This chapter turned out leagues better than the old one, I think. The next one, though, will take a while. It's going to be more difficult than this one was, and I've hit a point where I'm feeling like this project might not be worth the effort, so we'll see.

"'Hey guys, it's me! The biggest disappointment you know.' The kid couldn't hack it. She's back, and she's walkin' real slow.

"'Welcome home.'

"Just breathe..."

Mandy Gonzalez 'In The Heights' Original Broadway Company, "Breathe"

Leo

Someone was trying to shake him awake.

Leo muttered and swatted at his soon-to-be-dead assailant. Couldn't they see he was sleeping? He pulled the blanket more firmly over himself, squeezing his eyes shut. He was halfway through a sigh when someone shoved his shoulder harder. Leo slid off the couch like a stone, yelping. His breath left him in a whoosh as he hit the floor, limbs tangled in the blanket as he fought to roll over. Eyes snapping open, he finally made it to his back only to see Yahn. The imp stood on the couch, holding the t-shirt cannon Leo had been carrying around to defend the house.

Wait, Leo could see everything. He glanced at the window just long enough to confirm that the sun was rising. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. If Yahn was here, then everybody else was home. Why didn't they wake him up? He wanted to see Chase, too!

Yahn held the cannon over his head, looking it over with his eye ridge raised like a brow. It was bizarre how close he could get to human expressions. It was just off enough for Leo to find it uncanny. Yahn snorted, tossing the cannon over his shoulder and looking at Leo. The cannon landed on the floor behind the couch with a clatter as Yahn spoke up. "What's that thing supposed to do? Bury me in your delicates?"

Leo's eyes widened as he scrambled back, gathering his feet under him. That wasn't Yahn. The voice was too feminine. He kicked the blanket away and managed to stand, staring at the gargoyle. She could be Yahn's twin, for god's sake. She had the same gray hide, yellow eyes, and sharp claws. The only difference was that she wasn't as fat and had several shallow scratches, now that Leo was paying attention. He took a step back. "Who – "

"No questions!" She clapped her hands together, watching him. "I'm supposed to talk to that Donald guy. Where is he?"

Leo's head jerked back slightly. That couldn't be good. Was she an assassin of some kind? If she was, she was doing a lousy job. Why would she talk to Leo if she was trying to hurt somebody? "Why?"

The gargoyle rolled her eyes, her finned ears bunching up and pressing flat against the side of her head. "Look, an order's an order, so I have to talk to him." She pointed at the stairs behind the couch. "I couldn't find him, though. Where is he?"

Leo glanced at the stairs, then at the t-shirt cannon the imp had thrown. It had landed only a few feet behind the couch. It wasn't the best weapon, but Leo would feel better with something in his hands. He focused on the imp again, shifting his weight towards the cannon. If he dove for it, he might be able to get it before she even moved. "He – "

"Where are you going?" The gargoyle scowled at him, resting her fists on her hips.

Leo's stomach dropped. "I wasn't – "

"I'm thousands of years old." The imp crossed her arms, her tail wrapping around her feet a few times. "I've seen things you couldn't imagine. I know enough to tell when a human is trying something stupid."

Leo crossed his arms, stomping a foot. "Hey! I'm not stupid."

"Right," she drawled, rolling her eyes again. "So, Donald?"

Leo's eyes flicked to the stairs again for a second. Did she not look anywhere before she woke him up? The house was big, but Mr. Davenport shouldn't be hard to find. If anything, he would be in bed after last night.

"He's not up there," the imp snorted.

Leo's thoughts started racing. Was everybody still out there? Did something happen to them? Were they just in the Lab, and this imp couldn't find how to get down there? Worse, did Douglas have them? Was this imp Douglas', too? Why did she have to talk to Mr. Davenport if she was, though? That wouldn't make any sense. This imp could be somebody else's, though, and it made sense that nobody was home because Douglas captured them. Could Leo track them down this time? He didn't know where Douglas' lair was, but maybe he forgot to disable somebody's GPS? Leo was more than willing to bust into a house with the exo-suit again. The imp tapped her foot as she waited for Leo to say anything else. Leo took a deep breath and leaned forward. "What's your name? Who sent you?"

The gargoyle opened her beak and snapped it shut loudly. "Olyanaeci and Master. Who cares?"

Leo would never remember that name. He furrowed his brow. "Can I call you something else?"

"Jesus – Oly," she spat. "You're wasting my time. Where – "

"Is Master Douglas?"

"Yes." Oly uncurled her tail and reached up, springing to the top of the couch and spreading her wings. "Forget it. I'll just wake that lady up instead."

So, Oly had searched the house first. "Mom will throw you out the window," Leo warned. He didn't want his mother to know that her husband was missing yet. Not until they needed to worry about it, at least. Leo could only say that Douglas didn't have Mr. Davenport if Oly was looking for him.

Oly snorted, tossing her head. "You think I'm scared of a human?"

"You've never met my mother." Leo pointed at himself. "Look, Big D isn't here, so tell me whatever the message is."

Oly turned fully towards Leo, frowning. She rubbed her beak with one hand, closing an eye as she thought. After a long moment, she opened her eye again, dropping her hand. "Fine. Master and Half-Breed were attacked by an afrit." She waved her hand towards the window. "Burned the place to the ground, I bet. Master's still alive, but I doubt Half-Breed is."

Leo's blood ran cold. "Half-Breed" was a name Yahn used for Chase. Here they were again, right back at square one: Chase might be dead. He started shaking. His hands shot up to rest on his head as he began to pace. "No, no, no!" Everybody was supposed to rescue Chase last night. If they discovered the demons earlier, would they have gotten Chase out of there before whatever-an-afrit-was attacked them? Was everybody late coming back because they had to dig through ashes for a body? Fuck, they'd been so close to finding Chase and making the family whole again.

Oly laid down on her stomach, yawning. "Are you done?"

Leo whipped around to face her, clenching his fists. It was all he could do not to punch Oly right there. How dare she act like this was nothing? He wasn't overreacting by any stretch of the imagination, and he knew how to be dramatic when he wanted to. "You said it was an afrit. What's that? Who sent it? Why couldn't Chase fight it off? Isn't he supposed to be stronger than you?" Leo asked, speaking through his teeth. Chase's strength was an assumption, but with how the other imps had acted, Leo was pretty confident that it was true.

Oly's head shot up, her eyes flashing. "He's a human who got lucky," she spat. The tip of her long tail whipped back and forth. "He isn't all-powerful."

Leo struck a chord, it seemed. "You didn't answer – "

"Half-Breed and his bullshit family connection," Oly interrupted, standing up and crossing her arms. "I was Master's favorite. Me! Sure, he pretended to like Yahn, but we both know who he liked the most!"

Leo had a feeling she was exaggerating, but he didn't know for sure. "Sorry – "

"Things were fine, and then Half-Breed comes along and ruins everything!" Oly shifted her weight and started pacing along the back of the couch on all fours. "'Oh, he's my son. I can't just leave him outside.'" She rolled her eyes, her ears flapping. "Master doesn't have any time for me now. It's all about perfect, wonderful Half-Breed!" She dug her claws into the couch, tearing into the upholstery.

Leo didn't know if he wanted to laugh or scream. Maybe a demented mix of both? Oly's issue sounded so much like what Chase went through when Leo wanted to join in on "The Call." On the other, more important hand, Oly wasn't telling Leo anything useful. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, dropping his hands. When he opened his eyes again, Oly had curled into a ball to pout. "Oly, who sent the afrit? If they survived, where would they go?"

Oly growled, one shoulder rising in a shrug. "You think I care?"

Leo ground his teeth against a surge of rage. If Oly really was Douglas' favorite, Leo couldn't see why. She seemed too stubborn to do anything. Sure, she delivered a message, but she did a bad job of it. "Come on," he said, starting for the Lab. The least he could do was start tracking Adam and Bree.

Oly shook her head, watching Leo with one eye. "I did my job. I'm staying right here."

Leo threw his hands up, then dove for the couch. He snatched Oly's tail and yanked her into the air, holding his hand over his head to avoid dragging her on the floor. Raising his voice over her protesting squawk, he started for the elevator. "You're coming." He did his best to ignore her as she beat her wings, battering his legs with shocking force. Why was her tail so long? "I need you to tell me everything you know about who attacked Chase and Douglas."

Oly grabbed his jeans as he called the elevator, climbing up his clothes as the door slid open. Her ears fanned out like a battle crest as he stepped inside, the door closing behind him when he hit the button to descend. She swatted his shoulder, climbing up to perch as she hissed. "Listen here, you – "

"Shut up," Leo snapped. "You're here, so - why are your claws so long?"

Oly reached out to pry at his fingers. Her claws were only an inch long, but they looked massive on the tips of her tiny fingers. "Why are yours flat, useless disks?" She wiggled the tip of a claw under his finger without breaking skin somehow. "Let go."

Leo watched her struggle. She wasn't very strong, at least. Douglas probably only used her for messages and small errands. Leo chewed on his lip for a second as she growled. She had to do what Douglas said, right? That made her little more than a slave, and here Leo was, shooting the messenger. Sighing, he released her tail. She was in the elevator with him, anyways. Where would she go?

Oly growled, whipping her tail around to wrap around Leo's waist while she clung to his shoulder. "Thank you."

The elevator door opened with a hiss, and Leo stepped out of the elevator. "Look, I'm going to call Big D." He strode into the Lab proper, a whiff of smoke reaching him as he focused on the cyber desk. "You can – "

"Half-Breed!" Oly's weight left his shoulder. Her claws clicked on the Lab floor as Leo whipped around. Where was she going? Then, his eyes landed on Chase and Douglas, smudges of soot on their faces, arms, and clothes. They were standing to the side of the Lab door as Oly hopped up to Chase, looking up at him as he clung to a box of tissues. "I thought you died."

Leo's heart skipped a beat as he stared, his eyes wide. Chase was alive, if thinner than Leo remembered. He was home. He was….

Terrifying.

Leo's mental image of a cute anime cat-boy was off. The tail was what Leo had expected: long and flexible. Chase wrapped the black tail around Oly and his legs, still having enough left to have the tip resting on the floor. He flicked his ears – which were further down on the side of his head than Leo had expected - shaking his head with a smile that made Leo's skin crawl. Those were fangs. "Nah."

Chase sounded so congested, his voice rough like he had strep throat, but Leo couldn't focus on that. He was staring at Chase, who looked more like a fuzzy goblin than a cat. The massive wings Leo could see peeking out from around Chase's shoulders and back were just icing on the cake.

The worst part of it? Chase's eyes. He had slitted pupils like Oly and Yahn, the kind that gave snakes that evil look. The effect was inhuman, like Chase was a feral animal. For all Leo knew, Chase could be now. He was a demon, right?

Leo's heart pounded, his breath catching in his throat. He'd wanted Chase to come home for months. He never put any conditions on how things would be if Chase returned. Leo just…he hadn't been ready for this.

Douglas fidgeted from foot to foot beside Chase, his arms crossed. He kept glancing at the door behind Leo, tensed. He looked ready to bolt or fight his way out, and Leo couldn't handle that, either.

He regretted leaving the t-shirt cannon upstairs. He would feel better with it now.

Chase

This was a mission. That was the only thing that got me to go inside the house. This was a mission, and I could handle missions. I'd trained for those. It was easy enough. All I had to do was convince Mr. Davenport to work with us. He had to. This was a life-or-death situation, and even he wouldn't sacrifice everybody over a feud with Douglas.

So why did it feel like I was facing a firing squad?

Leo was probably the best-case scenario for the first person we ran into. He was the most open to listening, according to Douglas. He'd even heard Douglas out about Krane before any of us did. The only problem was that Leo backed away from me, staring with wide eyes. My ears lowered at that. I didn't know what I expected. A hug or something? Questions about where I'd been, maybe? I don't know. Anything but Leo looking like he expected me to attack him.

Douglas eyed Oly as my tail curled around her, raising an eyebrow. "Done with your girlfriend?"

I snorted, shaking my head as I focused on him. "No." I pinned my ears, raising my chin. "Fiancée. We're eloping to Vegas next week."

Douglas wrinkled his nose while I pulled out a tissue, wiping my nose before tossing it into the trash can. It was still running a mile a minute. "Don't invite me. I can't stand Elvis impersonators." He leaned against the wall. "Who thinks they can copy the king?"

I flicked an ear at him, rolling my eyes. "You done?"

Douglas gestured towards a chair. "Nope. Grab a chair. I have an hour-long rant on this."

Oly groaned, thumping my leg. "See what you started?"

"Hey!"

Leo's voice caught our attention. It wasn't like we were excluding him or anything. He could jump into the conversation at any time. Douglas looked him up and down, his voice rough as he spoke. "What?"

"What are you doing here?" His voice was an octave higher than usual. I guess we surprised him.

What's with this runt's voice? It's terrible. Tear his throat out.

I lowered my ears. There was the violence. No, thanks. I shifted the tissues to one hand and held the other up, palm towards Leo so he could see it was empty. "Look, just hear us out, okay?"

Leo's eyes were still huge, darting back and forth between Douglas and me. "Dude, where were you?"

That had nothing to do with what I just said. I glanced at Douglas before answering him…kind of. "Listen, we can talk about that later. Right now – "

"I thought you died." Leo's eyes snapped to me. "You were gone. You just – "

"You want to hear why we're invading your house or not?" Douglas interrupted before I was bombarded with Leo's questions. I was relieved, honestly. I could feel knots forming in my shoulders with each passing second.

Leo glared at Douglas and gave a curt nod. "Fine. Why?"

Douglas waved at me. I sighed, dropping my hand. "Krane is planning something involving us – "

"Demons," Douglas said quietly.

"Demons," I corrected. It was hard to remember that Leo wasn't used to this "I'm a demon, too" thing. "He's working with a Summoner, but we're not sure why. Any lead we had burned last night."

"When the afrit attacked you?"

Oly did her job, at least. I nodded as Douglas cleared his throat. "I think Krane will make it look like an accident or something. Knowing him – "

Douglas stopped his explanation as I started coughing. I tried to suppress the reflex, but it hurt way more like that. Covering my mouth, I winced and hacked up a lung. God, I couldn't wait for this to heal. Leo's expression softened as he watched me. "Whoa. Are you okay?"

I nodded, bending over and waving the tissue box at Douglas to continue his explanation. Oly started laughing. "You sound ridiculous. Have you ever tried not breathing?" She raised her chin, smiling. "I don't have to."

"Shut up, Oly," Douglas muttered, drawing a wince from her.

Leo raised a hand as Douglas took a breath to speak. His brow wrinkled as my coughing started to ease up. "Dude, seriously, that sounds bad."

I cleared my throat, wincing as the action burned. "It's just smoke inhalation. We'll be fine."

"We'll?" Leo's eyes flicked to Douglas. "Both of you? Can you guys breathe okay?"

I waved the concern away, yanking another tissue from the box so I could blow my nose. What I needed more than anything was breakfast and a bed to fall in, not somebody playing nurse. Douglas, meanwhile, furrowed his brow and shot me a confused look. I guess he didn't expect Leo to ask about him, too. I flicked an ear towards Leo, the corner of my mouth twitching. Leo wasn't heartless, for crying out loud. He kept a painful distance from us, but he wasn't throwing silver at me, either. I'd call that and his concern a good sign.

"Listen," Douglas started again, "we don't know a lot, but we know that something's happening. Don't know when or where, but it's coming." He let out a rasping sigh. "After it's over, I'll leave, but – "

My ears lowered as Leo interrupted. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Douglas shrugged, sighing. "You don't. Honestly, say the word, and I'll leave. You dying isn't my problem."

Leo stomped his foot and stepped forward, but I spoke before he could get anything out. I wasn't letting a bluff like that fly. "I'll make it your problem. In fact, I'll never stop whining." I forced my eyes to widen, lowering my ears as much as possible and letting my wings droop. "You just let them die! How could you? They were innocent. They – "

"All right, all right," Douglas snorted, raising a hand. "Get off the cross, you martyr." He smiled, crossing his arms again. "We need the wood."

Oly snorted as I relaxed, her tail curling around herself. "For what? Another barbecue with Jasper?"

I perked my ears up, raising my free hand. "Oh, I'll bring s'mores!"

Leo's eyes were wider, if that was even possible. "No s'mores!"

"Fine. S'more for us." Douglas grinned at his pun, glancing between Leo and me. Neither of us said anything, letting the awkward silence stretch out so he felt exactly what he did. After a second, Douglas scowled. "Comedy is lost on you people."

"What's wrong with you?" Leo gestured wildly towards the door. "Big D, Bree, and Adam are out there looking for you with your pack of demons, and you just show up here? You sound like you smoked a pack of cigarettes each and are babbling about Krane, but you're cracking jokes like it's nothing?" Leo pointed at me. "You were gone for four months. We thought you were dead, Chase! You can't make jokes right now."

I bit down on my cheek, pinning my ears. They were looking for me now? Why didn't they in the first place? They heard Douglas' name and came running, I bet. It was probably more about catching him than finding me.

Oly shifted her weight, stepping off my shoes. "Stop hitting me with your tail."

"I'm not, drama queen." I brought my tail around behind me, though. At least when I lashed it back there, I couldn't hit anybody with it.

"So, you guys found the imps, huh?" Douglas played with his bracelets as he watched Leo. "How?"

"The idiots flew right up to us and asked for directions." Leo rolled his eyes. "They gave up your name in five minutes flat."

I glanced at Douglas as he sighed, running a hand down his face. "Who did you send?"

"Idiots," Douglas muttered. He dropped his hand. "I just hope Jasper ignored them when they got there."

I flinched. I hadn't thought about them going to the house to look for us. If Jasper got out and killed them, I'd find a way to kill him.

They're just mortals. Fighting an afrit isn't worth it.

It's worth it. Just because they hated me didn't mean I wanted something awful to happen to them. "We have to go get them."

Oly snorted, spreading her wings. "Why? They'll either come back here or die." She crouched down and took off with a few wing beats, landing on the cabinet near me. "Who cares?"

I eyed her, frowning. I cared, for starters. "We – "

Mr. Davenport's obnoxious singing filled the Lab, cutting me off. I hissed, pressing my hand and the tissue box against my ears while Douglas pulled a face. Oly buried her head under her wings, growling. It was the worst version of "Amazing Grace" that I'd ever been subjected to. What sadist kept letting Davenport into a recording studio?

Leo covered his ears as he crossed the Lab, picking up the emergency phone on the wall and saving us from Davenport's singing. "Change your ringtone, man."

I heard vague words from the other end. I couldn't catch much, but I could tell that Mr. Davenport was too calm for somebody to have died. I relaxed slightly at that. Everybody was still alive, then. Good. I didn't want to see Jasper again so soon. Leo glanced at us, letting out a breath. "No, don't worry; you guys can stop searching and come home."

Douglas nudged me with his elbow. "Think he'll mention us?"

Leo gestured in our direction a second later. "Because they're here."

"Yeah," I said through a yawn.

Oly uncovered her head, scowling at Leo. "What the hell was that?"

"Donald loving the sound of his own voice," Douglas answered. I rolled my eyes. It wasn't like I hadn't seen Douglas spend an hour in the bathroom to make his hair look perfect.

"I'm not kidding," Leo went on. "I'm looking at them right now."

Douglas glanced at me and swallowed, then shifted his gaze to the door. He was ready to run still. I didn't blame him at all. My instinct was to bolt from whatever storm was coming. I'd been in trouble, but Douglas' safety was at risk. I was sure I wouldn't catch a laser to the face, but Douglas wasn't in the same boat.

Turn people inside-out, if you're so worried they're a threat.

I couldn't stop myself from pulling a face as mental images flooded my mind. I didn't ask how to accomplish that, but I knew how to turn somebody inside-out now.

"They're standing around the Lab." Leo paused and looked down at the cyber desk before adding, "Hurry back. I don't want to be alone with…."

That one hurt. I found myself looking at my shoes, swallowing. It was impossible to say he only meant Douglas or Oly. If he did, why was he avoiding all of us? I flinched when something hit my back, then relaxed a second later when I realized it was just Douglas patting between my wings.

The attempt at comfort didn't help, but I appreciated it.

"Okay, see you soon. Bye." Leo hung up, then flopped down into the cyber desk chair to watch us. "Don't try anything. They're coming home."

Douglas scoffed. "Careful, guys. The mighty warrior is watching us. We better behave, lest we face his wrath."

Oly cackled at that. She even brought her fist down on the filing cabinet a couple of times. I managed to crack a smile and look up despite my twisting stomach. This was it, then. I couldn't put this confrontation off any longer.

Leo scowled at Douglas, but he stayed quiet. That was a miracle for him, but I got it. I could slice through the tension with my tail if I wanted to. I would give anything for Leo to quip at Douglas. I just wanted something normal right now. Anything to ease the stress.

Leo was the first to speak after all. He looked at me after a moment, cocking his head. "Is it cool being a demon?"

The first direct question was about my demonic nature, and Leo wondered if it was cool? He wasn't concerned about how it happened? He just cared how cool it was? I blinked at him. He couldn't possibly think this was awesome or anything, could he?

Are you going to tear his throat out or not? I'm sick of his voice.

I shook my head. "There's a voice in my head telling me to tear out your vocal cords." Might as well be honest with him, right? The sooner we pulled that thorn, the better it would be. Honesty was going to be the key here.

Leo magically had no more questions for me after that. He paled and sat back, silence filling the Lab again. At least he'd be ready if the instinct took over someday.

It was several more minutes before we relaxed just enough to move. I had to use another tissue. Oly sneezed, her head hitting the filing cabinet and drawing out a few laughs. Leo started humming a Beyonce song. Douglas fidgeted with his bracelets, pushing them up and down his arm as he watched the door. As for me, I looked around the Lab. Nothing changed since I left, except for the melted Daven-demon portal sitting on a table against the far wall. It was less comforting than I thought it would be.

The gears of the elevator whirred to life, and my ear swiveled towards the door. My heart started pounding, my stomach twisting and turning. There was everybody else. It was time. Douglas glanced at me, shifting his weight. "Ready, kid?"

I shook my head slightly. I wanted one of the floor tiles to open so I could jump inside until everybody forgot I was there. That would be easier than what was coming.

Leo sat up straight. "Ready for what? What are you – "

"Shut up, Leo," Douglas snapped. He narrowed his eyes. "This isn't about you."

Leo sat back with a huff, watching Douglas as the elevator dinged. I heard a flurry of footsteps and swallowed. This was a mission. Just another mission.

This was a mission I wasn't ready for.