Hi, everybody! Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the delay in the update; I've been unusually busy. So I made this chappy quite a bit longer than the rest. Enjoy! ;)

Chapter 11

Claire's heart sank at Athena's words. Shane's fingers dug into her hand almost hard enough to hurt. She ignored this and asked, "Is it the main pack?"

"No. It's still a ways off. However, this one is still a rather large group," Athena explained.

"Where are they? Are they heading here?" Claire asked. Her hand was beginning to go numb, and she wiggled it slightly to signal her discomfort to Shane. Immediately, he loosened his grip.

Athena paused, looking somewhere far away. Then her black eyes focused on the here and now. "It seems they're hiding in the less densely populated areas of the town right now. They're probably waiting for sunrise to attack."

"Is there something we can do to increase defense?" queried Michael. His blue eyes shone fiercely in the light of the Victorian lamps.

"We've already placed all the defenses on the house that we can," Oliver growled from the corner. "But there's no way we can fight them at full strength while the sun is up." Before anyone could respond, a series of tapping noises sounded from the stairs. Everyone turned their eyes on the hunched figure of Thomas. A sound of annoyance came from Oliver. "What's that mutt doing in here?"

Thomas bared his fangs at Oliver before padding to plant his haunches beside Shane. "He's got a name. And why shouldn't he be in here?" Shane snapped as he reached his hand to pat Thomas's head. Oliver just narrowed his eyes.

"Oliver, calm down. He is our ally," Athena sighed. She didn't look at him as she spoke, but Oliver's dark eyes blinked and stared at her. A long silence followed Athena's words. It seemed everyone noticed the electricity between the two.

Amelie's cool voice finally broke the silence. "Perhaps, since he is our ally, he could aid us."

"How?" Shane asked. Claire observed that Shane's fingers remained buried in the Darkling's fur, almost in a protective gesture.

"We could send him into the Darklings' lair. He may be able to sway them. He might at least be able to slow them, keep them there until dark."

Shane's face looked appalled. "You're suggesting that we send him into a virtual nest of creatures that may or may not welcome him. For all we know, they could have separated into packs because of conflict. They might kill him if he's not part of their pack!"

"Think of it as a way to repay us for not killing him." Amelie's voice seemed more distant and emotionless than normal. Shane made an indignant sort of noise in his throat.

"Yeah, I don't think so." But Thomas grunted, his silver eyes turned to gaze up at Shane. "You're no seriously considering this?" Thomas nodded his head, yes. Shane scowled and squatted down so he was at eye level with the Darkling. "I am not letting you go out there and endanger yourself for us." Thomas's top lip rose, exposing the whole length of his enormous fangs, and a soft rumble grew in his chest as if to say,

"You can't tell me what to do."

"I do believe it is the creature's decision, my boy," Myrnin noted. He was watching the pair intently with gleaming, dark eyes.

Glaring at Myrnin, Shane opened his mouth to retort, but Thomas shouldered him so hard he lost his balance and fell on his butt. Claire laughed lightly until she saw the look on Shane's face. He was worried, so desperately worried about this creature who had practically forced himself on Shane. A tiny, green monster of jealousy bit at Claire's heart, but she swatted at it. There was no reason to feel envious. Shane often worried about her, sometimes too much. Feeling slightly guilty, she placed a hand on Shane's shoulder as he entered a long staring contest with Thomas.

Eventually, Shane ripped his eyes from Thomas's and pushed himself to his feet, refusing Claire's assistance. He crossed his arms, emanating an atmosphere of wanting to be left alone. So Claire resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him and comfort him.

"So, Thomas, will you agree?" Athena asked politely. If she hadn't been there, Claire would never have known that only yesterday, Athena was threatening to kill Thomas. For some reason, this frightened Claire. It seemed that Athena could switch opinions like clothes. Perhaps that meant she could change other more important things just as easily…

The grunt of consent from Thomas woke Claire from her thoughts. She noticed Shane tense beside her.

"Excellent! He should leave immediately. The sun will be rising soon," Myrnin said, clapping his hands.

They all—with the exception of Shane who seemed to be brooding angrily—offered their farewells and thanks to Thomas. Claire, Eve, and Athena petted the fur around his neck affectionately. All too soon, his deformed figure was heading for the stairs. When Claire looked at him, Shane seemed to be having some sort of internal war. Finally, he jogged to the stairs. The door shut softly as the two friends left together to say good-bye.

"Fascinating. Never have I seen such a strong bond between man and Darkling." Myrnin was gazing after the two, playing absently with his hair.

"It probably has something to do with Thomas's not being a full Darkling. He must have been one of the original experiments, but they never got the chance to complete his transformation," Athena said to nobody in particular.

No one knew what to say or do so finally Claire decided to go see if Shane was okay. She first checked his room then climbed down the stairs to look for him in the living room. When she couldn't find him in the kitchen either, a little pin of anxiety pricked at her stomach. She was climbing the stairs again when Michael and Eve appeared at the landing. "Shane isn't up here, is he?" she asked.

Michael shouted over his shoulder, "Shane, you up here?" There was no answer. "Maybe he's outside. He could've wanted to see Thomas off."

Claire ran back down the stairs, but she knew he wouldn't be out there. She knew exactly where he was. Eve and Michael accompanied her onto the porch. The horizon was beginning to pale so Michael had to step back inside, but Athena appeared in the doorway. "He's gone with the Darkling," she said.

Panic strangled Claire. She had to breathe deeply to calm herself. "We have to go after him!" she finally managed to choke.

Athena stood calmly, her arms crossed over her chest. Her black eyes met Claire's for a moment. "I see no reason to. He's fairly safe, being a human."

"That's not the point! We have to make sure he's safe!" Claire cried.

"Claire's got a point. Shane never was one to act…safely," Eve chimed in. Athena blinked, mulling it over.

"Fine. But you're going alone. We cannot help you in this. Our presence would only place you in danger from the Darklings." Athena held out a piece of paper. "This is a map of the town. I sense the Darklings are in this building." She pointed to a square circled in red. "That's where Thomas and Shane are probably headed.

Claire nodded and Eve sprinted inside to get her keys. When she returned, she and Claire rushed to Eve's giant, black Cadillac. In the pale light of dawn, Athena waved good-bye to them.

(SPACE)

The building loomed up over them, a tall, dark shadow. Claire thought she caught a glimpse of something eerily shiny in one of the glassless windows. Eve cut the engine off, and the two girls sat for a moment and stared at the empty-looking building. "Are you sure this is the one?"

Claire looked once more at the map Athena had given her. It was laid out flat in her lap. "I'm sure. It clearly marks this place as where the Darklings are."

Taking a deep breath, Eve said, "Alright, let's go." Scrambling out of the car, Claire searched the premises for signs of Shane or Thomas. When Eve called her, Claire hurried to catch up. She felt a little silly strolling up the concrete walkway to the front door, but she supposed Eve was all about being direct. Claire half expected her to knock on the tall, metal door.

But before the girls could even reach the entrance, a shrill sound pierced the air. Claire's ears sang with high pitched sound, and she slapped her hands to cover them. Thankfully it didn't last long. When the shriek dissipated, Claire and Eve burst into action. Eve grabbed the door handle, wrenched it open, and threw herself through, Claire hot in pursuit. Inside it was dusty and dim. The room they'd stepped into was empty, but a huge commotion was coming from deeper inside the building.

Most of the noise sounded like Darklings: deep snarls, angry growls, and inhuman howls. But as they approached, Claire was sure she heard Shane's voice somewhere in that whirlwind of sound. Putting on a burst of speed, Claire easily overtook Eve and blasted through to the next room.

The scene before her stole her breath right out of her chest.

Dozens of deformed figures surrounded a small bunch huddled against the far wall. Included in that little bunch where Thomas and Shane. Smudges of blood ran along the side of Shane's face as if he'd repeatedly wiped it away. He brandished a pipe at the surrounding Darklings, and Thomas crouched at his side, snarling ferociously. Behind them Claire saw several smaller shadows. One looked like a female Darkling. She stood protectively over two…children.

They were Darkling cubs.

Little, pointy dog ears poked out from the tops of the mother's and cubs' heads, and their silver eyes stared, frightened, at the Darklings around them.

The Darklings split into two groups, creating a walkway to allow an enormous beast to amble up to face Thomas and Shane. His thick, gray fur rolled as his huge muscles stretched and contracted. A long tail swept the floor behind him. The Darkling came to a halt a few feet from the little group. Thomas's face looked vicious and brave, but his tail was tucked between his legs.

The grey-furred Darkling barely gave Shane a glance before zeroing in on Thomas. To Claire's amazement, the gigantic beast spoke then in a near-human voice. "You are a disgrace to us. We cast you out with the rest of those fools. Now why have you come back?" '…the rest of those fools'? Was he referring to the group of Darklings Thomas had been with before? Claire wondered.

She didn't have time to speculate, however, because Thomas let out a strange, sound somewhere between a cry and a growl. He was frustrated, pained. When he regained control of himself, Thomas looked the larger Darkling in the eyes and grumbled something that sounded like, "I came for my friends."

A rough, husky sound erupted from the bigger creature. "Your friends? You call those beasts without hearts your friends? You're a bigger fool than I thought, son." Did he just say son!

"He's your father, Thomas?" Shane gasped incredulously. The great grey Darkling swung his head to bare his fangs at Shane.

"You ought not to speak unless prompted to do so, human. We don't usually harm your kind, but when you side with the Heartless, we have no choice." The thick muscles of the grey Darkling's back bunched, poised to attack. But Thomas flung himself between Shane and his father.

"Won't let you," Thomas snapped before lunging at his father. They were like copper and steel, meshed together in a ball of fur and fangs. A screech broke from the female Darkling behind Shane. The crowd of Darklings was oddly silent, however. And, for some reason, it scared Claire that none of them was moving to aid the grey one. She soon saw why. He didn't need help. Thomas was quickly pinned beneath his father's bulk, though his continued to thrash violently.

"I should have done this long ago, my son. It would have been less painful for the both of us," sighed the great, wolf-like beast. He reared back, his enormous fangs glistening in the streams of sunlight from the windows. Claire was just about to look away, unable to watch something so horrific, when something smacked into the back of Thomas's father's head. It was Shane's pipe. An ice cold hand gripped Claire's heart. He'd put all his strength into that blow, but Thomas's father seemed completely unaffected. If anything, he just looked pissed.

"Humans really should learn their place!" Thomas's father yelled the last word as he launched himself at Shane. Claire didn't even have time to scream. Those huge claws were reaching for Shane's throat, ready to rip into his flesh.

Then, Thomas's father seemed to disappear. But no, he'd been slammed into the concrete wall by a very small, pixie-like person. Athena's eyes gleamed black and malicious as she smirked at the grey Darkling. "It has been a long time, Julius," Athena greeted the Darkling. She spoke so nonchalantly.

Julius at first looked very surprised then a raspy laugh ground from his throat. "So it has, Athena. I assumed you'd died, seeing as we were freed from the isle."

Athena appeared unfazed. "It's so like you to assume such silly ideas."

That made Julius scowl, and as he scowled, the pupils of his silver eyes disappeared along with their whites. Just like Athena's had turned totally black, Julius's were consumed with silver. A loud cry exploded from him—some sort of message, apparently, to his followers. The entire group of Darkling's flew into action. All of them attacked Athena, and Claire felt bad to say she felt a little relieved. Thomas and Shane were able to gather the female and cubs they'd been protecting and escape without notice. Claire knew Athena could take care of herself so she'd far rather Athena be the one in there and not Shane and Thomas.

By the looks of it, she seemed to be holding up her own, anyway. She was downing Darklings like they were nothing more than flies.

Shane's group slipped into the room where Claire and Eve hid through a door farther down the wall. Claire tore her eyes from the battle to sprint to Shane. He caught sight of her and did a double-take. His mouth dropped open and he stopped mid-run.

But as soon as she was close enough, Claire snatched his arm and yanked him toward the door. Ahead of them, the Darkling cubs had latched on to Thomas's and the female's backs. Thomas led the way to the car—he was really getting used to being their companion it seemed—and waited for them to catch up. Eve unlocked the car quickly and—to Claire's surprise—Thomas's hooked his hand through the door handle and opened it. He let the female climb in first with the cubs, though she looked a little hesitant. Then, he looked at Claire expectantly. Shane had already slid into the front passenger seat so Claire supposed she'd have to sit with their new friends. When she was mushed between the two Darkling's, Claire had a thought.

"What about Athena?" she asked. Eve started the car.

"She's the big cheese of vamps, Claire. I think she'll be fine," Eve said. The car screeched away from the curb. Claire couldn't say why, but she felt a twinge of worry for Athena as she glanced back at the building.

The car turned a corner and the building disappeared. Shane let out a huge sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "So why are you guys here, exactly?"

"We could be asking you the same question," Claire scolded. "What were you thinking, running off to face the Darklings without help!"

"I couldn't just leave Thomas to do this by himself!"

"You could have at least told us you were going."

"And let you stop me?"

"Who says we would've stopped you?" Eve retaliated. "Don't you know us well enough to trust us to help you?"

Shane opened his mouth to reply, but a high pitched squeal came from one of the Darkling cubs hugged against the female's body.

Claire glanced at the trio. "Shane, why did you bring these three?"

"When we got inside, Thomas ran right to them. It looked like they were being treated pretty badly. They're gone now, but all three of them had slashes all over their bodies," explained Shane.

"Even the babies?" Eve gasped; a horrfied expression on her face. Thomas emitted a deep growl in his chest.

"Yeah." Shane's tone implied he didn't really want to talk about it.

The car jumped slightly, jostling Claire uncomfortably as Eve pulled into the driveway of the Glass House. Shane hopped out before the engine was even off then he opened Thomas's door. The red-furred Darkling swept from the car, and Claire followed him.

When she looked back, Thomas was helping the female Darkling lower the cubs from the car. Now that they were in the sunlight, Claire could see that the new Darklings looked very similar to Thomas except for their dog ears and the color of their fur. The adult female's fur was an oily black; mixed with the strange silver sheen, she was a remarkably beautiful being. She had the curves of a well-developed woman and the face of a Greek goddess.

The larger of the two children had the same shade of fur as her but was a male. The smaller one was a girl with a long sweeping tail and fur the color of a bright, polished penny, very similar to Thomas's. She also had shorter fangs and claws than the rest of them, however, her claws looked a whole lot sharper, too. Both the cubs were about the size of a seven year old human child.

As soon as she was on the ground, the girl cub crawled under Thomas. He licked her ear before lifting his head to touch his nose to the woman's.

"Huh, they must be his family," Shane commented.

"Looks that way," said a quiet voice. Claire whirled around to find Athena leaning against the bumper of Eve's car. "So what took you so long, slowpokes?"