Chapter One

"Tie him up!" Kyra snapped, looking decidedly disgusted at the man lying on the ground. No, she corrected herself, boy. He looked about seventeen, the same age as Kyra, though months older than her. She looked a bit like a sixteen-year-old, but ignored the comments others gave about her size. She was, after all, a huntress.

"If you say so," Sashi, her best friend, shrugged. For being a Zephyra—winged human—she wasn't very merciful like her kind were. She had white wings, longer than her arm, and beautifully blond hair, almost exactly how you'd picture an angel. But angels were in heaven, wore halo's, white gowns, and sang. Sashi was everything but. Her eyes were green on top of that, and what Sashi did, she did for a reason. As far as Kyra knew, Sashi hadn't regretted any decision thus far, and sang terribly.

According to her teachings, Zephyrn were shy, kind, and completely against violence. They hid from everyone because of their dwindling numbers, but, after meeting and banning up with Sashi, Kyra started seeing them differently. Sashi was almost nothing like that. Outspoken, and courageous, she had more confidence than Kyra could ever hope for. She was as prone to capturing as Kyra, and killing if necessary. By all means, she was basically . . . different. Kyra was the one who, only a few times, broke down with guilt and had Sashi comforting her.

The boy's legs were tied and his wrists bound behind his back in a matter of seconds. Zephyrn were fast, or at least Sashi was. Kyra turned to look at the boy, who was glaring at her sullenly. He was a Daemon after all—people who were sometimes hired to kill off others and were part demon. They had a dark personality and only truly got along with those of their own kind. They were the opposite of Zephyra. No one Kyra knew in the Rakii had a Daemon friend.

The boy in front of her wore street clothes—jeans and a black, long sleeve shirt with the words I may not be perfect but parts of me are EXCELLENT! the front in white. He had black hair and his left ear pierced with a small stud earing. It was black as well. His features were striking in a way that, had you not known he was a Daemon, would actually look quite attractive. When she stooped down to look at his eyes—a deep blue (odd for this race)—he spit, missing her by millimeters.

Standing up, Kyra hissed, "I don't like this one very much."

"I don't like you either," he retorted. She glared at him, but otherwise ignored the remark.

"How long of a walk is it before we get to Camille?" she asked Sashi, whose wings snapped open in response as she took flight. Kyra watched in amazement. She'd always wanted to fly and was jealous of Sashi for her ability.

"What is a half-breed and a wind-waker doing catching Daemons?" the boy drawled, "I thought only the Abradears caught us." Kyra sneered at him, and turned her attention to the sky. Sashi was hovering, looking to see where they were exactly.

"You know," he continued, "Half-breeds aren't known for living very long in my world. They're the number one species asked to die.You're just another half-breed scum."

She rounded on him, her eyes narrowed and menacing, "I'm nota half-breed!"

"You lie!"

"Your kind doesn't know anything about me," Kyra snapped, "You claim that you know everything about everyone, but you're wrong. 've never known anything but liesyourself."

"Shifters are half useless, and half beast. That's what makes you a half-breed," he snorted.

"You might be able to say that to others of my kind," Kyra said coldly, "You're one to talk, though. Daemons are three quarters useless, and one quarter demon."

He hissed, a sound more like sucking in air than letting it out. Staying silent, Kyra took that as a sign of failure, and looked up at the sky. Blue met with white and Sashi hovered still, looking over the landscapes Kyra couldn't see from the ground. Looking back at her captive, he was surprisingly still. His eyes watched her, narrowed and cool.

"I'm known for my great looks," Kyra stated, dry amusement and sarcasm coloring her tone, "But I didn't know a mere Daemonto be attracted to it."

He said nothing, his eyes narrowing further. Kyra glanced up, happy to see Sashi start to descend. The Daemon glanced up, his snake eyes watching. Though she'd never admit it to anyone, he had beautiful eyes. The way his pupils were huge and the rest was deep blue. Her eyes were a light silver with a slight turquoise tint, nothing fancy.

"It'll take . . . oh, three hours if we hike to the east. Of course, it would be maybea half hour if I flew, but I couldn't possibly carry both of you," she shrugged, her wings giving a slight flutter in the wind.

"You could take him, and I'll catch up in a few hours," Kyra suggested.

Sashi looked down on him in disgust, "I'd rather carry you and have him catch up in a few hours."

"Fine by me," he shrugged.

"Shut up!" Kyra snarled.

"Somebody got under your skin," Sashi laughed, her wings twitching with amusement.

"He called me a half-breed," she snapped back, her teeth bared unnaturally in this form.

Sashi rolled her eyes, one hand going to rest on her hip, "Daemons. Meddlesome twits. What did he call me? A bird?" she snorted, looking down at him as if he were a particularly nasty bug she'd just found crawling on her shoe.

"A wind-waker," Kyra muttered, then sighed.

"At least they know some respect," Sashi smiled slightly, folding her wings to her side.

"I know someone dangerous when I see them," he muttered. Kyra growled, snatching up the front of his shirt, yanking him to his feet while simultaneously getting a knife out of her belt and holding it to his throat.

"I'll show you dangerous," she growled, glaring at the face that was now inches from hers. He gave her a dangerous look back, his eyes alight, and his smile showing his teeth. His canines were sharp and he reminded Kyra of the stories her foster mother would tell about vampires late at night.

"No!" Sashi snapped, standing off to the side, "That's not part of the mission. Don't." His smile disappeared as he turned to look at the Zephyra. It looked as if he'd actually wanted to fight.

"Fine," Kyra said stiffly, shoving him so that he landed hard on his back. What she didn't expect was that he'd use that momentum to roll a somersault and stand up. Sashi was just as fast, and caught him by the back of his shirt, lifting him into the air.

"I knew this would happen," Sashi sighed while the Daemon boy kicked out furiously to make her drop him. She held on tightly until he hung loosely from her grasp.

"Okay!" he snapped, "I won't go anywhere. You have my word!"

"The word of a Daemon," Kyra sneered, picking at the tip of the dagger she held, "It's worth nothing."

His eyes narrowed at her, "How would you know? When I give my word, I keep to it!"

"In a sneaky sense that you can go around it in other ways," Kyra said darkly, "I know your kind."

"You!?" he snorted, though he didn't look as impressive as he could have standing on the ground, "You know nothing."

"And how would you know? My past is my own, and nobody can tell me how I lived it!" Her face was probably red she realized. Looking at him now, it tickled a memory, and now . . . there was something . . . something she couldn't grasp . . .

"Your tail is bristling," Sashi stated, not letting go of the Daemon, but looking like she really wanted to.

Kyra looked at the back of her pants, noticing the red-brown tail that was about a foot long. It was puffed out slightly, and Kyra sighed, trying hard to relax. Slowly, her tail fell flat again. Reaching her hands up to the top of her head, she smoothed her pointed ears. These were the same color, she knew, but with bits of white in the center.

A whistle, low and long, made her turn to look back at the Daemon. His eyebrows were half raised, and his eyes weren't curious, but something she couldn't place. Kyra narrowed her eyes at him, looking at his face. She hadn't noticed it before because she'd been a bit preoccupied, but now that she really looked, there was something . . . familiar about him. Something . . . she couldn't place . . .

"Haven't see a shifter in their half form in years," he said, his eyes sparked with interest.

She growled at him, the sound feral in her throat, though right, "I'm usually in my half form, but I stay human for those Daemons who are too stupid to tell me apart from my human ancestors."

"Usually?" he looked her over, his eyes narrowed slightly, though not in menace, but as if he was concentrating, "Who did you say you were?"

"I didn't. Come on Sashi, let's get going. Are you gonna fly him or walk?" Kyra asked. She realized the blade she'd pinned to the boy's throat was still in her hand, that soft wooden handle smooth against her palm. She flipped it a few times before placing it in one of her various belt loops. The Daemon boy had stared at her the whole time. Sashi was taking her sweet time, so Kyra allowed herself a smart remark to throw at the Daemon.

"Staring isn't nice." It sounded weak once it came out.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, saying, "So is not saying 'please' and 'thank you', which, just so you know, you haven't been doing either."

"Thanks for the reminder," she snapped.

"You're welcome." Kyra growled again, just to get it out of her system. He looked at her still, "Not very nice for a dog, are you?"

"I'm not a dog. I'm wolf," she responded, making sure she didn't bristle. Honestly, it wasn't like they all looked the same.

His eyebrow just cocked again, "Is that so?"

"I'm not a lying bastard, like you," was her quick reply.

He shrugged, giving up trying to prove any point, or so she decided.

"We'll walk," Sashi decided, amusement in her tone, "You and him," she pointed out, "are going to make this prettyinteresting." Sashi smiled then. Kyra didn't.

"Actually, I think you should fly. If you deal with him, then I won't have to. He's a ruthless Damon," Kyra argued.

"I thought girls like you liked that," Sashi said, trying to hide her smile.

"No, we don't. Humans, useless beings as they are, are attracted to that. Not me!" Kyra snapped, her face turning red with embarrassment. Though Sashi was still amused, she didn't make any more comments.

"Ruthless?" sarcastic amusement colored his voice, "I wouldn't go thatfar, but probably . . ." he paused, looking for a word.

"Conniving son of a bitch?" Kyra offered. Sashi laughed out loud, dropping him unexpectedly on the ground. He was in a sitting position, rubbing his sore back end with his hands, even though they were tied behind his back.

"What did you say your name was?" Kyra laughed, bending at the waist, hands on knees, and looking down upon him as if this could make up for their height difference, but unable to stop herself all the same. He looked up at her with a look of distaste.

"I didn't."

"Well, Ididnt, welcome to the West!" Kyra smiled, and looked up at Sashi, "Shall we go?"

Sashi's wings twitched, but she nodded, "How are we going to transport him?"

"I'll walk, thank you very much," he snapped, looking irritated.

"Look!" Kyra gasped in fake astonishment, "He has manners!" He just glared up at her.

"Do you mind helping me to my feet so I canwalk?" he directed the question at Sashi, who just fluttered her wings. Kyra looked over at the Zephyra with a reproachful look.

"Yes, I mind very much," Kyra said indignantly, turning back, and walking over to the Daemon boy. Stepping on his shoes, which happened to be pumas, she reached down, a handful of his shirt in her right fist, and yanked. He was now standing, his body pressed against her. His face, though, was a few inches above hers, so she had to look up to see him.

"You can let go now," he said coldly, looking pointedly at his shirt.

"Isn't this the part where you try to run away, and I knock you back on your ass?" she whispered, almost merrily, blinking at him.

"No, I gave my word that I wouldn't go anywhere," he said, his dark eyes displaying nothing.

"Nowhere, as in you won't go with us, either?"

His lips pressed together in a tight line before he spoke, "I guess I could make an exception. I will go with you where ever it is you're taking me, and I won't try to run away. My word, happy now?"

"Not really," Kyra said, "but it's a start." She let go, stepping off his feet, and heading back towards Sashi. Her body felt cold now that it wasn't pressed against his, but she shook it off, making herself professional again.

"I don't trust him," Sashi said, her eyes still on him, "But he isn't going anywhere."

"That doesn't mean anything," Kyra sighed, "He has a devious mind that will calculate out a way to escape. He just needs time."

"Kyra, we don't have time," Sashi said, averting her gaze to the sky, "When did the Rakii want him back?"

"Tomorrow, noon," Kyra's gaze joined Sashi's. Pink and red melded with light blue and gray. The sun was setting, and it would be dark soon. Must be around nine o'clock, Kyra guessed, "Let's get some mileage in before we settle down for the night." Sashi nodded, silent. Raising her voice so the boy could hear, she shouted, "Come on, Ididnt, we're leaving."

"Are you talking to me?" he asked innocently. Then he narrowed his eyes, "What did you just call me?"

"Ididnt. That's what you said your name was, right?" Kyra smirked, chuckling internally.

"I didn't say what it was, just that I didn't say it!" he annunciated, clearly angered.

"Well, that's your name for now on, unless you want me to call you 'Daemon' or 'boy'," Kyra shrugged.

"It's Draco." Kyra stiffened, recognizing the name. It all made sense now, and a growing sense of fear grew in the pit of her stomach as he spoke. Her eyes caught Sashi's, and she narrowed them, clenching her jaw. Sashi saw, and turned on him.

"Draco?" she snorted, surprising Kyra, "As in Harry Potter Draco?!"

"It's a nickname, short for a longer name, you know?" Draco replied, sarcasm stuck in his tone.

"What's your full name?" Kyra asked, silently begging it wasn't what she thought it was.

"What's yours?" he retorted.

"None of your business!"

"Huh, long name, that one."

"Oh, shut up!" Kyra snapped.

"Is thatyour nickname? Doesn't sound anything like your full name," he snickered.

"You—you repulsive little—" Kyra spit, snatching her dagger out right before Sashi snapped open her wings, blocking the view of Draco.

"Stop it, both of you! You're fighting like little children over a brand new toy!" she yelled at them.

"She started it!" Draco snapped.

"Oh, realmature! You're the one patronizingme!" Kyra argued back.

"That's enough!" Sashi gave Kyra a look that sent shivers down her spine and made her put away her dagger. Turning around, Sashi gave that same look to Draco, who ignored her, looking away.

"There's a reason why Abradears catch us instead," Draco snorted, "They do a much better job of it." Sashi hissed, the most unnatural sound Kyra had ever heard her make.

"You're right," she said, turning to Kyra, "I'll fly him over there."

Kyra gave a curt nod, grabbing her pack, which was set against a tall elm. It was brown leather. Deerskin to be exact. There was a single strap that crossed over her right shoulder and ended at her left hip. Pulling it over her head, she didn't bother to go through the numerous pockets to make sure everything was there. Sashi put her own leather pack on, careful of her wings, then grabbed a hold of Draco's wrists, untying and retying it so his hands were in front of him. Then, she grabbed them, pulling him into the air.

"Shit, ow, this hurts!" he complained.

"Better get used to it," Sashi said with more malice than Kyra had ever heard before, "Because you're going to have a half hour more of it."

"Whatever," Kyra thought she heard him mumble as Sashi took off, giving her a look that said all.

'I'm coming back for you, don't go anywhere!' So Kyra sat, giving Sashi a smug smile. That's when everything happened almost too fast for Kyra to see. An arrow shot out, hitting Sashi's wing on the delicate inside. It failed her, and she fell, landing heavily beside Draco. Kyra thought she heard someone scream until she realized it was her own.

"Sashi!" Kyra cried out before they were surrounded by a mass of at least twenty Daemons. Sashi cried out in pain as another arrow hit the same wing. Draco was smiling, even if his hands and feet were still tied. Kyra grabbed a dagger, throwing it at the nearest Daemon before she was kneeling by Sashi, checking out her wing.

The blood was flowing too much. Without thinking, Kyra took the bottom of her shirt, ripping a chunk that tore up, leaving her stomach exposed. She ripped it back down the backside, and used it to tie up the wing.

"Stop fussing over me, you stupid Shifter," Sashi snapped, struggling to her feet, one wing folded and the other stuck out awkwardly. Kyra stood, facing half of the group of Daemons. One of them was yanking out the knife she had thrown, which had been embedded in his shoulder. Instead of casting it behind him, like Kyra thought he would do, he kept it in his hand. Growling, he started towards her.

"Caiden, don't," another taller, darker, Daemon snarled at him, grabbing his shoulder. The boy, Caiden, growled, but pocketed the dagger, giving Kyra a look that basically said 'you, me, later.' Kyra sighed inwardly. That was one of her favorite daggers. Looking around the circle of Daemons, Kyra vaguely realized they were all male.

"What do you want?" Sashi snapped, lowering herself to the ground. Kyra could see the toll the blood loss was taking on her, especially the way her face was paling. Though she knew Sashi wouldn't want to, she'd still be able to fly off by herself.

"Draco," the tall man who had stopped Caiden said. He was dark-haired, green-eyed, and strikingly similar to Draco. "You are trying to take him away to the Rakii, I assume? That will not happen," he gave a curt nod to one of the burly men next to him, "Untie him."

Kyra watched with grim horror as Draco was unbound. He stood, rubbing his wrists before he joined the circle, clasping hands with the leader. He disappeared behind the man, and Kyra hoped they would go away now, but still they stayed.

"You have what you want," she snapped, looking around at each of their faces, "What more do you need?"

The leader smiled, "You're trespassing on our territory. We're going to take you back to camp with us for a few questions to answer." The way he said it sounded more like a threat, and no one ever returned from questioning, anyways.

"Sashi, go!" Kyra whispered urgently under her breath as a few burly Daemons started to advance on them.

"I won't leave you—"

"You must! I'll be fine! At least tell the Rakii what happened," Kyra commanded, slipping out another dagger on impulse. Sashi gave her a pained look, then launched into the air, past the trees in a matter of seconds, and out of sight. One of the Daemons hissed, but turned away from the Zephyra. Kyra licked her lips, taking a stance, then exploded. Stabbing the nearest one, she tripped the second. Yanking her dagger out of the first, who didn't seem effected by it, she threw out a kick. He caught her leg, spinning so she was faced the other way. She sprang, carrying his arm with her as she launched over his head. Now he was in an uncomfortable position, and had to let go. The other man was now on his feet, rushing at her. Throwing her dagger—crap, she was going to lose another one—she struck the man in the chest. He fell, his breath rushing out of his lungs. Running, quickly, she snatched the dagger back out of his skin, and turned to face the other one.

"You're going to pay for that," he snarled. He ran at her, and she jumped nimbly out of the way. She didn't know why the other Daemons simply stood in the circle watching, but as least she didn't have to face all of them at once. Noticing a small hole in the circle, she sprinted towards it. It seemed no one was going to stop her, but, just in case, she sprang, transforming into a wolf mid-jump. It seemed that time itself slowed down as she felt the familiar tingle letting her know she was transforming. Her skeleton elongated, fur bursting out over her body. Her daggers became her claws, lethal weapons, and her clothes became her fur.

Hitting the ground, she ran faster than any human ever could. She already knew, though, that Daemons weren't humans. Her sense of freedom overrode her senses; the smell of the trees, sap running beneath the tender bark, pollen enriching the air, the feel of pine needles on her pads, birds chirping from up above. The forest was a pretty sight, the sun still streaming down, though there were long shadows accompanied by the setting of the sun. When she finally got used to all of her senses, her sixth sense kicked in. Someone was following her, and gaining speed. She was sure it would take her down, and she felt in no way ready to sprint because she had the long run back to the Rakii. So, turning 360, she morphed back, her body condensing back to her human half-form, a dagger in her hand already.

Whoever it was had been closer than she thought, and hit her, landing her on her back. Hands clamped around her wrist as she gasped, trying to breathe normally. Her hands were held above her head, and he—as she soon found out—plucked the dagger from her grasp.

"Good for nothing thieves!" she called blindly, her eyes closed for a moment, "That's the second dagger I've lost!" Looking up, she saw Draco's face inches from hers. He was sitting on her, holding her down, the dagger in his hand. Dark blue eyes looked her over, black bangs hanging across them. He didn't say anything at first and Kyra offered nothing more.

Finally, he said, "You're very good at surprise." Kyra cocked an eyebrow at him. A rock was digging into her back causing her to arch up. His face stayed utterly neutral, though his eyes flicked downward before he met her eyes again, "How long have you known where our camp is?" Oh, the interrogating begins!

"Who said I know where thatis?" Kyra smirked, then winced as his weight bore her down on the rock. The way she was jutting out her chest was a bit uncomfortable.

"How else would you find me?" he argued, leaning forward a bit.

"Maybe I'm a tracker."

His eyes narrowed into little slits of blue, "No, you're not. I've seen a tracker before. They're much more quiet than you." Kyra kept her face neutral even though she was growling inside.

"Not everyone has the same personality," she argued.

"I never said it was their personality that was quiet," he snapped.

"I do not usuallytrample through the forest," she objected, "I'm usually not fighting and running so close together."

He paused, letting her know he wouldn't comment further on that, "You look familiar," he said, looking her face over, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Your nightmares," Kyra growled, lifting up a leg to kick him in the head with her foot. He ducked, the son of a bitch, but the momentum let her roll so she was atop him. Grinning, she sat, though she wasn't much of a weight. Instead, she tried to grab the dagger out of his hands. Still, he held her wrists.

"No," he said after a minute, his breathing controlled, "haven't had one of those in a while." Yanking on her wrists so she was closer to him, he studied her face. Kyra struggled uselessly. He was a bit strong for her, even if she managed to keep him on the ground.

"Let me guess," she said, though a snarl came out with it, "You haven't slept since the last one because you were too scared to go back to sleep."

"Nope," he shook his head, "Not that either. I wonder . . ."

She rolled her eyes, wincing, "Oh, please. If I was in your good dreams, you have a nasty surprise waiting for you."

Draco smiled, but instead sat up. It surprised Kyra. She didn't think he'd have the strength to do that when she was sitting on his stomach. The awkwardness set in when her arms were still held captive, but he made no move to get her off his lap. Kyra held absolutely still, even though her wolf ears moved to pin back against her head, her eyes still locked on his.

"I don't dream about Shifters, except when I'm killing them. Those are the good dreams. No, your face," he concluded, "is not from a dream. I've seen it somewhere."

Kyra snorted, "How about a few minutes ago when I held you captive? Ring any long forgotten bells? Search your memory for that." Catching the light off her dagger in his hand, her brain started calculating, planning. All she needed was a good kick . . .

"Memories . . ." he glanced across her face, searching. A burning hatred sprang back into her. She was going to kill him. She pulled her foot up, and kicked out, flipping herself over him at the same time. She snatched the dagger as he let go, and twirled, ready to sever his head from his body. It clashed against a sword she hadn't noticed he'd had. It was a fair bit bigger than hers, and pointed at her chest. The sword, she realized as she looked up, didn't belong to Draco, but Caiden, the red-haired teen back at the clearing. He had purple eyes that were staring at her. Instead of dropping her dagger, she put it on her belt, then stood with arm on her hip, not even offering some kind of surrender.

"Kill me, then," she stated evenly.

He ignored her, "Draco, are you okay?"

"Fine," was the reply. Kyra looked over at Draco who was looking at her with a different look in his eye.

"What wereyou doing?" Caiden demanded, "You looked like you were kissing her― h he stopped short, looking back at Kyra.

"I was not kissingher," Draco snapped, his attention turned to Caiden, "We were talking."

"With your lips?" Caiden snickered.

"Caiden, now is notthe time for idle chatter," Draco said, looking back at Kyra, who smiled.

"Well, I'mthoroughly enjoying myself. Please, continue," she looked at Caiden, a smile pasted on her face, "You were saying? You might not know it, but we were secretly dating. He told me he was having an affair, and I was going to kill him. You can do it yourself, whichever way you prefer."

"I'm killing anyone, except you if you move," Caiden protested, looking back at Draco, who was surreptitiously studying her face. Kyra suppressed the desire to stick her tongue out at him.

"What's your problem?" she snapped.

"I doknow you," was his only reply. Kyra froze, feeling the dread climb inside her, choking out all the words she could have ever said. She gazed back at him almost fearfully, but hoped that he wouldn't notice, "But it can't be . . . Ellie?"