Author's Notes: You people getting sick of me yet? Well, I'm here to stay,
so :P. Anyhoo, this is my last Nightworld fanfic, but happens earlier than
Inner Circle and Destiny's Choice. Read and review plz? (Corny title for a
story, I know).
Disclaimer: I do not own the Nightworld, the names Redfern or whoever else appears from Ms. Smith's Nightworld series. And unfortunately, I do NOT own Julian. Damn Shadow Men always run and hide when they see me.
To Be, or Not to Be?...
It was spring. Flowers were blooming, trees were budding, and birds were chirping. Passerbys could see rabbits, squirrels, birds, and of course, the occasional odd wolf or tiger. Yes, that's right, there were tigers in this small town. Of course, the humans never knew, but that's because the tigers belonged to the Night World. A small, cheerful house stood like a sentinel at the entrance to a heavily-wooded park. Sitting on the porch was a teenage girl of about seventeen. Her curly, light-brown hair cascaded down her back and all the way to her hips. If one were to get close to her, they would see her blue eyes narrowed in concentration as she searched the street. A regular human would leave, thinking that she was a normal teen. If perhaps, they had stayed, they would have seen the setting sun reflected in her now brown eyes. Another instant later and the girl's now green eyes shone with joy. Three people were walking down the street. One was a tall boy who looked around her age. Walking next to him was a girl who looked slightly younger then he was. In front of them was a short boy who looked like he belonged in middle school. The girl on the porch smiled and waved to the group. Waving back, the three of them jogged up to her. "Hey guys, what's up?" the porch-girl asked.
"Not much, Angel," the taller boy replied.
"Wow Marik, think you can spare all the details?" the shorter boy asked sarcastically. Marik just looked at him.
"Austin, do us all a favor. Go dig a deep pit, and then throw yourself into it," he shot back, glaring at Austin, who was visibly trying to think of a comeback.
"Brothers," the other girl commented, rolling her eyes and sighing.
"You mean Tyler brothers, Amber," Angel clarified, smiling at her friend. Amber looked at the two boys. Austin was still staring at his brother, a defiant look in his amber eyes. His dirty-blonde hair was plastered to his head, and looked like it hadn't seen a comb in days. Marik looked back at his younger brother through smoky-gray eyes. Usually those eyes held a look of either endless wisdom, or playful fun. Now they held a look of Back off or else... Marik's dark-brown hair fell into his eyes and stayed there even when he shook his head. Laughing softly, Amber reached up and brushed it out of his eyes for him. Austin started laughing as his brother turned a deep crimson. Marik turned to face Amber, a wounded look on his face.
"Do you always have to do that?" She considered his question for a moment.
"Yes." Mischief was shining in her ice-blue eyes. Her pale face was framed by long tendrils of ice-blonde hair No wonder the others called her the Ice Princess. Not only did her features reflect it, but if you crossed Amber Johnson the wrong way, her blue eyes froze you solid when you looked at her. Angel ushered the three of them into the house. Austin sat on a backed bench, while Angel sat down gracefully in lotus-position on the floor. Marik sat down on the edge of the couch. Amber, as Angel knew she would, sat down right next to him.
"Where is everyone?" Austin wanted to know as soon as they were all seated. Marik leaned over and whispered to Amber.
"He means, where's Gepard?" he whispered so that Austin wouldn't hear. He and Amber then both giggled softly. Just then a scrape was heard at the back door. A moment later another scrape sounded, and Angel got up and opened the door. A thin, beautifully-spotted cheetah stepped into the room. Gazing around, it spotted Austin and went to sit next to him. Angel noticed little hairs on the floor, and more coming off the cheetah.
"My carpet! I just had it cleaned too! Gepard, I wish you would tell me if you're shedding or not," she scolded the cat. The cheetah stood still for a moment, and then its featured rearranged themselves into those of a teen girl. Gepard Lowen had wheat-blonde hair that bounced around her face. Her grass-green eyes were alert and ready for action.
"Redferns. Always worried about their possessions," she told Angel.
" 'Shifters. Never caring whose possessions they destroy," Angel replied, her eyes shifting quickly from brown to violet.
"Vampires. Never give a damn who they destroy." Amber spoke up, her blue eyes giving a warning look to her friends.
"Cool it," she ordered simply, her voice flat and serious. Angel and Gepard just shrugged and listened. Sighing, Amber put her head on Marik's shoulder. He leaned back and put his arm around her. Gepard pretended to be sick.
"Gag me," she quipped, looking at the vampire-couple, and then at Austin, who backed away.
"I'd love to," Marik replied, teasing her. Gepard would've responded, but the doorbell rang and Angel answered it. She returned with a boy and girl her age.
"Hi Sage. Hi Leah," Austin greeted the pair. Sage Carter looked back at him through solemn hazel eyes. He used one hand to brush his hair back. It was shaggy, and went from dark-brown to black in the changing light. Leah Martin had golden-blonde hair that hung in waves halfway down her back. Her blue-gray eyes were wise and understanding. Both Sage and Leah were Old- Souls, their spirits having been through hundreds of past lives. Leah was the only human that was accepted in the group. Sage was a werewolf and belonged to the Night World, as did the others.
"Hello everyone," Leah replied as she and Sage sat down together on the other end of the couch. They weren't a couple, but they hung out together a lot because of their Old-Soul connection. Amber smiled at Sage, who was one of her best friends.
"Is this everyone?" Sage asked as he quickly scanned the room.
"Lyca and Dahlia should've been here already. Did anyone hear from Kat and Skye?" Angel wondered.
"Didn't they have a Circle meeting this morning?" Marik brought up, always the one to remember everything.
"But I thought it would've been over by now," Gepard pointed out.
"The families don't see each other that often. Besides, they were having a party for their new cousin, Rose," Leah explained.
"Another girl?" Austin asked, shaking his head in confusion. Witches were weird. They were the only ones in the Night World who traced their family line through the women. Wolves, 'shifters, and vampires all traced through the men.
"Yeah. It's really nice that the family gets together for a celebration like that," Amber sighed. Angel smiled to herself, knowing that Amber would like to get married and raise a family someday. She just hadn't gotten around to informing Marik about it. Boy, was he in for a shock. Suddenly a series of short knocks sounded on the front door. Angel sprang up to answer it. She led two girls into the room. One of these girls had curly, fiery- orange-red hair. Her jade-green eyes sparkled with a life all their own. Gepard stood while Sage followed her lead. Their princess, Dahlia Drache, a tiger 'shifter, had arrived. Dahlia saw them standing and raised her eyes to the ceiling.
"Will you sit down? I'm your friend, not a spoiled snob who demands attention all the time," she told them as they resumed their seats. Sometimes the standing was okay, but Dahlia expected it from adults, not her friends.
"They're honoring you, Dahlia," the other girl stated, shaking her hair out of a ponytail. It tumbled down in soft brown curls that framed her face. Her liquid-brown eyes shone with an inner light. Lyca Richards was a gray wolf, the only one besides Sage. Dahlia just looked at Lyca, sighed, and sat down next to Angel. The doorbell rang and Angel groaned because she was tired of getting up and down. Lyca motioned for her to sit and then went to get the door. She returned with two more girls. The older girl looked at the group through amethyst eyes. Her mousy-brown hair shone in the lamplight of the room. This was Skye Eirne, who originally was a Harman until her widowered father remarried. Next to Skye was her distant cousin, Katarina Vatavitch, or Kat as they called her. Kat had obsidian-black hair that contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Her wide, violet eyes shone like liquid pools of purple. Both of them had come from an extended Circle meeting for their cousin, Rose.
"Unity all."
"Unity," the others replied in the traditional witch greeting. Kat immediately started looking around the room.
"Where's Silver?" she asked, not finding her best friend, Silver Virgata, a white tiger 'shifter.
"I don't know, Kat. Didn't you talk to her last night?" Angel asked her.
"Yeah, but nothing was going on except that her father was coming." Gasps of surprise echoed through the room.
"Her father?! But she hasn't seen him since she was born," Skye finally said.
"It's probably because she turned sixteen," Amber realized, remembering that Silver's birthday had been last week.
"Well whatever the reason, when she gets here we'll support her in meeting her dad," Leah stated, calm as ever. She no sooner spoke then a hollow knock came from the door. Dahlia got up and answered it. She returned with a very shaky Silver. Her navy-blue eyes were frantic, and her copper hair was a mess. She kept running her hand through her hair so that the dark stripes that ran through it were more and more visible.
"I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" she said over and over again.
"What can't you believe?" Gepard demanded, getting impatient.
"My father! I can't believe who he is!" Silver yelled as she stopped pacing the room.
"Who is your father?" Sage wanted to know, his voice cool and collected.
"My father is a Redfern! More importantly, my half-brother and sisters are Ash, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade!" The room was plunged into silence as the rest of the group took on the meaning of her words. Angel was blinking rapidly while Dahlia shook her head. Kat and Skye looked at each other in surprise. Sage and Leah were at a loss for words- for once. Lyca just sat there, trying to make sense of it all. Austin and Gepard were staring at Silver, their jaws touching the floor. Amber raised herself off Marik a little bit and stared wide-eyed at her friend. Marik grimaced and then put one hand over his eyes.
"Tell me this is not happening." Amber looked at him.
"It is." He took his hand away and stared at her.
"I asked you not to tell me," he told her as she hit his shoulder softly. Silver had regained her composure and went on explaining
"That's not the worst of it." Gepard snapped her jaw up. She closed Austin's mouth for him.
"You mean there's more?"
"What could be worse than being half-sister to Ash-hole?" Kat seriously asked, always ready to diss Ash Redfern. Angel could stand it no longer, and she burst out laughing. As Kat's joke sank in the others started laughing as well. Angel finally regained her self-control.
"No really, I do love my cousins," she swore as the room quieted down again. Just then the front door burst off its hinges and someone entered the house. Angel and Dahlia rose quickly from the floor. Lyca changed into a wolf as Gepard shifted to half-form. Leah and Sage stood up, and Sage instinctively pushed Leah behind him. Skye and Kat backed away from the door, and Silver and Austin got in front of them. Marik and Amber sprang off the couch, both of them in a fighting stance. They were all ready to fight and were caught completely off guard when... Alex walked in dragging something. When he saw everyone in "kill-mode", he threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Hey, hey, hey! I give! I give!.. Unless you really want to fight," he wondered, an evil smile on his face and a playful gleam in his sky-blue eyes. His dirty-blonde hair was wind-blown, and he shook it out of his eyes. The others relaxed, but Angel just stared at him.
"My door. You broke my door," she said slowly, her eyes turning green, then violet, and then red. Alex backed away from her.
"I'm sorry, all right! I'll never do it again! I promise!" he pleaded with her. Angel relaxed a little.
"See that you don't." Then she motioned him in.
"Alex, don't you ever knock first?" Gepard demanded, totally disgusted with his presence. Even so, they had a good understanding of each other. He understood that Gepard didn't like him, and she understood that Alex didn't like her.
"I would have, but I found a vermin on the doorstep," he replied, pointing to the thing he had been dragging. It was a teenage boy who was bound and had a cloth bag over his head. "I thought that he'd make a good snack," Alex continued, running his tongue over his now extended canines. Angel looked from him to the human boy.
"Go ahead, Alex. Just don't get any blood on my semi-clean carpet," she warned, shooting a look at Gepard, who twiddled her thumbs and whistled. Alex untied the boy and removed the bag. As soon as the bag was off, Alex was on him so that the others wouldn't see his prey's face. But he wasn't fast enough. Amber and Marik saw who the human was and practically flew off the couch.
"Alex no!" Amber screamed as Marik tackled him and Amber pulled the boy up. His hands were shaking as he ran them through his orange hair. Turning to face the group, he looked at them with terrified, hazel eyes. They all gasped in surprise when they realized who it was. Sage jumped up and went over to him. Marik was struggling to keep his grip on Alex. Both of the boys were strong, but Alex was bigger and so had the advantage.
"Get off of me!" Alex yelled, kicking Marik hard with both feet. A sharp CRACK! was heard as Marik fell to the floor, gasping for air. Amber was on Alex in a flash, her eyes blazing blue fire. She fixed her long, cold gaze on Alex, who stopped struggling as he stared at the young lamia.
"If you hurt him, I'll snap your neck like a twig," she threatened, completely serious. Angel came over and pulled her off Alex.
"Don't Amber, he's not worth it." Scowling, Amber got up and went over to Marik, who was sitting up by this time. Skye kneeled down beside the two of them.
"Any extensive damage?" she asked, quickly looking him over.
"Just a few broken ribs, nothing major," he replied as Amber ran her hand gently over his chest. He winced when she touched a broken rib, and she stopped and took his hand.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that," she apologized quietly, hanging her head. Marik squeezed her hand and she looked up. Angel now stood behind Marik.
"You're forgiven. Just don't ever do it again," she told her, a faint smile on her lips.
"Hey Sage, who's the kid you're hiding?" Lyca asked, as she hadn't seen his face yet. Sage moved away and Dahlia rolled her eyes and looked at Angel, who faced the human with hands on her hips.
"You'd better have a good reason for being here, Peter," she told Sage's friend and the group's resident human pest.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Nightworld, the names Redfern or whoever else appears from Ms. Smith's Nightworld series. And unfortunately, I do NOT own Julian. Damn Shadow Men always run and hide when they see me.
To Be, or Not to Be?...
It was spring. Flowers were blooming, trees were budding, and birds were chirping. Passerbys could see rabbits, squirrels, birds, and of course, the occasional odd wolf or tiger. Yes, that's right, there were tigers in this small town. Of course, the humans never knew, but that's because the tigers belonged to the Night World. A small, cheerful house stood like a sentinel at the entrance to a heavily-wooded park. Sitting on the porch was a teenage girl of about seventeen. Her curly, light-brown hair cascaded down her back and all the way to her hips. If one were to get close to her, they would see her blue eyes narrowed in concentration as she searched the street. A regular human would leave, thinking that she was a normal teen. If perhaps, they had stayed, they would have seen the setting sun reflected in her now brown eyes. Another instant later and the girl's now green eyes shone with joy. Three people were walking down the street. One was a tall boy who looked around her age. Walking next to him was a girl who looked slightly younger then he was. In front of them was a short boy who looked like he belonged in middle school. The girl on the porch smiled and waved to the group. Waving back, the three of them jogged up to her. "Hey guys, what's up?" the porch-girl asked.
"Not much, Angel," the taller boy replied.
"Wow Marik, think you can spare all the details?" the shorter boy asked sarcastically. Marik just looked at him.
"Austin, do us all a favor. Go dig a deep pit, and then throw yourself into it," he shot back, glaring at Austin, who was visibly trying to think of a comeback.
"Brothers," the other girl commented, rolling her eyes and sighing.
"You mean Tyler brothers, Amber," Angel clarified, smiling at her friend. Amber looked at the two boys. Austin was still staring at his brother, a defiant look in his amber eyes. His dirty-blonde hair was plastered to his head, and looked like it hadn't seen a comb in days. Marik looked back at his younger brother through smoky-gray eyes. Usually those eyes held a look of either endless wisdom, or playful fun. Now they held a look of Back off or else... Marik's dark-brown hair fell into his eyes and stayed there even when he shook his head. Laughing softly, Amber reached up and brushed it out of his eyes for him. Austin started laughing as his brother turned a deep crimson. Marik turned to face Amber, a wounded look on his face.
"Do you always have to do that?" She considered his question for a moment.
"Yes." Mischief was shining in her ice-blue eyes. Her pale face was framed by long tendrils of ice-blonde hair No wonder the others called her the Ice Princess. Not only did her features reflect it, but if you crossed Amber Johnson the wrong way, her blue eyes froze you solid when you looked at her. Angel ushered the three of them into the house. Austin sat on a backed bench, while Angel sat down gracefully in lotus-position on the floor. Marik sat down on the edge of the couch. Amber, as Angel knew she would, sat down right next to him.
"Where is everyone?" Austin wanted to know as soon as they were all seated. Marik leaned over and whispered to Amber.
"He means, where's Gepard?" he whispered so that Austin wouldn't hear. He and Amber then both giggled softly. Just then a scrape was heard at the back door. A moment later another scrape sounded, and Angel got up and opened the door. A thin, beautifully-spotted cheetah stepped into the room. Gazing around, it spotted Austin and went to sit next to him. Angel noticed little hairs on the floor, and more coming off the cheetah.
"My carpet! I just had it cleaned too! Gepard, I wish you would tell me if you're shedding or not," she scolded the cat. The cheetah stood still for a moment, and then its featured rearranged themselves into those of a teen girl. Gepard Lowen had wheat-blonde hair that bounced around her face. Her grass-green eyes were alert and ready for action.
"Redferns. Always worried about their possessions," she told Angel.
" 'Shifters. Never caring whose possessions they destroy," Angel replied, her eyes shifting quickly from brown to violet.
"Vampires. Never give a damn who they destroy." Amber spoke up, her blue eyes giving a warning look to her friends.
"Cool it," she ordered simply, her voice flat and serious. Angel and Gepard just shrugged and listened. Sighing, Amber put her head on Marik's shoulder. He leaned back and put his arm around her. Gepard pretended to be sick.
"Gag me," she quipped, looking at the vampire-couple, and then at Austin, who backed away.
"I'd love to," Marik replied, teasing her. Gepard would've responded, but the doorbell rang and Angel answered it. She returned with a boy and girl her age.
"Hi Sage. Hi Leah," Austin greeted the pair. Sage Carter looked back at him through solemn hazel eyes. He used one hand to brush his hair back. It was shaggy, and went from dark-brown to black in the changing light. Leah Martin had golden-blonde hair that hung in waves halfway down her back. Her blue-gray eyes were wise and understanding. Both Sage and Leah were Old- Souls, their spirits having been through hundreds of past lives. Leah was the only human that was accepted in the group. Sage was a werewolf and belonged to the Night World, as did the others.
"Hello everyone," Leah replied as she and Sage sat down together on the other end of the couch. They weren't a couple, but they hung out together a lot because of their Old-Soul connection. Amber smiled at Sage, who was one of her best friends.
"Is this everyone?" Sage asked as he quickly scanned the room.
"Lyca and Dahlia should've been here already. Did anyone hear from Kat and Skye?" Angel wondered.
"Didn't they have a Circle meeting this morning?" Marik brought up, always the one to remember everything.
"But I thought it would've been over by now," Gepard pointed out.
"The families don't see each other that often. Besides, they were having a party for their new cousin, Rose," Leah explained.
"Another girl?" Austin asked, shaking his head in confusion. Witches were weird. They were the only ones in the Night World who traced their family line through the women. Wolves, 'shifters, and vampires all traced through the men.
"Yeah. It's really nice that the family gets together for a celebration like that," Amber sighed. Angel smiled to herself, knowing that Amber would like to get married and raise a family someday. She just hadn't gotten around to informing Marik about it. Boy, was he in for a shock. Suddenly a series of short knocks sounded on the front door. Angel sprang up to answer it. She led two girls into the room. One of these girls had curly, fiery- orange-red hair. Her jade-green eyes sparkled with a life all their own. Gepard stood while Sage followed her lead. Their princess, Dahlia Drache, a tiger 'shifter, had arrived. Dahlia saw them standing and raised her eyes to the ceiling.
"Will you sit down? I'm your friend, not a spoiled snob who demands attention all the time," she told them as they resumed their seats. Sometimes the standing was okay, but Dahlia expected it from adults, not her friends.
"They're honoring you, Dahlia," the other girl stated, shaking her hair out of a ponytail. It tumbled down in soft brown curls that framed her face. Her liquid-brown eyes shone with an inner light. Lyca Richards was a gray wolf, the only one besides Sage. Dahlia just looked at Lyca, sighed, and sat down next to Angel. The doorbell rang and Angel groaned because she was tired of getting up and down. Lyca motioned for her to sit and then went to get the door. She returned with two more girls. The older girl looked at the group through amethyst eyes. Her mousy-brown hair shone in the lamplight of the room. This was Skye Eirne, who originally was a Harman until her widowered father remarried. Next to Skye was her distant cousin, Katarina Vatavitch, or Kat as they called her. Kat had obsidian-black hair that contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Her wide, violet eyes shone like liquid pools of purple. Both of them had come from an extended Circle meeting for their cousin, Rose.
"Unity all."
"Unity," the others replied in the traditional witch greeting. Kat immediately started looking around the room.
"Where's Silver?" she asked, not finding her best friend, Silver Virgata, a white tiger 'shifter.
"I don't know, Kat. Didn't you talk to her last night?" Angel asked her.
"Yeah, but nothing was going on except that her father was coming." Gasps of surprise echoed through the room.
"Her father?! But she hasn't seen him since she was born," Skye finally said.
"It's probably because she turned sixteen," Amber realized, remembering that Silver's birthday had been last week.
"Well whatever the reason, when she gets here we'll support her in meeting her dad," Leah stated, calm as ever. She no sooner spoke then a hollow knock came from the door. Dahlia got up and answered it. She returned with a very shaky Silver. Her navy-blue eyes were frantic, and her copper hair was a mess. She kept running her hand through her hair so that the dark stripes that ran through it were more and more visible.
"I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" she said over and over again.
"What can't you believe?" Gepard demanded, getting impatient.
"My father! I can't believe who he is!" Silver yelled as she stopped pacing the room.
"Who is your father?" Sage wanted to know, his voice cool and collected.
"My father is a Redfern! More importantly, my half-brother and sisters are Ash, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade!" The room was plunged into silence as the rest of the group took on the meaning of her words. Angel was blinking rapidly while Dahlia shook her head. Kat and Skye looked at each other in surprise. Sage and Leah were at a loss for words- for once. Lyca just sat there, trying to make sense of it all. Austin and Gepard were staring at Silver, their jaws touching the floor. Amber raised herself off Marik a little bit and stared wide-eyed at her friend. Marik grimaced and then put one hand over his eyes.
"Tell me this is not happening." Amber looked at him.
"It is." He took his hand away and stared at her.
"I asked you not to tell me," he told her as she hit his shoulder softly. Silver had regained her composure and went on explaining
"That's not the worst of it." Gepard snapped her jaw up. She closed Austin's mouth for him.
"You mean there's more?"
"What could be worse than being half-sister to Ash-hole?" Kat seriously asked, always ready to diss Ash Redfern. Angel could stand it no longer, and she burst out laughing. As Kat's joke sank in the others started laughing as well. Angel finally regained her self-control.
"No really, I do love my cousins," she swore as the room quieted down again. Just then the front door burst off its hinges and someone entered the house. Angel and Dahlia rose quickly from the floor. Lyca changed into a wolf as Gepard shifted to half-form. Leah and Sage stood up, and Sage instinctively pushed Leah behind him. Skye and Kat backed away from the door, and Silver and Austin got in front of them. Marik and Amber sprang off the couch, both of them in a fighting stance. They were all ready to fight and were caught completely off guard when... Alex walked in dragging something. When he saw everyone in "kill-mode", he threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Hey, hey, hey! I give! I give!.. Unless you really want to fight," he wondered, an evil smile on his face and a playful gleam in his sky-blue eyes. His dirty-blonde hair was wind-blown, and he shook it out of his eyes. The others relaxed, but Angel just stared at him.
"My door. You broke my door," she said slowly, her eyes turning green, then violet, and then red. Alex backed away from her.
"I'm sorry, all right! I'll never do it again! I promise!" he pleaded with her. Angel relaxed a little.
"See that you don't." Then she motioned him in.
"Alex, don't you ever knock first?" Gepard demanded, totally disgusted with his presence. Even so, they had a good understanding of each other. He understood that Gepard didn't like him, and she understood that Alex didn't like her.
"I would have, but I found a vermin on the doorstep," he replied, pointing to the thing he had been dragging. It was a teenage boy who was bound and had a cloth bag over his head. "I thought that he'd make a good snack," Alex continued, running his tongue over his now extended canines. Angel looked from him to the human boy.
"Go ahead, Alex. Just don't get any blood on my semi-clean carpet," she warned, shooting a look at Gepard, who twiddled her thumbs and whistled. Alex untied the boy and removed the bag. As soon as the bag was off, Alex was on him so that the others wouldn't see his prey's face. But he wasn't fast enough. Amber and Marik saw who the human was and practically flew off the couch.
"Alex no!" Amber screamed as Marik tackled him and Amber pulled the boy up. His hands were shaking as he ran them through his orange hair. Turning to face the group, he looked at them with terrified, hazel eyes. They all gasped in surprise when they realized who it was. Sage jumped up and went over to him. Marik was struggling to keep his grip on Alex. Both of the boys were strong, but Alex was bigger and so had the advantage.
"Get off of me!" Alex yelled, kicking Marik hard with both feet. A sharp CRACK! was heard as Marik fell to the floor, gasping for air. Amber was on Alex in a flash, her eyes blazing blue fire. She fixed her long, cold gaze on Alex, who stopped struggling as he stared at the young lamia.
"If you hurt him, I'll snap your neck like a twig," she threatened, completely serious. Angel came over and pulled her off Alex.
"Don't Amber, he's not worth it." Scowling, Amber got up and went over to Marik, who was sitting up by this time. Skye kneeled down beside the two of them.
"Any extensive damage?" she asked, quickly looking him over.
"Just a few broken ribs, nothing major," he replied as Amber ran her hand gently over his chest. He winced when she touched a broken rib, and she stopped and took his hand.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that," she apologized quietly, hanging her head. Marik squeezed her hand and she looked up. Angel now stood behind Marik.
"You're forgiven. Just don't ever do it again," she told her, a faint smile on her lips.
"Hey Sage, who's the kid you're hiding?" Lyca asked, as she hadn't seen his face yet. Sage moved away and Dahlia rolled her eyes and looked at Angel, who faced the human with hands on her hips.
"You'd better have a good reason for being here, Peter," she told Sage's friend and the group's resident human pest.