Author's Note: Well, this chapter has been long enough in coming… and I hope it lives up to your expectations. Couple of trailer points in this one, which I hope you can spot, heh. Don't worry; I'm not gonna ask you to point them all out XD Anyway, on with the – rather long – chapter.

Marcus Lazarus: That is indeed the fourth party… well, third now if we want to get technical… ahem. As for the cure and the drugs… Mina was examining them in the chapter before last, I believe, at her laptop with a test tube. Woods gave them to her already, luckily. Gladius? Something you don't know about? You'll have to wait and see…

Mrs. Mina Harker: Woods is indeed dead, yes… Masters made sure of that. I'm very glad you paid so much attention to the trailer, because you're making some good guesses at what's to come. And as for Ezekiel and Mina… I'll see what I can do, but I'm not making any promises XD

BloodMoonLycan: Thanks, buddy! That's very – perhaps too – kind of you to say so. Go ahead; give Masters a kick in the shins XD It'll make you feel better… in fact, let's ALL kick him in the shins! No wait… I need him, don't I? Hmm…

Sethoz: All that death is definitely not a good thing o.O Thanks very much for the review, and I hope I answer some of your – unasked; if you even have any – questions in this instalment.

Ceru S: Thanks, regarding Exuro. I like playing with those and showing bits of his past; trying to give him complications and depth. Same goes for Anise; I'm very glad you like her. Funny you should say that about Falx… ahem… about the plot etc… thanks! You really are very kind and helping put my mind at ease O.o Anyway…

On with the show!

The six had had no idea how right they would be about their assumptions as to grave goings-on at the government building where Anise, Mina and Dmitri had met Woods and his board only a matter of two days ago, if not less. They stepped over the broken glass of the foyer, boots crunching the shards underfoot, and the three women were the ones to stride ahead, the wary men behind. All were armed, planning to head straight from this reconnaissance to their meeting with the Quattuor.

Ezekiel and Illyria carried the vials of the drug Woods had concocted secretly to destroy the Latin-named counterparts within the assassins, two in each of their pockets, enough for each member. They didn't plan on only 'rescuing' Tom Sawyer, but the other three as well. There must have still been some humanity left in them somewhere, surely.

Zariel constantly gazed back over his shoulder, being last in the group to advance into the depths of the building, where there were swiftly executed bodies everywhere, at every turn. They stepped cautiously over them, following their collective heightened senses along the path that would lead them to the owner of the cell phone that had contacted them so abruptly and noisily.

Mina strode fully into the lead, Anise and Ezekiel quickly behind, the latter with his beautiful sword across his back. He was quiet, but Mina could practically smell his curiosity. She ignored it, knowing it had gotten the male vampire into trouble in the past. This would be no exception if he wasn't careful. If they were hasty or careless, something could go against their favour, and they would be caught unawares.

It didn't take them long – being three vampires and three werewolves – to find the scent they had been tracking. Of course, the three new arrivals had been a little in the dark as to the smell itself. They had simply been able to pick up on the scent because of the direction the others were headed. They had detected the trailing smell of the man they were tracing, and homed in on it.

"Through here," Mina whispered warily, and stepped over the threshold of a room, the door blocked by bodies of what appeared to be technicians and operators. As she turned her face upwards from the death masks of the victims, her heart constricted, in an oddly unfamiliar fashion. The last time she had felt such a sensation had been in Africa, when poor old Allan Quatermain had passed away. She didn't understand it now.

As she strode towards the body, she realised she had not been at all close to this man. In fact, she had rather disliked him. Not in the same fashion she had hated the man's ancestor, the one to start it all, but… he had had the same potential for wickedness in him. But in saying that, he had given them the 'antidote' to save their friend.

Suddenly, she was rather wary about using the drug on Exuro and the others. What if Woods had lied to them, and the drug was actually a fatal dose of some new chemical designed to kill werewolves?

But, she supposed, Tom Sawyer would rather die than carry on as a murderer. Who knew what he would want when they returned to himself even? He may want to end his life anyway. Mina hoped not.

Simply by looking at the bloodied and limp body of Samuel Woods, she could come to a definite conclusion; "He's dead."

"I'm not surprised," Ezekiel murmured in agreement, crouching beside her at the corpse's side. "Looks like an automatic rifle. At that range, it would have killed anyone, even if not instantly. Vampires and werewolves would have one hell of a time with the wound at that proximity and aim as well."

Mina simply nodded faintly, staring at the peaceful face of the dead politician, and sighed quietly, seeing the dropped cell phone across the floor, the battery having died. The call had cut off abruptly on their end in their building as well, but she had guessed it had been destroyed or deactivated. Anise paced over to it, only to start slightly when a sudden movement opposite Woods' body surprised her. She stood, poised to retaliate, when Mina and Ezekiel stood. The three vampires were more on edge than the lycanthropes, the strong coppery tang of blood filling their senses from every direction, making them hunger; the thirst rising up in them like the beast it was. But they kept their composure. In fact, Mina still wasn't sure if she had heard Illyria say a single word since their meeting her. She seemed very, very quiet. It was almost unnerving.

Mina and her old acquaintance – some part of her was ashamed to admit what they had really been, though she could not fathom why – paced cautiously over to regard the form that had jerked, before a low groan filled the air. They stared down inquisitively at the bloodied face, most of the thick liquid having spilled from what seemed to be a broken nose and split lip, along with a gash along the brow. It had run down his face, and into his hair. Mina crouched down slightly, looking the man up and down. It seemed to be only the injuries they could see that aggrieved him. Not to mention he also seemed to be the only living person they had seen so far, if not in the whole building. It appeared no one had been spared.

Cocking her head, she watched the eyes open halfway, as the man tried to make sense of what was going on around him. He appeared frightened; worried that Mina and the others would do something to him… before he seemed to focus on her face, and perhaps placed her identity. His expression showed that he could very well have recognised her.

"What happened here?" Mina asked softly, her voice cool and calm, looking down on him sympathetically, but warily. Why was this one single man alive when the others had been slaughtered? It made little sense to her, and so made her cautious. Old habits died especially hard in vampires, it seemed.

The man struggled to form words, blood in his mouth, but he managed one at least; "Attacked…"

"Who attacked you?" Ezekiel inquired calmly, making sure to say each word carefully so the pained man could hear him.

The man shook his head, and Mina watched his movements. She turned her head slightly, as did Zariel and Dmitri at the doorway. They could all hear the high pitched whines that were approaching. Sirens. They didn't have long. It wouldn't do to be discovered here, in this scene of massacre, especially when they were armed and so clean of injury.

"Was it the Quattuor?" she asked clearly and pointedly, looking the man right in the face as she leaned a little closer. This could fit their work, but it seemed so over the top for the assassins. Certainly, yes, they were killers, but contracted killers. It seemed unlikely that they would take out everyone in the building in this fashion… but then she stopped herself. She realised they still didn't know everything about their behaviour. It was very possible they were responsible.

The man made no response, and as Mina watched, he seemed to be losing consciousness again, the solid blow he had obviously received to the face having stolen most of his sense from him.

"Was it the Quattuor?" she asked again, slightly louder, with Anise throwing her a gaze for a moment, almost as if she were wondering why Mina was trying to get confirmation of this and this alone.

But before she could get her answer, the man lost consciousness, and she cursed lightly under her breath, before Zariel and Dmitri growled in unison.

"We have company," Zariel muttered in a strong whisper, and looked to Ezekiel and Mina. The two vampires nodded, and collectively, they stood and strode from the room. There was no use in going down. Police and who knew what else would be there by now. They needed to go up. The roof was their only real option.

Falx strode up to her lover, running a hand across his back, having watched him from a distance and seeing his difficulty with whatever was troubling his already busy mind. He had healed perfectly from the collision with the SUV, and was leaning against one of the buildings on his left shoulder, lifting a cigarette to his lips with his right. He usually only actually smoked when something was bothering him.

He shifted slightly at her gentle touch, and murmured quietly, closing his eyes as he angled his head up to exhale the smoke in a long streaming cloud, before turning narrowed and intelligent eyes upon her. She smiled, and asked the question with her gaze. He saw it and sighed lightly, knocking the ash from the end of the lit butt, and shrugged.

"I'm fine," he told her in confidence, and turned to her after flicking the cigarette away from him and into the depths of the shadows. A very small growl of irritation sounded and Falx smiled playfully, knowing who Exuro had nearly hit. Gladius emerged, eyes narrowed, and then padded off sulkily. She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him, their dusters blowing together around their legs as she breathed in his scent, strong and powerful, so comforting and assertive. She was happy just to lean into him for as long as possible, comforted by his presence and solidity.

"Liar…" she mumbled teasingly with a slight smirk, her eyes closed as she rested her cheek against his chest. She heard his dry chuckle, how it reverberated through his ribcage, and then settled for listening to his firm heartbeat. She groaned quietly in pleasure, wanting to go back to their home and just lie in bed with him, listening to that rhythm.

"They're late," he sighed. He turned his head all around, trying to locate any signs of their approach. She was getting impatient too; antsy also. She wanted to get this over and done with, as they had promised. If they didn't show, she would be very disappointed. Not to mention irritated. They had done nothing but rub her the wrong way for a little over a century now, and she didn't want this to add to her fury regarding the pests. She wanted to squash them like the insects they were.

She turned around then, leaning her back gently against his strong frame, feeling his arms wrap around her stomach to embrace her from behind, and she clasped her hands over his own, sighing lightly. The Quattuor were dressed entirely in black, as usual, and she looked around, head touching back against Exuro's shoulder. "This is getting on my nerves."

"Tell me about it," he grumbled, and just a hint of his rattling growl lingered on the air. She looked up at him, and he returned the gaze. "They'd better come, or I'll track them down and finish it for them."

She nodded, quite liking the idea. It would certainly be rewarding to surprise them like her lover suggested, and see the dismay on their faces… but that was not to be the way, she knew. She could hear the wings already, and she turned her blue eyes skyward, knowing Exuro, Lacertus and Gladius mimicked. The young dark-haired werewolf came up beside his alphas, and cocked his head.

"About time," he muttered, glancing eagerly to Exuro. The alpha male grinned in response, and turned Falx to him, capturing her lips in a heated and passionate kiss, his fingers tracing up her sides to cup her face affectionately, before he pulled away and said, "Let's get this over with, shall we?" Together, the four members of the assassin band, Quattuor, stared upward, eyes narrowed, and as one, their eyes glowed feral and otherworldly lupine shades of black, yellow, green and silver. Growls reverberated before they paced forward, the alphas in the lead with Lacertus and Gladius branching out behind them to shadow.

The bats coursed downward in spirals, and as they watched, they collected not into just one form… but three.

"They're up to something…" Falx hissed, and her eyes flooded black. She felt the tips of her teeth brush her tongue as she snarled lowly. Exuro's hand brushed hers as he nodded subtly, even as three further figures leapt gracefully from the rooftops. One of them spun in midair, and landed in a crouch, his head bowed for a moment. As it rose, his limp and long hair fell in his face, his eyes flashing for a moment. Dmitri and Anise were near to this stranger, and they came out of their brief crouches swiftly and paced up next to Mina Harker, whose auburn hair flickered at her sides like it was alive, before the curl became apparent. Two more vampires shadowed at her sides; one male and one female. The male wore a sword across his back.

"Brought some help, Harker?" Exuro snarled as they melted out of the shadows, their black clothing blending perfectly with the darkness around them, as if they were part of it, not the world.

She cocked her attractive head to one side, and smiled sarcastically. "In a manner," she sighed.

"Aw," Falx purred from Exuro's right, eyeing Anise in particular, as if she were a meal and not an opponent, "we've scared them, lover." Exuro laughed quietly, and Lacertus grinned mischievously.

The three werewolves facing the Quattuor growled quietly, and found that it was soon joined by the assassin's own snarls, and when the vampires joined in challengingly, it reached quite a cacophony of savage threat. Eventually, it died down enough for Mina to say, "I take it you enjoyed tearing through Woods' forces."

Exuro narrowed his eyes pensively, and pocketed his hands for just a moment, saying, "Well… I'm not sure I know what you mean exactly." Falx knew he was actually being sincere in that admission, not that these filthy mongrels and leeches would know that or care.

"He's dead…" Mina hissed.

"As if you didn't know," the male vampire snapped, and he and Exuro met gazes fiercely for a few intense moments. The vampire's hair seemed more spiked and wild than it had been upon his landing, and Falx knew this to attribute to his vampiric heritage.

"I wish we could take credit for it," Exuro drawled as if bored or disappointed – perhaps both – before he continued, "… but that wasn't us. We had nothing to do with it."

A light scoff came from the male vampire, and Falx threw him a black gaze and offered a snarl; her way of telling him where running his mouth would get him. He didn't seem fazed, and that annoyed the alpha female more than anything. She wasn't used to being ignored, nor did she like it… not one bit. She now had her eye on two of them to mark for her targets. Anise, and this new cocky vampire. She would enjoy rearranging his body parts.

"Either way," Exuro continued with an edge, "that's beside the point, isn't it? We're here to finish this… and that's exactly what we're going to do." Gladius seemed rather eager at their side all of a sudden, but Falx made a point of ignoring the omega. He grated on her nerves at the best of times… she supposed it was too much to hope for that he lost a limb or something else he might miss. Shrugging lightly, she engaged in a staring contest with the female werewolf, their eyes never wavering, and locking harshly.

"You wish to get this over with?" Harker nodded thoughtfully, eyes downcast for a moment, before she murmured in continuation, "Very well."

And then she lunged with a feral snarl, two silver daggers ringing as they were revealed, and she pounced directly towards Exuro, who bellowed angrily without transforming, and leapt back into an athletic roll away from the vampire opponent. The alley exploded into combat. They selected targets before they could blink, and roars and snarls alike tore through the air as they clashed fiercely in the confined space.

Lacertus and Dmitri slammed into one another with the force of twin anvils, the strength to shatter bone behind each blow, and they were soon tossing each other back and forward like rag dolls. Falx had to admire Lacertus' power in that display.

Gladius rammed into the female vampire, driving her back and into the building with only a feminine grunt. The other werewolf was soon pouncing on the omega's back, however, and tearing him away with sheer force, and Gladius rolled backwards, only to be flipped up into the air and over the stranger's body with a powerful shove of the legs. Falx almost laughed.

Exuro and Mina were exchanging blows like jackhammers, slamming each other with fist and boot alike, but he was careful to doge and weave when the daggers flashed and cut towards him. He narrowly avoided a wound across the back as he spun, delivering a roundhouse kick to Harker's jaw that sent her reeling away.

Falx was rewarded with her wanted targets, and she laughed eagerly as she threw herself into the fray, kicking Anise so hard in the stomach that the fellow werewolf doubled over instantly, gasping at the impact. Falx nearly received the sharp edge of the vampire's sword across her chest for her troubles, and backhanded him across the face in a way that made him spin, before she leapt up into the air, both feet slamming into his chest and driving him away. Spinning and landing perfectly, she grinned at her opponents, eyes two pools of black before she snarled and pounced anew.

Hair flying in his face, Zariel rolled up to his feet swiftly and agilely, coat spinning around his hips as he reclaimed his balance and growled fiercely at the other werewolf; Gladius. He recognised his profile from the photos he had seen. He had committed the identities of the Quattuor to memory for just such an occasion, so he knew who he was up against. Though Gladius was at the bottom of the command ladder, he was strong and brutal; Zariel would have to be careful, he knew. Illyria came up beside him, fists clenched into a fighting stance as she bowed her body somewhat to prepare for combat.

Gladius laughed throatily as he reclaimed his footing, shaking off the landing that had gone somewhat wrong. He glared straight at Zariel, who returned the strong gaze, and said, "Well… you're a wily one, aren't you? I'm gonna enjoy tearing out your heart and eating it whole."

Zariel donned a disgusted expression for all of two seconds before Gladius had rammed into him, jarring his ribs and ramming him into the wall in the exact mimic of what he had done to Illyria. Before Zariel could counter, Gladius' fist found the werewolf's stomach, and impacted harshly, making him grit his teeth and bite back a yell. Thrusting his head forward, he felt it connect with Gladius', throwing the omega male away, stumbling, to be kicked in the back of the head by Illyria.

Gladius turned, eyes narrowed, looking irritated, to face the vampire, and he solidly punched her across the face with a snarl. "Haven't you heard there's no honour in attacking your opponent from behind?"

"What do you know of honour?" Zariel snapped as he shed his coat, slowly preparing himself, and calling to the wolf inside. He had come to know his lupine alter-ego, and could control it perfectly. Other werewolves were in turmoil with their wolves, but not Zariel… he knew his like a friend, and they relied on one another and worked as a team. It was always there when he needed it. It wasn't so much a part of him as another creature dwelling within.

Gladius delivered a kick to Illyria's gut to throw her away before he turned back to Zariel, offering a sarcastic, "I'm an assassin. It's all about the kill for me." He grinned wickedly, and then paced towards Zariel. "How about we have a round whilst the bitch recovers?"

Zariel glared. Illyria was a friend, and he wouldn't tolerate this treatment of her. And he knew Ezekiel wouldn't either, but looking across the way confirmed that the male vampire had his hands full with Falx. Slamming his fist into Gladius' jaw, he said, "All right. Fine."

Gladius brought his fist up, but Zariel ducked back agilely, avoiding the blow, but succumbed to the foot in the back of his knee which downed him, before the elbow drove down into his shoulder, stunning him. Gasping briefly, he closed his eyes, and when they opened, they had flooded a liquid black. He could see his reflection in a slight puddle before him on the alley's floor, and he turned quickly, bringing up a hand to catch Gladius' fist as it aimed down at his head. Twisting fiercely, he heard the snap, and then rammed a fist into the omega's stomach, and then his chest, effectively throwing him away.

The wolf inside was waiting patiently but eagerly, and it was almost as if he could feel it pacing in anticipation.

Wait's over, he told it calmly, and it seemed to howl excitedly as it pushed its way up, even as he pulled his shirt from over his head in one swift and easy movement of his arms. Even as he dropped it to the ground, he grew, his height increasing impressively. His hair bled a silvery-grey, and extended down the sides of his face and neck, all across his bare chest and back, swarming over his arms and down below his pants as he transformed. He growled as canine fangs pushed through his gums, his face contorting into the unmistakeably lupine features, and his jaws snapped eagerly for the kill and the victory. His hands flexed as claws broke from his fingertips, hands widening into versatile paws. His feet mimicked the process when free of the scuffed boots, and his knees cracked backwards halfway down the calf, giving him perfect movement in both bipedal and quadruped movement, if he so wished. Tall ears flattened against an almost graceful werewolf skull as Zariel roared at Gladius in a challenge.

Gladius seemed impressed… before he lunged, shedding his coat and boots somehow as he did so. He ignored his shirt, which tore around him as he changed so swiftly that Zariel barely had time to blink before a large and shaggy lycanthrope opponent slammed into him and drove him down and over, the two of them rolling and slashing so fiercely that it seemed they were literally trying to tear one another to pieces.

Illyria could only watch, trying to fathom some course of action to help.

Anise gasped and winced madly, colours dancing behind her eyelids as Falx successfully landed another blinding and potentially crippling blow to her back, and she stumbled, forcing herself to recuperate, and fast. Ezekiel jumped in to defend her immediately, exploding into bats with his sword still unsheathed to help conceal her as she recovered.

She murmured a thanks to him as she used the cover of the creatures to transform, her shaggy chestnut-coated wolf pushing to the surface as her clothing dropped to the floor around her. She dropped to all fours as her neck cracked in preparation, and her amber eyes blinked readily; she growled a response to Ezekiel's bats, telling them to stay where they were… she had an idea.

Falx was pacing just outside the swarm, snarling irritably for her opponent to come out of her hiding, and Anise was only too happy to oblige, bursting out of her hiding place with a high-pitched bellow, crashing into the alpha female headfirst and slamming her to the ground, almost pinning her before two boots slammed into her middle and kicked her away. This gave Falx time to mimic her enemy, in which she threw her duster to the side of the alley, and ripped her top from her head, not in the slightest perturbed about the men who weren't Exuro. But then again, she wasn't naked from the waist up long enough for it to be an issue as her own werewolf counterpart tore upward and she contorted wickedly, becoming tall and gangly, a shaggy mane like a dog's spreading around her head, neck and shoulders, and she shook as she finished changing, flexing vicious talons before slashing them through the air. Ezekiel reverted to his human solidity, and bore his fangs as he moved towards Falx, who quickly spun and knocked him aside as if he weighed nothing at all. He hit the wall with a yell, and almost dropped his sword, but shook himself off, and looked back to the combat that was about to ensue.

Anise felt her hackles rising up all down her bare back, and she growled, her jowls peeling back to bear her fangs dangerously in a threat. She clacked them together, telling Falx to stop wasting time. The alpha female obliged, and leapt forward swiftly, in a blur, trying to tackle Anise, who only crouched against the floor like a waiting lion, feeling the brush of air as her opponent missed by scant inches. Standing and turning simultaneously, Anise lunged, leaping up onto Falx's back and digging her claws in, remembering for a brief moment when she had done the exact same thing to Tom over one hundred years ago.

As she recalled it, she remembered what her weakness had been in that fight, and quickly scrambled over the shoulders, tearing flesh as she went, jumping off and delivering an insulting kick to the snout as she went, almost chuckling as she landed. Falx shook her canine head, blood dripping from her nose for only a moment before she raced forward again, calculating her moves more accurately this time, and driving into Anise like a freight train.

With a growl, he shook his head, feeling the blood pour momentarily from what would have been a concussing blow to a human, and pushed away from the wall he had painfully collided with after Dmitri had pummelled him with a fist. The large lycanthrope certainly had some power; it went without saying to look at him.

Lacertus nearly yelped when a large fist struck downward into his shoulder, but refusing the minimal defeat, he gritted his teeth and shoved himself forward and into the Russian bodily. Dmitri grunted, and nearly collapsed backwards, before picking Lacertus off the floor, and hurling him around and through the air.

Shit, he thought, seeing the brick wall that would act as a poor crash mat, and twisted his body awkwardly, feeling his boots connect against the surface with a dull thud, before shoving back towards the ground. He rolled, curling his head underneath him, and in the matter of a few seconds, he was leaping up after the action, and slamming into Dmitri, this time managing to down him.

The two rolled around and around for a few seconds before Dmitri was thrown away. Lacertus' wolf pined to be let free, and as he gazed around, he saw all but Exuro had transformed… so he succumbed. Shrugging off the necessities, he gave in to the change, staying in a predatory crouch as he did so, chuckling in a growl as his fangs protruded and yellow eyes blinked cunningly at the stoic Dmitri. The Russian immediately started to copy, expanding and contorting with the audible cracking of ribs and knees as his human guise was lost to the large, muscular and nigh on hairless wolf he was known for.

The two faced each other off for a few seconds, Lacertus still in his odd crouch, and Dmitri standing perfectly upright. Lacertus began to pace, and Dmitri mirrored him in the bipedal, and they circled intensely for a few moments, sizing each other up once again. They had fought before, these two. When Lei Cheung had been killed in New York, Lacertus had successfully downed Dmitri and knocked him out. To his credit, Dmitri seemed much more capable now.

Pausing atmospherically, oblivious to the carnage reigning around them as wolf tore into wolf and the two stranger vampires seemed lost for what to do, Lacertus and Dmitri gazed unwaveringly at one another.

Then they leapt at each other, their movements almost preordained. They matched perfectly, blow for blow, and Lacertus even reared up on his hind legs to strike a clawed punch across Dmitri's face, cutting flesh temporarily, before he shoved into him, roaring deeply from his chest as the two gave in to the rage they felt.

Mina whirled like a tornado, her long jacket sweeping around her like a black cloud as she slashed with her daggers, only meaning to impede Exuro, and not seriously harm him. After all, they had the cure. They aimed to get him back to the 'base' and use it on him, but that meant knocking him out… and Exuro had a high tolerance, as they had seen over the years. He was used to powerful blows, and had built up a resilience to them, almost. It was rather impressive, and when they got Tom back, she wondered if he would have it also.

He growled as he batted her hand away, striking at her with a boot, kicking outward and away from himself. Mina arched her back and avoided the kick to the best of her ability, feeling it almost brush her stomach as she dodged. They had landed a good number of blows on each other already, but not enough to tip the scales. It seemed almost as if he was holding back on her. Every now and then, he would almost grimace, as if he was suffering from discomfort, and she wondered if he was wounded or unwell.

He's a werewolf. They don't suffer from illness, she told herself, and submitted to the sense behind the thought. In her minor distraction, Exuro landed a sharp kick to her shoulder that sent her sprawling briefly to the side. She dropped one of her daggers in the impact, and heard it clang to the ground noisily as the silver bounced and skittered away. She growled and righted herself, looking to him. For once, he was devoid of his sarcasm, 'wit' and smug expression. He was definitely different tonight, but there was a harsh intent in his gaze as he rushed at her again, his blonde hair moving about his head freely and messily as he did so, driving into her and barrelling her over, even as she cut his arm. He growled with a brief yell, and rolled over her, his duster billowing as he went, almost like a cloth shadow.

Mina pulled herself to her feet… and then froze. She blinked fiercely, as though her eyes stung, and then opened her senses to the air outside the alley.

Blood… warm, filling blood. And lots of it. Her vampiric instincts tore at her, and she wavered, nearly dropping her dagger in favour of the teasing and overwhelming scent, and she growled fiercely, her eyes flushing and remaining a wild red.

Exuro watched her intently, eyes narrowing, even as he surged forward to strike again, but without even registering it, she lashed out and caught him hard across the jaw, nearly downing him as he winced and shook his head, obviously stunned by the sudden powerful blow. He turned his eyes back on her, as if confused or annoyed, even as she gazed to him only briefly, and then could fight the lure no longer. Sheathing her dagger, she called her bats to her, and vanished amongst them, comforted by their hungry screeching as they carried her up and away from the mass combat.

Exuro yelled after her angrily, and without turning her head, she knew he was pursuing. With a quick glance, she saw him leap with grace and agility up onto the rooftops to give chase more effectively. He bounded over the gaps, rolling and bracing himself perfectly, and kept good pace, looking increasingly more furious that his opponent was 'fleeing' the scene.

The blood was just so strong…

Exuro snarled furiously as he threw himself over a particularly large gap, yelling as he did so, if only to relieve tension in the action more than anything, and as he landed, he was forced to roll, trying not to break pace as he did so, starting to pant a little and wondering why the hell she was running… well, flying. Was she afraid? What had her on the retreat?

Whatever it was, he was determined not to let her escape, though if she spiralled up into the clouds, he would be unable to stop her, and he would lose her. Which meant he only really had one choice.

As he approached the next gap, he felt his mind settle on his course of action, and with a sharp growl, he tore his twin Colts from his waist, aiming them up and firing off two shots into the clouds, hearing a pair of squealing impacts as he struck the bats, as he had intended.

Harker seemed to remember he was there, and swarmed down and behind him, as if to drive him away and off the edge of the building. Keeping his pistols firmly gripped in his hands, he came up on the gap, and leapt over it, carefully measuring the distance and his angle as he went, heading over the drop safely, even as the bats coursed up behind him. Giving a shout, he immediately rolled as he landed, and spun simultaneously, coming around on his back in a position that gave him a perfect aim, and without hesitation, he let loose with his Colts.

The bats wailed and spun away from him, and he thought he heard a sharp growl from within the swarm, indicating he had either infuriated Harker, or struck her. Either was fine by him, so long as she stopped. He didn't even care if she attacked him… he just wanted to her to stop running and give him the fight he deserved. He had waited for it long enough. He thought his patience was worthy of some reward.

Harker tore her bats away from him, and carried on her way towards whatever was calling to her, whether that be the horizon or wherever she called home. No matter where she went, he was intent on following, and even as he scrambled to his feet with a mumbled curse, he slipped the Colts away. Feeling the cut on his arm, he knew it would heal, if only slower than it normally should. The silver blade had burned, but he had pulled away before it could cut too deep. He knew better than to push his luck.

Three more large gaps impeded him along the way, and the last one nearly cost him something he knew he'd miss, as he lost his concentration for just a moment as another unwelcome memory slammed him like a bullet.

"It's a gauntlet!"

"The vampire lady has us covered!"

He grabbed the edge of the roof with his hands as he nearly missed his footing, and hauled himself up, falling over the rim and onto the hard surface with an unceremonious 'oomph' and a fresh curse. Wincing and shaking his head, he gazed skyward. She was still going.

"Goddamn vampire…" he grumbled, and took off again, duster sweeping out behind him as he went, torn at by the slight breeze and the speed of his non-stop movement, as his legs pumped systematically like pistons to keep him moving. If he had known she was going to fly for this long, he would have called on the wolf to give him an advantage, but if he stopped to change now, he would lose his balance and his quarry. Some stubborn part of him was adamant against the idea of losing his duster to the change, and he tried to think why that was. Shrugging the thought off, he leapt clean over another gap, panting rhythmically, and even perspiring now. She was certainly giving him a run for his money.

Feeling somewhat worn, his senses were starting to falter a little with his lethargy, and in his distraction, he didn't hear the muffled gunshot. He did, however, hear a cry from overhead, even as it was followed closely by another and a growl… and the swarm of bats stopped. Gradually, they started to disappear as Mina Harker's hold on their forms failed, and without warning, she was falling from the sky.

Cocking his head and without thinking it over, he started forward, bounding over a join in the rooftops. He gripped it with his hands as he swung his legs agilely over it, and then felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Wincing with a brief cry, he faltered, and reached behind him, pulling something from his body. Looking at it in utter bemusement, he furrowed his brows, even as another of the darts hit him in the back of the knee… and then another in his stomach as he turned.

Even as he stumbled back, with short somewhat struggled breaths, another of the projectiles hit him solidly in the chest… moments before his knees failed him. His vision swam madly and he winced, trying to get his eyes to focus as he felt his blood burn through his veins. He felt badly overheated, and the perspiration beading his forehead was testimony to that. He felt the weight in his torso working against him, and before he could stop it, he toppled awkwardly backwards, landing firmly against the rooftop, not far from the now-still body of Mina Harker. She lay unconscious on the roof only feet from him, and he gazed to her with poorly focused eyes, before they were too heavy to keep open.

His eyes closed and with one final heave of his chest, he felt darkness swarm him.