Solanis.

She tossed the make-up, that she had been using to hide the mark on her face, back into the cabinet and raced out of the bathroom. Whipping her suede jacket from the hanger, Tashira didn’t even bother with locking her door as she clamored onto her bicycle. She had no idea where to even begin looking for her brother, but that wasn’t going to stop her from scouring the city. Lucian was in trouble. The sharp ache in her chest told her that much. She was going to search for him and swore to herself that she wouldn’t come back without her missing twin.

Hundreds of possible locations filled her mind. Tyrell’s? No, Lucian wouldn’t run to the person who had hurt him just the other night, especially when he was in such a frantic state. The arcade? A quick check in the building yielded no results. The park? Once again, she realized that she had come to another dead end as she roamed the perimeter of the grounds, calling out her sibling’s name and scanning every piece of land with her eyes. The wandering orbs crossed over a familiar figure tearing at the grass in a distraught fashion. As the person dug into the supple earth, mournful words seemed to be forming on the lips.

"Erik?" voiced Tashira while the other girl lifted her brown eyes and discontinued her nervous actions.

"Tashira. You seem to be searching for something," Erik stated so that Tashira could tell that the remark had not been an assumption but a known fact.

"Yes. My brother," the silver-haired youth answered, keeping her reply as short as possible. Erik had a habit for seeking information and she didn’t want to reveal too much to the blond until she had earned her trust. Just because Erik claimed to be a member of the Guardians now didn’t mean that they had to welcome her into their flock just yet. She was a tricky character and Tashira didn’t quite understand her motivations. Basic answers would do for now.

"Ambrose is missing?"

"Yes. Have you seen him today, Erik?"

Erik scraped her fingers against the ground again and threw back her head. "Looks like it might rain tonight, you should probably find him soon."

Her companion was not in the mood for stalling. Tashira stabbed her heels into the dirt and shot a dirty glare toward the blond. "I asked you a question and I expect an answer not a weather forecast."

"So Ambrose’s temper isn’t just a personal thing. It must run in the family."

"Lucian does not have a temper. He’s just in a bad mood today."

"Obviously. The testy brat nearly bit my head off when I tried to talk to him," Erik griped, her eyes shaking as she realized what she had just said.

Bingo! Tashira knew she was in business now. Her trick had worked like a charm. She had sensed the frustration in the blond’s tone as she spoke about Lucian. Erik was so eager to verbally bash her twin that she leapt on the first chance to say something bad about him, revealing that she had run into Lucian that day.

"So you did talk to him? Where was he?" Tashira pursued, delving into her investigation with finesse. Lucian’s boasts about her being a master of strategy were not just empty words. She did have a knack for scheming.

"Only for a few minutes. Just enough to make me want to wring his neck."

"Pissed you off that bad, did he? Luce is usually nice to girls. What did you say to him?"

"Nothing. He practically crashed into my car and then when I asked him if he was alive, he threw a fit," growled Erik as she stood up and narrowed her dark eyes. "Damn prick doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. No wonder Solanis hit the road. I don’t see how he could have spent five minutes in the same room with that boy."

"Easy. Whenever he got tired of Luce, he hit him," the other girl hissed at the memory of constantly having to attend to the bluish bruises that blossomed on her twin’s flesh.

Wrists, cheeks, arms, neck. Dominic left no part of her brother unmarred. Yet, every single time, her joking sibling had had the same excuse. ‘It was my fault. I just misjudged his limit. I’ll be more careful next time. Don’t fret Shira. You’ll spoil the fun.’ Dominic could probably have knocked him senseless and he would still say that it had been an error on his part. She hated knowing that Dominic struck her brother and she hated knowing that Lucian continued to allow it even more. Lucian wanted to play his infernal game. Mishaps were just a part of the challenge to him. The problem then had been that Lucian had been shooting for a rise in the older boy’s temper. He hadn’t endured the outbursts and physical abuse out of misguided friendship or affection; he had just wanted to hold on to his new toy. It had been part of the game. Things had changed now.

No, she had not been blind to the signs that her brother and his sadistic partner had been growing more pleasant around each other. Dominic had still raged at him, but his abuse had become less severe and more of a half-hearted thing. Lucian too had started to act different around his companion before he had vanished. Her brother seemed to be trying less hard to annoy him and instead had directed his efforts to getting Dominic to open up. They had almost become friends. Lucian had been happy. Then Dominic had left, taking her brother’s jovial spirit with him and leaving a confused and disillusioned boy in his place. She hated him for it.

This hatred had only grown as she watched her brother slip further into insanity as he refused to let Dominic’s memory go. Lucian cared for Dominic. As much as she hoped against hope that he would realize that Dominic did not share his concern, Lucian had chosen to ignore that fact. She was losing her brother. Losing him to a vicious beast whom cared for nothing. She had been willing to give Dominic his chance, but then he had gone and hurt Lucian that final time. He had left him. Such an action could never be forgiven. Dominic didn’t deserve penance. He was just like his guise. A wolf. A predator with no thought for anything but the hunt. Lucian deserved better. Even if he didn’t want it, he deserved better.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," chuckled Erik, regaining Tashira’s attention with her flippant comment.

Though Tashira felt the urge to promptly teach her the error of her response, she decided that such an action would probably lead to Erik leaving. Right now, she needed the blond to tell her what she knew. Tashira understood that she would have to ignore the demonic girl's words for the time being. Maybe after she gave her what she needed, they could have a little talk about Erik's opinion on Dominic's treatment of her sibling.

"Just tell me if he told you where he was going," sighed Tashira. In addition to being forced to quell her temper, she was getting exasperated by the complete run-around that the other youth was handing her. Erik knew something about Lucian’s disappearance and she was set on finding out what that was.

"He said something. I’m not sure where he was talking about, but I have an idea. I can take you somewhere close. I saw Solanis there once, on the night that he must have left your fair party," offered the blond, sounding remarkably eager to aid her. Tashira let the thought pass. She didn’t have time to be contemplating the inner workings of the other teenager’s head. Lucian needed her. She had to find him.

"Show me the way."

The girls piled out of the car and Tashira dashed to the side of the road, looking along the fields for some sign of her sibling. Erik also seemed to be genuinely devoted to lending a hand. She called for Lucian a few times and took the other end of the area to search. Tashira was undoubtedly surprised by Erik’s efforts, but pushed away the bafflement to renew her hunt.

Her opal amulet brushed against her throat reminding her of its many uses. Of course, she could rely on the amulet to lead her to her brother. The amulets could sense each other. Lucian had to still be wearing the ruby since none of the Guardians ever took of their relics in case of a surprise attack. She could track him by following the intensity of the glow on her opal. The brighter and hotter it became would represent how close she was to either her brother or a Chimera. She had suspicions that the Chimera did have something to do with the way she was feeling. Maybe they had placed her brother in some sort of danger.

Tashira had often heard tales of twins being able to sense how the other twin was feeling and sometimes thinking. Her and Lucian had only managed to do it a few times and it never had been as painful as it felt now. Either Lucian was in bad shape or something was causing him extreme pain, either mental or physical. The thought spurred her to speed up her search.

Holding the amulet out to the air for a second, she released it and let it thud against her chest. There was a tiny glimmer to it and it was producing a faint heat. That told her that Lucian was somewhere around the area. She just had to determine where. Perhaps, this would work better if she enlisted some help.

Sadly, her choices consisted of Erik. Though Erik wasn’t the most ideal of choices, she did seem like she wanted to help. Two amulets were better than one and it would make the investigation move faster. Erik could explore half of the field and she could check the other. With two Guardians working, they had to find something that could help them. Lucian couldn’t have just vanished.

"Erik! Try the amulet!" she called out to the blond youth, pointing to the opal on her shirt. "The Shards can detect the presence of other Guardians."

"Are you sure?" questioned Erik, holding her jade rose in her palm as she studied the silver-haired girl.

"What? You’ve never tried it before?"

"I usually only use the amulet for seeking the Chimera or tapping into its power. I’ve never had the desire to find other Guardians."

"Well, it basically works the same way. You see how hot the amulet becomes as you try a certain direction. Like with the Chimera, the stone will hurt more if you’re near another Guardian. The Shards call to one another. That’s how we can find each other if we get lost. You take the left side and I’ll take the right. Try to cover as much ground as possible," Tashira explained.

"What do you want me to do if I find something?"

"Come find me."

Erik averted her eyes and rubbed the amulet with her fingers. "So, you and Ambrose are very close, aren’t you?"

"Of course!" snapped the other youth, bothered that Erik was wasting time in asking her questions.

"And you can sense if he’s in trouble?"

"Yes! Can we just get going now?"

What was Erik’s point in asking all of this stuff? Never mind, how she was able to guess these things, why was she taking time to ask this? Why did Erik care all of the sudden about whether or not her brother was in danger? Just an hour ago, she had been mouthing off about how much she wanted to kick Lucian in his teeth. Now, she was all concerned over what his condition was. Strange. Maybe Erik knew more about this than she was letting on.

"What do you sense now?" the blond persisted, still fooling around with the gem on her necklace. Her fingers tangled once in the chain and she roughly shook it off. Something was on her mind. Even Erik’s usual swaggering persona seemed to disappear. She just seemed to be under heavy strain. What was her problem?

Tashira debated over whether she should tell Erik how she was feeling. Erik was not her friend and she didn’t know the girl that well. Revealing that she knew that her brother was in some sort of peril could be risky. Still, Erik did appear to be engrossed in helping her. A little truth couldn’t hurt. She would just have to choice her words meticulously.

"Sharp pain in my chest. I also feel a bit dizzy every few minutes," she responded, turning from Erik and resuming her quest.

"Do you think Ambrose is hurt?"

Erik’s question sent chills down her back as she continued to walk away. She didn’t even want to think about that. Lucian had been near delirious when he had left her. He couldn’t cope with being injured as well. Tashira pressed a palm against her forehead; aggravated with herself for letting these horrid fears enter her mind. What was she thinking? Lucian would be fine. She just had to find him.

"I don’t know," her voice left her of its own accord. What did she mean by that? Of course, she knew. Lucian could handle himself. He was a skilled fighter. Her brother was okay.

"Bad?" Erik pressed, driving the terror even deeper into Tashira’s heart.

"I hope not."

This time, Erik did not reply with another question and just wiped her hand back against her slick hair. She jerked her hand away as if repulsed by her reaction and turned to cover her part of the field. Her companion fought against the frightened tears that were on the verge of spilling over her eyes. What was she getting so worked up for? Erik was a pessimistic girl. Obviously, she would assume the worst case scenario in a situation like this. It was the same way with Dominic. Their type was not known to think of things in a brighter light. There was nothing to be so scared about. She knew Lucian. He was good at getting himself out of scrapes. After all, he had been doing it since he was eight years old.

She searched for what seemed like hours before finally reaching a piece of land that made the opal scald her skin. Excited, she ran around the field, screaming out her twin’s name. He didn’t answer her. Undaunted by the lack of response, Tashira continued to run across the land, hoping to encounter some sign that her brother had been around there. Just then, she slid against something on the ground and fell upon her side.

Whining at the pain that the fall had caused her, she started to push herself back up with her arms. That was when the flash of ruby caught her eye. She snatched at the red spark and yanked it back, feeling her heart sink as she gazed down at what she held. A ruby globule faced her from within her hands. Ignoring the misery that welled up inside her, she cupped the relic in her fingers. To her horror, the amulet left splotches of red upon her flesh as it rolled across her hand. Tiny smears of crimson blood. It wasn’t fresh blood, but it had been spilled recently enough so that it coated the globule without crusting to the sides. Tashira let the amulet slide from her fingers and screamed.

"LUCIAN!"

"What are you doing, Tye?" Angelique pondered as she watched the boy holding the phone to his ear and listening to the dull buzz.

"I’m trying to call Lucian. I just have this weird feeling all of the sudden. Like he’s in trouble or something. I just want him to answer. I don’t even care if he tells me he doesn’t want to talk. At least, I’ll know he’s all right," Tyrell said, setting his elbows on the counter and leaning further into the phone. It was still busy. Maybe something had happened to the phone. That would explain why Lucian hadn’t been answering any of his other calls that day.

But a few hours ago, he had felt so strange. It had been like a quick rush of fear straight down his spine, worse than any normal apprehension. At first, he had thought that it might have been a warning for him to get away from Angelique. Then he had seen an image of his red-haired friend buzz through his mind’s eye. Pulling away from Angelique, he had tried calling Lucian only to get the same response that he had been getting all day. He had called Nadia and asked her to stop by the Ambrose household. Half an hour later, she had returned his call and informed him that neither twin had been home at the time. After hearing that, he had resumed his method of calling Lucian’s number every ten minutes. About a zillion busy signals later, he had finally come to the conclusion that this wasn’t providing him with much success.

"Maybe I should go out and try to find him. I know where he likes to hang out," the boy suggested as Angelique gave him a bored shrug.

"Perhaps, Lucian and his sister went out for the night. Kat goes out for a wild night on the town once in a while. I’m sure that the twins are just having some fun."

"Maybe. But I can’t shake this bad feeling."

"Bad feeling?" restated the older youth, walking over and setting her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "What bad feeling?"

"I guess it’s because I’m a Key. I keep having this weird feeling of fear. I don’t really know how, but I know it has something to do with Lucian," Tyrell told her, pulling away from her reassurance and pacing across the room.

"You’re just upset about the other night. It’s just guilt."

"No! I know guilt! This isn’t guilt! This is something...else," he argued as he snatched at his hair with his fingers, yanking on the mahogany strands. "I don’t know what to do."

His companion shook her head and rested against a chair at the kitchen table. "He is a Guardian. You said they are resourceful. He should be fine."

Something was off about the way she was speaking to him. Angelique never took his apprehension so lightly. She had always believed his foresight. Why was she blowing this off like it wasn’t a big deal? Sure, she didn’t like the Guardians that much, but why would she act so casually when he tried to explain to her how he felt that one was in danger? Maybe, she wasn’t entirely herself at the moment. She had been around the charms for a long time. It was possible that they could have some sort of residual factor.

"Angie, I really wish you’d take this more seriously."

"I am taking this seriously. You are just overreacting."

He stopped his pacing and looked back at her with hesitant eyes. "Do you hate Lucian that much? Would you not care if something happened to him?"

The girl appeared stunned by his words for a moment and then folded her hands and regarded him with sincerity. "Of course, I’d care if one of your friends was in trouble, Tye. Just because I don’t like them myself doesn’t mean that I wish any sort of misfortune to befall them. I just think you’re getting all stressed. Let’s make something to eat and then we can watch a movie or something to ease your nerves."

"See! You just proved my point right there. You don’t care at all," he accused, detesting the way that he was censuring the girl. But he couldn’t help it. She wasn’t showing any interest in his plight and in fact seemed to be trying to distract him. He didn’t like these changes in Angelique. Even if she had become less of an introvert, it wasn’t worth it to lose her caring nature. Angelique had always seemed enthusiastic about helping him when he had problems with his friends. She had lent a sympathetic ear when he had whined about Maren getting into a fight with him one time. Then, she had listened with compassion as he told her how his first crush was dating someone else. She had even comforted him when he was in a huff about Lucian agreeing to date Kat. An Angelique that no longer cared about his problems was an Angelique that he would rather not hang around.

"Now, you’re being difficult. I told you I do care," Angelique remarked, leaving the table to return to his side. She put her head on his shoulder and traced her finger over his hand, which was clamped on the edge of the counter. "Your friends are important to you and that makes them important to me as well."

"Well, if you do care, then you just must not believe me."

"I believe you."

"Then help me out. Come with me right now and we’ll go find Lucian and Tashira and find out what’s going on," Tyrell pleaded as he spun away from Angelique and grasped her fingers.

"I can’t," the other youth refused, remaining in place and shifting her eyes from his view. She was acting very peculiar. First, pretending like she didn’t care about his worries and now this. Still, she wasn’t acting completely like Evangel. She wasn’t trying to threaten him or seduce him so she couldn’t have been that out of it.

"Why not?"

"I have...work to do," she answered in a rushed tone.

"If you don’t want to help just say so. I don’t want to think you’re lying to me," the mahogany-haired youth mumbled, not convinced by Angelique’s response.

"But I do want to help, I just can’t. It’s getting late. I really have some...uh...studying to do."

"Fine! I’ll go by myself!" snarled Tyrell, knowing that his voice probably upset the girl. Boy, they were sure going downhill fast. Hours ago, they had been kissing and trusting each other whole-heartedly and now they were practically fighting and doubting every single syllable that the other uttered. This was yet another result of a life that just couldn’t stand to see him happy.

He didn’t want to talk to Angelique anymore. She didn’t want to help him and was clearly lying about why she didn’t want to. Most likely, she just didn’t want to admit that she would rather not help his friend. Angelique still had it in for Lucian. That was selfish and even if it wasn’t entirely her fault for acting this way, he didn’t want to be around her at the moment. She was not his Angelique. Maybe if she had some time to herself, she would come to her senses and more of Evangel’s influence would be gone. Right now, he was just getting all flustered with these mind games.

"Tye," she whispered, trying to change his mind about leaving. Her yearning timbre abated his frustration and brought him back to his usual demeanor. Tyrell released her and scooped up his jacket from a chair that it had been thrown upon. He gave her a forced smile as his face fell into an abject frown.

"I’m sorry, Angie. I don’t know why I keep saying such dumb things lately. I think you’re right about me being stressed. My friends’ problems have been getting to me. When I come back, we’ll do something together, okay? Watch a movie or study or read or something. But first I have to find out what’s making me feel so bad. It’s important. You understand?"

"You should stay here. I could find a way to make you feel better."

"I don’t think so, Angie. This isn’t a normal pain. It’s something deeper. I need to find out why this is happening," the boy pointed out as he turned from the silver-haired teenager.

"It’s not safe for you to go by yourself," Angelique protested, "The Chimera."

"Do I have anyone else to go with me?" replied Tyrell with a hopeful gaze. Angelique stared at the floor and pressed her back against the counter. Her companion dropped his eyes and dragged his feet over to the door. "I guess not."

Angelique jerked up from the counter and ran into the hall leading to the entrance. "Tyrell, if Dominic is missing and something has happened to Lucian, who will protect you?"

"You heard what I told Lucian the other night. I don’t need the Guardians," he asserted as he lowered his voice. What was he saying? Hadn’t he convinced himself earlier that he did need the Guardians? What could he do without them? He would just mess up and get hurt again.

But whenever the Guardians got hurt, it was always because of him. It was his fault for not being careful or screwing up an attack or just plain being in the way. He didn’t want them to get injured for his own mistakes. It was hard enough on them to have to be forced to fight for him just because that was what fate had mapped on its grand canvas. He didn’t want to have to need them. Tyrell wanted to be able to stand on his own. Why couldn’t he do anything right?

He would rather the Guardians just be his friends. All of them seemed to need something from him. Lucian had his friendships, but none of them understood his secret like Tyrell did. Tashira seemed to like him though in a more romantic sort of way. The notion that Tashira had a bit of a crush on him was not unknown to him. Dominic needed a reason to stay human and Erik needed an excuse for fighting. He simply gave his Guardians what they desired.

"If you don’t need the Guardians, then why do you seem to care about them so much?" asked Angelique, voicing the thought that had been arising in his mind often enough.

His pride got the best of him as he handed the girl her answer. "I don’t need them. They need me."

Tyrell hadn’t been able to get the car since Kat was still out and about. So he was limited to the use of his bike once more. A heavy rain that had started about fifteen minutes after he had left made for quite difficult steering. It was aided by the unpleasant thoughts that kept invading his mind. Lucian had seemed so shattered the other night. Was he crazy enough to try something to hurt himself? Lucian always had shown a fetish for dangerous practices. Tyrell figured that was just part of his exuberant nature. He just wanted some fun.

Somehow the thought of Lucian as one to engage in self-destructive actions seemed wrong to Tyrell. Lucian was too lively to go for something like that. He was probably just finding some other way to deal with his sorrow. Tyrell understood that people had many different ways of handling their pain. He had his drawings, Angelique had him, Kat had her fanclub, and Maren chose to push his feelings off on someone else. For some reason, the thought of someone else feeling worse than him always managed to put Maren in a better mood. Maren was just messed up like that.

He had always been fascinated by the older boy’s attitude. Maren was one of the few people who could convince him to indulge his wilder side. It helped take his mind of the serious problems with his life. Most people were freaked out by the idea of him choosing Maren as his best friend. They seemed such opposing personas. But as Maren had entered his turbulent adolescent years, he had sensed the rebellion in the younger youth and had set out to encourage him. Maren loved the idea of having an accomplice. Tyrell didn’t mind as long as what they did was legal. He allowed Maren to be his mentor.

When he thought about it, the notion of Lucian seeking the companionship of Dominic wasn’t that different from his relationship with his best friend. The main difference was that Maren might have been a bully sometimes, but he was never violent like Dominic. Tyrell didn’t have to worry about Maren beating the crap out of him for doing something stupid. Though the raven-haired youth had threatened to do it many times.

After checking all of the places that he had known Lucian to frequent, Tyrell was starting to get even more worried. It had to be close to nine by now. Almost everything would be shutting down soon. Where would Lucian hang out? He tried to think of the other places that he had seen his friend that weren’t part of a shop or a restaurant. Well, Lucian did seem to have a special place for the park. He had seen him studying there with Tashira and Dominic a few times. Of course, Lucian had been more interested in seeing how many times he could swipe Dominic’s pencil rather than study.

Trouble was that he knew perfectly well that going to the park at this hour, without anybody else, was like going into the lion’s den, literally. It was the Chimera’s favorite spot to jump him. But if Lucian was there, then it should be relatively safe. The Chimera didn’t often attack him when he was right next to his Guardians. They waited to separate them first.

Having made his decision he proceeded on the course to the park. Once he reached his destination, he positioned his bike against one of the water fountains and began to look for his friend. His efforts were halted as a rumbling howl made him jump in fright. Wolf? What would he be doing here? Dominic had explained to him in no uncertain terms that the only time he would see him from now on would be in a combat situation. Were there Chimera around here?

Jade spots shone in the darkness as a slender red wolf came into view. Tyrell held his breath and backed away. That wasn’t Wolf. It was Lupe. He fumbled for his cross as the she-wolf cleared the distance between them in a series of fluid bounds. The heavy jacket he was wearing made it difficult for him to reach his relic. With a growl, Lupe lunged at him, snapping her jaws and causing him to trip and fall to the ground. He rolled to the side to avoid her attack and the she-wolf stared at him with mocking eyes.

<Poor lonely Key. No Guardians around and soon to be without one of your watchdogs permanently.>

"What?" shrieked Tyrell, forgetting that the Chimera weren’t supposed to know that he could understand them in animal form. He was just so disturbed by Lupe’s taunt. What did she mean by him losing one of his Guardians permanently? Was she talking about Lucian? Why would the Chimera go after his Guardians instead of him? What was going on?

<Impossible. You shouldn’t be able to know what I’m saying.>

"Where’s the Hell Guardian?" he shouted, no longer caring what the Chimera thought.

<How would I be able to tell you even if I felt like it?> the wolf snarled, watching his movements on the ground for any openings for another attack.

"I doesn’t matter. What have you done to my Guardian?"

<So you can understand me. I should inform my friends after I bring you back to them. About your weak Guardian, forget him. You can’t help him. We’d like to ask him a few questions since you were so uncooperative last time. Maybe with a bit more persuasion, he’ll be nicer to us than you were.>

"You won’t hurt him!" Blinded by rage, Tyrell snapped out his foot and kicked Lupe in the side. He leapt to his feet as the Chimera saw her chance and sprang, sinking her fangs into the offensive leg. Tyrell screamed and fell on his back as the wolf tore at the flesh on his limb, jerking her head from side to side. The boy kicked at her and struggled out of his jacket, using it to cover the beast’s head as he ripped the Cruce from his neck.

Changing it into his sword, he cracked her on the head with the broad side as she tore through the fabric of his jacket. Lupe swooned in a daze for a second and then went for him again. Having trouble moving on his wounded leg, Tyrell stumbled backward, doing his best to stay upright. He called upon the cross’ elemental power and spun a surge of lightning toward his assailant. It caught her in the chest and she crumpled to the ground, yelping in misery.

"Tell me where he is!" he raged, raising his sword to summon another assault. The wolf growled and leapt away from his spell. She changed course and seemed to run away from him, dashing past his legs. Her move confused Tyrell so much that he was unprepared for her sudden turn mid-flight. Lupe hurled herself from the ground and lunged at his back, scraping the skin of his neck with her teeth as her weight carried him to the ground.

He fell on his stomach, landing on the arm that held Divinity and trapping it underneath him. There was no way he could get her off. Her sheer weight pinned him to the ground as she licked the back of his neck in an excruciatingly slow manner.

<Got any cute magic tricks now, Key?>

Tyrell tried to shake her off, feeling the tears of frustration building in his eyes. He had tried so hard to win. His sword was right in his hand and he couldn’t even use it. He was so damn helpless. Why did he even try to delude himself into thinking that he could fight without his Guardians? He was nothing without them. He couldn’t even find out what the Chimera had done to his friend. Pathetic! He was just like what everyone said. A weakling.

Suddenly a rush of scorching energy caressed his form as Lupe was flung away from him, snarling and whimpering. Before she could jump him again, a shot rang out. Tyrell watched as the bullet clipped by her ear. Lupe growled and lowered her body to the earth, glaring at her attackers with wicked jade eyes. The boy lifted his sword, allowing the electric energy to spiral around the blade. He held it at an angle from his hip so that he could send the voltage toward her with a mere flick of his wrist.

Standing there, meeting her unflinching eyes, Tyrell wanted to kill her. She had hurt both him and his pride. In addition, there was the chance that she had hurt his friend. Lupe deserved to die. All he had to do was get in one solid strike with Divinity. No magic, no spells, just plain ordinary swordplay. He knew he could manage it in her trapped condition. She couldn’t possibly stand against him now that she was cornered. The other Guardians were watching her at this moment. He knew it was them who had interfered just now. They would hold her at bay long enough for him to slay her.

But even as these hot-blooded thoughts shot through him, he knew he couldn’t do it. He had told his Guardians that he did not wish to see them kill. Such a moral had to be upheld by him as well. No matter how angry he was with Lupe right now, he could not let his emotions cloud his normal judgment. It was wrong to kill. He would have to let her go.

<What are you waiting for, Key? Attack! Kill me or I will kill you. That is the way this thing works.>

Without lowering his weapon, he glanced back at the beast sizing him up for a plausible ambush. If he couldn’t kill her, maybe he could at least get her to tell him about his friend. He shook his head softly. "No, that is not the way this thing works. I’m not going to kill you. And you were not going to kill me, you want to take me back to your friends."

Lupe slashed at the ground with her paws. <You don’t think that they won’t kill you after they’re finished finding out what you know? Either way, you’ll die unless you finish me now.>

"No, Lupe! I do not live by the Chimera’s code or the Guardians'. I will not take any life."

<And your older friend? Will you not kill to protect him?>

"Tell me where he is, Lupe! I’ll let you live. Tell me!" Tyrell begged, feeling his grip on his sword weaken from the turbulent emotions assaulting his being.

<And if I don’t tell you? Then what will you do? What are you willing to do?> she goaded, backing up slightly with each weary breath. He heard the clicking of a trigger. Erik. She was going to shoot Lupe before she could escape.

"Stop!" he commanded, pivoting on his foot and swinging the sword back at his Guardians so that the power of his element was released intentionally. The wave of energy tore the gun out of Erik’s hand as she screamed at the touch of the electricity on her skin. Her wild chestnut eyes rolled up to meet Tyrell’s in a perfect display of rancor. On Erik’s side, Tashira gawked at his ludicrous action.

Tyrell understood that he was taking a gamble in turning his back on the Chimera. Fortunately, Lupe took in her situation and chose to refrain from attacking. She knew as well as he did that any such move would result in her immediate death at the hands of the Heaven Guardian. Lupe hinted that she was about to flee, but instead threw back her shaggy head, revealing the onyx oval on her neck. A powerful black mist floated from the stone and wrapped around her as it had with Fang’s ring back at the dance. Tyrell guessed that they must be using the same sorcery.

"No!" hollered Tashira as she yanked him out of her way and leapt at Lupe, arcing her Elyssia to create a projectile of celestial power. Her move was too slow and Lupe vanished into the thick clouds of darkness with a final message for Tyrell.

<If you’re unwilling to sacrifice another’s life for your goal, you will never be able to defeat Vincient. The Guardians understand this. Perhaps the loss of one of them will change your mind.>

"NO!" fumed the boy in a voice that put Tashira’s to shame. The Chimera couldn’t. They couldn’t kill Lucian just to make him fight. They wouldn’t. It wasn’t possible. There was no way! "Noooo!"

He couldn’t stop screaming even as he told the Divinity to revert back to the Cruce. Unable to calm himself, his fingers clamped around the relic, pricking the flesh on the sharp edges. His eyes clenched shut and he balanced himself on his hands and knees, shaking and wailing out the denial over and over as if it had become his mantra.

His hysterical cries were broken as a pair of delicate yet firm hands latched onto his shoulders and jostled him vigorously. "Tyrell! Stop that! Stop it at once!"

"What is your damage now, Key?" Erik’s voice grated on his ears, insensitive and cold as usual.

"Shut up, Erik!" countered Tashira’s aggressive tenor as he opened his eyes to realize that it was her who was shaking him. Tashira stopped shaking his body and drew him into her arms, lying her head upon his shoulder. "What’s wrong, Tyrell? Are you hurt? We didn’t notice you receiving any injuries during the fight. Were we wrong? Why were you screaming? Forget about that bitch Erik. Tell me what’s wrong?" she whispered while rubbing his back. Tyrell had to give her credit for this one. Though Tashira seemed like a very pushy girl, she sure knew how to comfort someone. She must have had some practice with her brother.

"Tyrell doesn’t need you coddling him, Tashira. He’s supposed to be a man. He should act like one."

"I said leave him alone! Tyrell talked to the Chimera and I want to know what she said. Maybe it can help my brother. You will not jeopardize my chances of finding out what happened to him, Erik! Anyone who does so DIES!" the silver-haired youth warned, flipping her blade over with one hand.

The boy in her arms pulled back and fell out of her embrace. "Tashira, you know something happened to Lucian?"

"Yes. I found this," she choked, pulling the ruby amulet from her pocket and holding it before Tyrell’s eyes. "There was blood. Luce is hurt. What did that Chimera tell you?" Tashira inquired, setting the gem back in her pants.

"She wouldn’t tell me anything, but I can guess at a few things. I think the Chimera are planning on using Lucian to make me tell them about the Cruce. He’s their bait."

Erik nodded her head from her corner and set the safety back on her weapon. "Ah yes, they did try to trick Solanis into getting caught that time before. They must have been planning to snare a Guardian for some time. Ambrose was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," the blond added nonchalantly.

Tashira sprang away from Tyrell and slapped Erik across the face. "Bitch! That was no accident. That was a trap! They were waiting for Luce. I know my twin. He would have been prepared if he had just run into them. They were already there. Somehow they knew where he was going to be. How did they know? Nobody knew where Luce was going. Nobody except...YOU!"

"What are you implying, Tashira?" Erik questioned with a tinge of malice in her tone.

"Implying! I’m not implying a damn thing! I’m stating a fact! I know what happened to my brother. You set him up!"

With that, Tashira dropped Elyssia and threw herself at the other girl as Erik went to remove the safety. The impact of their bodies knocked the gun from Erik’s hand and Tashira thrust it away with a slap of her hand. She crushed a mound of the blond’s tousled golden mane in her hands and wrenched Erik’s head backward. Erik fought and cursed, pounding at the maddened girl frantically. But none of her usual skill seemed to be able to overcome Tashira’s new strength. The other youth leaned over and stared into her infuriated eyes as she yanked her head further back.

"I knew there was something strange about you. Now, I understand completely. Too bad, your traitorous scheming is over. I’m going to kill you," she spoke in an even voice that sounded devoid of all compassion.

For the last few minutes, Tyrell had been too dazed by the events unfolding in front of them to react. But as he watched Tashira prepare to break the Earth Guardian’s neck, his mind began to function again. He grabbed Tashira under her arms and dragged her away from Erik, hissing and swearing like a teenage bully in the middle of a school yard brawl.

"Don’t Tashira! Erik’s not a traitor. She saved my life. She saved Dominic’s life. She’s one of us," he tried to reason with the insane girl.

"Then how come she’s the only person who spoke to my brother before he was attacked? She was the only person who knew where he was! Let me go! I’ll tear her eyes out!"

"Tashira, this is madness! You must stop! The Guardians can’t fight. You two are worse than Dominic and Lucian."

She elbowed him hard in the gut, forcing him to release her. "Don’t even mention that name in the same sentence as my brother’s! It’s his fault that Lucian ran away to begin with!" The youth went to lunge at Erik again, but the blond had retrieved her weapon and was now leveling it at Tashira’s skull.

"Tyrell is right, Tashira. You have lost your mind. First you accuse me and now you accuse the Sun Guardian. Neither of us is the least responsible for what happened. Get a hold of yourself. You endanger the Key with your behavior," Erik snarled, her finger cocking the trigger into place for a shot.

"Keep talking Erik. You’re just making me want to hurt you even more. I want to make you bleed."

Tyrell couldn’t take this anymore. His Guardians were about to try and kill each other again. God, why couldn’t any of them get along? Tashira was wrong. Erik couldn’t be a traitor. She had saved him from Lupe and taken care of Wolf after the fight. Why would she want to kill another Guardian? That was crazy. Tashira was just letting her emotions control her. This had to stop.

Springing from his bent position on the ground, he tackled Tashira to the ground, rolling her over so that he was straddling her. After receiving many scratches on his arms and hands, he managed to procure her wrists and held them on her chest. He looked at her with a fatigued expression and bowed his head.

"Tashira, this is not helping. You can’t turn against Erik. Your fighting her won’t help your brother."

"This coming from the boy who drove him away," Tashira snapped and then bit her lip as she saw the boy’s face fall into despair. She turned her eyes and tried to correct her cruel words. "Tyrell, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I know it’s not your fault. I just...God, Tyrell, Lucian is all I have. If anything happened to him, I’d kill myself. I swear I would. He’s always been there for me. I can’t live without him."

"Hah! I can hardly believe that this is the same girl who was trying to kill me a few seconds ago. This wretched youth that needs her precious brother for everything," Erik sneered as she kept her gun targeted at Tashira.

"Don’t test me!"

"As much of a firebrand as your sibling. Let me just ask you one thing, dear Tashira. If I wanted to hurt Ambrose, why would I have showed you where I thought he was going? Why would I have helped you at all? Does the enemy usually aid the opposing party in finding their comrades?"

This statement struck a cord in Tyrell as he found himself accepting Erik’s defense. He stared at Erik while murmuring something to the girl beneath him. "She’s right. It doesn’t make sense. She wouldn’t have helped you if she was working for the Chimera. Erik is on our side. It was just a freaky coincidence that she talked to him earlier."

"There’s no such thing as a coincidence," groaned Tashira.

"Well, this is. I don’t believe that any of my Guardians are traitors. I trust them. Even Erik."

"Your faith is your greatest weakness, Tyrell."

"Don’t say that, Tashira. Your brother would not like to have seen you acting so rash. Now, please promise me that you won’t try to hurt Erik again so I can let you up. We have work to do," Tyrell coaxed, shifting his position to let the girl to her feet while still holding her wrists.

"You have my word," she consented with an air of bitterness in her tone. "I won’t try to touch the bitch."

Erik gave a dull laugh and pulled back her gun. "As if you ever could."

Tashira cussed under her breath and then lifted herself up as Tyrell unwrapped his fingers from her wrists. She massaged the tender skin that Tyrell had to pinch down on to insure that she didn’t escape. Regretting his previous actions, Tyrell made an attempt to touch her shoulder, but she leapt back from him. Then, as if realizing how she was treating her charge, she hung her head and clasped her hands behind her back.

"You should go home, Tyrell. We don’t want to give the Chimera another go at your capture."

"I can’t go home. I want to help find Lucian!" the boy refused as his eyes shone with desperation.

"No!" thundered Tashira as she held her sword to block the boy from getting close to her. "You have done enough. Besides you are a Key. I cannot risk your safety."

"Forget about that crap! I don’t care if I’m a damn Key! I want to help my friend! What you said was true. It was my fault that he was so upset. I want to make up for it. I have to go!"

"Key, you will stay put if I have to chain you to your house. The Chimera want you. Once they have you, Luce is as good as dead. You are not going anywhere."

"Please Tashira! I have to help! I have to..." sobbed Tyrell as he tried to move past Tashira’s blade. Erik caught him by the back of his collar and dragged him away from the other girl.

"Listen to her, Tyrell. You will just get in the way," she informed with a grim stare.

The silver-haired girl turned her head to the blond and bore into her with fierce gray eyes. "As will you, Earth Guardian. This is family business. You stay away from it."

"And as the boy told you before, I am also a Guardian. This is my fight as well."

"This is not your fight. I don’t want you anywhere near my brother until I can determine exactly what happened. If you want to prove your loyalty, then just make sure that Tyrell doesn’t try to play a hero on us. Keep a tight watch on him and don’t let him try to go off on his own. We are already down two Guardians, the last thing we need is a missing Key," Tashira directed in a more composed voice than she had been showing the majority of the night. She transformed her sword back into the opal and glanced back at Tyrell with an imploring expression. "Luce would never forgive me if I let something happen to you. That is why you must stay here."

Her charge was beside himself with agony. He knew that she was right and that Lucian would be very unhappy if he ran off to fight the Chimera when they were clearly setting up a trap. But he couldn’t just let Tashira do this all by herself. He couldn’t allow any more of his Guardians to disappear. Why couldn’t Tashira understand this?

"You can’t do this by yourself. Who’s going to help you? I know that you’re smart, Tashira, but you never fight. You’re not as skilled as the others are. How do expect to win?" he posed, bringing up any fact that might cause Tashira to change her mind about letting him help her.

"I will come up with something. Either way, I refuse to allow her to aide me and I cannot allow you to provide assistance either," the girl replied as she walked to where Erik had parked her car. Her other companions followed her, Erik holding the protesting Tyrell by his upper arm.

"But there are no other Guard..." Erik argued as she broke off suddenly as if remembering something.

Tashira removed her bicycle from the back-seat of the vehicle and climbed onto it. She set the bike into motion, yelling out her final instructions to the blond as she took off. "Take Tyrell home and make sure that he stays there."

Tyrell tried to pull away from Erik with a quick lunge. "Tashira! Let me go, Erik! Let go! Tashira! You can’t do this. I can fight too! Tashira!" Erik tightened her grip and forced him over to the car. The boy struggled against her and kept shooting dejected glances back at the girl on the bike.

She wasn’t going to let him follow. As usual, both Guardians considered him too weak to help. How was Tashira going to retrieve Lucian now? She couldn’t possibly do it on her own. None of the Guardians were good at individual combat. Well, there was one Guardian who seemed to specialize in such a technique, but he certainly wasn’t going to lift a finger at this situation. Still, who was he to stand up against his Guardians? He had tried it before and his current loss was his reward. Why make it any worse? But there had to be some way.

He slammed himself down on the seat and buried his face in his hands. "Take me home, Erik. Just take me home."

"You’re giving up that easily?"

"What else can I do?"

"It just doesn’t seem like you. You’re not as stubborn as the rest of the lot, but I have noticed that you have your valiant causes that spur you to grow a spine. I figured that this was one of them," Erik remarked, showing that she was obviously questioning his motives.

"Well, you were wrong," the Key growled.

"Indeed."

Yes, indeed. So perhaps Erik could sense that he was up to something. She still couldn’t do anything about it unless she knew exactly what he planned to do. For the moment, the ball was in his field. Maybe he couldn’t help in the conventional way, but he did have one very valuable asset. The Cruce.

Tashira wracked her brain to think of how she could help her brother. Tyrell had stated her problem perfectly. She was a strategist not a fighter. Lucian took care of all of the physical aspects of their position. What good would she be in a fight? That couldn’t matter now. She had to do something.

A low baying howl of one of the city dogs shook her as she jerked the bike to a stop. She saw the dog sitting on the street with its head lifted back. It was just a common mongrel, scruffy hair and bright blue eyes. Hearing her approach, the dog flattened its ears and barked at her, baring his fangs. They were yellowed and worn. ‘White fangs. Unusual for a wolf.’ The phrase sprang to mind as she had read it upon the computer screen. ‘Black fur and stunning violent eyes. Many would pay a handsome sum to get a good look at such a creature.’

"I’ve got to be going crazy. Why am I thinking of him?" Tashira asked herself as she smacked herself in the head.

‘Lone Wolf Nicky thinks he can take on the whole world by himself. He doesn’t think he needs the Guardians. He’s just one big bad fighter.’

The dog interrupted her thoughts as its barks got more high-pitched in its anger at her not leaving. "Calm down, boy. I’m not going to stay long," she soothed as she held out her palms to the beast. It staggered forward and licked her hands cautiously. She ruffled its fur and backed away slowly as the dog’s presence caused another conversation to click in her memory.

‘He can turn into a wolf? That’s impossible.’

A beast? A wolf. The Sun Guardian, Dominic. He was a loner and their most talented fighter. Dominic had a better chance of getting her brother out of this alive than she did. But would he help her after telling Lucian that he would never fight with them again? Was it even safe as to place her brother’s life in the hands of one who had repeatedly hurt him?

She finally had her idea. The tricky part was going to be making herself accept it. Should she actually call upon the Sun Guardian for help? He had abandoned them. It was his fault that Lucian had become so unstable. He had ruined him and now she was considering going to him for assistance.

Maybe Lucian’s insanity was contagious. She didn’t even trust Dominic. But Lucian did. Lucian had shown more faith in the Sun Guardian than anybody else they had ever met. There had to be some reason he cared about him so much. It was up to her to find out what that reason was.

The darkness was doing a fair job of shielding her as she approached the field. This was where the website had described as the place where the black wolf was known to frequent. It was her only shot at locating the one she wished to find. The task of tracking it down had taken her most of last night trying to decipher the information on the computer and up until tonight to locate the place in the real world. Ironic how the one she wished to find was the same one that she had spent most of her time despising for the past month. Like this place, he was her last shot. He was the only thing that could truly save her brother. She might be able to bring Lucian back home (with a colossal amount of luck), but she wouldn’t be able to bring him back to the Lucian she knew. Only one individual could do that.

Looking over the hill, she saw a pair of wolves engaged in some form of play, the smaller one nipping at the larger one’s throat with coaxing noises. The larger wolf ignored its junior for a while only choosing to growl warningly or nudge at it with its paw. Then the smaller creature ventured too far and closed its sharp teeth over the delicate flesh its companion’s ear. It gave a small tug as the other wolf whirled around and bared its yellowed fangs. Snapping at the smaller wolf, it forced it to the ground and sank its teeth into the hairy ruff of the throat. The pinned animal whined and pulled its tail between its legs, giving the dominant wolf a repentant glance. Just for good measure, the larger wolf gave a painful-looking jerk of its head, causing the other one to yelp and lick its muzzle pleadingly. Then the larger wolf released its quarry, allowing it to scurry away with a piteous whine.

Both wolves pricked their ears as a long-winded howl echoed through the air. They broke into a excited run and vanished into the night, slivers of moonlight speckling the ragged gray coat of the larger one and the soft creamy chocolate fur of its companion. They were both beautiful animals, but neither wore the black pelt that Tashira longed to see. They provided her with little comfort, only sadness at their familiar antics.

She heard a swish in the grass ahead as an adorable dusty brown rabbit raced by. The way its tiny feet kicked up dirt as it ran raised Tashira’s dour mood a bit and she giggled with delight. It was just so cute. Her amusement was cut short as a deep-throated snarl caused her to lift her eyes. Another wolf, much bigger than the previous beasts, sprang from the thicket and charged after the rabbit. Tashira held a hand to her mouth to stop her scream. Then she caught sight of its eyes. Its exotic amethystine eyes. Intoxicating violet orbs that glowed with a primal yearning for meat.

Though she had never seen Wolf before, she had often heard Lucian describe him to her in flowery praises. None of these narratives even came close to illustrating the raw splendor that was the beast before her. It took all of Dominic’s uncanny aesthetic appearance and brought it down to its purest form. Wolf was simply awing. This was the creature that Dominic had wanted to live as? Tashira almost found it hard to blame the boy.

As her eyes pulled away from the captivating creature, she began to remember just why had come out here at this time of night. It wasn’t just to run with the wolves. Lucian was in real danger and she needed someone who could bring him back to her. Whether Wolf loved his new life or not, he still had to understand that his presence was needed. He had to return to the Guardians just this once. Dominic owed it to Lucian for what he had done to her charming brother.

But she needed a way to get Wolf’s attention. He had blood on his mind and was probably not going to respond to some high-pitched shout. Blood? That was it. The amulet had been speckled with Lucian’s blood. It had to stir something inside Wolf to know that his ex-partner had been injured. She reared back her hand and threw the jewel out to the field with all her might.

"I know you’ll recognize this, Dominic," the girl whispered as her eyes followed the relic’s descent.

Blades of grass rubbed against his robust black legs as he tore after his prey. Hot blood thudded inside his ears. The rabbit’s heart beat like the fluttering of a bird’s wings, swift and erratic. It was scared of him. He could taste it in the air, the sweet rush of fear exhilarating his senses. He loved the feeling. It was almost powerful enough to drown out the raging hunger inside him. Almost.

Tensing his muscles, he waited for the rabbit to make its next turn, exposing the curvature of its fragile neck. He could see the soft gray form that represented the animal with the black mist in the background. The diluted red lines surrounding the trembling body of the rabbit began to gleam as he felt his paws leave the ground in a fluid leap. His jaws opened, killer fangs appearing from the withdrawn lips.

This was his element. This was what gave him the greatest joy; the thrill of the hunt and the ecstasy of the kill. Nothing else mattered. He was the wolf, a creature of the darkness, one that needed no one. One who wanted no one. He was free.

Glistening curved fangs sank into warm furred flesh, shattering the thin vertebrae. His prey stopped its struggles as his massive jaws broke its neck, killing it instantly. Death throes wracked its body and the succulent blood gushed over his tongue. The euphoria of the moment wrapped around him, cleansing his dirty human thoughts and bringing him back to the primal world. He settled down to enjoy his kill.

A spark of red filled his half-lidded eyes as a new scent permeated his keen nose. Wait a second. Wolves weren’t supposed to be able to see red. What light could be bright enough to shine through his usual vision of gray and black. He sniffed at the air to clarify his senses. There was the familiar musk of the territorial pack heightened by the thick scent of the alpha male. They were rendezvousing tonight. He had heard their elated calls as they shouted out their glee at reuniting with each other. Their passionate howls rang in his attuned ears. The sound had once seemed so majestic. Now it just seemed dull and melancholy as it summoned memories of a particular night. A night where play had met passion. A night that he could no longer forget no matter how hard he tried. This was stupid. He was a wolf. Wolves didn’t think of such trivial incidents.

Suddenly he realized that the invading smell was no beast of the wild. This was the scent of a much more dangerous creature, one that terrified him more than any dangers of the night. It was the same musk as those who had both brought warming light into his life and those who had plunged it into an agonizing hell. This was a human.

He dropped his dead quarry on the ground and followed the strange ruby glow that had crossed his vision, drawn by the enthralling smell cascading from its light. His paws padded on the dirt and his nose dipped low to pick up more to lead him. The scent was faint yet oddly familiar. But it was not of the human that he was used to tracking down in this form. Nonetheless, it had crossed his senses more times than could be counted.

Wolf crept forward through the darkness. Some drifting clouds had obscured the moon's crescent, but that didn’t bother him. He didn’t need the moonlight anymore. Pulsing red luminescence guided his violet eyes, pulling him ever closer to his answers. The aura of the light filled him with rich power and he rumbled inside his throat. There was only one thing he knew that could give him this feeling of enhanced energy. The object he was nearing was a Shard. Not only that, it was the Shard of a Guardian, an amulet. So those intrusive teenagers had come to find him. He had thought that he had done an adequate job of keeping himself hidden from prying eyes. Even his usual nature seekers had been unable to catch a quick glimpse at him. He had stuck to the shadows, only venturing out at night to hunt. Tonight he had sensed a disturbance with one of his Keys, but it had passed soon enough that rushing to the boy’s aid had not been necessary. If the Key was fine, then why were the Guardians here? He would teach them the error of their ways. Nobody hunted him. Wolf was his own team now.

As he got closer to the source of the reddish hue, his eyes fell upon a motionless globule emitting a faded crimson glow. The owner of the gem flashed through his mind’s eye and he shook his head harshly. He didn’t need these memories. As he moved, an even more familiar odor flowed through the air. It matched that of the scent pouring from the rabbit’s carcass except that it was weaker and not as fresh. This was blood. Not just blood, but human’s blood.

Sniffing at the item again, he pricked his ears and lifted his head, glancing around the area. Where was the owner of the ruby relic? How could he be so scatter-brained as to leave his means of power in an open field like this? He was such a foolish child. Still, the aroma of the dried blood sent chills through him. If the youth had been here, why hadn’t he noticed him? And that tainted smell of blood, what did it mean? Was the Guardian hurt? Why was he even worrying about it? He wasn’t part of that group anymore. Wolf was wild and free. He was perfect.

That was when he noticed the scattered droplets creating a dark blemish on the face of the ruby. The rusty marks on the gem seemed to indicate that the relic had been forcefully torn away from its owner who had been holding it at the time. This meant that he had been in a fight. A fight where he had lost his globule. Fear shot through his brain and he backed away from the amulet, choking on the anxiety that beset him.

At the same instant that he was recoiling, he heard the echo of approaching footsteps. Someone else was here. Perhaps, it was the Guardian who claimed the prone amulet. Maybe he had gotten away from his fight and dropped it on his way home. It was possible that some wild creature could have found it and carted it back here. Why was he getting all edgy over such a menial trinket? It wasn’t like him to jump to conclusions. Besides, he had other matters to worry about at the moment. He had to found out who was getting closer to him.

He sank to the grass so that he could feel the figure’s movements through the still earth. A menacing growl rose from him as the figure drew even closer. His body set itself for a hasty spring if needed.

Then the mysterious form came upon him with a hysterical cry. "Dominic!"

Tashira. That was the name given to the Heaven Guardian, the girl who stood before him with uncertainty shimmering in her wide silver eyes. She was looking down at the stained relic and then back at him over and over again, shaking with either fear or despair. The girl looked hideous. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were dull and blood-shot. She looked like she hadn’t slept in a while; not to mention that she was unbelievably filthy and unkempt. What had she gotten herself into? No doubt she had trailed her twin on one of his twisted exploits.

"I know that’s you, Dominic," the girl spoke again with stronger inflection in her voice. "Wolves aren’t supposed to have purple eyes."

Wolf snarled again, bristling in pure fury, while his eyes burned in mute rage. She would not force him back! The Guardians were no longer his concern. He just wanted to be left in peace. Was that so much to ask? He prepared to run as he saw Tashira graze the opal jewel on her throat with a long lime fingernail. Her eyes flashed their warning.

"If you try to leave, I’ll use my power against you. You are either with me or against me, Sun Guardian," she threatened, scraping the opal so that her actions produced a painful screech on the cold stone.

The animal winced and flattened his ears, turning away from the youth. Damn his sensitive hearing! He just couldn’t manage to escape that grating sound. Wolf shook his head jarringly, shutting his eyes and bowing his head. Her pleased smile greeted him whenever he squinted at her. She was enjoying this. Well, the girl always did like to see him suffer. All he needed now was for her brother to show up and refine the effect. Where was he?

"Dominic, it took me the whole day to find you and you will listen to me, otherwise I will make you very very sorry."

There she went threatening him again. What was her blasted problem? Didn’t she have better things to do than torment a wolf that just wanted to enjoy his dinner. It was the only thing that he had been able to acquire all day. She could show a little sympathy.

"I need your help. I need you to come back to the Guardians," Tashira requested, stepping near him.

Never! She had no right to force him to do anything. He would not return to the Guardians. They would just have to handle their problems by themselves. The others were capable youths. Wolf snapped at her and lowered his head with bared fangs.

"Damn you, Dominic. I hate you! Do you know how hard it is for me to do this? To ask you for help? If I had any other option, I would take it. I can’t stand trying to reason with you." More nasty growls served as her only response. "I don’t care what you wish to be. You are a Guardian! It is in your blood! Your destiny. You can’t hide from that."

Who was hiding? He wasn’t hiding. If the Keys needed him, he would know it and he would act accordingly. Everything else was somebody else’s problem. He needn’t be involved. Tashira was preaching to the wrong soul. He wouldn’t buy into her pity act.

"So you will continue to pretend to be a wolf? A spineless, weak-minded, self-centered beast!"

Now, she was going too far. Such slanderous words deserved a proper reply. He lunged at her, catching her low in the chest and crushing her against the ground. Another feral snarl crawled out of his throat and he snapped his jaws in her face. He knew he was acting mean and he didn’t give a damn. Tashira had no right to speak to him in such callous terms. She didn’t know anything about him.

"Kill me! Do it! Because that’s the only way I’m leaving here without your promise to help me. I have to find someone to help Lucian," the teenager challenged as she spread out her arms and offered her throat to Wolf in defiance.

Angered at her disregard of his threat, he rolled off the youth and stood on his feet, snarls causing his taunt flesh to ripple through his dark pelt. What was she screaming about now? Why did the Hell Guardian need their help? What had the idiotic boy gone and gotten himself into this time? His kink for danger was certainly not kind on his being.

Just then, Tashira’s foot caught him in the belly, nearly flipping him off his feet from the power of the kick. "You’re a coward, you hear me? You’re a coward! You stupid, mangy cur!" She kicked him again, this time in the side. Wolf stumbled on his feet and bit at her swinging leg. His teeth missed their target and she landed a swift blow to his nose this time. Pain lanced through the tender area and he jumped back, wiping at the bruised flesh with his paw. Tashira picked up the necklace and prepared to swing it at his head. "Luce is more of a Guardian than you’ll ever be. He knows how to stand and fight. He knows how to be a man! As for you, you’re just a frightened little boy who's too much of a chicken-shit to accept your calling."

COWARD! He was no coward! Just because he didn’t want to fight with their helpless lot didn’t mean he was a coward. He would show her who was a coward. Acting completely on his emotions, Wolf howled in rage and leapt at her. Tashira blocked him with her arm, allowing his fangs to slice across the unprotected skin of the limb.

The blood in his mouth brought him back to his senses and he pulled away from her, his eyes still alight with blood lust. He turned his head and waited for her next strike. She would not provoke him into attacking again. Warnings were one thing, but he was not base enough to kill one of the Keys’ Guardians. He knew better than that.

Tashira placed her hand upon the inside of her elbow and brought the hand all the way down her arm, wiping the red liquid from the milky white flesh. She glared at Wolf once more and rubbed her sticky hand across his muzzle before he could move. He whimpered and jerked his head away as she laughed at his efforts. "What’s wrong, Dominic? I thought you enjoyed hurting an Ambrose. You never seemed to find it so awful when you were releasing your wrath on my brother. Now you run? Are you afraid? What are you afraid of? Losing your humanity? Because it’s already too late! You are not human!"

Her words seemed to generate a reaction in the back of his mind. Some part of him wanted to prove her wrong. He subconsciously recalled the wolf, exchanging it for his more anthropomorphic aspects. Before he even realized it, he was sitting on the cold ground looking up at Tashira with the complete color spectrum at his disposal. He didn’t even have to look down at his hands to know that he was no longer Wolf.

Wiping away the disgusting smears of blood on his face, he gazed back at his adversary. Unable to think of anything else to say at the moment, he retorted against her slurs with the first thing that entered his mind. "What do you want from me?"

"Well, if it isn’t Dominic Solanis. The reluctant Guardian back in the flesh. Perhaps now that you’ve had your canine fun, you’re ready to listen to me?"

"You said your brother needed help? Why? Ambrose is a smart boy and he’s a halfway decent fighter. He should be all right. Why come to me?" Dominic replied, at loss for any other topic of conversation. Not to mention that part of him was insisting that he find out what Tashira had meant. Could the other boy be in trouble? Humph. Why did he care? It wasn’t like they were partners anymore. All ties between them had been severed. This wasn’t his problem.

"Luce is hurt. You sensed the blood on the amulet I assume," Tashira answered, sweeping the ruby globule off the ground and hugging it to her chest. "He needs your help."

"Hurt?" the boy gasped as the word sent a pang through him. "How bad?"

"I don’t know. I don’t even know where he is. But without the Shard, he can’t fight properly. He’s in serious danger."

Dominic hung his head and clenched his fist. "That...that’s not my problem. What happens to the other Guardians no longer involves me. You’ll just have to handle this yourselves. Leave me be."

"You son of a bitch!" the silver-haired youth shrieked as she slapped him across the face with her nails, cutting him deep enough to draw a steady stream of blood upon his cheek. It welled up on his skin and formed a sharp line down to his neck. "This is all your fault! He cared about you and it nearly destroyed him. You’ve taken my brother from me. I’ll die before I see you sit back and allow him to suffer. Don’t you care about him at all? After all the kindness that he’s shown you, don’t you have any reciprocating feelings? Or are you just a mindless beast?"

The boy touched a hand to his face, feeling the blood soak his fingertips. He rubbed them together in a morbid fashion and refused to face the furious girl. How dare she accuse him of such nonsense? He hadn’t done anything to her twin. The only thing that he had done was understand that his presence was hazardous to the other youth. He had left to protect him. How could she tell him that he didn’t care? She didn’t know anything.

"Shut up, Tashira! I'm sick of you bullying me into your schemes. Your harsh words will not drive me to do your bidding ever again. I am not a part of your group. You can’t make me do a thing. I only helped Ambrose before because he was my partner. We have no such bond now and I have no moral obligations to any of you. Find someone else to help," he spat.

"There is no one else! I can’t do anything because I have little skill in battle. I’m willing to admit that. The Keys cannot help because it would jeopardize their safety. And I do not trust Erik enough to entrust her to this task."

"You never trusted me either. Why now? What made you turn to me? I know you hate me. Why ask me for help?"

"Because Luce trusted you. For some mind-boggling reason, he trusted you and saw something special in you. You meant something to him, Dominic. I don’t know what, but you were important. As much as I detest your basic existence, I have to face the fact that Luce cared about you. Someone that my brother could think so highly of can’t possibly be all bad."

"Touching. I’m deeply moved, Tashira. But I’m not helping you. I can no longer risk my involvement," Dominic stated, standing up and turning his back on the other youth.

"What are you talking about? Why can’t you help? We need you. He would have leapt at the chance to help you if you were in danger. You know he would have. Luce would give his life for you," urged Tashira, rushing in front of Dominic and pushing him backward.

"Well, I guess it’s a good thing that Ambrose and I aren’t the same, isn’t it?"

"What’s wrong with you? Do you wish to see your old partner dead?"

"You wouldn’t understand...What do you mean by dead? You just said he was hurt. What aren’t you telling me?" demanded the dark-haired youth as he snatched Tashira’s shirt and yanked her over to him. "What exactly happened to your brother?"

Tashira detached his fingers from her clothing and pushed him back again. "The Chimera have him. They will try to force him to tell them about the Keys and the Cruce. Luce would die before he revealed anything. He would let them kill him. If he’s hurt enough to get caught, he can’t be strong enough to fight back. They’re going to kill my brother."

Kill. The word impaled him as if it were made up of actual steel instead of cold breaths of air. He hadn’t thought that the younger boy was in that much trouble. The youth really did need help. Still, it couldn't be from him. He had sworn to stay away from the Hell Guardian and that was precisely what he planned to do. This stuff wasn’t supposed to matter anymore. He wasn’t supposed to care about any of this. Caring just led to pain. He knew that. Why couldn’t he convince himself that he was doing the right thing?

"I can’t...I won’t help you, Tashira. Your brother means nothing to me. Nothing!" he lied through his teeth, hating the way his heartless words rang through his ears. "If you want to save him, then do it yourself. I will only interfere in this matter if it involves the Keys. You say your brother won’t betray his charges, then I have no business in this. If Ambrose is loyal, the Keys are safe."

His companion tilted her head to the side, giving him an inquisitive look, very much like the expression used by her twin. "So you trust Luce enough to allow the Chimera to hold him and question him?"

"I believe your brother knows his responsibilities. He cares for the Keys. Ambrose would not wish to harm them."

"And if it kills him to do so?"

"That’s a sacrifice all of us should be willing to make when the time comes. That’s our fate. When it comes down to our charges or us, we take the dive. Being a Guardian you should understand this, Tashira," Dominic noted as he gave her a stoic glance.

"You trust him that much, yet you care nothing about him?" pursued the girl, moving from side to side to block all of his attempts to leave.

"That’s right."

"I don’t believe you."

"What?"

"Where’s your ring, Dominic? I saw Nadia give it to you. It was your mother’s, right? What did it look like again? Oh, I remember. It was made of white gold with a large amethyst centerpiece and two gorgeous zircon chips serving as accompaniments. What else? Let’s see...oh, there was writing on the inside of the band. A name. Does Selene sound familiar? Such a pretty piece of jewelry. Bet you’re wondering how I know all of this. Well, I did get a rather good look at it. Every single time I wanted to look at my brother. That’s how much he wore it. Every single second of his life. Now, should I try and guess who gave it to him?" Tashira cooed even as she hissed the words through her teeth. Dominic tried to turn from her and she grabbed his shoulder and brought his face back to hers. "So who gave him the ring, Dominic? It certainly couldn’t have been the gift of a selfish bastard like you!"

Dominic didn’t know how to respond to that. The redhead wore his ring? All the time? Why? At most, he had hoped that the younger teenager would have placed it in a special box or something. He had never fathomed that he would wear it. His ex-partner must have cared for him more than he had thought. It wasn’t just the addiction. No. That couldn’t be the case. There had to be some other reason for the boy to wear his ring. He just couldn’t think of it right now.

The girl was clutching at the fabric on his shoulder, unwanted tears damping the clothes. Her face had changed from the hard mask into an expression of utter sorrow and helplessness. "Please Dominic, I don’t know what else to do. I can’t lose Lucian. I need your help. He needs you. I don’t care what you say, I know that you aren’t totally indifferent to him. Lucian would not care for a soulless being. There’s a humane boy somewhere within all that darkness that surrounds you. I need you to find him. I need you to help. I’m begging you. Please help me."

"What do you expect me to do?" Dominic sighed, pushing her off him.

"You can find him. I know you can, Dominic. Just bring him back to me. I don’t want anything to happen to him."

"If I brought him back to you, then I’d never have to see you people ever again?"

"I don’t know. You have to promise to bring him back to me. I want my brother back. The person he has become is not the child I grew up with. Fix what you have done. Once you have done this, you can do whatever you wish," she proposed, tossing Dominic the ruby amulet.

He snatched it from the air and gave her a confused look. "I don’t understand. What have I done?"

"Only Luce can answer that question. Do you promise to bring him back to me?"

This was too hard. Part of him wanted to go after the Hell Guardian and save him as Tashira begged. But part of him was too afraid to risk another encounter with the boy. It just meant more pain. Yet, Tashira had said that her brother was in dire need of help. She had implied that somehow his departure had left him weak and perfect prey for the Chimera. Could that be true? Had he hurt his companion even though he had left?

This suggestion seemed to call to something inside him. He couldn’t let the Chimera hurt the youth. The Hell Guardian had always come to his aid. When he had been with him, it had almost been like being with Aiden again. Such a feeling was worth something. Yes, that’s how he could think of it. He would help the boy as a reward for the brief minutes of joy that he had sought to bring him on occasion. This way it wouldn’t have to be personal. It could just be another task.

"Alright. I will help your brother...Alone! You stay."

"Seriously?" inquired Tashira as she scrutinized him for ulterior motives.

"Yeah," her companion responded in a lifeless tone.

"You believe that I will get in your way?"

"Good guess."

"You’re probably right. I’m not afraid to admit it. So as long as you help Luce, I will leave you to your own devices, Sun Guardian."

"See that you do, Heaven Guardian," Dominic retorted with a bit of spite in his tone. "One must be prepared for any circumstances and I fear that you would lose heart if certain events were to occur."

"Lucian won’t betray Tyrell," the girl emphasized as if fearing that he had some foul play in mind for her twin. "You must believe that."

"I know," the other youth murmured as he undid his necklace and dropped the ruby down the chain so that it stopped against his. He re-attached the jewelry with its clasp and turned again from Tashira.

"Do you promise that you will help him and bring him back to me?"

Dominic stepped away from the youth and started to rush off into the woods, caressing his sun amulet in preparation to turn back into the wolf. "I promise," he concurred in a thick growl as his wolf form took over completely.

"I will trust you this once. Don’t make me regret this decision," Tashira warned the beast as he snorted and dashed into the darkness.

There was something he had to get if he wanted to start his little mission. This task required answers to some questions that had been plaguing him ever since his running away last month. He had not forgotten the item that someone had once promised would bring him his answers. It was high time to test Erik’s intriguing theory.

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