Chapter Eight:

Chapter Eight:

The Past

Selena Chimes leaned against the pillar, fitting her slender frame behind it. Her breathing was slow, controlled and faint, even to her own ears. But there was a louder puffing coming her way, footsteps staggering and stumbling toward her. She smiled a bit, almost enjoying herself. Rayne had allowed her to tag along on one of his duties, his rounds, and today he had been assigned to bring in a shifter who was on the run. The werewolf seemed to hold an awful grudge against the Prince for he kept trying to kill him. Selena didn't understand it and she didn't want to. As long as she got to watch Rayne at work.

She frowned. Now that she thought about it, in the chase she had lost Rayne. One minute they had both been after the shifter, taking their time to bring him down. And now? Now she was stuck behind the pillar, listening as the werewolf crawled ever closer to her position. Maybe if she could bring the shifter in herself she could finally have something to hold against Rayne, finally show him she could take care of herself. Better than any other half-breed out there.

Yes, she was definitely going to try.

A footstep scraped right beside her and she rolled along the pillar, her fist rising. She caught him by surprise. The back of knuckles smashed into his neck soundly and the werewolf staggered backward with a broken gasp. He landed flat on his rear, black claws lifting to scratch at his neck as he choked for a breath. Selena came to stand before him, looking down at him. "Are you crazy?" she demanded.

The werewolf continued to wheeze, shoulders lifting and falling with each strained breath.

"I mean, going after the prince?" she asked. And her eyes widened. "Twice, might I add! You have a certain death wish!"

The 'wolf's eyes rose to meet hers and they shone a liquid silver, standing out amongst his black fur. His lips pulled back from his sharp teeth and he hissed at her painfully, a hand dropping to the ground behind him.

Selena shook her head. "Don't try anything." She warned him, feeling a strange prickling along her spine, surrounding her horns. Something was up, he was going to act she somehow knew. Almost absentmindedly she shifted to her side, into a ready stance.

The werewolf snarled then and his body was suddenly in the air. Chime felt herself follow him in slow motion, her head lifting as he flew through the air. His foot was moving, lashing out and she instinctively brought her hands down, blocking his attack but she never saw the claws. They were just there and then she felt a burning along her cheeks, caught the faint glimpse of blood spray. Her legs gave out under her and she toppled backward.

The 'wolf came at her again, dropping down on top of her and his muzzle was in her face, his breath hot in her ear. She growled angrily and grabbed him with weak hands, forcing a grip on his matted fur. There was something warm sliding down her face toward her lips and jaw and she knew it was her blood. Her cheek was stinging painfully and she suddenly wanted him to hurt, hurt more than she did. Her right hand yanked backward, ripping fur from his body and he howled, a shriek of surprise that turned into agony. She felt satisfaction and it drove her on, moved her to buck under him. Her knee slammed into his crotch and flung him off, forced him into a forward toss. His weight lifted away and she managed a brief inhalation before whirling onto her stomach and looking toward him.

He seemed to have managed a roll for he was standing quickly and he risked a backward glance toward her, perhaps wondering if he should finish the job.

Chime caught sight of movement from a pillar straight ahead, passed the one the 'wolf was standing next to. And the figure turned into Rayne. His face was dark, darker than she had ever seen it and his eyes blazed furiously. Her own eyes widened as a flicker of fear coursed through her.

He looked very mad.

The 'wolf turned, obviously having made up his mind to forget about her. And by then Rayne was attacking. He was truly beautiful in form, in stance. And he moved with ease. He darted forward, pulling up close to the 'wolf and he jumped toward the pillar. His left leg landed against the pillar and he pushed himself off lithely onto his side in mid-air. His right leg swung out, catching the shifter across his face and the 'wolf's head snapped to the side, something cracking audibly in the process. Rayne completed his horizontal spin in the air, falling to his feet and bending his knees to absorb the impact.

The werewolf fell to the ground limply and without a word.

Selena stared, mouth open in shock. Her eyes drifted to the shifter and all she could do was continue to stare. He wasn't moving at all and something had definitely been broken in the attack. She looked at Rayne who crouched smoothly beside the werewolf and checked him.

"Is he dead?" Selena whispered, swallowing painfully.

Rayne glanced at her and rose again, coming toward her. "No." he answered quietly, bending toward her. His fingers touched her chin and he raised her face up. A grimace crossed his face as he examined her cheek. "I didn't kill him. Perhaps I should have." He murmured.

Selena shook her head. "No. No. It's fine. It's over." She said and she sat up slowly, lifting a hand to her face. There were four gashes across her face and she winced as they began to throb. She hadn't felt it much when she had watched Rayne but now they were really beginning to hurt. She looked at her hand as it came away and the tips of her fingers were red with blood. "Ow…"

The corners of Rayne's lips tightened. "I knew I should never have allowed you to come. What was I thinking?" he asked himself rhetorically, and he brought a corner of his cloak to her cheek, rubbed at the gashes gently.

Selena smiled at him. "You were thinking that if you heard me whine anymore, you'd be driven insane. Remember?" she asked teasingly, staring into his amber eyes.

He arched an eyebrow at her, still focused on cleansing her cheek. "Hm. Yes. It's all coming back to me now." He answered in a tone that told her he was clearly not enjoying the humor in the situation.

Selena swallowed a laugh. "Stop worrying about me, I'm fine. You should worry about the 'wolf." She motioned behind him with a dismissive gesture.

Rayne nodded, his hand dropping away, the cloak fluttering around his legs. But he clasped her cold hand nonetheless and pulled her with him as he returned to the shifter. "You did pretty good, actually." He said after a moment. He bent, wrapping an arm around the 'wolf's waist and lifting him up over his shoulder.

"Did I?" Selena asked him, fighting the pleased grin that threatened to break over her face and blind her soulmate.

Rayne half-smiled. "Yeah. You did good." He nodded again and began to lead her toward the First House. "Which surprises me a bit, I have to admit-"

"Hey." She said, faking a scowl.

He laughed. "No, I mean that it surprises me because here I was thinking you did all this and yet you hate the prince." He arched an eyebrow at her as they walked, as he dragged the 'wolf's body over his shoulder and Selena's hand in his.

Selena looked down as she strolled beside him. The world was turning a hazy pink and she fought it because she knew if she let it envelop all she would start mumbling and not making sense. "Well, hate is such a harsh word…" she murmured. "I don't hate him, I just don't…like him…much…"

Rayne smiled faintly. "Darling, you don't even know him." He reminded her gently.

Selena felt warmth in her stomach. He rarely used terms of endearment on her but that just made her treasure the moments he did even more. "I know…I mean, it's not likely I ever will." She shrugged. "But you…you have this bond with him, you are so close to him. Why?"

He hesitated in answering her question, even slowing a bit in pace to match hers. His eyes shifted over to glance at her out of the corners and she was looking up at him, blue eyes wide. "Well," he said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, "I was raised with him. He's my friend. Since we were little kids. My mother was one of his personal guardians. My father used to say she was the best of them all, and that was pretty good considering she was a woman…"

The corner of Selena's lips quirked but she remained quiet.

He exhaled in a soft whoosh. "So, yeah. Friends from the beginning. My mother used to say he would be the one to change everything. He would be the one to right it all, unite the people. Since he was young he was…wise." Rayne cocked his head. "He had a conscience and he was going to use it to bring peace between the shifters and witches. It was prophesized."

Selena nodded, impressed. "Tall order." She remarked. She raised her eyes to him questioningly. "So…what happened? Why are we all still fighting?"

Rayne looked toward the First House, eyes catching on the guards positioned at the doors. "His father was killed not too long after and my mother, who was Guardian to his father, then became Guardian to the prince. Someone out there thought she was filling his head with nonsense, that there would be no peace because it wasn't possible. And then she was killed protecting him." Rayne looked down at her, eyes still narrowed a bit. "She was killed by one of our own and we still don't know who."

Selena was gazing at him, horrified. She had never heard this, from anyone. She knew he had had a bleak past but this was worse than she had expected.

He seemed to chuckle at her shock. "Not long after, my father left me. Said he couldn't look at me without being reminded of my mother. And the Prince took me in. When I became old enough I took over for my mother and became his guardian. And here I am today." He concluded with a shrug that almost upset the balance of the shifter on his shoulder.

Selena swallowed thickly. "I am so sorry." She whispered, her hand tightening around his. "If I had known, Rayne, I would never have asked you-"

He nodded. "It's all right." He said soothingly. "I figured it was time I told you anyway. Some day soon." His lips tightened into a line and he paused for they had reached the marble steps. "Wait here a moment? I'm going to bring him in and then be right out." He said and he released her hand to examine her face once more. "It's healing. There's the pool, wash it a bit and I'll come back and see how it is."

She nodded. "All right. Don't be long." She said quietly and she watched him as he swept up the steps and vanished into the tall doors.

The Present

Chime awoke suddenly, gasping for air and Thea's hand closed around her wrist. "Hey. Hey." She whispered calmly. "It's ok. It's just a dream." She said, rubbing the dragon's arm.

Chime looked at her, turning her head along the airport seat. She exhaled loudly, a quick breath and then nodded, swallowing. "Yeah. I'm ok." She said softly. She blinked to clear the sleep from her eyes. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked, squinting.

Thea frowned. "About two hours. Maybe a bit less. We'll be landing soon." She added. "Maybe you should stay awake now?"

Chime glanced toward the seat in front absentmindedly before nodding. "That's probably for the best. I don't think I'll get anymore sleep after what I just dreamt." She looked back at Thea quickly. "Did you see?" she asked.

Thea smiled a bit sadly. "Yeah. I hope you don't mind." Her smile became a teasing grin. "He's so cute." She laughed.

And Chime laughed with her. "Yeah, he was." She agreed. And then in a murmur, "Arrogant little…"

Thea was nervous. But not nearly so much as Chime. The remainder of the flight had been uneventful as they had hoped. And now the airport was full, people bustling about, rushing to claim their luggage. But Chime and Thea had no baggage. All of Chime's things had been burned in the house. The clothes she wore were things she had borrowed from Thea and Blaise. And Thea's things had all fit in a duffel bag.

They would have to do major shopping, Chime decided.

"Okee-dokee. Uh, garage." Thea murmured, looking around. "Second floor." She was stiff, rigid with anxiety and she stood close to Chime, so close they shared the same air.

Chime inhaled to control herself before lifting her hand to the girl's shoulder. "Easy, Thea." She said soothingly. "You have to calm down."

Thea swallowed, her throat working and she linked an arm through Chime's almost fearfully. "I'll calm down once I see a familiar face." She looked around again and Chime had the urge to laugh. But that would have been unkind. Chime was unafraid. She was half-dragon, one of the strongest creatures on earth. She had nothing to worry about. Thea on the other hand…

"Ok. Let's go." Chime said, pulling Thea with her as she began to stroll along. They began to weave through the crowds, following the directions to the garage. And under her breath, low enough only for Thea to hear she hummed the theme to Mission: Impossible, causing Thea to giggle.

They followed the signs to the escalators and began to ascend.

"So, Chime…" Thea said, obviously looking for a topic and the one that came to mind seemed to be better than nothing. "How old was Rayne when you met him?" she asked. And then she rambled on, "I mean, it's not like he can get older, he's probably still beautiful wherever he's hiding himself but when you first met him, how old-"

"He was twenty-four." Chime answered, glancing over her shoulder nonchalantly. She squinted a bit, momentarily letting herself remember him. "Yeah, twenty-four. I remember the Prince was a year older than him." She murmured.

Thea was nodding, looking up toward the top of the escalator which was a bit far off. "Twenty-four. That's a good age. Not too old. Not too young. Or, well, yeah, he's still young but not as young as me, for example…"

Chime arched an eyebrow, bringing herself back to the airport and it was at that precise moment that she caught sight of the man. Tall. Dark. And familiar. Disturbingly familiar. She narrowed her eyes to near slits and wondered why he looked so familiar. Someone from the long-gone past?

He looked up from his position at the base of the escalator and their eyes met.

A memory rose, hitting Chime between her eyes. Smoke. Gasoline. A flame coming to life between cupped fingers. And finally, fire everywhere. She realized she was stiff, eyes wide in fear and she watched as the man moved forward toward the escalator, shoving his way onto it.

Thea was still rambling on. "Eric isn't that much older than me, but then again he will eventually become older." She said, chatting cheerfully. "We'll both become older but that's ok because he'll be with me and-"

Chime found her voice, her blue eyes still caught on the man below. They were close to the top and he was just at the bottom. "Thea…" she whispered faintly, and she swallowed. "Are you a fast runner?" she whirled, gaze straying to the top of the escalator. The top floor didn't seem to be as full as the main. They would have more cover below.

Thea was confused. "Am I a fast what?"

Chime reached out a hand to her, still focused on the top of the escalator. "Give me your duffel bag." She ordered, adrenaline kicking in. She spared a quick glance at Thea and the witch pulled off the duffel bag in bemusement, handing it over wordlessly. "Good." She mumbled. "Now you and me are going to hop over this rail here onto the down escalator because if we don't we're going to get killed."

Thea was staring at her with a frown.

"Do you understand me?" she asked, turning to look toward the man below once more. He was shoving his way forward, ignoring angry replies and retorts from the humans surrounding him. Chime swallowed once more, felt the thick ball force its way down her throat and she spun to face Thea. "Do you understand?!"

"Yes." Thea answered in a whisper, face paling.

Chime gave her a reassuring smile. "Good." She nodded. She placed her hand on the rubber rail of the escalator. "Because here we go."

And with that she was moving. The duffel bag was secure around her shoulder, the strap crossing down over her breast. She pressed her weight down on the rail and then shoved herself up, lifting her legs. Her body swung directly across the space between the up and down escalators and she landed on the down escalator, ramming into people and stumbling a bit. "Sorry!" she apologized quickly, "Sorry." And she looked toward Thea.

Thea was having difficulty. She didn't swing so much as climb. Her footing was a bit off but she managed to throw herself over onto the down escalator, staggering off balance. A young man even reached out, helping her safely.

"Thanks." She said to him with a breathless smile as Chime climbed up a step toward her. And then the witch stared at the young man, a frown crossing her forehead.

The dark stranger was halfway up. Chime turned, pushing herself as far back to the side of the escalator as possible, keeping a wide bridge of distance between herself and her stalker. A woman came down beside her, looking down toward the bottom of the down staircase nonchalantly. She covered Chime's view of the man and Chime breathed a sigh of momentary relief. She reached a hand toward Thea and pulled her down next to her, keeping her close. She felt worked up, ready for anything. But in the far corner of her mind she hoped that the man would have enough sense not to attack in a crowded airport. Beside her Thea had finally turned her attention away from the young man who had helped her and Chime exhaled. Thank the Goddess, now was not the time to be checking out guys.

The man rode up as they came down and just as they almost came to head, the woman blocking the NightWorlders from each other whirled, reaching up and clamping onto Thea's collar.

"What the f-" Chime uttered in surprise.

The woman was dark as well, black hair cut short, a strange gleam shining in her deep, chocolate brown eyes. She pulled Thea down roughly, small hands locking onto her shirt, as the man came up directly opposite them.

Thea cried out, staggering, and her feet came off the floor.

Chime blinked once before shifting into offense. She stepped forward, her arm snaking around Thea's arms and chest and she yanked the girl back, her grip strong. Thea yelped as she was hoisted back but the woman wasn't releasing her and her shirt tore, the tear resounding through the suddenly quiet airport.

Chime clenched her jaw, shoving herself in between the woman and Thea and she pushed the witch away carelessly, leaving the woman with handfuls of Thea's shirt. The woman threw the cloth pieces aside and opened her mouth wide, hissing. Chime swung once, her knuckles smashing into the woman's perfect, sharp teeth and without a second thought she threw herself forward, ramming into the woman. The force flung the woman, picking her up neatly and sending her hurtling back across the railing and into her partner who was directly on the other side.

Murmurs of shock and disbelief rose from the crowd.

"Come on." Chime said under her breath. And then she was shouting it, "Come on!" and she grabbed Thea's wrist and yanked, climbing down the escalator. The people parted for her, allowing her to pass and staring at them as they hurried by.

"Who were they?" Thea asked breathlessly, glancing over her shoulder. The man and the woman were still disentangling themselves from each other up above.

"Losers." Chime growled.

They reached the foot of the escalator and Chime's head snapped up as she became aware of nearing footsteps. She risked a quick glance and saw them. Guards. Security for the airport. She looked back around, hesitating helplessly, and she didn't know where to go. The fastest way to the garage was along the second floor but there was absolutely no way she was going back up there. And precious seconds were being lost as she stood there and contemplated frantically.

"This way." The young man from earlier said, hopping down behind them. It was the same one who had assisted Thea on the escalator.

Chime whirled on him, pulling Thea behind her automatically. She raised a hand to him, warding him off warily. "Stay away-"

"No!" Thea suddenly cried. "No!" she shook her head and began to pull Chime's hand. "We can trust him! It's Galen!" And happiness mixed with relief was blossoming on her face.

Chime narrowed her eyes into slits. "He could be my freaking father for all I care, Thea-" she began and she glanced over her shoulder toward the security guards nearing.

The man, a handsome one with fiery, golden hair and piercing green eyes reached out and caught hold of Chime's extended wrist. "I'm part of what was Angel Rescue." He explained in a hurry and he swept passed them, tugging on Chime.

Chime only followed when Thea did, peeking once more behind her at the guards who were closing in. "This wasn't part of the plan." She called to the young man but she began to run, instantly catching up to him, the forward swing of her arms propelling her onwards. Thea was pulled roughly along by the both of them and she squeaked disdainfully.

The man, Galen, motioned toward the NightWorlders who were making their way back down to the main level quickly and gracefully. "Neither were they." He said, weaving through the crowds.

The sign up ahead read 'Garage'.

"How did they know?" Thea demanded emotionally and her hand tightened on Chime's wrist as they sprinted.

"You got me." Galen answered her, calling back to her. "You're just damn lucky I decided to get out of the van." He released Chime's hand and raced ahead, rounding a corner. Chime caught a small shift in the lean muscles under his T-shirt. A shape-shifter perhaps. Most likely.

Galen, she thought to herself as she tried to keep him in her sights. He was unbelievably fast, even for a shifter, his body lean with rippling muscles and smooth skin. And again, she asked herself, Galen. Why was that name so familiar? Galen. Galen. Galen-

Drache.

Chime's jaw dropped open and she nearly stumbled and went sliding across the floor. "No way…" she uttered dumbly, slowing despite herself. It couldn't be, the shifters wouldn't allow that of their prince. And yet he matched the description. Galen Drache, the young Prince of the First House of Shape Shifters. Gold. Green. Elegant. Royal. The one who had united the witches and shape-shifters with the Witch Child present.

Of course. If he had helped the Witch Child before, helped her stay alive, why not remain her guardian and protector? He would be used to her, the way she worked.

Galen came to a skidding stop and looked around quickly.

The Prince of Shape-Shifters was an Agent of Circle Daybreak. Chime wanted to laugh at the thought. But as the young man led them out into the orange-lit garage she found the revelation more shocking than humorous. It was definitely not terribly funny at the moment.

The Dragon Prince would never have become something like that.

A black van came up on shrieking tires, stopping directly before them. And an unfamiliar man leaned across the passenger seat toward the window and motioned toward them. "Let's get this show on the road!" he shouted.

"Did you get the plate?" The asked Chime under her breath as she finally caught up.

And indeed she had. 23H-TC7.

Galen opened the side sliding door of the van and looked at them, waiting. Chime shoved forward, practically flinging Thea into the darkness of the back compartment before throwing herself in. And then the door slid shut behind them both, enveloping them in total blackness. There was the sound of the passenger side door slamming shut and then the van was moving, jerking about and correcting itself roughly after a moment.

A small panel in the front slid open, shedding bright light into the dark compartment. Galen glanced in, smiling reassuringly. "Please excuse the bumpy ride, there may be some turbulence." He said.

"We're in a van, Galen!" Thea laughed happily, nearly glowing with her relief. "You were supposed to use that line on the airplane!"

Chime glanced from Thea to Galen, who made a face at the witch and she knew things would be all right. For the moment.