VA XMI = CHAPTER TWO:

Jace's POV

Why did life have to be so complicated? Well, for the most of it things were simple enough. But apparently not with affections of the heart. How could someone so small mean so much to me? It was infuriating. Stupid even. And it wasn't as if she thought anything of me. I pushed to remind myself that this was a good thing. I couldn't manage it. I needed to distract myself in sweat, bruises and exhaustion.

"JACE!"

I looked up with a start. Now what? Simon and Luke seemed to be under siege, by a girl. The thought of Simon under siege was humorous, but Luke; ludicrous. Well sure, if it were someone like Isabelle we'd all understand but this girl was much shorter, someone I'd never met. All I could catch from this distance was her long dark hair and that she knew how to fight. That was an understatement; Luke seemed to be having a hard time keeping his own. My mood lightened; what a perfect distraction.

I was halfway to the fray when I realised Simon was on the ground, a male figure standing over him.

Was that fire coming out of his hands? Wait, was Luke's chest smoking? Ok, the girl could fight, but this fire wielder was a mystery, which made him more dangerous. I pushed myself to a sprint and three metres back, prepared myself for attack, aiming at the fire-thrower, until something clicked in my brain and I changed targets split-second: if fire guy had burnt Luke, he wouldn't be smoking, he'd be burning. The only time skin ever 'smoked' came from a high intolerance to silver. To a lycanthrope like Luke, it was kind of more fatal than fire.

THWACK!

I knocked her onto the sand and managed to temporary stun her. In the seconds that she was still dazed, I pinned her arms and torso, keeping her stomach on the sand and found the source of silver. It appeared to be some kind of thin circular dagger. It reminded me of a stake you'd see on the Dracula movies, only much smaller and not wooden.

I glanced at flame-thrower and saw that Luke and Simon had managed to restrain his hands and pinned him similar to the way I had the girl.

Suddenly the girl went limb. I thought perhaps she'd fainted but then she 'woke up' again feistier than before if such were possible.

"No! Lissa get back!"

Lissa? Then a slight blonde form ran from behind one of the barbecues on the sand and came flying at us.

I tensed, ready for her attack. But the dark haired girl was giving me a hard time.

"Lissa run!"

The girl turned and sprinted in the other direction. I was about to yell at Simon but he'd already taken after her and she was soon pinned.

That didn't stop the dark haired girl from trying to change that. She flailed and bucked and managed to twist so that her back was against the sand.

Whoa. She's as hot as her fighting skills. Almost as gorgeous as me. Even though she was scowling as though I was Abbadon. I masked my face as much as I could but I couldn't help the smirk that found its way to the corner of my mouth.

She scowled ever deeper.

"Get off me you bastard!" she growled. Ok, so she could see me. Impressive.

"No can do, gorgeous."

I got spat in my face for that one.

"Hey!" I picked up her silver stake from the sand and she only stopped struggling when I put the point of it in the hollow of her collarbone.

"Interesting little weapon you got here." Her eyes glanced almost unnoticeably to the stake and back. "Anyone would think you're hunting vampires not werewolves."

Her face twisted and her expression was the perfect blend of shock and clear understanding as if she was saying, 'Duh.'

"There's no such thing as werewolves." She spat. "Vampires and ghosts, yes, but I'm not an idiot."

I burst into laughter and looked back down at her. Oh. She was serious.

Ok, she could see the three of us, along with her sidekicks. She knew about the vampires, seemed to believe in ghosts but nothing else. If I didn't see her deadly fighting skills before or her one-of-a-kind silver dagger I'd pass her for some kind of mundane who had the rare gift of sight and had had a run in with one of the children of the night and felt like a little revenge. And flame-thrower guy? I decided it was time Hodge had something to say about these randoms.

I looked back down to the hottie. Her eyes then closed to slits, a suspicious and curious expression.

"What are you?" she asked.

Even if she could see me, I should look like a regular mundane. Well, if my face could ever be called regular.

"Strikingly hansom. A trained killer. And getting tired of this. But why do you ask?" She had some serious explaining to do.

"Well, you're not human. Or not completely anyway."

I didn't answer her and looked up to Luke.

"I think you should take them to the institution," he said. "Before we say any more they need to do some talking."

I nodded. "You should come too."

"I don't think-"

"You should get that gash fixed up anyway and you know Hodge will want to talk to you."

"Fine. How are we going to move them?"

I looked back at the girl, trying to come up with something. She was still wearing that same confused suspicious expression almost calculating. I was about to suggest a binding/blinding rune when she answered for me.

"We will come willingly."

"Rose! Are you nuts?" flame-thrower asked.

She glanced at the blonde girl she called Lissa. Then nodded at her.

"Settle Christian." She said. "I want information too." She turned back to me. "You swear you won't harm us? Or separate us?"

I thought it would be a hard thing to do under the circumstances and noting her skills. "By the Angel."

She looked as if I'd promised something about mythical creatures.

Simon came to aid. "He promises."

She nodded. And I slowly let her up.