Greetings from The Lady Mage.
AUTHOR NOTES: Hello, and welcome to chapter 15! Thank you so much for the support you guys have shown! You're awesome! Okay! NOW the story picks up! Read, enjoy, review!
DISCLAIMER: I, The Lady Mage, do NOT own Underworld or any of the many dynamic characters contained therein. I love them dearly, but sadly, can't afford them.
RATING: PG-13 for a little light cussing. Nothing big- yet.
"Well, well."
Michael and Lucian looked up from admiring the fighting ring as Selene made her way to them. She looked vastly unimpressed as she made it to them, and stared scrutinizingly out over the straw-covered floor.
"Morning, Selene." Lucian greeted emotionlessly. "I trust you slept well?"
"Fine." she answered casually, fingering a pin holding the ring's door hinge in place. "And your self?"
"Tossed and turned."
"And still going to fight?" Selene spared a small smirk, turning to peer at the lycan-turned-hybrid.
He smirked back. "And win, too."
"Yeah right." Michael muttered under his breath, crossing his arms.
Lucian rose to the young man's challenge. "You think you can beat me?"
"I know I can!"
"And how is it that you know you can beat me?"
Michael only smirked himself. "I have youth on my side."
"And with youth brings clumsiness. Age brings experience." lectured the lycan's alpha.
"Are you saying I'm clumsy?" Kindra walked into the room. Behind her was Damon, carrying Sondra and Nikkie under his arms like footballs.
"No, Kindra." Lucian answered her with a slight smile. "You're not clumsy."
"Oh, but I am?!" Michael chuckled, "Thanks a lot."
"Oh, you're welcome."
Selene couldn't help but chuckle at them, taking Sondra as soon as Damon was close enough. Michael quickly relieved her of their daughter, taking the little girl and lightly tossing her into the air. "Sondra-doll, who is going to win the big fight tonight, hmm? Daddy or old Uncle Lucian?" he asked her.
She giggled, clinging to him. Behind him, Kindra caught Sondra's eyes and gestured to Lucian. Sondra giggled again as Michael kissed her cheek, then pointed to Lucian. "Uncle Lucian win!" she said happily, "And Damon win, too!"
"My daddy win!" Nikkie argued. "Daddy bigger!"
Sondra perked up. "Nuh-uh!"
Nikkie scowled stubbornly. "Yes-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Yes-huh!"
Sondra's face turned red. "NUH-UH!!"
"Hey, hey!" Selene interupted the two. "That's enough now." She pulled Sondra back into her arms.
In Damon's grasp, Nikkie began to pout. Kindra recognised the expression, and quickly took him just as he burst into tears. Big, fat teardrops rolled down his reddening cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her neck. " . . Papa win! . . " he cried, his voice muffled by Kindra's shoulder. " . . not Michael! Papa win!"
"Hush, hush, now." Kindra murmered to him, pulling him back to look at him. "Venezs, Amour, regard ce qui un visage terrible vous faites quand vous pleurez. (Come, love, look what an awful face you make when you cry.)"
Nikkie whimpered once more, settling himself back down against her shoulder. "Je veux la victoire de Papa! (I want Papa to win!)"
"Ah, Amour, votre Papa gagnera. Pas plus ne dechire, hmm? (Oh, Love, your Papa will win. No more tears, hmm?)"
"What is the commotion in here?" The little group looked up as Erika and Marcus came into the room. Erika was quickly at Kindra's side, pulling Nikkie into her arms.
"Why are you crying?" she asked him. She looked at Kindra. "What happened?"
Marcus gently mussed his son's hair. "You didn't fall, did you? Did Kindra drop you?" The Elder dodged away from Kindra as she swatted at him. "Just kidding!"
"He and Sondra had an argument." Selene answered, holding a chastised two-year old in her arms.
"Michael started it." Luciam mumbled, eyeing Erika as she turned her set of angry, violet eyes in the younger hybrid's direction.
"I did not! Hey- Erika- I-" Michael glared at Lucian. "You ass."
Lucian and Marcus both laughed aloud, while Selene and Damon chuckled. Kindra rolled her eyes, reaching out to straighten Nikkie's hair.
"Sondra indique que son Papa gagnera, mais mon Papa gagnera! (Sondra says her Papa will win, but my Papa will win!)" the little boy spat. He looked up at Marcus. "Vous gagneraz, non? (You will win, no?)"
Being the daughter of Selene, Sondra was not so quick to give up the fight- her mother glaring or not. "MY PAPA WILL WI- MMPH-MNPH MMPH!"
"That's enough!" Michael stated firmly, then removed his hand from his daughter's mouth.
"Look, neither will win, okay?" Damon announced. "Lucian will win. No more fights."
The two children paused, then both shrugged, satisfied. Lucian laughed again, clapping Damon on the back, then stepping into the ring to give it one last once-over.
"Come on, mes poupees. (my dolls)" Kindra said, collecting Sondra and Nikkie. "Let's go upstairs where you can play, bien?"
"Oui! (Yes!)" Sondra yipped. "Jeu! (Play!)"
"Nous voulons jouer! (We want to play!)" said Nikkie.
"Allow me to lighten your load." Damon said, taking Sondra and putting her on his shoulders before following Kindra from the room.
The rest of the group was fairly silent, until finally, Michael spoke up. "I still say I'll beat you."
His heart was pumping so loudly in his chest that he feared someone would hear it. He couldn't get found now! Not until he could get back outside- or at least discover a worthy hiding place. He should never have come here, never taken on such a huge, stupid risk. Why had he talked himself into sneaking into the very castle of his enemies?!
Someone was coming- he could hear the footsteps coming down the massive hall. Kraven shoved himself back behind the tapestry, flattening his body against the panneling behind, and hoping to God that whoever came would not see him.
The footsteps reached him, then paused. His heart jumped.
"Come along, Sondra. Don't dawdle." a soft, gentle voice murmered.
He heard the sound of little shoes tapping on the wooden floors before he heard a little girl's voice. "We play, Kim-drah?"
"Of course." said the first voice. "But we must wait for Damon and Nikkie."
Kraven scowled. They were still standing- not three feet from him- and until this Damon person showed up with this Nikkie, they weren't going to leave. His scowl deepened as his leg began to fall asleep.
Kindra and Sondra didn't wait long. Damon was only a floor behind them, Nikkie slung onto his back. He came down the hallway, stopping by Kindra to kiss her cheek. He was about to say something- probably something teasing and witty as was his way- when a new and foul odor hit his nose.
"Do you smell that?" he asked, sniffing the air around them, then wincing. "It stinks."
"What is it?" Kindra asked, smelling the air more delicately with a nose that wasn't as sensitive.
"Smells like a damn vampire." Damon spat.
Kindra hissed. "Your MATE is a vampire!"
The young lycan immediatly backed off. "I didn't mean it like that! Kindra- Kindra, don't walk off! Kindra!" But the girl was already at the other end of the hall, Nikkie and Sondra with her.
At the end of the hallway, she turned to him. "If you think vampires smell so damn much, you can go sleep with your kin tonight, and leave mine alone!" And she slammed the nursery door shut behind her.
"Damnit." Damon muttered. He could still smell whatever it was that was turning his stomach- or was his stomach clenching because he'd just hurt his mate's sensitive feelings? God, she'd been so damn touchy lately. He shrugged to himself, ignoring the smell as he hurried down the hall to apologize before Kindra took it to heart.
Behind the tapestry, Kraven sighed in relief, watching the young lycan run after the pretty vampire and the two children he had seen. Coast clear, he came out from behind the old fabric, hurried down the hall, picked a door, and slipped inside to hide.
So, what do you think? What are your thoughts? What do you think will happen? Will Kindra forgive Damon? And why is she 'so damn touchy' anymore? Will Kraven be caught? And if so, by whom? (dramatic music plays)
We'll see next time on . . . Second Chances.
The Lady Mage