Black for hunting through the night

The ominous feeling of the night seeped into Livia Blackthorn's veins. The cold air sent a shiver down her spine, despite the warm gear she was suited in. Perhaps it was the adrenaline from the hunt that was sure to come.

She glanced beside her, at her brother, who was trotting along the street with his nose in a book. Light shone from the lamps surrounding them, giving his outline an angelic glow. The gear hung loosely from his body, signs of it being too large for him.

"Ty," Livia sighed, "you should put the book away before something happens." Whether he heard her or not, she couldn't tell. But he didn't respond in any way to her remark.

The twins trudged along in silence, the only noises were their light footsteps along the path. Various thoughts rang through Livia's head. Where would they end up? What would happen? How could she stop the worst from occurring?

It was sudden movement on her right, where Ty was walking, that snapped her out of her thoughts. She spun around at a quickened pace, drawing her broadsword, ready to strike.

There was nothing there, except her brother in a daze, looking at her from the floor.

"Ty! What happened?" Livia's voice was high with panic.

Ty merely blinked his grey eyes at her, before "I tripped." Livia extended her hand, to help him stand back up.

It was a false alarm. They were okay.

She sighed again, this time with relief. When Tiberius was standing up again, after brushing all of the dust from the dark street off of him.

"And that is why you don't read while walking! How many times have we been over this?" but he wasn't listening to a word she uttered. He was scanning the ground around as though he were looking for something.

"Livvy, I can't find my book." His grey eyes were wide. She made a disapproving click of her tongue, before starting to look for the said-thing.

Ty wouldn't let them leave otherwise.

"Well, we better start looking for it." Livvy tried to hide her frustration, something that usually was not had for her. Usually, she could keep her cool.

"You're irritated with me." A lie. At least it was a good one.

"I'm not, Ty."

He didn't respond with words, but let out a sudden gasp. Livia turned around, trying to see what he has seen. She was greeted by him, staring into one of the dark side-alleys, pointing right to it.

Livia crept up to his side to peer into the alley. It was dark, with only one patch of light illuminating a rectangular object. It was Ty's book.

All at once, Livia's sensor started ringing, warning her of impending danger, while Tiberius lunged forward, and reaching for his book and a scream rang from Livia's lips, warning him.

And then the book vanished, a demon in its place. Livia sprinted in front of her brother, drawing out her sword. It flew at her in a quick motion, which she deflected against her sword. Stay calm, block, then jab. Slowly, she was being overpowered, and there was nothing she could do about it. She drew in a deep breath, before swinging again. Have to keep going. For Ty, for all of them.

Its tail swung her to the wall, and she hit against it hard. A pain stung through her side. Her sword slid across the cobbled floor, away from her reach. The demon towered over her, its claws scratching her.

She was terrified.

She tried to kick at it, or throw a punch, but she was pinned in a position that wouldn't allow it. The pressure it had on her torso was making it difficult to breathe, crushing her.

Its face was coming closer to her, and she could smell the stench of its breath as it growled at her. She was trapped, as she braced herself for her imminent death. She squinted her eyes shut, ready for the impact. But it never came.

Ever so slowly, she opened her eyes to reveal nothing, the weight leaving her chest. She looked around, to see Ty holding his book and the demon lying on the floor, unmoving. She stood up, still staring at Ty.

"You…saved me."

"Of course I did, Livia. Honestly, I wasn't going to let you die. So I hit it with my novel, it seemed to get rid of it. Lucky 'The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes' is a rather large book." he said, giving a pointed look at the book in his hand. "Plus, you've spent 15 years saving me, I thought it was only fair to save you too."

A smile spread across Livia's face, despite the lingering pains in her body.

"I love you, Tiberius."

"Yes, I know. But now we both know for next time that it is rather proper to bring a book on a hunt, so don't argue with me. And let's get you back to the institute, you need medical attention."

Livia took the hand that Ty offered her, as he helped support her on the way back to the institute. Perhaps things with her twin would never change.

And in hindsight, perhaps she didn't want them too.