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Chapter: 43
Livia stepped out for the dance studio building on the Art Academy's campus, smiling up at the clear blue skies and bright shining sun. April was a gorgeous month in Gotham, a surprising twist to the cold, cloudy and harsh winter months that proceeded it. The days were longer, they were warmer and overall much more welcoming that winter. Of course she loved the snow and the dark nights curled up by the fireplace—even if it was an electric one—with hot chocolate in hand, but something about spring always lifted her spirits.
Perhaps it was everything that had fallen into place over the past week. Darren won his custody case and got Shepard arrested, her father agreed to testify in the court case and telling Darren the news and seeing his face light up with not only happiness but relief was probably the best moment of the month so far. Things were turning around. The tide was shifting in their favor and if everything held up, there could be a potential crumbling of a pillar within the Owls. Of course they still knew nothing of the other members, but they were going in the right direction.
Or maybe it was Livia herself that found spring so inviting. The discovery of her powers had thrown her into a new understanding of the environment around her. The wind seemed to whisper to her, the water reflected the past, present and future, the heat of the spring curled around her bringing her comfort and well-wishes and the earth seemed to rumble with life as she stepped across it. The world seemed to come to life as she stumbled through learning to control her powers, she felt a deeper connection to everything…a feeling within herself that she hadn't known was there. As if something had awakened within her and brought her in touch with everything around her.
Livia couldn't help but do a small twirl as she turned down an alleyway, shifting her direction towards home with a soft smile on her face. The world seemed to smile back, but only for an instant. Everything seemed to darken and she felt as if everything had changed around her. Like the alley was sending her a warning that something wasn't quite right. Carefully she slowed her walking, listening for footsteps and wondered why—in her moment of high spirits—hadn't she considered taking a taxi home. It may be spring and it may be beautiful outside, but this was still Gotham. She heard nothing and instead pushed her senses out into the alley, continuing on her way. Her magic only told her something was off, and as she pushed her conscious outwards, searching for minds to read, she realized that perhaps it could just be all in her head. This could be a fluke easily spurred by the sudden chill of the evening or a cloud covering the sun. It was only April and there were still instances of chilly weather.
A clang sounded behind her and Livia froze, standing stalk-still before slowly and carefully glancing behind her. She scanned the back of the alleyway, her eyes probably glowing slightly with a night-vision ability despite the light still present…she wasn't taking any chances. Nothing was there and with a sigh she faced forward…
…only to freeze at the sight of a tall, muscular man standing before her. His body clad in brown, black and gold armor with a bandolier of daggers thrown across the shoulders and a sword across his back and finally an owl shaped mask covering his face. They stared at one another, Livia unable to move as if her body had suddenly become paralyzed by the sudden appearance of this Talon. The chill settled through to her bones as she realized the Court had not forgotten her, they had not just lost interest or deemed her unworthy of their time…they had been merely waiting in the shadows—what they did best—and decided that now was the time to strike. The moment of immobilization passed the instant it had settled over her and Livia spun on her heels and started to run…but a hand grabbed her arm, the grip like iron and spun her back to face the depthless eyes of the Talon mask his other hand reaching for her throat,
"Livia Baudelaire…," the Talon rumbled,
Fear pulsed through her, flashed through her in a millisecond before she remembered that she was a witch…and perhaps her magic didn't work on them…but that didn't mean it didn't scare these Talons,
"No!" Livia screamed as fire flared between her and the Talon, leaping up to her height flickering wildly in the windy air with the heat searing through the chill. The Talon leapt back, surprised by the sudden heat. And even as the flame sputtered and died the moment it reached his armor, the circle of flame cut around him, allowing Livia the chance to escape and buy her some time. She spun on her heel once more and sprinted back the way she came, only to slam into the chest of another Talon, this one grabbing her wrists as she rebounded off the hard armor. Panic flared, their grip was strong and she was not like them. There was no one around to help her…no way to call for help. This was Gotham, it was every man for themselves,
"No! No…let me go! NO!" she screamed as she pulled and tugged, feeling the skin under this Talon's grip bruise and the bones even ache at how tightly they held her. She thought desperately, wondering how she could get out of this alive, how she could survive…and then she remembered—as helpless tears prickled her eyes—the device Darren had given her, the one she had scoffed at as ridiculous. He said to use it in times of distress, in a moment when she needed him the most—in case a Talon ever attacked her,
"Let. Me. GO!" she yelled, pulling back as much as she could while in this Talon's grasp—the device was still attached to her bag, and if she managed to free herself, she could grab it and use it—she slammed the palms of her hands on his armor…focusing that destructive energy—from when she destroyed that pipe in the school—to the forefront of everything. Pushing everything back and pulling every scrap of that power out into the open, willing it to curl around her hands and pushed it with all her might through to the Talon's suit and into where the plates of armor met, making it seep through to the skin. She put everything into that power and with a scream let it all out, let it flow through her. The Talon was ever silent, but instantly let go of her and crumpled to the ground.
Livia allowed a second of stunned surprise before leaping gracefully over the fallen assassin and sprinting back to the end of the alleyway. Her fire was long put out and she was feeling the drain of using that mysterious and destructive power on her energy. It was an odd ability and as she tried to reach for the zipper which held her device couldn't help but wonder where it came from…where everything about her power came from, but she couldn't focus on that now. She needed to live. As she grasped the device the bag was pulled from her grasp—forcing her around to face the first Talon to attack her—and tossed away. Livia didn't even get a chance to raise her hands in defense as a hand encircled her throat, hoisting her up and backwards into the hard solid wall of the building.
Choking, she clawed at his hand as her head slammed into the building. Her vision blurred as she was pulled away and slammed again into the wall, black spots appeared in sight and the world looked like it was spinning. One final push into the wall had her hands fall limply to her sides and through her blackened, dizzied sight she saw the Talon pull his blade from his back. He was going to kill her, no hesitation…no second thoughts. That is what Talons did, that is what they were created for and for one second Livia saw what Darren could have become if he wasn't gifted with the Mirakuru from his father, if he hadn't obtained the natural curiosity of a Grayson or the hatred he harbored towards the man who killed his mother. Darren chose to survive, he chose to change his fate…and Livia's fate wouldn't be to die today,
"Livia Baudelaire, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die," the Talon growled…as he let his sword arc downwards. Livia raised her head and with a roar so loud she swore the buildings shook—or it could have been the concussion she most definitely had playing tricks on her—stopped his blow dead in the air with her telekinesis. The Talon pushed against her, his strength trying to cleave through the force of her power and of her mind. With another cry she pushed harder against his blade, the effort leaving her breathless…her strength waning greatly as the aching of her head increased. With a wail she sent out another wave of telekinetic energy and pushed the sword back another inch but the Talon's strength was becoming too much and out of sheer desperation she let loose a scream and threw a ripple of raw energy out at the Talon. The force of which lifted him off his feet, broke all the windows in the area and collapsed a fire-escape…the metal crashing down as Livia crumpled to her hands and knees.
Her ears rung as she stumbled over to where her bag lay falling over herself as she did so, scraping her knees and hands up on pieces of broken glass. She ignored the pain and blood dripping off of her as she grabbed onto the device, just as a hand wrapped around her ankle, pulling her to the ground hard. Livia let out a scream, she couldn't help it,
"No! No, no, no!" she cried, jerking herself forward on her forearms and reaching for the device just out of range. She threw a fireball blindly behind her and felt fierce satisfaction when a surprised curse rang out…the grip on her lessening. Livia kicked herself free and ripped the device off from her bag. Part of it stayed attached and she expected it to emit some sound…a beeping noise, anything, but it remained silent,
"What—?" she moaned, was it broken…had it all been for nothing. The hand grabbed her by the foot again pulling her slowly through the broken window panes as she clawed at the ground trying to prevent the inevitable. The Talon…fed up with her feeble attempt to get away pulled her up to her feet, a dagger pressed against her throat. Livia glared at him, despite the tears that escaped, she would not beg, she would not scream and yell. She wanted this Talon to see the hatred in her eyes,
"This will do nothing for you," she hissed. Livia wanted to believe this, but felt deep in her gut it was nothing but false,
"No," the Talon growled, "it will do everything for us…and you have no idea why," the Talon didn't even let her ponder this statement, he pulled her closer and jeered in her face,
"Livia Baudelaire, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die," his Talon mask looming over her so it would be the last thing she ever saw…Livia closed her eyes…
…but nothing ever happened. Nothing ever came…no pain. No feeling of blood pooling in her throat. No weightlessness as she fell to the floor. The Talon's grasp on her upper arm slipped suddenly, forcing her back fully on her feet. She wavered there, steadying herself and Livia then opened her eyes as the Talon crumpled into a heap at her feet revealing Darren behind him, blood dripping from the heart grasped in his hand.
Livia let out a gasp of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, taking everything in. The glint of the light on Darren's dark blonde hair, the red and black suit he wore and the heart he threw to the ground as if it were nothing—as if it weren't vital to a living breathing person. Her legs buckled as he reached her and he caught her in one arm, the other he wiped along the wall near her bag as he whispered in her ear,
"Livia…Livy…are you okay. Are you okay?" Livia shook her head, everything was fuzzy, everything ached and it felt like everything was happening in slow motion,
"He tried to kill me," she found herself saying, "H-he…they…tried to kill me,"
"I know," Darren said, a hand cupping her cheek, "Livia, I am so sorry. I'm so sorry this happened. I shouldn't have involved you…I shouldn't have done this to you…I—,"
"—No," Livia stated simply, cutting him off. She reached up and weakly grasped the hand that held her cheek, "You didn't do this. They did. Do not blame yourself…please don't blame yourself. I know what I signed up for,"
"This shouldn't have happened…this didn't have to happen," Darren almost sounded wounded, "You could have died," he whispered. She couldn't see his eyes, they were covered by a mask…but she could imagine the grey-blue of his eyes pleading with her to blame him, to hate him for what knowing him had caused,
"But I didn't," she replied, "You found me," Darren took a shallow breath,
"I found you," he repeated, as if relieved he managed to do so, "I found you," he pulled her to him then and she melted into the embrace, burying her head into his shoulder sobbing quietly as the adrenaline left her system and only the fear and relief remained. The Talon had almost killed her, the two…Livia nearly threw herself away from Darren, scrambling back away from him and whirling around this way and that, making herself dizzy,
"Livy…Livia! What is it?" Darren cried, trying to reach for her hands, "Calm down, you're safe,"
"No…no…there was another one. There were two Talons!" she hissed, near frantic. Darren froze and instantly was on high alert. He stepped protectively in front of her and despite her exhaustion she raised her right hand ready to use her magic if needed, her left hand gently grasped Darren's upper arm as the two of them surveyed the alleyway, sirens started wailing in the distance…too late to do any real good,
"He's over there," she whispered, her heart thudding in her chest. He'd remained down for the duration of her struggle with the first Talon and still hadn't risen, "I used my magic on him…I knew it wouldn't work, but I had to try something. I had to fight,"
"You fought in the way you knew how to. You did great," Darren murmured back and Livia knew that he truly meant it and wasn't trying to be patronizing. They inched closer to the seemingly unconscious Talon, ready for anything…ready for him to leap to his feet, done with playing possum. But as they neared the Talon Darren relaxed his stance, an odd look on his face as he tilted his head to the side,
"What is it?" she whispered, still eyeing the Talon,
"I—I can't hear a heartbeat," they shared a look. Talons had slow heartbeats, but they still actually beat…there was still something ticking in their chests. Very slowly and very carefully Darren nudged the Talon with his foot, springing back into a defensive position instantly afterwards…but nothing happened. Darren frowned, kicking the Talon lightly again and made a disgruntled face,
"Something doesn't feel right," he muttered, crouching down over the Talon and Livia, after a second's hesitation, followed him—she was not afraid, she was not afraid…she would not be afraid of her would be murderers. Darren slowly reached for the mask and carefully peeled it back to reveal the face of a somewhat attractive red haired man…or he would have been if it weren't for the unusual dark grey pallor of his skin and the sickened looking veins protruding around his face and down what was visible of his throat,
"Lucien," Darren stated, an unreadable expression his face, "he doesn't look right,"
"I thought most Talons had veins like that," Livia whispered, still wary of the Talon before him,
"Not like this…he, he looks like an actual corpse," Livia looked over at Darren and back at the Talon before them and realized he was right. This Talon looked…stiffened, dead, and unmovable. The veins a color that matched the dark grey of his skin, not like the black veins Darren had described to her which stood out on their light skin. This Talon's skin was not like the near bone-white appearance Darren's had, in fact it looked like it could crumble to dust at any second…like dried clay almost. Looking over at Livia, before glancing back at the Talon Darren knelt fully next to the fallen Talon and moved to touch his face, just as a great gust of wind blew by them…turning the originally solid man before them into dust.
They both gasped in shock as the Talon suddenly crumbled into nothing, the metal of the armor clanked against the ground and the daggers rang loudly against the concrete. Nothing was left…everything was gone. No decomposition took place, no bones…nothing. It was as if Lucien's body had deteriorated instantly and disappeared before their eyes,
"What…what could have done this?" Darren asked after a moment of stunned silence. Livia took a deep breath, looking over at his grave and thoughtful face, swallowing thickly,
"I think I did."
Livia glanced around at all of them, they were seated around the coffee table and couches in the living room of the Manor. Everyone was staring at her, varying levels of concern on their faces as Alfred shined a light in her eye and checked her over for any worse injuries than cut up hands and knees, a concussion and bruises up and down her arms. He handed her an ice pack for her head and stepped back, letting the conversation finally start,
"Start from the beginning," Tim stated, leaning forward slightly, "What happened?" He sat across from her on one of the lounge chairs in the living room, Stephanie shifting slightly next to him in their shared seat. Bruce stood silently by the fireplace with his arms crossed and face unreadable, Dick by the archway leading to the rest of the house; eyes narrowed in concentration and focus, Damian was in the corner of the L shaped couch uncaring as usual though still intently focused on the conversation with Barbara at the end of the shorter side looking ready to pull Livia into a hug, which she would have welcomed at the moment. Darren sat next to Livia on the arm of the long part of the L shaped couch. Livia let out a sigh, unsure of what to say and how to say it. Everything was a blur now, she could still feel the fear from the attack and the shock at realizing what she had done to that Talon, but it was like everything was seeping away from the forefront of her memory,
"I was attacked, by a Talon," she stated, "they were trying to kill me…they toyed with me and taunted me as they chased me around that alleyway, if it wasn't for Darren I'd be dead," she couldn't help but shudder at the memory,
"How did Darren even find you? You were all the way in the city," Damian asked. He seemed the most uninterested in this conversation and to be honest everyone else seemed a bit perplexed as to why a Talon attack was so significant that it called for a 'family' meeting. Afterall, they did suspect that something like this would happen sooner or later,
"Darren gave me a device. He said it would lead him to my location should I need help or be in danger,"
"It was a ultra sonic emitter that the Court used to corral me around Gotham a while ago. I thought it could be better used as a way to alert me when there was danger," Darren replied, giving more context on the device and answering Livia's question as to why she couldn't hear it go off,
"At the time I thought it was ridiculous but it saved me. And I guess I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life again," she looked over at Darren who gave her a small smile,
"There's no need to thank me, I'd do it again in a heartbeat,"
"Okay, sorry to be the jerk here. But why do we need to know all this?" Tim asked, "you sounded shaken on the phone, but this just sounds like a completely normal rescue," Darren shot him a glare, shifting his position into a more catlike crouch than before, as if ready to leap off the armrest at Tim the next time he spoke,
"Because she needed medical attention," he practically growled that, and Tim nodded as if it were fair that he was annoyed at him for disregarding her well being, "And because Livia killed a Talon," that got all of their attention. Dick actually slid back off the archway he was leaning against and nearly fell over for a moment,
"Livia did what?" Stephanie exclaimed, nearly elbowing Tim in the face as she moved around in the chair they shared,
"And how?" Bruce asked, he seemed the most pensive of the lot of them. His calm expression masked whatever wheels were turning in his head and Livia couldn't help but wish she could hear what he was thinking. She needed to master that power, now that she knew it was possible to read others mind…not knowing what went on in other people's heads frustrated her to no end,
"I didn't just kill that Talon," she stated, "I destroyed him, obliterated that Talon. He turned to dust…well a corpse like statue…and then crumbled to dust,"
"I thought magic didn't work on Talons," Dick declared, moving from the archway to lean on the back of the couch with his hands,
"Apparently we thought wrong," Barbara said,
"No we didn't," Darren replied, "Magic doesn't work on Talons…but not all magic is useless it seems,"
"So you're saying that most of Livia's abilities are useless…except one certain thing?" Tim asked, he then looked at Livia, "What did you use?" Livia swallowed, sitting up slightly suddenly feeling nervous under their intense gazes,
"The ability I used to destroy the pipeline in the school to make the explosion possible,"
"The…uh…there's no other way to describe this…the black energy?" Tim clarified,
"It's this cataclysmic energy. It's like this orb, flame, pulse or anything of the sort. I can't describe it any other way. It's pure destruction that I can summon,"
"Not all of us have seen this ability…could you show us?" Bruce asked. Livia nodded, only hesitating for a moment before concentrating and pulling that ability to the forefront of her magical reserves, it appeared in the palm of her hand and she quickly—before it could leap away with a mind of its own or she lost control and hurt someone in the room—placed it on the coffee table before her. It blackened as it enveloped the entire wooden structure and then turned to a dull dead grey color. Just as the pipe in the school did and just as the Talon did. Tim placed a finger on the grey, deteriorated looking table and it collapsed into powdered dust,
"Whoa," he whispered, surprised even though he'd seen this ability in action before. Of course everything had happened so fast, it had probably all been a blur to him,
"I've only used it a few times, and it's not really reliable. I'm not in complete control of it," she murmured, slightly embarrassed by their attention. It wasn't like she wasn't used to attention, she was a dancer—she performed for God's sake. Livia just didn't like this power, it felt foreign to her even if it was her own ability,
"But you used it and it worked," Darren said, reaching to put a hand on her arm, "That means—,"
"No!" Livia cried, leaping to her feet even if it made her head spin, "Don't touch me!" she tried not to feel terrible for the hurt expression that crossed his face, it disappeared in a second but it was there,
"If it worked on that Talon it can work on you! Any of you guys! I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt anyone! It isn't some power just singled out for using on Talons!"
"But perhaps it is," Tim muttered, everyone including Livia, gave him a look, "Livia you said the other Talon taunted you right before Darren…uh…stepped in," Livia looked around the room once more, noticing Bruce's darkened expression at the assumed killing Darren had done to save Livia's life,
"Yes…he did, but it didn't make any sense. He was just trying to scare me,"
"But what did he say?" Tim insisted, Livia sighed heavily wanting all talk of her near death experience to be over already, "I'm sorry for making you think back to this, but it could be important,"
"I said it would do nothing for them if they killed me," Livia started, trying not to roll her eyes, "He said, 'it will do everything for us…and you have no idea why,'"
"Well that's not cryptic," Stephanie muttered, looking disgruntled by Livia's recount of what happened,
"It certainly is…but based on that it's clear they knew who you were," Tim stated, "And we can even assume they knew what you are," Bruce looked like he was about to interrupt, not agreeing with what Tim had said,
"Of course there's no evidence for that as well…we know practically nothing about what the Talons do and do not know, but it is clear they fear magic. Perhaps even a particular kind of magic," Tim amended, glancing at Bruce as if sensing his disagreement,
"Are you saying they're afraid of whatever this destructive ability is?" Livia asked,
"Exactly,"
"But if you're saying what I think you're saying…," Dick started, frowning over at them, "…then maybe they faced Baudelaires in the past, which would be how they know of the family and the abilities they possess. And maybe the Court of Owls even feared them enough to try and have their family assassinated," Livia sat down hard, enough to make little sparks of light dance in front of her eyes,
"Are you saying the Court of Owls arranged for that plane to crash with my parents on it?"
"This is all heavily hypothetical, but if what we assume is true then that may be the case," Barbara said apologetically, throwing the other boys a glare, "This really isn't something to say in front of an injured person,"
"That is true, even so, this must be investigated," Stephanie stated, "The rest of her family may be in even more danger if this is the case, despite the fact that they're not Baudelaires," They dissolved into much more bickering on what to do and how to do it, there was even mention of rotating shifts on her house during patrol in case the Talons try anything else. Livia's mind was a whirlwind in itself. She may have been attacked not just because she is involved with Darren but because of what she was. Did that mean she was a danger to her family…or did this new ability allow for her and her family to remain relatively unharmed as the Court supposedly feared this type of magic because it was the only thing that could kill them as easily as any other human.
That thought jarred her…it was the only thing that could kill them as easily as any other human…this magical ability rendered the Electrum in their blood useless, they were effectively human once they came into contact with that kind of magic,
"What if this is a good thing?" Livia asked suddenly, an idea blooming. Silence was instantaneous as everyone looked at her with varying expressions of surprise,
"What? How is any of this a good thing?" Darren asked, looking at her like she was crazy,
"Think about it. This power I have can harm Talons…it can kill them,"
"Yes, but it also puts you in their sights, you're in danger," Darren growled. Not seeing the potential this situation presented. Tim on the other hand lurched forward, nearly dislodging Steph from the lounge chair,
"I see where you're going with this…it's not a good idea,"
"It's possible…it's useful,"
"It's dangerous," Dick insisted, clearly understanding what both Livia and Tim had concluded. Barbara nodded her agreement with Dick while Damian sat with unmoving indifference. He didn't care, Stephanie seemed to be on the fence, wanting to support Livia's abruptly understood idea but against it due to the danger it would potentially cause. Darren seemed to be the only one who didn't know what they were talking about,
"What are you guys talking about?" He demanded, glaring at them all clearly annoyed at being left out,
"We're talking about using my ability as a weapon against the Court of Owls,"
"What?" Darren hissed, looking intensely at each of them, "No, No! No way. You can't be serious!"
"I am serious. If my ability is the only way to kill them easily…with one blow…then I will use it to destroy that organization,"
"There are dozens of Talons and they can easily make more! Besides, you're one person! You cannot fight off an army of undead Talons who move faster than you can think. I can barely even do that and I'm one of them!"
"You don't have magic…and they fear it,"
"Not all of them are from centuries ago when superstitions were a serious thing! Some are from today…they will not hesitate, especially if their orders are specifically to kill you!"
"Then I'll figure out how to siphon it out of me…I'll put it into a weapon, multiple weapons. I'll help you in the best way I know how, this will save you, my family and so many others who are plagued by these Talons!"
"Livia, this is—it's something but we can't do anything without research," Tim stated, Livia couldn't help but glare at him, "You don't know what will happen if you attempt this…it could potentially kill you. We know nothing about these abilities you have and you know just as much as we do. We're not going into an all out war with the Court of Owls until we have more information and until we know for a fact what history the Court has with the Baudelaires if any at all. We won't be using your power to create weapons unless we know it's possible, unless there's evidence it's been done before,"
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Livia demanded, "Time is a problem here, we don't know what they're planning either…they could go after my family at any moment!"
"That is why we will keep an eye on them when we go on patrol," Dick said kindly, "We will not forget them and we will keep them safe,"
"As for how we'll get information, we have your spell book. We can look for this ability and how it can be used or siphoned and we do have resources we can utilize for finding out any relationships between the Court and the Baudelaires…right?" Tim looked over at Darren who was scowling on his perch, still not on board with any of the plans they've come up with apparently. His head snapped up and he shrugged,
"I have no idea where Calvin is…and I don't think Malik will be willing to help me after I threatened to kill him," Tim let out a huff of a breath, clearly a little disappointed they didn't have more of an in with the Court of Owls,
"Well…at least try. We need to get ahead in all of this, we need to end this. But in the meantime all we can do is patrol the city and try to keep Livia's family safe,"
"You can sleep here tonight," Dick decided, "I'm sure we can think of a reason for you to stay—,"
"—you can say you're having a sleepover with me!" Stephanie said brightly, flinging herself out of the chair and grabbing Livia by the hand, "And that we'll come over here to study or something so your dad will have a reason to pick you up here,"
"Sounds like a plan. Let's head out for patrol…it's going to be a long night," Dick said, glancing over to where Bruce stood…or had stood,
"Where did he—when did he—?" Livia asked, looking around the living room. Barbara let out a sigh and shook her head,
"Don't worry about it. He does it all the time. He most likely had monitor duty on the Watchtower and decided to just head over during the conversation, he hates being late despite how dreadful monitor duty is. We'll fill him in later. You get some rest, you need it," she gave Livia a calm smile as she and Dick started for the office—the entrance to the Batcave, Livia still found it crazy that the office lead to a series of caves underneath the mansion,
"Dare?" Dick asked as he started past his cousin, he still sat on the arm of the couch with his gaze on Livia,
"I think I'll stay in tonight," he muttered, "Don't want to cause any more Talons to peek out of the shadows tonight than there already are," everyone looked surprised by this for a moment but covered it quickly. Livia on the other hand smiled to herself as she followed Stephanie up the stairs to the guest bedroom they'll share for the night. It would be like an actual sleepover, something to truly keep her mind off of the attack…she hoped at least. She couldn't help thinking this wasn't the last of the Talons she'd encounter, and the thought sent a chill down her spine.
A/N: Yay, I'm so happy I finally got to this chapter. I hope you really liked it, I worked hard on this chapter. Some new developments have been made known. I wonder what you all think of this and what you think will happen. I'd really love to hear your thoughts and opinions about this chapter and where this is all going.
If you need reference for what the Talon Lucien looks like when he's basically an actual corpse, just look at the Originals or the Vampire Diaries when the vampires get stabbed with a ash dipped dagger or are killed. It looks pretty much like that. For live Talons, at least in this AU, the 'deformed' veins are very dark, basically black whereas in this 'corpse' state they match the color the skin turns.
As for whether Rose knows what happened to Darren, she does but right now she's dealing with some stuff so she won't appear in this story, the next one is fair game for her and the boys ;)
Let me know your thoughts, opinions, concerns and questions! I will answer them as best I can.
Thanks for reading and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Next chapter on Thursday!
