Chapter Ten

Contract

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimer applies. (In other words I have no rights to SM or the SS in any way, shape, or form.) However this story line is mine.

Warning: Profane language, violence, sexual content and blood, gore, vampires, werewolves and all the good stuff. M-rated.

Double Warning: Bad writing involved
Darien hadn't thought that they would have to explain the bats and bees to Renee about vampires, until much later. But having a werewolf in the basement, where a vampire happened to be sleeping, made that a little impossible. The only good thing that came from the ordeal was that Molly had been able to feed on the werewolf before it decided to show its true colors. Of course, he had fed her when they had all been there, but it could have been worse. Darien and the others could have left before Molly had woken up…

He left the thought incomplete. Not really wanting to think about what could have happened. After they had explained as much as they could, he managed to set Renee in Serena's lap, where she sat clinging to Serena for dear life, while he transformed back into himself.

He sat down next to Serena and stared at Renee's head. For a moment, he found himself thinking that he might never have Renee. At least, not at the rate he and Serena were going. He didn't think he could go through his life without Renee or Serena, now that he knew what life was like, and would be like, with them there.

Hotaru had surprised them all by saying that she had seen a person change when she was younger. But everyone had told her it was her imagination. How could a human turn into a wolf? That was nonsense. But she had believed in what she had seen, and knew what it was the moment she had seen it. The only thing she had been surprised about was the vampire part of the subject.

Darien patted Renee's head, and knew that she had fallen into a fitful sleep on Serena's lap, Hotaru was becoming drowsy, and wanted to go to bed. Molly offered to take the children to their rooms, and Hotaru excitedly accepted, her weariness forgotten. Molly picked up Renee, grabbed Hotaru's hand, and led them away, as Hotaru thanked her for saving them.

Darien noticed Raye watching Molly with renewed respect, as Molly left the room. Then catching Darien's glance, she flushed lightly, and smiled. Darien sighed.

"Well, we didn't learn anything about the renegade pack." He stated tiredly to the room. Serena glanced at him.

"Actually, we did. Apparently, they want something from us, or the one that came as a feeder wouldn't have been here." Serena told them. Lita frowned. She had been quiet since they had first left to meet the New Tokyo pack, and she was constantly watching out the windows, her brow furrowed.

"We don't know if they wanted something, or if they wanted to kill us, or change us, actually." Lita stated, her gaze still out the window, her frown deepened. "Excuse me a moment, please." She said, turning from the window and leaving the room. Darien stared after her surprised.

"Well, she's right." Amy added, also staring after Lita. "But what I don't get is why we didn't think about the problem of having a werewolf here on the full moon before we left. Usually we are all more perceptive than that."

"You know, usually Luna or Artemis would remind us of that sort of thing." Serena paused. "I haven't seen them since Molly came to stay with us. Have any of you seen them?"

"I saw them right after Molly came to stay. We were talking about the other attacks." Darien said, remembering part of their discussion.

"Has anyone else seen them afterwards?" Amy asked, looking concerned.

"No." Said Raye glancing around the room as if she expected them to pop up at any moment.

Darien opened his mouth to say something just as there was a loud yell and scream outside the room. He started and ran to the window to stare outside.

The garden was lit by the full moon and he could see the blurs of two people fighting. Lita was barely holding her own against the person she seemed to be fighting. Suddenly, Lita flew through the air, landing just beneath the window Darien was staring out of. She got to her feet and went back to meet her attacker. A blur of speed and both of them were swinging again. Darien turned, and slammed into Serena, who had been looking over his shoulder through the window. He quickly pulled her to her feet then bolted from the room, hearing several sets of running footsteps behind him.

As soon as he got out on the patio, after going through the study, he froze. Someone was holding Lita's back to her, and had her in a hold that Darien didn't recognize, even though he had taken several years of Karate classes. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he was shocked to find that a girl smaller than Lita was holding her still.

The girl, apparently realizing that he and the others had come out of the palace, looked up at them. She stood stock still for a moment, then very quietly she said. "I'm going to let you go now. I hope you will not try to fight me again." Lita gave the barest of nods, and very slowly the girl released Lita. She backed away from Lita into the shadows, but Darien could see the light of the study windows reflected in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Darien asked, walking leisurely down the steps. He didn't want her to attack him, but from what she had just done, she didn't want to fight. The girl didn't respond, though he could see that she was watching him. "What are you doing out here? Are you one of Molly's feeders?"

"No." She said. Her voice reminded Darien of the wind, gusty, yet strong. It was melodic, and pleasant to the ears.

"Why are you out here?" Darien asked again, stepping closer to the shadows where she stood.

"Stay where you are or you will end up like your friend." She said, her voice cool. Darien saw a motion in the shadows, directed at Lita who was sitting on the ground rubbing her arm. Mina, Amy and Serena were gathered around her. Raye had moved up till she was almost beside Darien, staring at the shadows.

"We just want to talk to you." Darien said, trying to keep his voice calm. The girl was good, she knew how far his reach was, and she had taken out Lita, which was an accomplishment in itself, since Darien had often thought that Lita was the strongest fighter of the Scouts. He even admitted, only to himself, that she was stronger than him. So the girl in the shadows had to be stronger than that, but she defiantly didn't want to fight. She stayed out of reach, but made no move to attack him or Raye.

He heard her sigh. Her eyes turned to Serena, and for a moment, Darien thought about grabbing her. "I have a message for you, Serena." She paused until Serena looked up at her. "You have a contract out for you. You need to be extremely careful." She turned and vanished into the shadows.

"Wait." Darien stated. He felt her pause and saw her eyes staring at him from the shadows again. "Why did you tell us that?"

"I believe in fair play. At least she knows and can protect herself." She looked at Serena. "I almost took the contract myself. It's a nice sum. But I do not believe that it is truly worth it." Her eyes turned back to him. "I did accept the second contract that went out right after the first however."

Darien felt himself stiffen. A murderer was standing in the Palace garden planning on killing Serena. He felt cold. "What are the contracts for?" He asked, deciding to make sure. The girl didn't seem to care what they knew.

"The first is for her death. The second was to protect her." The girl said. "The werewolf here earlier wasn't just a present for the little girls. He was meant to kill Serena. He wasn't part of either of the two packs from this area."

"Why didn't he attack her when he first came into the palace?" Raye asked doubtfully. The girl looked at her, and Darien wondered if she was frowning.

"Because you were there. I don't doubt that he would have waited until Serena came back and went to sleep before he transformed, but I believe your friend, Molly, picked up on something he did or was doing and realized that he was there to hurt, not help."

"Who are you?" Darien asked.

"How do you know so much about us?" Serena asked at the same time, moving to stand next to him.

"My name is Cat. That is all you need to know." She turned again and, this time, Darien knew she was gone. Not truly gone, but she wouldn't talk anymore. He wondered how she was to protect Serena from a distance, as she seemed to be doing.

He turned to face Serena. "I'm beginning to think that the werewolves and Lily's death are the least of our problems."

AN: Thanks to Moonqueen, ffgirlmoonie (No, Darien didnt get hit by the werewolf, he hit the werewolf with a rose. He was trying to defend Renee and Hotaru. The werewolf got freaked and ran to hide when he realized he was outnumbered. So the only person that got touched by it was Molly.),Cagalli-01, Angel of Serenity88 (You will have to wait to find out the answers to your questions, wink), and Airdreanna (never heard of charm school, is it a series or just one book. Alot of my style is the same as Laurell K. Hamilton, author of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series, which alot of people have pointed out, that is probably the series/book you are talking about. As far as I know, the only things I have barrowed from Laurell are the 'Master of the City' and some of her thoughts on vampires. Everything else I base off of mythology. As far as the way my characters act, I have written that way for a long time. One day I might post some of my stories that I wrote before I ever learned of Laurell and her books. if there is a spot for badly written nonsense books that have no plot... giggle)

AN: Feel free to read and review. Leave comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, etc if you wish. Also leave your emails so that if you do have a question, I can respond to it. I will not respond to flamers. All I ask, if you do have something to say against my writing, is that you word it politely.