Skye stood outside the cottage as she stared at the burned out wreckage that had once been the hotel. Three days after the fire, Skye felt lost as she tried to think of what she could do. Four years, the place that had been her safe haven with Daniel was gone, destroyed in a matter of hours by the flames. The brothers had decided that it was time to leave, for them to return to their coven and place both Skye and Daniel under their protection until the next move was made by the enemy. But preparation had to be made, both for the journey and for their arrival, meaning that it would probably be another two days before they could make the trip. What was she meant to do?

"Don't dwell on it... We both knew that when they came for either of us, it would throw everything up in the air if we survived... All we can do now is make sure we're ready for the next attack"

She turned, a weary smile on her face as Daniel came to join her, sending a disapproving glance to the cigarette that she held between her fingers. If he wanted her to be back at top form, then those blasted cigarettes would be the first thing that needed to go.

"But how are we meant to prepare for something we have no clue about? It's all good and well that you can see them but you can't watch them all the time. You have to sleep at some point"

"We do exactly what we used to do... We train, bust our arses until you're back in top form and my visions are as accurate as they once were... You have to admit that we've let our skills fall short in the past four years"

She sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. For the past four years, Daniel had all but been chained to a computer looking over the hotel's accounts and Skye had been cleaning rooms, hardly activities that could truly exercise their specific skills. But who could she train against? Although he knew what her training regime had once been, Daniel was definitely not a fighter. She let a smirk grace her lips as an idea came to her mind.

"Let me grab the brothers... Then we'll start"

The location was perfect, the moors far behind where the hotel had once stood. Quiet and away from any curious eyes that may have wandered upon the strange sight. Skye had changed her clothes back at the cottage, now wearing a pair of shorts to give her legs more manoeuvrability and flat heeled sneakers.

"Skye, my love, I do not think that this is such a good idea. Are you sure that Daniel would not be a better choice of opponent?"

The brothers were stood opposite her in the secluded moorlands, watching as she cracked her knuckles and stretched her back before sending an innocent look towards Aro. They really believed that she couldn't handle a simple sparring match against one of them? Well, she was just going to have to show them who was really outmatched in this game.

"Oh, I'm very certain about this Aro. And to prove it, I choose to take you on"

A panicked look came too Aro's eyes as he sent his brothers a pleading look, hoping that they would back him up in this debate with their mate. No such look as Marcus gave a shrug and Caius turned his face away, knowing what it really felt like to be on the receiving end of Skye's fists. He still had the crack in his skin to prove it. It wasn't that they had little faith in her abilities, but they were vampires. No human could possibly hope to match them in a fight. What if he hurt her in the process of this little sparring match?

"Tsk, scared of having your arse kicked by a girl? Guess I should give a rethink on how well you can protect me, as your mate, if you can't even prove yourself to me personally"

He knew he shouldn't have fallen for her bait, that she was simply trying to gain a reaction from him, but he fell for it, hook line and sinker. The mere mention that she was questioning his worth to be her mate made his blood boil as he turned back to her. Skye smirked as she watched him take off his suit jacket and hand it to Marcus before moving to stand in front of her, both taking to their battle stance. The brothers were always so immaculate in their appearances, especially Aro. She was going to enjoy ruffling him up a bit.

"OK, the rules are simple: No actually trying to kill each other and Aro has to run like a human. There's no point in this if Skye can't actually land a hit on you. The first to be pinned loses"

Daniel was stood a little further away from them, not wishing to be caught in any crossfire that may occur from the fight, with Felix. The giant vampire seemed more than happy to simply stand beside the other man, occasionally sending little glimpses towards him and frowning when he noticed that Daniel was trying his best to not pay him any attention, a difficult task when his heart felt that it could beat right out of his chest at the mere sight of the taller man. He couldn't really understand it, he'd only met the man three days ago after the hotel had been set on fire, but his mind felt at ease when Felix was next to him. All his worries seemed to fade and he was able to see so much clearer. It made no sense, but perhaps Skye could help him to understand what was going on after the training had finished.

"On 3... 2... 1. Begin!"

The two rushed at each other, Aro doing his best to lower his speed as he swung his fist out, startled as Skye dropped to her knees and skidded beneath the limb he had lashed out, sending a harsh dig into his own side where his kidney had once been. She was holding nothing back as he gave a slight grunt at the force she had placed behind the punch, spinning in time to see her rise back to her feet, leg raised as she aimed a brutal high kick towards his face. He blocked successfully with his arm as he shielded from her attack, gripping her ankle as he flung her away from him.

A sickening crack rang out as she landed against the dirt, her other ankle taking the brunt of her weight and snapping beneath the pressure as it was bent in the wrong direction. Caius and Marcus would have reprimanded Aro, told him to take more care in how he handled their mate, but were stopped as she forced herself up into a sitting position. Her face was calm as she gripped her broken ankle, eyes set in a blank gaze and not a single scream of pain coming forth from her lips as she snapped the bone back into place, allowing her healing abilities to do the rest as she took a slight breather, closing her eyes for a second.

Aro watched as she fixed her ankle back into place, unsure of whether he should feel proud that his mate had such a high tolerance for pain or whether he should feel highly disturbed that a human was able to fight him on almost equal terms. He came back to his senses as Skye began to move back into her fighting stance, prepared to carry on their sparring match. Something looked different in those beautiful baby blue eyes, they had lost their warmth and the little glint had vanished. They were cold and empty as they looked upon Aro, glassy and dead in a face that had become like marble in how unreadable it now was. She wasn't playing anymore and she definitely didn't look like the Skye he and his brothers loved. This was Subject seven, the trained killer who knew nothing but death.

Daniel watched on as he noticed the change in his friend, unsure of whether he should call time or wait to see what the outcome would be. This was the mindset that she needed to be in if it ever came down to a fight with their old general, but god only knew that Aro was in danger if they couldn't snap her out of it now. He was about to call time on the fight, realising that, if he let it run and Skye did something dangerous, she'd never forgive herself for doing it, but something caught his eye. A brief flicker stood beside Caius and Marcus as they seemed oblivious to anything other than the fight as it began to continue. He smirked as he turned back and he had to admit, Skye Fall was a sly one when she wanted to be. He double checked his holster at the side of his hip, making sure that he'd remembered to bring the revolver for what he had planned for after the fight.

Aro managed to dodge just in time as a fist came hurtling towards him. She was faster, moving with trained precision and striking with an accuracy that could prove lethal if she managed to land a perfect hit on him. When this fight had first begun, he had believed that it would be over in a matter of minutes, his worth as her mate proven and his own ego inflated. But, he was starting to realise, Skye was not an opponent to be taken lightly. Her years of training and service, the unique skills that she possessed and the sheer determination to win had made her a match for anyone, even a vampire. And then it dawned on Aro, she hadn't wanted any proof of his suitability to be her mate, she had never even questioned it for a minute. This was about proving to them just what she was capable of, making sure they knew that they didn't need to worry as much as they did. She could handle herself just fine.

Skye back flipped out of the way as Aro's way as one of his hands came dangerously close to grabbing her, his fingers grazing against her arm as a smirk came to his lips. Shit, he'd seen into her thoughts, he knew her next move. She skidded to a halt, clawing her fingers into the ground to slow herself down before darting back towards her raven haired mate, snarling as he side stepped out of the way and gripped her around the waist, throwing her down and pinning her to the grass with his body straddled across her hips.

"I believe, Mia Amore, that this fight is mine"

His grin spread like oil across his face as he took in the sight of his mate, pinned beneath his own body and looking wild as her hair splayed against the ground, like a bloody halo, her breath coming out in ragged huffs. She looked divine as he leaned down slightly to take a quick intake of her fiery scent.

"You shouldn't be so confident... You're forgetting who you're dealing with"

His eyes widened in shock as the image of his mate beneath him flickered and faded beneath him, a hand gripping his shoulder and flipping him onto his back as the real Skye moved to straddle his own body, a smug grin across her face as their eyes met.

"That was cheating, my love"

"Daniel said nothing against using our abilities as an advantage"

She gave a blissful sigh as she leaned down slightly, her body pressed firmly against his own and breasts pushed up against him. She liked being this close to him, knowing that she'd feel the exact same if it was with his brothers as well, she could see the red of his eyes beginning to change to black as he gave a low, lustful growl, his hands taking a tight grip of her hips as he rolled his pelvis up towards her. She gasped as a bright blush came to her cheeks at the feel of him, hard, pressing up against her, his lips pulled into a devilish smile. She could feel the heat building within her, like liquid fire at what he was insinuating. He lifted his face slightly, their lips only moments away from locking as Skye could hear the growls of her other two mates, a mixture of their own lust and possessiveness. The moment was ruined, however, as a shot rang out and she was forced to jump back from Aro as they both sent enraged glares towards Daniel. He was giving them both a nonplussed look as he aimed the little revolver back in Skye's direction.

"If you want to do the nasty with each other, then get a room! Not in the middle of a field with an audience"

He fired again, chuckling as Skye only just managed to dodge the second bullet. Her words were angry as she began to yell at him.

"What the hell, Daniel! Give me some warning before you bring a gun into the training session!"

"The enemies won't give you any warning before they start shooting! Manners are the first thing to go out of the window in a fight. Now dodge, bitch, dodge!"

Aro had moved to stand back with his brothers, an irritated glare on his face as he watched Daniel shoot as Skye did her best to dodge the bullets, back flipping and diving around the field as she continued to send a barrage of insults towards her friend. His brothers were sending him an amused look as he readjusted his suit trousers and pulled his jacket back on, he knew now that it wouldn't be much longer until Skye was ready to complete the mating bond with he and his brothers. But to have the opportunity placed right before him and then so brutally ripped away by his mates gun wielding, all seeing, best friend had been such a cruel twist of fate. He and his brothers could only hope that, upon their arrival back in Volterra, they could be afforded a few days to keep their mate for just themselves.