"Beautiful."

Emmett tore his eyes away from the sky to look at the brown-haired vampire on the roof. Javan's face was tilted upwards. His crimson eyes were bright, glued to the sky. The camera raised once again and that creepy smile from earlier was on his all-too attractive mouth. Fucking psychopath. Really, he was. It wasn't meant as an insult. Emmett had long since realized and accepted the fact Javan was unhinged. Not in the 'you need help' sense. He was way beyond that. More American Psycho. Or Hannibal Lector. Or Satan. He was a genius no doubt, uncannily brilliant and sexy to boot, but it was clear there was madness in him. While most would be horrified or even worried by the events unfolding, driven by normal emotional response, the vampire looked transfixed, elated. It was hard to picture Javan as anything other than, well, Javan. How did something like him come to be? Surely he'd been a mere man at one point, but the concept was impossible to grasp. What sort of man could Javan have been? Two years and he was still as big a mystery as he'd been the first day they'd seen him. Emmett could testify he knew very little about Javan. Anala and Nolan had been with the vampire a long time. They loved him unconditionally, and Emmett had no qualms about his relationship with them. Yet over time he noticed Javan had some strange hold over the twins. Their bond was different. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was but it was there. Something not quite identifiable that was displayed only between the twins and the other man. Emmett didn't understand what tied him to them. Why did he stay? What tied such an unfathomable and detached man to the twins, made his relationship to them so unlike his interactions with the rest of the world? How was it even possible? Anala had told him once that when she and Nolan first encountered Javan he had planned to kill them. Emmett liked Javan. The vampire was practically family now, albeit distant and aloof on his end. Javan was interesting and funny and oddly likable but he could never dismiss the sense of danger. He could turn and easily kill any one of them just for the hell of it. They knew it they could see it in his eyes. As calm as he may seem at times, none could ever think themselves completely safe in his presence. Anala and Nolan seemed to take it all in stride, easily accepting that Javan was psychotic and intelligent in the most dangerous of ways, and seemed comfortable freely entering the proverbial lion's den. Seeing him so alright with the people he was supposedly closest with tear at each other was disturbing. Cold.

Anala and Nolan soared higher, their forms whirling through the air.

A golden form flashed across the sky, swooping lowly past the house. Rowan touched down quickly, landing with a soft sound. The man was radiant, all pale creamy skin and light golden hair. Rowan actually looked angry, pissed, which didn't happen very often. But damn if it didn't look good on him. As the Master of Zen (which Emmett had affectionately dubbed the striking Vayar), he was not easily angered. Not like this. Rowan's eyes were hard and angry, the penetrating lavender depths filled with storm clouds. His pale wings twitched agitatedly as he strode towards Bella and reached out, grabbing her by the upper arm. She shrieked and cried, struggling against his hold. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she was screaming to be let go. Screaming for Edward. He was staring at the sky. Edward slowly looked to her, expression withdrawn and shaken. He didn't quite seem to know what to do, and his lips parted though no words came out.

Bella sobbed, still hopelessly attempting to get free. "Please don't hurt me!"

Rowan pulled her forward roughly. "Stop it!" he snapped. "You did this. Your actions brought a death sentence and you don't even realize it! This was supposed to be your execution. You attack my creator, and expect to walk away with your life. Everything in me is telling me to kill you where you stand but I won't because Anala has asked me not to. I am to take you to town. Be grateful. She is the only reason you still draw breath."

Bella quieted, whimpering. Carlisle stepped towards him, stopping his brother as he moved. "Wait! Rowan how do we stop this?"

"Stop it?" rowan looked to the sky. "There is no stopping it. Nolan's temper is . . . legendary, after all. I'm sure they'll work it out."

Emmett looked at him incredulously. "Work it out? They're going to kill each other!" that was most likely untrue. Nolan loved Anala. He went two years without her, there was no way he'd kill her. Whatever he may have been unsure of in that moment Emmett could at least have faith in that single fact. But it also raised the question how far he was willing to go. He may not kill her sure, but it damn sure seemed he'd get as close as possible.

Rowan looked at him for a moment, and a silent understanding passed between them. A shared rage, the same desire to kill for the one woman who was at the center of their worlds. He grabbed Bella and was taking to the sky once again. Nolan evaded Anala and shot off after them, gaining on the retreating blonde with a remarkable speed. Anala quickly intercepted him, his body crashing into hers. They fell over a dozen feet before separating.

"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear."Javan was grinning widely, lens whirring softly before the camera clicked several times.

Totally insane.

A thunderous crack snapped through the air as Nolan roared in anger, and a wave of power exploded through the area, sweeping over them with enough force to move like wind, the tangible energy brushing over them and rustling the still leaves. Rowan was gone, and the two siblings hung in the air, silent.

The fight seemed to drain out of Anala, her body dropping in altitude until she landed on the grass. Emmett was suddenly able to put together Anala hadn't been fighting her brother at all. She had been distracting him. Anala was diverting his attention, getting him to focus his anger on her and luring him far enough away for Rowan to get in and away with Bella quickly enough and make it out in one piece. Anala had planned this. The entire thing, start to finish. And it had unfolded beautifully. Thinking back and connecting the pieces, it was fucking perfect. That unbelievable, devious—Emmett stared at her incredulously. That was his Mate.

He didn't stand a chance against that.

Anala was a mess. His shirt was bloodstained and the back demolished, pitch black hair fell around her messily in wind-blown waves and her complexion was still ashen. Her whites of her eyes had taken on a yellowish hue and the brilliant green was dull. Anala was staring up at her brother. She lowered to her knees, but the look in her eyes was still intent and focused, albeit remorseful. Javan walked across the roof and stepped off. He walked into the house, all of his attention focused on the camera in his hands.

Nolan dropped out of the sky, landing lightly on his feet and stormed towards her. Anala's wings tucked into her back and disappeared as Nolan stopped, crouching in front of her. His hand lashed out, suddenly grabbing the back of her hair. Anala hissed, but stared at him directly. The gold flakes in his wintry eyes were illuminated in the pale depths, glowing with the power his body contained. Emmett tensed, ready. It didn't matter who it was, Anala was his Mate and he wasn't going to let Nolan hurt her. The tension in the air rose as finally, Nolan spoke.

"Fine then, have it your way. I'll let her live. But no more shit." anger still hardened his voice, cold and razor-sharp. Anala nodded and his hand tightened. "I mean it, Anala. This is her first and only warning. If she so much as thinks of doing something like this again she dies. I won't let you stop me next time."

Nolan had known the entire time? These two were way too smart for their own good. It was scary really. Nolan was expected, but Anala was kind by nature, and yet even she possessed the skill to kill. To execute a plan and fight off her brother. He had seen it from right where he stood. Nolan reached up and plucked a pale feather from his wing. The plume solidified and Nolan wrapped his fist around it. Blood dripped off his hand and he released the feather, letting it fall on the grass.

He gave her a steady look, his eyes staring purposefully into her own. "I swear it on the blood of our ancestors."

Anala's voice was subdued, quiet.

"Yes, Nolan."

He released her and Anala lowered her eyes. The tension eased, and finally Emmett relaxed some. Anala hesitated then looked at him. "The blade . . . it was Salem's Wrath."

Nolan stared at her for a long moment before reaching into his boot and pulled out the dagger he always carried on his person. He dragged it across his wrist. Blood bubbled on his skin and Nolan held it towards his sister. Anala reached up, curling her fingers around the back of his arm and wrist, then tentatively brought the offered arm to her lips. Anala drank deeply, and her skin began to flush, the gray, ashen tone being replaced by healthy coloring. The yellow in her eyes faded and Emmett felt relief spread through his chest as Anala released Nolan's arm and licked the blood on her lips. Nolan straightened and turned, walking away as his wings returned into his body. Anala looked penitent. Her fingers hovered over the bloodied feather for a moment before they picked it up and she looked at her brother's retreating back, standing slowly. She may have been stopping him from killing Bella but she had still fought her brother. They were closer than most siblings. She loved him, and it upset her having him be at odds with him.

Nolan stopped walking, his icy blue eyes drifting for a moment. He sighed, shoulders relaxing as he exhaled. "I'm not angry."

Anala was suddenly behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle. Nolan chuckled softly and turned, embracing his sister closely, and rested his cheek on the top of her head.