Predators of the Night.

Chapter 2.

ACHERON X: Once again thank you. It's good to know you'll be back again.

No- one had sensed a foreign presence. So it took them a few seconds to react.

Dev was the first to reach her being the closest to her in the first place. He used the fact that her breathing was unsteady against her.

Throwing her up against the wall he demanded, "Who are you?"

The colour drained from her face as pain shot through her already abused body.

Invoking the name of the deceased Cherise Gautier had almost stopped her breathing but the wall she had been thrown into had made that happen completely.

Surely Nick would have told me if Cherise were dead. He wouldn't have kept that from me, there's no way!

Her thoughts confused her body tired, she almost didn't feel the mental probe the man holding her was sending.

Shields materialised again automatically.

She mentally berated herself for lowering them in the first place. She should not have been so lax with security no matter what the reason behind it was.

Immediate fear shot through her as one by one the inhabitants of the club closed in on her. The occupants battering on the shields her mind had erected.

"Who are you?"

"How did you get in here?"

"Are you stupid?"

"Can't you read?"

"Have you got a death wish?"

"What the hell are you?"

Suddenly paralysed by fear she had to fight hard to maintain the shields that held her true power in check.

Displaying to them who she really is.

If she let them win, let them through he would find them. She needed to protect her family, it was her responsibility, and it always had been.

She couldn't let the darkness swamping her mind take her, she simply couldn't.

It didn't occur to her to try to break the man's hold on her. Had grown accustomed to the pain that usually came with it, after it.

Guarded fear held her immobile. Magda didn't scare easily, yet she knew there was nothing human in the room. Well she hoped there was.

Everyone, everything could hurt her and she was too hurt to help herself, her family.

"Damn you Artemis. She thought. How could you send me to my death?

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Acheron sensed Artemis reach out to the young woman. Her struggles ceased for a moment and he ordered Dev to release her.

He expected her to fall to the floor as the average human would but she remained on her feet. Staggering slightly, swaying too she kept her back against the wall and looked towards the exit points.

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A good three feet away. Leaving will be next to impossible and I haven't got the strength to fight them now.

Fear from helplessness threatened to swamp her again, so she called upon skills taught to her by the street so long ago. She stopped, took a deep breath, blanked everything out without losing sight of her surroundings. Then she called out to Artemis and got no reply.

Then she stopped.

Listened to the questions coming at her and finally focused on the faces behind them.

"O Holera." She exclaimed as she watched the abstract beauty she could see in front of her. Their bodies equally appealing. This is completely unreal.

As calmly as she could she drew herself up to her full height and told them all to, "shut up. It's hard enough to think when you're all screaming at me."

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Shock made the voices quieten. They listened to her voice and heard a slight lilt to it. Eastern European sent Mama Lo to them.

They listened to her as she continued.

" I would appreciate it if you would all back the hell off trying to open my head. I'm not even going to try and you if I can't do it safely. I. Will. Not. Let. You. In. So would you please stop with giving me a pounding headache already? I'll settle with the broken bones that idiotic Neanderthal gave me when he tried to use me to bulldoze the wall with me."

Ash was about to interrupt her rant when a half size figure darted towards her and started yelling.

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"Mama, Mama, come quick, Marek needs help." In her native tongue

No one understood so Colt once again took her hold of this time.

"Co sie Stalo?" (What happened.)

As his words kept running together she finally broke in.

"Kochany slow down! I can't understand you. Stop now!"

His mile a minute speech died instantly and instead he continued in English now addressing Colt. "You let go of my mama. Giant Man. We need her now."

"Mama! Marek? Mama? Mama?" He tried again clearly panicking.

He sent her a mental image that they couldn't see and she cursed. Or at least they assumed that was what she said.

The girl suddenly spun out of hid grasp mentally flinging Zane, Fang and Fury out of the way of the exit before sprinting towards her car. As if not hurt.

"Marek?" She yelled. "Marek? Answer me!"

Still they could not understand.

"What did you just say?" Asked Kyle.

"I said learn the language you freak." After the third time he said it. "Now move. Or better yet, direct me to the nearest hospital."

"Hospital?" Asked Mama Lo.

"Yes, hospital! Sometime this winter would be nice." She answered sarcastically.

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She knelt by the bleeding boy at her feet. Knowing it was far too late for a doctor to help.

Determined not to lose her brother, she did something she knew she would later forget. Telling her brother to hold on she screamed for the Goddess Artemis for help.

"Artemis, you swore to me he would not die, Dammit, you gave me your word. Help me. Please give me my power to heal back. Please."

All the outsider's understood was her invoking the name of the goddess they all hated.

The beautiful woman well Goddess appeared in front of her and said no.

However, she did heal the boy.

"I gave you my word but for this you will have to pay." And then she disappeared. Speaking to her in Greek.

Too relieved for her brother to care she flung herself towards the boy only to be caught and held back by Ash. His hands spanned her abdomen and yanked back.

Pain shot through her and finally she couldn't hold back any longer and the darkness swallowed her.

It was all just too much.