Chapter 12

Written by: Cody Furlong & RazorsLove

After Thomas was done speaking to them, the guards lead Cody, Jake and Chance to their rooms; afterwards Chance went in search of Jett so he could get on with the explanations. He quietly walked though the upstairs halls of the castle, empty suits of armor lined the halls each stood next to a portrait of a tom or she-kat. The last portrait to his right was of Jett and another tom, he had maple colored fur, and his eyes were green. He wore a dark blue coat, white shirt and black breeches.

Who was standing next to Jett in this painting, Chance looked up at the smiling tom that had his hand on Jett's shoulder.

"Enjoying your walk around the castle?" a voice said from behind him.

Chance turned quickly to see a dark leopard standing behind him.

"Who is the tom in this picture with Jett?" Chance asked politely.

Lucian looked up at the picture and his ears flattened.

"His name is Anthony Timmons and he is Jett's late husband, he died of the plague." Lucian said sadly.

Chance whirled back to the painting of Jett and Anthony. She had been married and he had died on her.

"How long ago was she married?" Chance questioned again, as he continued to look at the picture.

Lucian walked up to the blond tabby and looked at him.

"They were married five hundred and seventy seven years ago sir." Lucian replied grimly.

Chance's ears flattened as he looked up at Jett's face in the painting, she was smiling softly, and her silver blue eyes sparkled.

"You're the first tom that I've seen my sister take an interest in since Anthony's death." Lucian added.

"I am?" Chance asked as he turned around to face Lucian.

Lucian nodded slowly as he started to walk down the hall.

"By the way, my sister is down stairs with lord Blackmoor." Lucian continued as he walked down the hall.

Chance's ears perked quickly as he walked back towards the staircase.

"M'lady, why do you push me away when you know I am clearly the better choice?" Cole said aloud.

Cole had Jett backed against the wall, his hands on both sides of her head as grinned down at her.

"You're not the better choice in my mind lord Blackmoor." She huffed loudly.

Cole chuckled loudly as he got a little closer to her.

"Jetta let me have your favor I'll show you I'm the better choice." He grinned widely.

"Chance already has my favor; I'm just doing this to humor my father." Jett hissed lowly.

Cole's face changed drastically from being humorous to deadly. Jett leaned against the wall, out of the corner of her eye she saw Chance come down the stairs. Cole gripped her arms tightly and pulled her against him.

"That tom doesn't stand a chance against me and you know it wench!" Cole growled as he forced a kiss on her.

Jett tried to turn her head away but Cole gripped the back of her head and held it in place as he kissed her roughly. Chance came up behind Cole and gripped his shoulder tightly.

"I think the lady wants you to stop." Chance hissed as he noticed Jett trying to turn her head away.

Cole growled loudly as he let go of Jett and swung at Chance's head, the blond tabby dodged his fist and grabbed his coat. Chance threw him away from Jett with ease; his arm wrapped around her small waist and pulled her into him.

"She doesn't want you." Chance growled loudly as he led Jett away.

Cole growled loudly as he watched the two kats climb back up the steps to the second floor; he went in a different direction. Cole searched for his servant that stayed in the servant's quarters.

"James!" Cole called.

A white tom scrambled up to him quickly and bowed.

"Yes M'lord." James said as he stood up straight.

"Go into town and bring something back for me." Cole demanded.

"Yes M'lord." James answered.

Cole leaned close to James and whispered into his ear, James ears flattened and he nodded in response to his master.

"Now go." Cole growled at the tom.

James bowed again and left quickly for the town at the bottom of the hill. Chance led Jett into his room and closed the door behind him quietly; Jett took a few steps further into the room.

"Jett." He said softly.

"Yes Chance." Jett replied.

"I want answers to this demon thing." Chance announced.

Jett nodded slowly and she walked over to his bed and patted the spot next to her, Chance walked over to the bed slowly and sat down next to her. For the next hour Jett explained to him what happened twenty years ago, about the barrier; everything.

"I didn't know you had a husband." Chance added.

Jett's ears flattened down against her head and nodded slowly.

"Was he a mortal?" Chance continued.

"Yes he was mortal, he grew old while I stayed young he was a good tom." Jett responded quietly.

"I see; I'm glad you had at least someone good in your life." Chance said with a smile.

"It just ended in heartbreak and grief, I promised myself I wouldn't fall for another mortal." Jett choked softly.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a mortal then." he chuckled softly.

Jett looked back at him sadly not giving him an answer as she looked over him.

"I know you're not." Jett replied.

Chance frowned.

"Don't be sad princess, I'm glad you made me a demon, it mean I could be around long enough to have meet you; I don't think it was just an accident that any of this happened." Chance continued happily. "Really, if You hadn't been fighting right when I was flying that plane, then I'd have died in that crash, and then I'd have never gotten to have such a wonderful son, or have ever gotten to met you, or see Jake again." Chance continued.

Jett watched Chance and her ears pinned against her head slowly.

"I'm nothing but bad luck." Jett said sadly.

"If you hadn't noticed I'm not that lucky either, trouble always seems to have a way of finding me sooner or later." Chance added.

"I wouldn't say that, you seemed to be doing a good job of staying alive before the whole barrier incident." Jett retorted.

Jett got up and to walk away from him, Chance sighed loudly as he watched her walk to the door way.

"I don't care about any of that, none if it will make me feel any different about you." Chance said aloud.

"How do you feel about me?" Jett asked quietly.

"I...love you...being around you makes me feel things I haven't felt in a long time. You filled up the hole that was left when she had left me." Chance admitted.

Jett blushed gently Chance smiled at her.

"You've done a lot for me; I'd have let that tom kill me if it meant you'd have been safe." Chance purred softly.

Jett looks down at the floor tears rim her eyes.

"My love is the only thing I have to give you, and I gladly would if you let me." Chance continued.

Chance took a step toward her, his green eyes glistening with moisture as he poured his heat out; Jett looked up at him and tears roll down her cheeks. Chance moves closer to her and holds out his arms for a hug, she steps into his arms and nuzzled his chest. The tabby wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the top of her head gently, she purred loudly and twirled her fingers in his hair; Chance purred back and softly wiped the tears from her fur.

Chance lifted her chin so he looked at him; he smiled at her and leaned forward to kiss Jett gently. As soon as his lips met hers, there was a knock on his bedroom door; Chance sighed deeply as he broke the embrace and went over to the door. He opened the large wooden door to see Jett's older brother Lucian standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"It's time for supper." He said calmly.

Thomas sat at the end of the table looking over Chance and Cole as they glared at each other as they ate, Jett sat at his side; Lucian, Cody and Jake watched on as well. Afterwards, while Jett retired to her room the toms stayed in the great hall. Cody, Jake and Chance stood close together, Cole stood near the fireplace with his arm propped up on the hearth. Thomas sat in a chair that was placed on the rug in front of the fireplace; he took a long drag from the cigar he smoked.

His daughter was going to have to make up her mind sooner or later, this situation she took as a game was going to become deadly. Thomas looked to Chance who stood next to the two other toms, then to Cole who stood by himself next to the fireplace. He noticed the grin on the black toms face as he turned away to look at the blond tabby with the other two toms.

Thomas stood up from his chair and put out his cigar.

"I shall retire now; I suggest you do the same gentlemen." Thomas suggested.

Thomas walked past the all of them on the way to the stair case, Cole and Chance watched the much larger male go up the stairs. Out in the very far corner of the great hall stood a maple tom.

"My lord." James said to get Cole's attention.

Cole looked up quickly and went over to his servant who stood in the far corner out of the fires light, James held out a small box with his head bowed to Cole. The black tom grinned widely as he took the box into his hands; there was a low hiss from the inside of it as he shook the box gently.

"Very good James." Cole said pleasantly.

James looked at the small box and his ears flatten, before Cole dismissed him back to the servant's quarters. Cole shook the box harder making a low angry hiss erupt from inside it; the black tom snapped his fingers and disappeared from the great hall. Chance sighed deeply as he laid in the massive king sized bed in the middle of his temporary chambers; the bed consumed his body as he lay in the middle of it. The down blankets felt suffocating as he lay beneath them; Chance rolled onto his side and sank deeper into the feathery mattress under him.

The blonde tom took a deep breath before sitting up and putting his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbing his hands over his face quietly; then he rubbed his hand over his chest. It felt like someone had a hand in his chest and was squeezing his heart tightly.

Chance exhaled with a quiver.

The tabby sighed deeply as he rolled onto his side; he closed his eyes and took another deep breath as he fell asleep in the soft feathery surface of the bed. Cole appeared in the dark corner of Chance's chamber, he moved slowly to the bed side. His fingers gripped the lid of the box; he stopped at the foot of the bed and pried the lid back to let a glittery black snake slither from inside it. Cole grinned widely as he disappeared from the foot of the bed in a fine purplish mist.

The black snake slid over the satin comforter towards Chance, its beady black eyes shimmered as it moved closer to the tabby's hand. Its pink forked tongue flickered over Chance's index finger, tasting the fur and the flesh its fangs where about to sink into. The snake moved on from the blonde tabby's hand, it moved around to look Chance in the face; the viper curled up and made a low hiss.

Chance's ear twitched and he opened his eyes when he heard the hiss coming from right next to him, a lump formed in his throat as the snake flicked its tongue at him. The tabby moved his head quickly before the viper struck and sunk his teeth into his forearm. Chance stumbled back grabbing the snake and throwing it out the open window next to his bed, as his foot caught on the bed side table. There was a loud crash as the glass lamp hit the marble floor; the tabby stumbled his way to the door of his chambers.

"Help!" Chance rasped as he felt his throat tightened.

Chance suddenly felt something inside his body burst; it burned as he curled into a ball in front of the door. He withered in pain as the feeling intensified in his chest, he screamed as he curled up into a tighter ball on the floor.

"Help…." Chance continued in agony.

Chance eyes closed, everything became blurry as he tried to reach for the handle of the door, as he grabbed it everything went black.