A/N: Oops. Plothole in the last chapter about Jake's skull. Ignore that, and thanks to EP for catching it. Also, Andie Long belongs to my friend despyrit. She has a fic here called 'New Dragon on the Block'.

Nine years later, the two demon twins were instructing Andie's children on flight. As Syd would put it, demons and dragons have about as much difference as British English and American English. When Andie retired, she told the elder twins that they were to make sure that the two dragons followed in her and her husband's footsteps…and so they would. Once the demon twins retired, Zack and Zeki (Andie's children) would take their place.

Syd and Des' first mission was nearly deadly, with the victim being Des. The two were on nightly patrol when something caught Des' eye. She flew down, landing in the alley she had thought to house trouble. "Hello? Is there anyone there?" She asked quietly, and was replied to by a tail wrapping itself around her ankles and knocking her down.

"SYD, HELP!" Des yelled. Syd, who had perched on the side of a building, flexed her wings and prepared to take flight, when she was grabbed by something. She saw that it was another demon, just like her. The male demon took hold of Syd by putting her in a headlock. He then jumped off the building, floating down to the bottom.

"We've got 'em." He whispered, and another male demon stepped out of the shadows toward Des. He was at least seven feet tall, perhaps six and a half. He took one look at Des.

"Well, well." The leader demon replied. "If it isn't the nieces of the alpha female."

"Who are you?" Syd demanded. "What do you want!"

"Your blood….but your sister's going to die first. Your aunt will get to see the bodies, but defy my words and she'll never know what happened to you both. I swear it." With that, the male demon crouched down and exposed his great fangs, shining a brilliant white. He tilted Des' head back ever so gently, perfectly contrasting the event that was going to happen. Des froze instantly, not wanting to cause any further injury.

"DES, NO!" Syd screamed, and struggled against her captor's grip. She managed to break free just as Des' neck was bitten, and the two enemy demons flew away.

Jessie was outraged when the twins returned home. "THEY DID WHAT!" She growled and snarled as she paced, her animal instincts causing her to almost destroy a bookcase. "Did you see what they looked like?"

"Yeah…" Syd nodded. "The one that grabbed me was green, dark green, and had scars all over his face. The one that attacked Des had holes in his wings."

"Oh…not them…" Jessie whispered gravely.

"What? What is it, Aunt Jessie?"

"Syd, listen to me. This is very, very important. I need you to let me know if you see them again, all right?"

"All right."

"I've got to go call a meeting…Do you want to go with me?"

"Eh, sure, why not?"

The full moon was dappled with spots as flocks of demon families made their way from all parts of America, all different states. When they finally reached the American Demon Island, Jessie greeted them and called them into the meeting hall. "Yes, yes, I know it's late, everyone. I apologize, but there is a matter that we need to take care of."

An ancient tradition decreed that all demons be present to witness the banishment of their betraying comrades. Jessie called the two demons forth. "These two," she explained with a sense of dignity, although on the inside she wanted to rip them apart. "were involved in an attack on my nieces. As you know, harming an alpha's family would not result in omega status as it does for non-alphas, but instead revocation of demon powers." She turned to the offenders. "Demon powers are a privilege, you two. Only when you keep your promise from birth to swear fealty do you get to keep your powers."

The two demons growled and snarled.

"And don't you even try to attack me." Jessie commanded. "Everyone here would be on you like hyenas on an antelope."

The demon with the holes in his wings soared toward Jessie and seized her. "NOBODY MOVE!" He commanded, dragging her behind a curtain. The two did not surface for an hour, and Syd soon became worried that her aunt was dead or dying. This was not the case. When they finally did reappear, Jessie was sobbing and carrying a white egg.

Syd growled as did Nick and Scott. Des was unable to actually transform, if she did she would be instantly killed. Syd's aunt had been attacked viciously, although demon sex is different than that of humans. Magical energy is used from both parents, although forced contact is still possible when one party siphons energy from another. "Well, now," the enemy demon grinned and laughed. "What do you all think of your invincible leader?"

"I….I……" Jessie gasped and set down her egg, seething with anger. A great wave of magic went from her hands and constricted the enemy demon, soon his wings, tail and horns disappeared, leaving a human body. "I am not weak!" She did the same thing to the other demon she had banished, and the two snuck off for parts unknown.

"What happened?" Syd asked, flying over to her aunt after the meeting was adjourned.

"I'm….I'm going to have a baby, Syd…"

"So, he…"

Jessie nodded.

"Aunt Jessie…I'm so sorry…"

"It's…it's all right, Syd. They can't hurt us anymore, and I'm going to get a kid after all." Jessie sighed. "I've gotta stay strong for the demons." Ricky would've loved to have kids… she thought and sighed.

"But…how can you think of him as anything more than an enemy?"

"I didn't say that, Des. I just said that I've got to stay strong for the demons. Now…with this new egg, I'll need your help. You two will share the rights of being alpha with me." Jessie replied, looking at her nieces with an extremely serious expression.

"Does that mean…"

"No, Syd, that does not mean you can go ahead and breed!" Jessie glared. Syd grinned nervously.

"Kidding, just kidding!"

"It isn't funny, Syd. This is no time for jokes."

"Got it."

"Now, normally," Jessie continued. "The firstborn twin would have more rights than the second, but you'll need all the help you can get. This is why I've appointed a majordomo, to help you."

"How long will we have to stay on the island?"

"Until we're sure all the female demons are safe. I know you two can handle being alphas…"

"What all's entailed in that?"

"Well, you're required to oversee the hatching of eggs, fights, and hunts."

"But I thought you said a long time ago that that last hunt was the last one ever."

"Things change, Syd. We're not going to be able to leave the island for a while….we can't just leave to go to the store."

"Are we going to have to hunt griffins?"

"No, we'll try to find something else."

"All right."

Secretly, a meeting of about five or six demons took place, with the two demons-turned-humans leading it. "Our alpha is weak! She couldn't even fight when I siphoned her magic to make an egg! We will bring her, and her worthless nieces, down! I swear it, brothers and sisters!" The one who had attacked Jessie vowed, and his accomplices cheer. "Together we will end a nine-year tyranny that is sure to continue when her nieces fully take over!"

"YES!" The demons cheered. "WE WILL END IT TOGETHER!"

"She has done something no alpha has done since Alpha Demon Kaori!" Kaori was the first American demon, born over three hundred years before even Jessie's grandparents were born. "She is not even the true heir! I am the true alpha!" It was no lie, Madeline was a blood relative of his, although she refused to trust James (the wannabe alpha) and gave the rights to be heir to her demon pupil: Jessie.

"She will be killed!" The supporting demons chanted. "They will all be killed and we will allow the griffins to feast on their flesh!"

"YES!"

Scott was meandering around the hallways of the castle when he heard shouts and cries, and slightly opened one of the great doors from which the sound was discovered. "Demons Jessica, Sydney, and Destiny will soon meet their ends, and I shall take my rightful place!" James howled with pleasure.

"They're going to kill them?" Scott whispered to himself, unable to believe what his future mate and her family would face.

"How are we going to trap them?" A demon asked.

"Well, we're going to strike a deal with the Huntsclan."

That was when he lost the audience completely. "The Huntsclan?" "We'll all be killed!" "They'll cause our deaths!" Frantic shouts of disapproval meshed together as members of the Huntsclan approached.

"No, no!" James hissed. "Listen to me before you start running your mouths, you paranoid nutcases!"

"Well, what is it?"

"The Huntsclan is willing to let us off if we provide them with an alpha or three." Alpha demons, once magically christened with the title, had certain properties that made them different from the rest. Their horns, instead of being bone, were pure ivory that would rival the sheen of an elephant's. They would certainly fetch quite a bit on the black market.

"We'll grow fat from the meat we can buy from their horns!"

Scott gasped and raced off toward Syd's room. He had to tell her.

The alpha-in-training hummed to herself, taking a lilac out of its vase and sniffing it, admiring its scent and beauty. Scott, entering, cleared his throat. "Syd?"

"Yes, my future husband?" Syd grinned, flirting with him.

"There's….there's a plot to kill you and your sister and aunt."

"What, why?"

"Some demons – there's only about five or six of them – aren't happy with the way you're running things."

"Five or six – that's half the clan!" Fay, the new majordomo, gasped.

"Fay." Syd commanded. "Rally the European Demons and call a meeting. Scott, I need you and Nick to swear false fealty to them. Find out when the attack is. Also, I need you to heal Des, all right?"

"I'll do it." Scott nodded and raced off. The meeting was to commence on Saturday, one week after the previous meeting.

"I know everyone is a little annoyed about this, I mean the whole 'going home and coming back' thing, but this is urgent…we may have a war upon us…and as you know, the American demon population was cut in half nine years ago. We have not been able to train warriors since then, and as alpha I fear that the American demons may be completely eradicated."

"We understand, Alpha Demon Sydney." A demon with a thick British accent stood up and spoke. "You can rest assured knowing that the finest British demon warriors will be at your side."

"And we will give you ours as well!" A French demon used another to translate as he promised to help them.

"Si! Si!" A Spanish demon cried.

"Thank you, everyone. I know I can also call upon the Dragon Summit, which will also be a great deal of help. The meeting is adjourned, although if any of you wishes to stay overnight, there are several guest rooms available. I trust you will find them most comfortable." Jessie took over and left Des in charge of the egg.

The next morning, Syd and Des were walking down to the training fields, Syd with her bow and quiver on her back, and Des with a sword. In addition to their elemental powers, demons are expected to know much about archery and swordfights. Des looked at her twin. "So….am I gonna fight you?"

"The two best demons should fight each other." Syd grinned cockily. Des laughed slightly.

"Yeah, they should, Destiny." A growling voice replied, coming from behind one of the trees. Two Huntsclan members flanked him, staffs raised and pointed at the alpha females. Syd and Des gasped and backed up. "Surely you don't mind if I have a little help?"