Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. I like this chapter. Foreword- I'm sorry if I'm a bit OOC in Fang's POV but I don't know how a guy thinks, so I hope I'm pretty close. Well, enjoy the story. Go forth, and READ!

Max

"Max?" Angel speaks; her little voice is strangely loud in the silence.

"Hmm, sweetie?" I turn to her. The Flock is silent.

"Something's wrong." I feel it too. The air feels strange, musky, thick. Max, watch your step. I think I've found a pattern here. When the Voice decides to be endearing and caring, it calls me Max. When it's angry or frustrated, it calls me Maximum. There's no time for your comments. Something's wrong and you know it.

The ground begins to shake as soon as the Voice stops speaking. "Everyone, up and away!" We all flapped our wings and fly up in the air simultaneously. "This way!" I propel myself into the darkness away from the rumbling. The Flock is at my back. There's a little light that almost seems like daylight. A little pang inside my chest reminds me of Fang.

"Max, make up your mind now! We don't have much time," Angel looks distressed. "Go after Fang and come back quickly, we can go protect the emperor and his wife."

I look at her, nod and fly the opposite way. Dylan catches my arm. "Let me go and protect them."

Suddenly serious, he nods, "Good luck. Come back soon."

"Famous last words." He looks as if he wants to say something. I don't let him and fly back up the stairs. I fly as fast as I can. In less than five minutes, I've reached the place that I'd left Fang. I fly up, ignoring the fear raising the little hairs on the back of my neck.

"Fang!" I shout, "Fang! Fang! Where are you?"

I finally reach the top of the stairs, but not quite because I see who is standing there. It's Lissa, her cream-colored wings wrapped around Fang's black ones protectively, possessively. She leans forward and my heart stops. Their lips meet. I keep waiting for Fang to turn around and somehow sense me there like he always does but he doesn't. He wraps his arms around Lissa's waist and kisses her harder. Tears spike behind my eyes. Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, I can see the truth.

I can see what Lissa is. Her cream-colored wings are gone, so is her innocent perfect face. Instead, a bat-winged, succubus stands in front of me her eyes look like green pools with black raindrops in them, making them look sickly. Her skin is too pale, stretched over her skin like fabric over a ceremonial drum back in Rome. Her red hair is no longer shiny and perfectly curled. It's stringy and dull. But her wings were decorated with ribbons of maroon and brown that writhed over her leathery wings. Succubus. And she dared to go near my Fang.

Something in me snaps, a growl rises in my throat and I crouch down, ready to fight.

I didn't get a chance to strike because a swarm of demons circled me then.

Fang

"Don't you trust me, Fang?" Lissa asks, a smile played at her cherry lips.

I nod and let her lead me up another set of stairs. "Where are we going?"

"We're going home, Fangy," she says, her voice is sweet. Something in me recoils but I ignore it.

She skips up a flight of stairs and waits for me, swinging her arms. I smile. She looks so pretty, how could anyone hurt her? She purses her lips and mock frowns at me. I climb up the rest of the way to meet her. "Fang! Fang! Fang! Where are you?" I think I hear someone yelling my name. Lissa just smiles, wanly, not noticing anything at all. It must just be a trick of my imagination. She takes a step towards me, grinning ear to ear mischievously. I pull her closer and she spreads her wings and wraps them around me. "Lissa," I whisper. She leans in and just for a second, I can see on her a different face, it's frightening but then it's gone. Still, I feel like someone else is here. She kisses me and I crush her closer into me, angling my head better. I can feel her little fluttering heart like a humming bird's right before all Hell broke loose. Literally.

Lissa pulls back, "Bye, Fangy. It was nice knowing you." She smiles like the sun as she places both of her delicate hands on my chest and pushes me into the fray.

Max

"I'm hurt," Ari said, looking anything but. "We tried to be hospitable."

"Well, we'll try harder next time, won't we?" I smile at him through the obsidian chains. Every part of me burns.

He scowls and brings his face close to mine, "Where are they?"

"Where are who? Oh, you mean the rats? Who knows, there everywhere," I scowl right back, "You should really get an exterminator."

That's a lie; no rat could survive down here. Nothing of God could survive here. My hand burns when I twitch. I was suspended in place, chained standing in the middle of a room. Fang was kept next to me, but kept in an invisible cage instead of obsidian chains. Lucky. The demons blamed me for everything. It really is my fault.

I flick my gaze at Fang. He has his eyes closed, his head leaned back, his black wings spread carelessly around him. "Lissa," he murmurs over and over. I look away in jealousy.

"Oh," Ari sees this and grins, looking at Fang and then at me and then at Fang. I curse myself for even looking at Fang. Emotion was weakness. "Is my sister in love?" Ari teases, as if he was truly my brother. "Is she in love with Fang?"

"Back off, Ari," I growl which somehow fueled the flames. He howls with laughter.

"Alright, Max, I'll leave you alone, but only because I've been ordered to. You see, someone very special wants to see you." Ari almost skips out the room in his delight that he's found a new weapon against me and I almost sigh in relief. Except then I see who replaces him.

End Chapter. Two chapters in one day. I am on a roll! I've written 15 chapters in 13 days! I'm proud of myself. Don't worry. It'll continue. So what do you think? Lissa turned out to be a demon, yes, a minor one. Well, that's the only thing Lissa's good for. She's gone for now, so relax everyone. Right now, Max just has to focus on getting Fang to snap out of his trance. Mwahahahaha. Told you I like this chapter, even though it had a scene with Lissa and Fang kissing. It adds to the drama. So... who do you all think the mystery visitor is? Any guesses? Anyways, keep reading. Review please, I'm always looking for good advice. Terima kasih! (Malay)