Hey, hey, hey! I'm back! Sorry about leaving Chloe in peril, but it's kinda the only opener I could think of. Anyone ever notice the climax in my stories is at the very beginning? I'm working on it, but chances are this will also happen in further stories. Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not an actual author with published books. No published books=me no own DP.

Xxx Normal POV xxX

Lily started racing back to the house, but she wasn't as fast as Derek. He was sprinting meters ahead, not even stopping when a branch nearly impaled his arm. Still running, his wings opened and sent him soaring into the air. Letting out a shriek of surprise, Lily stopped running and stared up at the flailing werewolf. It was times like these that she wished lady luck hadn't totally said Fuck it! You're on your own. Why, you might ask? Derek had no idea how to fly, much less land. Which meant without her help, he was likely going to fall and kill himself. So, she stopped and tried coaxing him down, which was impossible because she didn't know how to fly. Sighing, she bit her lip and thought, This would be so much easier if we had ACTUAL help.

Just like that, the sky darkened and the wind picked up. Derek, who looked so close to whimpering like a puppy but was desperately trying to hide it, yelled to her, "What did you do? We need to get to Chloe and…" he trailed off when he saw what was shooting down from the sky. Flaring brilliant iridescent wings in the now sunny sky, Niall Cain flew beside him and grabbed his shoulders. Pressing points on Derek's own wings, they shimmered like a mirage and disappeared. Shouting, he plummeted the twenty feet to the ground and somehow landed square on his feet. Lips twitching weakly, Lily choked out, "Graceful, my friend. Just like a bird."

Growling under his breath, Derek turned on his heels and tried to run back to the house, but Niall caught his wrist and tugged him back. Whipping around, he snarled, but the grating noise died down as soon as he caught wind of the intruding angel. Clenching his jaw, he spat, "Let me go, father." Niall did no such thing. Instead, he herded them back towards the cave and commanded them to stay. "I'll get them here. It's not safe, especially for you, Milady." With those parting words, he flung himself into the air and vanished.

Immediately, they moved after him. Or, at least they tried. The very ground they were standing on kept them in that same spot, and they knew there was no chance of going after the angel. Derek could feel tears of frustration pricking at his eyes, but ignored them as he desperately fought to get to his mate. Whatever anger he felt towards Simon, he hadn't meant it to be passed to Chloe. She needed him, and he knew if he could just hold her everything would be okay again. But apparently a man he had never met before, his own bastard of a father, had the right to keep her from him. It made his blood boil as he fought even harder.

Beside him, Lily was also fighting the paralyses inflicted by them by the angel. Already over the shock of finding Derek's father, she realized just how much she wanted to kill him. No one called her Milady, then had the nerve to keep her from the family she had claimed as her own. Most didn't live past the first offence. But at the same time, she felt the gravity of his words and realized there had been a sense of otherness about the scent on the breeze. With a sickening feeling, she realized the putrid stench they'd thought of as old barbecue or road kill was, in fact, decaying human flesh. Suddenly frozen, she remembered the last time she had smelt it. Lily suddenly knew, and was sorry. Because she knew who had possibly killed Chloe, and knew it was all her fault.

Flashback

Laughing wildly, a tiny three-year-old was thrown into the air only to be caught by strong, feminine hands. The owner of those hands planted a wet kiss on the squirming toddler's cheek and set her down on the soft grass. When they heard the sound of a car in the driveway, the woman put a finger on her lips to tell her to be quiet. There was laughter in her clear brown eyes that made her more lovely than ever. Taking the girl by the hand, she stated quietly, "Daddy's home, Lily! You know what that means…" she trailed of, quirking her lips. She let go of Lily's hand and gave her a gentle shove towards the bushes. Lily instantly got on her belly and started creeping through the bushes towards the driveway.

When she thought herself close enough, she stopped moving and peeked through the foliage to watch her parents. The woman walked gracefully over to the man stepping out of the car and kissed him full on the lips. Restraining a giggle, Lily crept closer to hear what was being said. She had to wait for her signal, or he would catch her again. Breathing lightly, she listened patiently .

"Jared! You're home! We were starting to get worried. Did you get it?" said the woman quickly.

Laughing, the man kissed her cheek and murmured serenely, "Yeah, Jesse. I got it," Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a small velvet box. "She's going to love it!" he exclaimed happily.

Smiling softly, she whispered, "Well, I guess we only need one more thing…"

That was her queue! Stealthily leaping out of the bushes, Lily leapt like a tigress and landed square on her father's back. Apparently she took him by surprise, because he went down. Then she pulled away one of her hands and saw crimson liquid pouring from one of his broad shoulders. Screaming, she reached for Jesse to be picked up. Tears ran down her mother's face as she ran to the deck and hissed, "Stay here, and don't move." Running back to her father, she helped him limp into the cabin. Lily watched, wide-eyed, from her hiding place as people stormed out from the trees. They hadn't even tried to hide their faces, and were casually dressed in jeans and T-shirts. She saw they were all carrying something metallic, black and shiny. She had a feeling they weren't here for her upcoming birthday.

Ignoring her questioning eyes, they broke down the door and rushed into her house. Stifling a cry, she pushed herself further into her hiding place. Tears streamed down Lily's face as she listened to the yelling coming from above her. All at once, smoke started trickling into the air as fire crackled in the house. Coughing, Lily buried herself in damp loam and listened to the screams. Her mother's, father's and others she couldn't put a name to. They filled the air like a symphony of the damned. Sobbing quietly, she shoved her hands over her ears, trying to muffle the sound. The loam pressed in on her from all sides, keeping her cool as flames devoured the house. Jesse screamed in agony, and Lily lifted her head to see her father staring at her with dead eyes. No, not completely dead. There was an unearthly hatred…

And it was directed at her.

The people took him away while she still fought to free herself from the loam. Screams still pierced the air as day gave into night, yet the fire raged on. Finally, the house fell and planks of burning wood fell over the exhausted girl in the dirt, mercifully knocking her out and even deeper into the life-giving loam. The last thing she remembered was the stench of burning human flesh.

End Flashback

Tears for her long lost mother, thought to be dead, flooded her eyes. Lily didn't know how or why she was still alive, but if Jesse was hurting her new family, she would be the one to end her life. Of course, it was possible that as a skilled necromancer, she stole power from the men her father had killed that day. If that was true, there was no stopping her.

Simon had been up the stairs as soon as he'd heard Chloe scream. Now he stood numbly beside the bed, holding her hand. She was ice cold and barely breathing, but the only blood on her body was dripping steadily from her nose. Tears trickled down Simon's cheek as he felt for a pulse, just to make sure. Chloe's heartbeat was slow, and if he didn't know any better, he'd say she'd gone into hibernation. Hearing footsteps behind him, Simon slowly turned and met his father's eyes. Kit took one look at her and paled in horror. Approaching the bed, he delicately lifted Chloe into his arms and started outside. Simon followed, still holding onto her hand, rubbing his thumb over the skin. They didn't stop until they were in the trees.

Niall beat his wings harder in an effort for more speed. There was only so much time before They found the house. Poor Raziel had sent him a warning, only to be caught by his Mistress. Niall had felt the harsh tug of a necromancer trying to bind him, but he was too strong. The Saunders girl, on the other hand, while strong, didn't know the loopholes like he did. She had been caught and trapped in his brother's mind. If only he could have been there quicker, he could have stopped this from happening. If only Chloe had been trained like Simon and Derek to handle these situations. But he couldn't change the past, and the future wasn't set in stone. There was still a chance.

Before he reached the house, he could tell it had already been vacated. Sighing, Niall searched for Kit's energy signature and found it about half a mile into the woods. Tucking in his wings, he plummeted through the trees…straight into Simon. Immediately popping up off the ground, Niall offered the wheezing boy a hand and pulled him up. Kit reached out to steady him, then turned and asked, "What the hell are you doing here? Derek might see you!"

"Too late for that! Come on, I have to get you out of here. I left Derek and Lily with a paralyses spell near the wolf den, and they are not happy. Maybe if you're there, they won't kill me. Now let's go!" he rambled, tugging on their arms. They were forced to stumble after him, leaving Chloe prone on the ground under a beech tree. Simon fought to get back to her, but it was too late. The damage was done. Once they were out of eyesight, a man stepped forward and slung the girl over his shoulder, then smiled brightly. It would be even easier than he thought. He turned and vanished before Niall could sense his presence.

Reaching the wolf den, the angel released Derek and Lily from the spell. Growling, they advanced on them only to be restrained by Kit. "I know you want to kill him, and frankly, so do I. But we need him, so don't."

Niall gave an uneasy laugh and backed away slowly. Looking at them all, Simon burst. "What is wrong with you people! We were so close to figuring out how to help Chloe, then he practically tore our arms off trying to get us here. Not to mention I really have to pee and I'm…having a very bad day," he broke off his tirade with a tired groan. Looking up, he muttered, "You guys have really bad timing."

"That's why we don't play the drums," Derek and Niall chorused. It turned into a staring contest which, shockingly, went on for nearly ten minutes. Finally, they both blinked at the same time and were about to start another round when Lily, frustrated and annoyed, smacked them both upside the head with such finesse, it would have done Gibbs proud. Grabbing them by the ears, she dragged them towards the den, with Kit and Simon looking extremely amused and turning various colors of purple.

Lily shoved them in, then turned and gazed threateningly at them. Holding up their hands in surrender, they edged slowly into the dark, with Lily bringing up the rear.

Inside, Derek asked somewhat bleakly, "What did you do with Chloe?"

Kit and Niall exchanged blank looks while Simon gritted his teeth to keep from yelling in anger. Clearing his throat awkwardly, the angel said weakly, "We left her under a tree."

"Oh? What kind of tree? Because in case you hadn't noticed, we are in a forest, which is made of many trees. Did you just shove her there like a sack of potatoes?" seethed Lily, angry on her best friends behalf.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's more like, 'Passed out under a tree. Not sure exactly where, though.' Honestly, guys, be careful. Whatever or whoever hurt Chloe is still out there. Now, where is she?" Derek asked worriedly. It had been half an hour since she'd screamed and he hadn't been able to hold his mate yet. They hadn't even told him what had happened.

Blinking slowly, Kit and Niall got into a runner's crouch just in case he didn't like their answer. The angel elbowed Kit in the side and gave him a long look. He muttered, "Okay, okay. I'll tell them." Taking a deep breath, he stated, "Wehavenoideawheresheis." It was almost unintelligible, but not quite. Roaring with rage, Derek slammed into his 'father' and carried him straight out the den. Slamming him into the side of a tree, Derek couldn't decide what worried him the most. Chloe missing or Chloe missing, hurt and in the arms of a psychopathic killer with Jedi mind tricks. Lily, who had run out hoping to tear Niall a new one, suddenly stopped and whispered, "Oh, shit." Whipping around and releasing the angel in the process, Derek fell to his knees and sobbed when he saw the wispy, ghostly form of…

"Chloe."

Chloe and Raziel were now one in the same. Once he'd dragged her into his mind, the Mistress had bound her with his own chains. Her thoughts were his and vice versa. It was incredibly strange to feel the immense power of an angel, yet the cold energy of a necromancer. Strange to see through another person's eyes and know that they were you're eyes too. Of course, she was disoriented at first, but he helped her discover a way to free herself. Her chains were gone, but she still couldn't get back to her own body. Instead, she stayed in his. It was very, very strange.

'Raziel, how long have you been captive?' Chloe thought to her host. No words were needed between them when she was in his body. The angel had acknowledged the awkwardness of having a girl taking up residence in his very male mind. It was vaguely creepy because they knew each other's every thought and feeling. That was why Chloe spent as much time away as she could, floating around and looking for her friends. She hadn't found them yet, but Raziel could tell they'd moved. How, she didn't want to know, but she did anyway.

'Twelve years to the day, little hitchhiker. It was hard at first, but you get used to the starvation and lack of benefits.' He had learnt the idea of sarcasm from her. Apparently, their mind-meld was good for something, after all. 'Hold on, Chloe. I think I found them…Yeah, that's them. Niall's getting them away.' She was mildly confused, so she picked his brain and found something very surprising. The man was an angel, and not just any angel. Derek's father. There was so much! Sighing heavily, she shoved herself into the wild white yonder to see for herself.

Walking a spirit path was difficult if you're body wasn't dead, but because she was a necromancer, it was easier than it could have been. Drifting through the forest, she stopped when a bright light shone like a beacon behind the trees. Floating through them, she stopped and watched Derek barrel out of the wolf den carrying a man that looked almost exactly like him in a choke hold. Slamming him against the tree, Chloe's attention was stolen as the light got brighter. Lily stepped out and looked right at her. "Oh, shit," her radiant friend breathed in disbelief.

Her beloved Derek turned around and whispered her name in that husky, deep voice of his. She didn't like it, though. It was sad, full of pain and anguish. She wanted to tell them she wasn't dead, but Raziel whispered in her mind, 'They can't hear you, little hitchhiker.'So she listened to his heartbroken sobs, and could do nothing to soothe him. Again, he whispered her name.

"Chloe."

Alright, so Niall and Kit are slightly more… Niall-ish, in this chapter. They forgot where they put Chloe after Lily told them a forest was made of trees. I've been informed that Derek was getting too OOC, so I'll be adding more bad puns. If you have any that Derek might use, send them to me, because I'm stealing some from the book. HEEEEELLLLP MEEEEE! By reviewing.