CHAPTER 17

It was 4am and the gang were 3 hours into their journey to Texas. Max, Liz, Alex, Isabel and Serena were travelling in Max's BMW, while Rohan, Tess, Kyle, Maria and Michael had opted to travel in Michael's brand new Audi. Mekhi had gathered the council and any other forces and followed close behind.

Both cars were silent as each person mentally prepared themselves for what was about to go down. Maria began to hum the song that she sang in Las Vegas nearly 10 years ago, bringing a small private smile to the sombre faces as they reminisced.

In the other car, Max's jaw was set, a look of concentration on his handsome face.

"When we arrive, we'll do a little recon. After that, me, Michael, Kyle, Isabel and Serena will go in first - create a distraction and hopefully Jez and Khivar. Liz - I want you, Alex, Maria, Tess and Rohan to find Josh." Max looked at Liz and then Alex. "Then I want you to get out. Get into this car and drive - don't stop."

"Max, I'm not leaving you in there!" Liz said in a not-so-controlled tone.

"Liz, please, we got to think about the baby." Max whispered.

Liz turned away and stared out the window, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Max, I'm not leaving Isabel." Alex announced and squeezed his wife's hand. She smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you" she whispered into his ear.

"Alex, I want you guys safe. I want Josh safe and for that to happen I need you to grab my son and get the hell out of Dodge." Max looked at Alex through the rearview mirror, his eyes pleading. Alex knew what Max meant - he was depending on Alex to get Liz, Josh and Tess as far away as possible in case the worst happened.

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By mid-afternoon, they arrived in Texas and checked into a motel one town away from their intended destination. Their plan would go into action that night. That afternoon, Michael, Rohan and Kyle had gone to the given address to check the place out. They found a large, stately mansion and at first thought they had wasted their time until a man had stepped out from the house and Rohan confirmed that it was Quentin. It took every ounce of strength to restrain themselves from attacking right there and then. They found the place to be quite secure, with no visible entrance other than the front door. It was guarded by about 20 'soldiers'.

* We can handle that * Michael thought with a smirk right before a van full of men and women arrived. Michael could feel their power - it was electric, the air was charged. Michael, Kyle and Rohan looked at each other. This wouldn't be an easy ride.

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At 8 o'clock that evening, everyone was ready to go, each appropriately dressed for the occasion. All were in the arms of their significant others, whisperings of 'be careful' and 'see you soon' was all that could be heard. Serena and Rohan stood awkwardly, looking on at the emotional scene.

"Ro.I'm sorry for everything. I hope that when this is over, we can.try again?" Serena looked into his eyes and saw the pain there.

"Maybe. Just come back to me and we'll see what we can salvage." Rohan cupped Serena's face and kissed her. He then got into the drivers seat of Max's BMW and waited for the others to join him.

Maria began to climb into the passenger seat when Michael grabbed her hand; she turned to face him. "Maria, what do you say when all this is all over we see about getting us married?" Michael smiled shyly as Maria stared back at him open-mouthed. She nodded yes and hugged tightly before climbing into the car.

Tess was having a hard time letting Kyle get into Michael's car. "Please, please, please be careful, Kyle. Please come home to us. Your little girls need you, Josh needs you. I need you." Tess sobbed as Kyle held her close and kissed her blonde curls.

Alex and Isabel walked slowly over to Michael's car hand in hand. Isabel turned to face her husband and studied his face for a minute as if trying to remember it. "Alex Whitman, I will see you in a few hours." Alex smiled as Isabel got into the car beside Kyle.

Max had his arm around Liz, while his other hand gently stroked her stomach. "I love you Liz Evans. Promise me you'll get out of there when you get Josh" Liz nodded as her tears fell to the floor. "I love you, Max. And you promise me that you'll come back." Max kissed her tenderly but broke away in surprise. Then he smiled at his wife. "Of course I'll come back. I can't leave our daughter without a father, can I?" Max smiled at his shocked wife as he climbed into the passenger seat of Michael's car.

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Less than half an hour later, Max, Michael, Isabel, Kyle and Serena arrived at the mansion. Kyle checked his gun - he was the only one who wasn't blessed with other-worldly powers so he needed his own weapon. Mekhi's soldiers had already and were awaiting Max's signal. Rohan pulled up in the other car and parked across the street. He nodded at Max who got out of the car and headed towards the house with his team. All five of them walked straight up to the front door as the other soldier's quietly surrounded the house. Max pressed the doorbell and patiently waited for a response.

"Remember, no mercy." Max whispered to the others. A skinny red-haired man opened the door and did a double take as he realised who had come calling. Max sent a shock through the young man, killing him instantly. "Khivar's welcoming party is here." Max smirked as his team made their way into the house.

Outside, Rohan's team waited patiently in the car, waiting for their cue. It came when they heard explosions and gunshots, followed by unearthly screams. The five of them jumped out of ht ecar and ran towards the house. When they stepped inside, Maria gasped when she saw various bodies strewn about the large reception area. Immediately they focussed on their mission which was to find Josh. They began checking every room, Rohan and Tess taking out any attackers they came across.

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In the East Wing, Jez burst into the room where Khivar was staying.

"Khivar! We're under attack! It's them." Jez shouted frantically. Khivar was seated on the edge of his bed, his back facing Jez.

"I've been waiting. They're earlier than I expected." Khivar said calmly. He stood and turned to face his younger brother, energy crackling from his fingertips. "Go and watch the boy. Kill anyone who tries to take him." Khivar smiled and began to walk out of the room. "Let the games begin."