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Chapter Eighteen

A man walked into a large, very lavish room. Absurdly old potions, all blanketed in dust, covered an entire table next to a clear crystal ball used for scrying. Books of all ages laced the entire room; shelves full of the most powerful and informative tomes that were never really used. He strode over to the middle of a room where a large, leather bound book lay on a podium and paused.

"I thought I told you that no one was allowed in here."

"Jaster and Kax have yet to return," answered a silky, seductive voice, faint traces of an English accent, all confidence. "One of your portals remains open."

Stony silence met her as the man refused to turn around, eyes supposedly perusing the book in front of him.

"You know what will happen if he contacts your brother," she prompted smoothly.

This time blonde man turned around to face her, but to her surprise, he was smiling, eyes dark.

"Chris amuses me. That alone is the only reason he's still alive," he said in a flippant tone as he crossed over to her. "And as dangerous as Brett is, how deadly, well..." he said as he hovered behind her, kissing the back of her neck and fiery hair, caressing her skin. "...that's the reason I fell in love with him in the first place."

He pushed off from her with a small laugh as he crossed back to the door, leaving her breath-heavy and unsatisfied.

"He'll do anything to kill you," she said seductively, but her voice shook, not facing him.

She heard his trek pause for a moment before continuing to the door.

She smiled.

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" she said more than asked in an amused tone. "You're scared that he'll find a way."

Faster than she could have ever thought anything could move, she was in the air, choking, as he crushed her throat.

"Don't ever speculate that you could understand my feelings," he said in a vicious tone, eyes flue eyes as dark and fiery as ever they were. "I have none."

He dropped her to the floor where she fell unceremoniously on her end, hands curled protectively around her throat, but a smirk playing on her lips.

"Maybe, but I think that this is a case which you protesteth too much."

The only answer the blonde man gave was a curt, dismissive grunt as he strode to the door.

"Send two of the building's guards after him," he said nonchalantly. "Bring him back."

She smiled again.

"He's figured out the prophecy," she said in her amused tone again, knowing it would make him pause. "He's knows what to do, what's going to happen," she paused, smiling. "He'll do anything to kill you, and now he knows how."

That made the blonde man pause abruptly in front of the door. After a while...

"Send Alden and four of his men," he said in a nearly calm voice, hints of anger and frustration making their way through. "Make sure they're all ex-guards of Brett's, from my personal elite."

"Alden, my lord?" she asked, for the first time bemused in this conversation.

He turned around and flashed her a look so chilling, it made even her deathly pale.

"Why not?" he asked sweetly. "I want to see how he acts dragging his most favored charge back to me."

She shuddered at his deadly tone and followed him with her eyes as he left the room.

"Oh, Brett, you bastard," she said softly. "This had better work."

Hope I didn't give anyone a coronary waiting for this. I love you guys. I want to give a few shout outs, though. By the by, that lady up there (even I don't know what her name is...I'll figure it out) was based on Dusilla's personality, but, you know, prettier and with red, fiery hair.

Ravenuk01, thank you, you're always cool. At first I was offended by the "This just got a hell of a lot more interesting" remark, but then I read my first chapters and realzied, yeah, it did suck for the people who didn't have the story surgically engraved into their brains. I love you're honesty though, so don't lose that. And, yeah, I have block scheudules at my school (like an hour, thirty minutes in each class) so I know all about numb asses...

Faith, Love, and Penny Candy, you always have something nice to say, (not to sound too cliche, but you really do make my day) so..thank you for that (Love your name by the way. Penny Candy...hehe, I'm retarded, I know, but...what the hell).

Buffspike...always enthusiastic...bordering on distrubing and psychotic (j/k), but you've always been there to support me. Thank you. Without you, I...well, I would have written this story anyway, but I would have been less enthusiastic to do so...so, everyone who, for some demented reason is a fan and still actually reading this crap, best thank these three for saying such nice things so often. They're my digi-roadies...although I don't think I deserve them. Hmph.

Anyway.

So yeah, this is the part of the story where everything finally (I know how you feel, I've been waiting for me to get here, too...stupid exposition crap) begins to unfold. This is where the real story begins. Chris' past will show, crap happens, people die, you cry, people cry, even more crap happens, and, well, hopefully you have a good time.

Read it, write in, do whatever. I just hope you like it.

Thanks again.

Devil's Archangel