Terror sank into him. Where was she? She had just been on the swings a few minutes ago. Where could she have gone in such a small amount of time? Nadia was not a very fast runner like him. He raced through the park, screaming out her name and hoping to catch a glimpse of blue-black hair or that navy blue bow she loved to wear in her hair. It was getting late. Nadia couldn’t be out here all by herself. She was too young. There was also the fact that Loren would probably blame this on him and use it as a reason to beat him in front of Atina. But Loren’s opinion was nothing compared to the simple fear he felt at thinking that his dear Nadia was lost.

"Nadia! Nadia! Answer me, Nadia! Please! Nadia, where are you? NADIA!" he begged, nearly tripping over his feet as he ran along the ground. "Nadia!"

"Hey kid!" a light-hearted voice called out from behind him.

Startled, he twisted his body to turn around, turning too quick for the other leg to catch up. He swayed on his legs and then crashed to the ground in a sloppy motion. One of the bruises on his left arm smacked into a misshapen rock on the ground, causing it to throb with the agony that he had felt upon receiving it. Dominic shrieked and rolled onto his back, pressing his palm down on the bruise. He felt the tears pearling at the sides of his eyes and sucked in a hissing breath.

"Whoa! Are you okay?" inquired the previous voice as a dark-haired man held him by the other arm and lifted him to his feet. He examined him with a pair of illustrious jade eyes as he offered a smile to solace him. "Geez kid, I’m so sorry if I scared you. I just thought that maybe you could tell me if you knew...." The man’s voice stuck in his throat as he traced Dominic’s features with his eyes. Suddenly, the green orbs became large and bright. "Dominic!!! I never thought I would see you again, Dominic Solanis. I can’t believe I found you," he whispered in awe as he reached out and adjusted the boy’s hair with a caress of his fingers.

Dominic responded to the touch as if it were on fire, breaking away from the older man and scurrying backward. "Who...who are you?"

The man looked hurt by his flight and hung his hands at his sides. "What’s wrong, Dominic? Did I hurt you somehow?"

"How do you know my name? I don’t know you," snapped the boy, not sure if he should run from the stranger or not. He did feel an odd sort of connection to him and the man didn’t seem to be trying to hurt him. It would have been better if he had not touched him though. Dominic only knew one kind of touch from an adult and it did not carry a soothing message.

"Selene never told you about me? I mean I told her not to say too much. But after I saw you the first time, I did feel bad about leaving. I wanted to stay with you. I just...couldn’t. Not then. But I think thing’s are better now. I would like to be part of her circle again. I miss her and you, Dominic," the man replied, fishing in his pocket for something as he spoke.

"Selene? The only Selene I know was my mother. She died a long time ago."

"Dead? Selene? She can’t be!" sobbed the other figure, his face going white as a tear wandered down his jawbone. "I thought she had a little more time."

His younger companion was baffled by the conversation. How did this guy know his mother? If he were her friend, wouldn’t he have known of her passing? He was tired of being kept in the dark. Wracked with bewildered thoughts, he slammed his foot down on the ground and fixed the man with a half-angry, half-frantic stare.

"Who are you? I’m not supposed to talk to strangers and I’m going to walk away unless you tell me right now," he warned in a thick tone.

"I guess you wouldn’t know. My name is Aiden Fenric. I was a very good friend of your mother’s. She made me promise to take care of you if something happened to her," Aiden told him as he pulled a tiny circlet from his pocket. He showed it to the boy in front of him. Dominic took the ring and passed it before his eyes, marveling at the impressive gemstones and the sleek white-gold band. Aiden made an attempt to catch his wrist, but the child leapt back again.

Eyes clouding with defeat, Aiden pulled away his hand and ran his hand through the medium-length ponytail at the back of his head. It fell a little past his neck and trembled with his movements. Dominic recalled what Loren told him about men who wore their hair long. He had said that they were twisted individuals who would rather look like girls than men. Dominic had always thought that the style was bold. If Loren hadn’t dragged him off to the barber every six months, he would have liked to have his hair longer. Instead, he was left with this stupid mess that barely reached the middle of his neck. How lucky Aiden must be to be allowed to do whatever he wanted with his life? He wished he were an adult so he could finally be free of his family.

Not waiting for the boy to say what he thought of the ring, Aiden pointed to the jewelry and a look passed over his face as if brought by some fond memory. "That has been my good-luck charm for eight years, Dominic. It was your mother’s. She gave it to me when she started to feel really sick again. I think she knew that she wasn’t going to be around for much longer. So she made me promise to find you again and make sure you were safe. I have been looking for you for such a long time. You moved only a year after I last saw Selene. You see, I had to find you because a promise is something that should bind one completely. It must never be broken. You were our promise, Dominic. I’m glad I’ve been given the chance to see you again. You’re more important than you realize."

Him important? That was a lark. Aiden obviously didn’t know much about him at all. He wasn’t important. He was just here to keep Nadia company. Nobody beside her even cared about what happened to him. Well, Aiden was new to his life. He would learn soon enough.

"You don’t need to look after me. I already have people who are supposed to do that. Loren and Atina," he informed while Aiden nodded his head.

"I see. Your father found himself another wife."

"He’s not my father! He’s just Loren. He doesn’t deserve any other title but that."

Aiden looked shocked at his words and then shrugged as if it was nothing important. "Sometimes parents and kids don’t get along. Loren is a bit of a jerk from time to time. But I’m sure you’ll get along when you get older."

"Hah! I doubt that!" scoffed Dominic, hugging himself tightly as memories of yesterday’s fight came back to his mind.

He had thought that his ankle was broken after Loren had pushed him over the chair. Later, he had found to his relief that it was just sprained badly. He could fake a normal walk for a while. What was the fight about again? It had been something about Loren hearing how he had managed to talk Atina into letting him and Nadia get their ears pierced. He didn’t even know what Loren had done with his earring after he had forced him to take it out of his ear. Part of him wished he had it back. The amethyst stud had been expensive and it had looked nice.

"It’s getting late. Do you know where your parents are? They should give you a ride home," Aiden suggested.

"I don’t know. I’m just looking for my sister, Nadia."

"Really?" exclaimed the man as an excited grin spread across his face. I found this girl around the snow cone stand. I think she was scared to talk to me, but she agreed to wait on that bench over there for her brother to show up. Black hair, blue-violet eyes. She yours?"

Hearing the location of his sibling, Dominic dashed over to the bench that Aiden had pointed out and stopped short of throwing himself on his sister when he saw her curled up on the bench. Nadia saw him and embraced him at once. "Dominic, I want to go home. Where’s Mommy?" Then, she seemed to notice the man that had walked up behind Dominic. "Who’s he?"

"Does Loren know who you are?" Dominic mouthed to the older figure and Aiden shook his head in a negative gesture. The boy turned back to his sister and pointed to Aiden with a subtle smile. "That’s Selene’s older brother. He’s my uncle."

The older child couldn’t believe the lie he was telling Nadia. But Nadia was too young to understand just why he trusted a strange older man who claimed to be an old friend of his mother’s. It seemed weird to him as well. Yet, he felt as though Aiden was telling the truth. Upon inspection of the ring, he noticed the inscription inside. It had born the name of his mother, Selene. Maybe, Aiden’s story did check out. But it wasn’t just that, it was also the tender green waves inside Aiden’s eyes that told him that the man was not out to get him. Something inside him just seemed to promise him that it would be okay to trust this one. He wanted to be his friend. Perhaps, he wouldn’t betray him. Aiden was safe.

"Does that make him my uncle too?" chirped Nadia, crawling away from her brother and holding out a hand to Aiden.

Aiden looked unsure for a moment. Dominic wasn’t sure if he was going to go with his ruse. Then, Aiden perceived the older child’s reasoning and took Nadia’s tiny hand in his. "Sure, sweetheart. You can call me Uncle Aiden if you’d like," Aiden laughed as he shook the girl’s hand in a friendly motion. "Your big brother shouldn’t be allowed to keep me all to himself."

"Wow! Won’t Mommy be happy that it was Uncle who found me?"

"By the way, Nadia, what’s your mother’s name?"

"Atina Auriel," Dominic answered for his sister.

His older companion seemed to freeze for a moment and his mouth twitched nervously. "Auriel, huh? Does she have a sister named Lorelei?"

"Yeah, we see her every once in a while. She’s okay, I guess."

"Maybe I should talk with her first. The Auriels and I go way back," explained the man as he scratched his neck.

The movement caused a large gem to swing across the front of his shirt. It was a blinding orange circle surrounded by golden points. Dominic guessed that it was supposed to resemble a sun. The jewel entranced him. He had never seen anything more amazing before. It was astounding. Where did Aiden get such a treasure? And boy, did it look good on him. It even seemed to have a sort of power flowing around it, giving it an unearthly glow. It was then that he first began to suspect that Aiden was much more than he seemed. Who was this Aiden Fenric?

"It may look impressive, but it’s very dangerous," warned Aiden, catching Dominic’s sudden interest in his jewelry.

"It takes a lot to frighten me. Fear only has an effect if you care about what happens," the boy retorted as Aiden stared at him with confused eyes. But they were more than confused; they were traumatized. What he had said had reached something inside Aiden. Aiden cared about him.

He jerked his head away and buried it in Nadia’s neck to avoid looking into Aiden eyes. Aiden was naive. He cared about him only because he didn’t understand that he didn’t matter. It would never last. Why get his hopes up?

"He’s not a loser. He makes more money than you. Aiden is a wonderful lawyer," the boy replied flippantly, turning the page as if the man’s presence wasn’t even important enough to acknowledge.

"Didn’t you learn a thing from last night?" snarled the adult’s voice, sounding as though he was fighting back the urge to curse.

Dominic was tickled pink by the idea that Loren was having trouble keeping his cool. It was nice to see the man under pressure for once. He would be in even more once Aiden showed up. The younger man had promised to talk to Loren as soon as he got back from his client preparations. All he had to do was keep Loren off his back until then.

Still, it seemed like Loren was looking for a reason to fight. He seemed to believe that Dominic had acquired the preteen disobedience syndrome. Well, the joke was on him. Dominic had never obeyed him. It didn’t matter what age he was. Maybe, if he thought that it would make Loren treat him decently, he would try, but he had yet to see any concrete proof of that.

"Yeah, I learned something. If you want to break my wrist, you’re going to have to slam it harder. Oh and cuts made from metal edges bleed through clothing. Looking forward to buying me a new night shirt, Loren?"

"You think you’re a genuine smart-ass, don’t you?"

"What would you know about that? You never even look at my grades. You’re too busy telling me how I’m not worth shit!" Dominic informed him, allowing himself to sound a little pretentious.

His son bristled. What right did Loren have to insult his intelligence when he didn’t pay the slightest bit of attention to his education? The only help he got came from Aiden and occasionally Atina. Loren was just talking out of his ass to irritate him. He didn’t understand him at all.

Without even considering the repercussions, Dominic let his anger rule him as he reared back the book in his hand and flung it at the wall just next to the man. "You want to know why I like Aiden more than you? It’s because he’s not a self-centered asshole who gets his kicks out of breaking the spirit of his own son! He treats me like a person and I love it. I wish he were my father and I wish you would just get out of my life!"

Whoops. There went the idea of staying on Loren’s good side until Aiden arrived. He was terrified by what he had done, but he was also glad. It was the first time, he had ever told the man exactly why he hated him. Although Loren didn’t even deserve the truth, it was about time he heard it.

"You crazy son of a bitch! Aiden would never want a vicious brat like you. He only spends time with you because he’s a soulless lawyer and feels that if he pretends to be a saint to some disillusioned punk, he can forget about all the immoral shit he pulls on the job. He doesn’t care about you. He just likes to be idolized. Or maybe..." Loren paused for a moment, catching his son’s full attention as a contemptuous sneer crossed his face. "Maybe he just likes to mess with little kids."

"Take that back!" raged Dominic, jumping out of his bed, his face darkening to a livid vermilion.

Loren turned his back on the boy and shut the door as he started to walk down the hall. "Should I even try to guess just how you and ‘Uncle Aiden’ spend your time?"

Infuriated beyond all rational thought, Dominic tore open the door and threatened the man from the entrance. "Shut up!" Then, forgetting how much stronger Loren was than him; he made a careless mistake and rushed at the adult, forcing him against a wall.

The older figure didn’t even bother to yell at him as he pushed him back with enough strength to smash the boy against the stairway railing. Scared of toppling over the edge, Dominic struggled away from it, feeling Loren kick him in the leg as he fell to the floor. It hindered his attempts to get up as the man clamped his fingers around his upper arm and dragged him back to his room. He threw the youth into his dresser, knocking off the box that rested on the top. Various trinkets, pebbles, and jewelry showered Dominic and he tried to pull away. Loren’s slap came as no surprise to him, except when it caused his jaw to collide with one of the handles on the furniture. Blood drizzled down the side of the drawer. Loren paid it no heed as he banged his son’s head into the wood once more.

"Tell me, was attacking your father worth this, Dominic?" he demanded while Dominic punched him as hard as he could. Loren swore and then gripped the boy’s wrist and yanked his arm with all his might. Dominic heard the snap and went limp as his wretched scream filled the room. His older companion mimicked his action as a horrified gasp left him. "Shit!"

Those words barely registered in Dominic’s pain-stricken mind. He knew something was broken. That was bad. As mean as Loren usually was, he had never actually broken anything. He was afraid. He didn’t want to fight with the man anymore. He couldn’t even move. By the time, Loren’s surprised curse sank into his head, he knew that it was because Loren was dumbfounded by his actions as well. Loren was amazed at what he had done.

"Nicks! Are you there, Nicks?"

A voice was ascending from outside the door downstairs. The door wasn’t even locked. That meant whoever was out there could just walk right in. It was rude, yes. But with all the noise that he and Loren were making, he wasn’t shocked that someone would want to see what was going on. The tone of the voice or the name it was using never even occurred to him. His mind just wouldn’t recognize anything besides the fact that his arm felt numb.

Both him and the man holding his wrist were frozen in disbelief as they listened to the door open and a figure lope up the stairs. Loren turned his head just as the unknown person stuck its head in the doorway. The man beside him tightened the grip on his hand for a moment before releasing him completely.

"NICKS!"

Wait, he knew that voice! Dominic craned back his head a tiny ways to see Aiden standing in his room with a disgusted look upon his face. Seconds later, that disgust changed to cool anger and he stalked over to Loren and yanked him up with his shirt. Dominic had never guessed that the younger man was so strong.

"What sort of monster are you? Beating a defenseless child?" Aiden hissed, his eyes glassy as if they had become smooth pieces of verdant rock. When Loren refused to reply, he shook him as if he were holding a large mongrel.

"Stay out of my business! I will discipline my son however I see fit," barked the other man, scrambling to dislodge Aiden’s fingers from his clothing.

Aiden threw Loren against the wall in fury and stood above him, cracking his knuckles. "Discipline! You call that discipline? Your child is afraid of you, for pity’s sake! Nicks is scared to even breathe! How can you call yourself a father? Much less a man?"

"I will not take advice from a man whose hair is longer than my wife’s! Get out of my house!" Loren yelled as he lunged at the other adult.

Effortlessly, Aiden caught him by the throat and pinned him against the wall. A strange noise sounded in his throat that sounded almost like the predatorial snarl of a wild animal. Dominic could just see a low shine from the front of his shirt. That had definitely come from the elegant amulet he always wore. Aiden leaned closer and pressed against Loren so that Dominic couldn’t even see the older man anymore.

"You don’t deserve to live. Selene would be outraged by your display. She would have killed you. I wish I could do it for her," growled the green-eyed man in a foreign tone.

"Try it," Loren taunted, obviously pretending that he wasn’t afraid of the man intent on ending his life.

"I am taking Nicks with me right now and then, I’m going to call the police and have you locked up for child abuse. You’re very lucky I’m being this generous to you. It’s only because I don’t think that your son should be subjected to any more violence than he already has been. But I promise you this. If you even try to come near him again, I will kill you." He stopped and gave Loren a soul-searing glare as he stabbed his fingers against his throat. "And...I won’t get caught."

Dominic waited for the man known as his father to protest but all Loren did was stare at something in Aiden’s hard-set eyes. His breath seemed to stop as his eyes widened with a horrible apprehension. Without a word, he nodded dazedly.

"Good," whispered the other man, lifting his hand from Loren and waiting for the man to exit the room quietly. After he was gone, he turned to Dominic and held out a hand for him. "Nicks, come over here please. I’m going to get you to a doctor and have him take a look at you." Dominic hesitated, biting his bloody lip and shaking hysterically. A sure sign of shock. Aiden put down his hand and crept over to him, kneeling down by his side and wrapping an arm around his trembling shoulders. "It’s just me, Nicks. I won’t hurt you. Come here."

His companion slowly slung his arms around his throat and dipped his head into the crook of his neck. He wasn’t crying this time. Crying did no good. It just made him look scared and that just made people want to hurt him some more. Dominic had learned his lessons well. He just held onto Aiden and let out scattered breaths as he was lifted up in the man’s arms.

"I’m sorry I hit Loren. He said bad things about you. I was mad," the boy whimpered, curling up as much as he could.

"I know. Don’t worry about that now."

"Aiden?"

"Yeah?" responded the man, carrying the child down the stairs as if he didn’t fear Loren showing up again.

"If I promise to be good from now on, will you be my friend?"

"I’ll be your friend no matter what, Nicks. You mean everything to me."

"Can I stay with you?" Dominic asked in a broken whisper, half-fearing the answer.

"We’ll see about after today. But for now, that would be fine."

Lightning flashed across the sky but he could hardly see it due to the mass of hair hanging over his eyes. He wanted to scream at himself for forgetting to put it up before he left. Now, the shoulder length strands were snaking down his shirt and sending even more chilling bolts down his back. It made him feel like a spike of lightning encased in pure ice had struck him. It suited the murky feeling that was already stirring inside him. The feeling had been there all day. It was a warning. That much he knew.

Hearing his teeth chatter from the cold, he sank his hand into his back pocket and pulled out Aiden’s bejeweled sun still attached to its lengthy chain. He had only seen it glow a few times, but had come to believe from the brief episodes, that the gem had to be producing some kind of heat whenever it burned like that. How else could it seem to gleam with living flames of orange? Perhaps, if he could make it glow again, it would help warm him up.

A sharp growl made him clench the relic in fright as he spun around to see what confronted him. Crouched partially behind a tree a few yards away was a monstrous white wolf. The streak of lightning that illuminated the sky moments later should have lit up its eyes, but instead only reflected an empty darkness. If there was any color to the orbs at all, it was black. A black dark enough to blend with the night itself had it not been for the perfect snowy pelt of the beast.

Dominic had never been afraid of wolves. They had always fascinated him, especially following his encounter with the docile black one. Yet the look in this one’s eyes marked that of blood lust. It was out for a kill.

At that exact moment, he noticed that the object in his hand had become scorching hot. It seemed to burn his hand. Horrified, he yelped and dropped it to the ground.

As if sensing its quarry’s fear, the animal parted its jaws and exhibited its sickly ivory teeth. In that instant, Dominic forgot about wondering where the wolf had come from or what it was doing here at night. All he knew was that for the only time in his life, he was afraid of the beast. Neglecting to retrieve Aiden’s amulet, he whirled to the other side and sprinted away as fast as he could. Snarling, the wolf took chase.

The rain blinded the boy, making it impossible to watch where he was running. Only the steady pant of the creature behind him drove him on. He knew the house was at least five minutes away. Running like this was going to wear him out. But what other choice did he have? He couldn’t possibly fight an animal that large without some sort of weapon and he had nothing on him. Aiden had put a stop to his penchant for carrying around pocketknives and razors soon after he had come to live with him. He had to come up with a better idea.

Unfortunately, at that time, the wolf seemed to bore of running after him. It applied a preternatural burst of speed and snapped at his ankles. Startled by the sultry breath of the beast on his flesh, Dominic kicked back on reflex. Had he time to think about what he was doing, he probably would have known that this action was not wise in his situation. Given the ideal target, the wolf raked its teeth across his leg and managed to grab some skin in the process. Jerking its head as if it was tearing a piece of meat, it yanked the boy of his feet.

Feeling like a series of broken razors were sliding through his leg, Dominic kicked the beast in the head and tried to force its teeth out of his skin. The wolf snapped at his fingers and used its body weight to hold the youth to the ground. Dominic screamed as the creature tore into his arm and then nipped at his chest, making its way up to his throat. He could hear himself screeching in pain and pounding at the monster with fists, even scratching it with his own nails. But nothing seemed to scare it off. He could hear his heart inside his chest, pumping the blood that the wolf would soon guzzle down. This was not right. Wolves didn’t take this long to kill. What was this one doing?

Amongst his own wailing, his frantic heartbeat, and the hungry rumbles of the beast on top of him, he could hear something else. A faint laugh. Just then, he felt something in the back of his head. It was as if something that plunged a set of claws deep into his skull and used the wound to gain access to his mind. A voice was seeping through his brain waves, sounding neither male nor female but more like a bizarre combination of both. It had the low base of a man, but also possessed the lilting ring of a more feminine tone. It was almost as if it was two souls projecting a single sound.

<I always enlighten my chosen prey before they die. You probably want to know why I’ve singled out you to be my victim. It’s not your fault. In fact, it has nothing to do with you. It has to do with the one who loves you, the Sun Guardian. You are the thing most precious to him. I’m sure your death will destroy him. He will fall before me just like those long before him.

I must say, I had thought that I would have to search for you for a while. I never imagined that you would come to me. You mortal’s love for one another is a crippling disease. You come to find him and instead you find me. But I will grant you this last request. The Sun Guardian will find you soon enough. I’ll make sure he sees your mutilated corpse, child. I’ll even tell him that you only came here because you cared for him so much. He’ll be so glad to know that his only weakness is gone for good.>

Dominic felt sick at having his mind violated by such a hideous creature. He didn’t even know what it was. All he knew was that he was going to die and that this monster was going to use his demise to kill Aiden. But he couldn’t fight back. He was too weak and his hold on reality was slipping. It had been a long time since he was last attacked by anything. His resistance to pain had begun to fade with the time and now, every cut flared with memories of the one who had always hurt him. He needed help. He needed his friend, his savior.

"Aiden!" he croaked in a weak moan, knowing his call would amount to nothing. Even if Aiden were here as the fiend had said, he would never be able to hear him in his fragile state.

His eyes fluttered with fatigue as he groggily followed the graceful leap of an unknown object from above his head. Squinting, he could just make out a pulse of light falling from the form as it rammed into the white wolf. Both creatures rolled to the ground in an orgy of fangs and blood. The light-headed boy dragged himself away from the belligerent beings, banging his torn fingers against something in the grass. The orange sheen told him it was Aiden’s necklace. How did it get here? He could have sworn he dropped it way back there.

Breathless, he turned back to the fight and watched the white animal fly backward, a few spots of red dyed into its coat. Its opponent, revealed to be another wolf with a much darker pelt, had not fared so well. Its fur was drenched in blood. The cuts looked deep and grisly with the hewed slices into its muscles and throat. Even its muzzle was ripped open to his eye. Dominic looked harder at the eye. It was an unmistakable emerald. This was his wolf from six years ago in the forest. But the eyes seemed even more familiar now.

Confident that it had weakened the other sufficiently, the white wolf turned back to Dominic and prepared to lunge. The black one stood upon its hind legs and cut the white one off. The two remained on unsteady back paws as the bit at each other’s throat and face, pushing against one another in attempt to bowl the other over. His champion was only able to fend off the other for a few minutes and eventually lost its footing and crashed onto its back. The second it was down, the white wolf went in for the kill.

On instinct, Dominic snatched up the amulet to hurl at the beast. As he did he noticed the terrible heat of the jewel once more. But he knew he couldn’t drop it this time. It was his only means of possibly saving the black wolf. He held onto it tighter to strengthen his resolve. His fingers fastened around the thick gem seemed to have an uncanny effect on it as its shape began to change. Orange light sped from between his fingers, forming a line that was fading into radiant silver. At the same time, the amulet it his hand seemed to melt and rebuild itself as a golden hilt-like object in his palm. It took him a split second to realize that the item in his hand was now a long splendid sword. What the hell!

The white wolf’s focus changed from eliminating the other animal to leering at the child whom currently possessed a fearsome weapon. It charged at Dominic before the black beast could flip itself over to block its attack. Trapped, Dominic brought down the sword in a fast arc. Searing heat poured from the sword and drove the wolf back. Elated to finally be making some progress, the boy reared back the sword to try and duplicate his action.

Just then, a shadow swept past his side and the sword was torn from his grasp. He caught the puffs of black hair and knew who had stolen his only means of protecting himself. Finding himself vulnerable once more, he backed away from the white wolf and into the black one who gazed down at him with longing eyes and threw back its head. His movements were followed by a flood of light, leaving behind a very familiar figure in its wake.

"Aiden!" Dominic hollered as he watched the wounded man try to hold the sword before him, bleeding profusely all over his body. The blood helped speed up the connection in Dominic’s mind. The black wolf that had protected him and his loving guardian were the same. Aiden could somehow turn into the animal by using that crazy amulet.

"I will never let the likes of you harm this child. I am the Guardian. If you must have life, take mine. There are now others out there who know about you and your kind. One day, they will find you and remove you from this world. They are stronger than you can possibly imagine. I am not the only Guardian anymore," voiced Aiden, losing his ability to stand from all his blood loss. His eyes had the same feral glint in them as they had possessed when he had threatened Loren three years ago. He looked like a killer. But that couldn’t be? How could Aiden kill anyone? Aiden was gentle and fun loving. He was not this ferocious man who stood here now.

That said, Aiden produced a larger blast of scalding energy from the blade and forced it into the wolf. The wound it left was ugly. There was no way, the creature could still fight with an injury like that. The bitter glare in the beast’s eyes seemed to agree with him as it leapt back. Then, it fell upon its haunches as dark clouds spun around it, seeming to have materialized from nothing at all. Its eyes roamed to Aiden and the man jerked his head to the side as the creature vanished.

Aiden coughed thickly and bright red blood spilled from his mouth as he let the sword crash into the ground. "Aiden! Aiden!" his younger companion shrieked, trying to catch the adult’s body as he pitched forward, holding a hold to his mauled chest. Lowering Aiden to the ground, Dominic felt his heart plummet deep inside him as he looked upon the multitude of injuries on the man. "No," he whined, knowing that Aiden’s wounds were fatal. "I’ll go get help. I’ll call an ambulance. You’ll be okay," the boy assured him, gathering himself to dash for the house.

Wincing, Aiden grabbed his hand and held him back. "No, Nicks. There’s no use."

"Don’t say that! People get hurt by animals all the time. Then they get stitches and operations and are okay. We just need to get someone right away and you’ll...you’ll...be okay again."

"These aren’t normal wounds, Nicks. They have been infused with something else. Something far stronger than poison. I don’t think anyone can heal them...or me," Aiden groaned, reaching out to straighten the boy’s slick hair. "You’re a mess. It’s you who needs to see a doctor. You still have time."

"Stop that! I don’t want you to talk like that, Aiden! You can’t die! I wouldn’t know what to do! I’d...I’d die too!" Dominic roared, moving Aiden’s hand away. It felt weak and devoid of strength.

"No, you won’t. You’ve always been such a strong boy, Nicks. You can handle anything and still come out on top. I’ve always admired that in you. In a way, you’re stronger than I ever was. I was always afraid to take a stand unless I was forced. I hated to be hurt. But you, Nicks, you seem to thrive on pain. It enlivens you. You’ll be fine. I know you will."

"But it’s all a trick, Aiden. I’m not strong at all. I’m always scared. I just don’t know how to show it anymore. I need you to teach me how to be," contested the child, tearing at his shirt and trying to stop the man’s bleeding. He hadn’t even noticed the tears that had started to run freely down his face, falling upon Aiden’s mangled shirt.

"Don’t cry, Nicks. You never cry," Aiden said gently, unable to summon enough strength to wipe away the boy’s tears. "This is my fault. Because I never told you the truth...and now it’s...too late. I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you, Nicks. I wanted to...protect you. I love you so much. You are the second person I have ever loved in my life. The first was your mother. She would have adored you. I know it. But she never knew about me either. I have never told...anyone except your Aunt Lorelei."

"Tell her what? What are you talking about, Aiden? Please make sense! I don’t understand!"

"What I really am. What I have always been. Now, I have no choice. It must be...you. I never wanted it to be. You don’t deserve this. But it’s the only way. A promise must be kept. And this promise is...very old."

"Aiden?" moaned Dominic, clutching at Aiden’s clothing and half-pulling himself onto the adult.

His friend coughed up more blood and shivered, brilliant green eyes glazing as more time passed. He reached by his side and caressed the sun amulet on the ground. It had changed back from the sword while Dominic had been preoccupied at the horror of the man’s condition. "Take this, Nicks. It’s very... important. Promise me...you’ll finish what I have started."

Dominic picked up the relic and placed it next to his head on Aiden’s chest. He didn’t know nor care what he was promising. He just wanted to save Aiden. " I promise! Don’t leave me, Aiden. Please! I’ll never disobey you again. I’ll even go back to Atina. I’ll visit Loren. Just don’t leave me! Please stay with me!"

"I wish...I...could. I...want to. But...fate has made...its choice. One...can’t...argue. Even...if they...want to. I’m...sor...ry."

"No Aiden! Don’t close your eyes! You have to stay awake! Aiden!" the boy cried, touching the other’s cheek with nervous fingers. His tears were causing Aiden’s face to drown before him. He drew in another choking breath and slid the digits down the man’s skin.

"I...know...you’ll...make me...proud, my...beautiful...Dominic. I’m...so...glad...I got...to meet...you..." Aiden sighed as he leaned slightly forward. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of Dominic’s bangs. Then, he fell back and remained still.

"AIDEEEN!" howled the abandoned youth, hugging Aiden’s body and shaking the shoulders with all his strength. Aiden didn’t wake up. He shook him again and again. Harder and harder. Devastated, he amassed a clump of shirt in his first and pulled the man a couple inches off the ground and shook him once more.

"What’s wrong with you? Didn’t you listen to me? I said you can’t die! You’re not allowed to die! I need you, dammit! I’ll kill myself without you! Wake up! You lying bastard, wake up! You said I could stay with you. You said you loved me! Prove it! Open your eyes! Please Aiden! Please listen to me! I need you still! I love you! Don’t you even care? I love you!"

He had hoped that once they had managed to afford the bus ride out of their old city that they would have no further problems. But this new place wasn’t as easy to work with as the other had been. Sneaking in stores was tricky and too many abandoned buildings were already taken. That left the cars in the impound lot or the park. Lucian was beginning to wish he had chosen the cars. They might have been more comfortable and a lot warmer.

As it was, he could tell that he was already getting sick. He hadn’t been feeling well when they had left the orphanage about a month ago and life on the street was taking its toll on him. As much as he wanted to be, Lucian knew that he could never pull off being a street kid. Living in the crowded orphanage had spoiled him too much. Still, he was determined to try this until something better showed up. Anything was better than going back to that spiteful place filled with people out to make his life miserable.

Tired of pretending to rest, he left the sleeping Tashira and snatched the bag he had packed for the trip. Unzipping it, he pulled out his sister’s hand mirror and examined his face in the reflection to see if his eyes looked bloodshot or if he looked a little wan. It was good to discover any illness quickly so that he would have ample time to come up with a way to do something about it. He felt like he might have the flu. Gazing into the smudged glass, he saw that he did look a little lighter than usual. His cropped hair seemed to glow like fire against the paleness of his face. Just what he needed right now. Another thing to stress about.

Bothered by the fact that fate was obviously conspiring against him, he reached into the bag and withdrew a small white box. He had filched it from one of the older boys upon leaving. The simpleton had tried to conceal the item under his bed. Cigarettes weren’t allowed on the premises. Which of course meant almost all the kids over ten smoked them. Tashira had been one of the few that had declined from the action. She said they tasted bad. Maybe, but they were damn relaxing at times.

Eagerly, the boy seized one and lit it with a lighter from his coat. It didn’t warm him up like he had expected it too, but it had managed to lessen the tension that had risen in him about five minutes earlier. He sucked on the cigarette again and then threw himself on his back.

The following day saw him leading his twin down the street in search of a place to eat. He still had some money from the other night and had offered to buy Tashira a big lunch since he had slept through breakfast. She had been thrilled to hear such good news and failed to notice how weak he had become as he rushed her through the plaza. Tashira had even bought the excuse that his frequent bouts of coughing were from his smoking. That had only earned him an intense scolding from the girl. Nothing he couldn’t live with.

"Luce, let’s eat something special for once. Like Chinese or Italian," chattered Tashira, bouncing behind her brother.

"We’ll see. I don’t see any of that sort of place around here anyway. Can’t we just eat burgers or something? We don’t need to blow all our money on one exotic last meal," her brother chided in a stern voice. He adjusted his tinted sunglasses and gave the perimeter another inspection.

"But you promised me that I would get to choose!" the other whined as loud as she could, putting on a fake pout.

Her sibling’s throat was hurting him and he didn’t really feel like arguing the point any further. He threw up his hands and let her jump in front of him. "Show me where you want to eat."

Tashira merrily hauled her twin all around the plaza, searching for any place that didn’t serve burgers or pizza. After she had gone over the whole area twice over, Lucian pulled away from her and slumped down on one of the curbs. "There isn’t any place like that here. Face it, Shira. Let’s go with the burgers. If you really want, you can buy a salad or something," he griped, retrieving his package of cigarettes and knocking one out. This was seriously stressing him out. That and the fuzzy feeling in his head.

Seeing his action, Tashira slapped his shoulder and glared at him. "You can’t smoke here!"

"Why not? I can’t smoke in a restaurant and we’re obviously not going to be finding one any time soon," replied Lucian in a semblance of a huff.

"You’re already sick. Put those away."

Lucian moved away from here and waved her off as he pressed the switch on his lighter and held it to the white stick. "Go find us your fancy-smancy restaurant. I’m hungry," he mumbled around the cigarette in his mouth.

Fussing, his sister turned to renew her search when a curious light passed over her eyes. "What do you think he’s doing?"

"Who?"

The girl pointed to a dark-haired man with a ponytail walking across the street as if in a trance. He didn’t seem to be watching out for cars at all as his green eyes rested on the two youths apart from him. His look was intense and somewhat puzzled as he scrutinized the preteens with meticulous strokes of his eyes.

When Lucian saw the car round the bend, the cigarette fell from his mouth and he hollered at the man on the road. "Hey doofus, watch out!"

Breaking from his daze, the man seemed to spy the vehicle, but it was too late. His eyes widened and the car squealed on its brakes, cutting a dangerous line toward the man.

Next thing Lucian knew, he was lying on top of the strange man, unable to straighten himself because of the dizzy sensation that surrounded his body. He wasn’t entirely sure what had happened between his yell at the adult and their current position. All he could assume what that something had compelled him to jump in between the car and its victim. He couldn’t remember moving from the curb, but here he was, pressed against the chest of a complete stranger. Then again, this sort of thing wasn’t alien to him so his anxiety quickly passed.

"Shit! Did I hit the kid?" exclaimed a voice from the side and the boy raised his eyes to take in a figure by the car flailing wildly and bending down to check on the two prone forms.

"I don’t think so. He just seems a little surprised from the fall," answered another voice, this one much friendlier. A hand ruffled his hair. "You didn’t hit your head, did you?"

Lucian blinked his eyes and shook his head. The man underneath him smiled with relief. "That’s good. I was afraid that you accidentally smacked your head on the pavement when you pushed me down. That was sure some jump. I guess I should thank you for saving my life."

"You’re stupid!" spat Lucian, trying to back off the other figure. "Why the hell weren’t you paying attention to what you were doing? You could have been killed."

"Guess it’s a good thing you were around then, huh?"

"What were you doing?" the boy inquired as the man helped him get to his feet.

"Daydreaming. Haven’t you ever daydreamed before?" chuckled the man, brushing himself off and then looking down at the youth.

"No, I hate dreams. And adults shouldn’t daydream."

"Kids shouldn’t ingest nicotine every nine seconds either," the other countered, moving his eyes over to the cigarette that had rolled right next to the curb. "Some people are just rebels."

The youth felt slighted by the comment and bunched up his shoulders as he stormed away from the man and returned to Tashira, calling back, "Who are you? My father?"

"Don’t leave yet, kid. I want to ask you something."

Locking his arm with Tashira’s, Lucian began to rush away, fed up with talking to this unusual adult. It wasn’t that he was that afraid of the stranger, more like he knew that messing with adults usually led to him being taken back to the orphanage. He didn’t want to ruin his streak of luck just yet.

Determined to catch the youths, the man dashed in front of them and held out his hands in an unthreatening gesture. "I just wanted to know how you managed to get to me before the car. That was some jump," he panted from exertion.

"My brother has natural agility," praised Tashira as Lucian glared as the man and moved her behind him.

"Go away!" the boy commanded, glowering at the figure from behind his dark shades.

"Can you at least tell me your name? I just want to know the person who saved my life," insisted the older person, turning his head to try and see the eyes behind the sunglasses.

Tashira picked up on his intention and shoved her way past him, nudging her sibling in front of her as she peered at the man with icy gray eyes. "He doesn’t have to tell you anything if he doesn’t want to. Now do as he says and go away."

"Aren’t you a little young to be addressing your elders this way?" reprimanded the man in a slightly playful tone.

"How old do you think I am?" Lucian said with a haughty air as he turned casually to the other figure.

"Fourteen?"

"You’re a dumbass."

"Higher?" the man attempted another guess as the boy rolled his eyes at him in disgust.

"You’re also boring. Find some other kids to nag," suggested the redhead, stalking away from the man once more.

"Do you always use this sort of language?"

"Only with people I really like. Consider yourself special," Lucian laughed in a dry, sarcastic note.

Suddenly, the weird feeling in his head began to get worse. All this jerking around and activity had not been the best of things to be doing, considering how he might be getting sick. He touched his forehead gingerly. It felt like he was caressing heated glass. That wasn’t too good. He decided to tell his sister something was wrong with him before anything bad happened. But as he turned to her, he felt his legs give out underneath him and his vision turn black in an instant as he collapsed upon her legs.

"I didn’t mean to get you in trouble. I didn’t know that you were an orphan, Luke. I thought that you were just another punk kid. I didn’t know that taking you to the hospital would toss you back in here," a repentant voice mumbled above him as Lucian cracked open his eyes.

He didn’t know how long he had been sleeping, but the lumpiness of the bed told him he was back in the room he shared with two older boys. That meant that while he was passed out, whoever had found him had returned him to the orphanage. Damn, if he had known that getting sick was going to result in this mess, he would have just stayed in that freezing park.

As light and imagery reentered his cornea, his lips curled into an angry sneer. "Don’t call me that!"

"Hey! You’re up! Sorry about the slur, but do you honestly deny that you act like a punk?" chirped the black-haired man from the plaza. He was sitting with his chest against the back of a chair a few feet away from the bed. Strangely, he didn’t seem half as odd as he had earlier and instead had adopted a more childish demeanor.

"Hell no! But don’t call me Luke! That’s not my name."

"Really? That’s what they told me when they came to get you at the hospital. I think it was your social worker that said it. But I guess you would know best. If Luke’s not your real name, can you tell me what is?" his older guest replied in a lively tone.

"Why are you doing this?" sighed Lucian, pushing down the covers and sitting upon the side of the bed. "Why are you here?"

The man crossed his arms across the back of the chair and cocked his head a tiny bit. "I want to help you, Lu...kid. You’re special. I can sense it inside you. Plus, you saved my life. That’s worth something."

"You’re wasting your time. I only saved you because an accident would attract the cops and I didn’t want them to throw me back in here. Looks like my foolproof plan backfired," the boy hissed, lowering his face into one of his hands. "God, why did I have to help you? I could still be free."

"That’s not the whole truth, is it?"

"Who cares?" groaned Lucian from under his palm, angry at the frustration that was sweeping over him. If he was wasn’t feeling so awful, he knew he would have liked to try and slug the man for wrecking everything. But he was still too weak from his illness and all he could do was brood in fury.

"My name is Aiden Fenric," the man offered in his still pleasant voice, not offended by the harsh attitude Lucian was displaying before him. "I figured if I’m going to demand your name, the least I can do is offer you mine."

"If you say so."

Aiden climbed off the chair and began to pace around the room. After some time, he stopped and lowered his eyes to Lucian in a startling show of somberness. "Cynicism isn’t in your nature."

"And how would you know? Can you read my mind now?" snarled the youth, turning his head from the man and staring at the ugly blue wallpaper by his bed.
"No. I can see it in your eyes," Aiden quipped, walking over to his side and tapping the edge of his own eye.

Hearing the words, Lucian became agitated. Why had they stolen his shades again? Didn’t anyone understand that he didn’t like people looking at him? This Aiden might have actually believed he was a normal child before now. He might have been able to speak to him as if he was one of the other adoptees. Now, that was impossible. He hated when anyone saw his eyes. The look of repulsion or horror in their expressions still ripped through him even with the defiant temperament he had developed.

"Don’t look at them!" he ordered, squeezing his eyes shut and dropping his face from view.

"Why? They’re...."

"Red. I know. Red like blood."

"No, I was actually going to say astounding. Even with all the darkness you’ve shielded them with, they still manage to glitter like garnets," corrected the man with a partial smile. He didn’t look frightened or sickened or anything. Aiden looked like he was simply admiring an article of jewelry. Lucian had never seen anyone gaze at him like that before. It was...nice.

"You’re not disgusted by them?" the boy questioned, checking to see if he had misread something.

"Of course not. Why would you ask a silly question like that?"

"Everyone else hates them. They say I’m not normal. They say I’m insane. Some of them even say that I’m a demon. It’s because of these and also because I see things...in my dreams," explained Lucian, lifting his eyes to the man again. He was still nervous about it, but the figure’s attitude seemed to be accepting. Perhaps, it would be okay just this once.

The man sat on the end of the mattress and gave the youth a questioning glance. "What sort of things?"

"Strange things. Bad...things. I don’t know why. They frighten me."

"What do you see?" Aiden pressed, his voice devoid of fear and only showing a mild curiosity.

"Death and blood and pain. Always pain. Someone is suffering. Suffering from a loss too powerful to bear. He cries sometimes. He even looks like me. But I know he’s not me. We don’t feel the same. His world is far darker," whispered Lucian, revealing more to this stranger than he had ever told anyone besides his twin. He just felt safer around Aiden. Something about the man seemed to promise that he could help him escape from his misery.

"How long have you had these dreams?"

Lucian drew one leg closer to him and clasped it between his slender arms as his eyes kept returning to the floor. "I’ve always had them. The others...they think I’m making them up. They think I’m just a sicko. They used to laugh at me when I would cry upon waking up or throw a fit about going to sleep. But I taught them. They don’t dare laugh anymore. They stay away from me. I like that."

"You like being alone?" asked the older figure, brushing a stray black tendril from his temple.

"No, but I like being safe."

Nodding his head, Aiden looked away from the boy, probably unsure about saying something around the preteen. "They say that you’re violent around others."

His companion giggled and made an evil face as he tossed his arms behind his head. "You bet. And vicious and manipulative and cruel. A lot of other stuff too. I’m just a bad kid."

"No. I don’t think you are. I think you’re confused. They just don’t understand you."

"Maybe. It doesn’t matter. They still treat me like a freak because of my eyes. Nobody else has red eyes."

"That doesn’t make you a freak," Aiden stated firmly.

"Sounds like a good reason to me," the child confessed, tipping over to him back.

Smiling at his energy, the man tossed an inviting glance at the boy and added, "I want to help you. Tell me your name, the one that you would like to be called."

"You still want to help me? But what about all the things I told you? They think I’m dangerous. I’m crazy. Didn’t they explain that to you?" gasped Lucian, unable to comprehend how this person could be so adamant about his well being.

"Yes, but you’re not. I don’t care what they say. If you were crazy, you wouldn’t have pushed me out of the way. You are better than they are. That’s why they hate you. They’re jealous."

"Heard this one before. Talks don’t work on me, Mr...uh...Fenric?" the boy retorted, hesitant about using Aiden’s first name for fear of insulting him. Kids were supposed to address adults by their surnames. He had never really tried it before since most of the adults he knew weren’t worth the effort. But Aiden was different. He deserved some respect. It forced him to scour his thoughts for a way to please the friendly man.

"Aiden," informed the man, hiding the laughter between his teeth.

"Okay, Mr. Aiden."

Aiden moved closer to Lucian and shook his head gently. "No. Just call me Aiden. I’ve never liked formalities." He cautiously curled an arm around the boy’s side, waiting to see how Lucian would react to the intrusion of his personal space. When all Lucian did was give him an impartial stare, he squeezed him softly. "And I didn’t mean to sound all high and mighty with you. I was being serious. Those around you subconsciously sense your gifts and wish to covet them themselves. They know they can’t so they snub you to ease their pain and bring you back to their level."

"I’m...real...really that special?" stuttered Lucian, adjusting to the casual embrace. Most of his foster parents had always tried to hug him, but they were so sloppy and mushy about it. It made him want to get away as fast as possible. This action was not like any of them. It was just comforting like a hug should be. He fought with himself not to blush.

"Yes, maybe even moreso."

Filled with a strange giddiness, the boy turned his head to the man and murmured, "Lucian."

"Excuse me?" Aiden requested, lifting his arm from around Lucian.

"If you want to call me something, call me Lucian. I would like that, I think. It’s my real name after all. My mother gave it to me before she died. Oh and my sister is Tashira."

The man patted his shoulder and stood up from the bed. "Thank you, Lucian. I should get going now. I have a lot of work piled up at home. And somebody will be very cross with me if I’m late," he chuckled, heading over to the door.

"Goodbye," Lucian said phlegmatically, shutting his eyes again.

"Lucian, do you think it would be all right if I come back again some time? You know, to visit you and Tashira and see how you’re getting along."

"I don’t care. If it makes you happy, go ahead," grumbled the youth, tired of talking already. Aiden was leaving and that meant he would have to return to his troublesome existence of frequent fights and flighty parents. He had lost his enthusiasm once more.

"How about you? Would it make you happy?" Aiden questioned, facing Lucian with an expression of pleasant interest.

"Me?"

"That’s what I said."

Lucian was dumbstruck. Nobody had ever asked him what he wanted. They always tried to decide it for them. Being given a choice was a bizarre switch of roles. He wasn’t entirely sure what he should say. Rolling onto his side, he rested his head on his upper arm and gave Aiden a perplexed look.

"I don’t know...I guess so...maybe...uh...Yes! Yes, Aiden, I would like to see you again if you have time. You owe me a cigarette," Lucian bounced between his decisions as he fished for the ideal answer. He settled on the one that made the most sense to him.

"We’ll talk about that some other time, perhaps," laughed Aiden as he fixed him with a reprimanding stare. "I’ll keep in touch."

"See you...soon," the youth mouthed as his eyes followed Aiden out the door and until he was lost behind the corner of a wall.

"Is it yours?" asked the boy beside him, bending down to run a finger down the cat’s cheek.

"Yes and no. I take care of her from time to time. But Ambrose prefers the wild. Don’t you, girl?" Aiden responded, tickling Ambrose under her chin. He looked up from the cat and met Lucian’s eyes. "In a way, she’s kind of like you. She loves to be worshipped and touched, but she hates to be controlled. Ambrose likes to do things her way. She’s a rebel."

"It suits her."

"Could I have it? The name I mean. It seems so mystical. It would be the perfect accompaniment to the strange names that me and Shira already have. Besides, Lucian Fenric sounds yuck!"

"Hey! I like my last name!" Aiden argued, mussing Lucian’s hair. Then he sighed and pulled back. "But Lucian Ambrose does have a certain ring to it. It does suit you and you’re not technically my son so I guess I can’t force you to use my surname."

Lucian gathered up the cat in his arms and stood up, still fingering her spine while Ambrose kneaded his skin. "That’s right. And I’ve heard of loads of kids who use their mother’s maiden name after she remarries. They just like them better. Nobody ever told me my family’s surname so I wouldn’t mind using the kitty’s. At least, I would have a last name for once."

"Very well, Luce. You win. I can’t fight with your reasoning. But there is something else I’d like to ask you."

"Go for it," encouraged the boy, granting Aiden permission to address him about whatever he wanted to.

"I know you want to stay here. You want Tashira and yourself to be safe. But I can tell that you don’t appreciate much authority," Aiden stated, catching the way Lucian shied his eyes away from him in a guilty motion.

"I’m not crazy about being told what to do," he admitted the youth, hugging the cat to his chest.

"I know. What if I told you that I would let you take care of yourself most of the time, but still come to check on you every few days. It would let you keep your independence, but you wouldn’t be entirely alone. Would you like that?" suggested the man as Lucian gaped at his offer.

It was highly unusual for an adult to suggest leaving a pair of twelve-year-olds to their own devices. Well, Aiden was not like most adults. He saw things differently all the time. Maybe this was just his way of showing his trust of the twins. Lucian decided immediately that he liked this idea.

"What’s the catch?"

"Smart boy! I should have known I couldn’t pull one on you, Lucian. So I will admit that I want something out of this. Three things to be precise," Aiden declared, taking one of Lucian’s hands.

"And these are?"

"First, you have to make me a promise that you will help me in the future. You and Tashira have something special about you, Luce. Something that few other people have. I need that power to help someone else. I want you to use your gifts when you are older to find others like you. I only know of one so far. But I know that you will need to work together to accomplish this task. That’s two of the promises," informed the man, receiving an anxious glance from the youth.

"And the third?" Lucian asked quietly, confused as to how he was supposed to help Aiden later on.

"I want you to promise me that from now on, no matter what, you will be happy. A child of such zest and energy should not be so gloomy. You have a powerful spirit, Lucian. You just need to let it out. It will make everything better for you and people will forget about your eyes and focus on the actual person behind them. I know you want that."

Lucian set Ambrose back down on the ground and watched her rush over to a ceramic bowl of cat food. What did it matter to this man if he was happy? Why was that part of the requirements? It didn’t seem fair to impose such a thing on him. Still, that was the only challenging aspect of the deal. It could be handled carefully enough with some effort. He kept his eyes on her eating motions as he answered Aiden dully, " I do."

The man dropped his hand and moved to the door, holding it open for him. "So what do you say, kid? Are my conditions reasonable? Promise to follow them?"

His younger companion thought it over for a while and then jumped up. He scurried over to Aiden and wrapped his pinkie finger around the other’s. "I promise, Aiden," he uttered in a genial tone as he gave the man one of his rare true smiles. "I won’t let you down."