A shape moving through the sky stole away Emmett's attention. It rose, flying just beneath the clouds. It was Anala. Her dark wings extended, moving her through the storm. Panic speared Emmett's chest and he stepped forward.

"What the hell is she doing?" her body weaved then fell forty feet just as lightning flashed right where she had been. "She's going to get herself killed!"

"Yeah," Nolan said lightly. "If she learned how to fly yesterday." Emmett gave him and incredulous look before focusing on his mate who was just asking to get struck by lightning. "We grow wings Em. We fly. Layame are good at navigating through the sky. It's what we do. Weather isn't as big of a problem for us. Not on this scale anyway. It's just a summer storm."

Emmett wasn't reassured. Anala swooped through the sky. She was carrying something in the fold of her dress. He stepped away as she neared and watched her land on the stone, soaked through and grinning. Of all the stupid, irresponsible shit . . . anger swelled and he was prepared to yell at her but instead he found himself falling short, caught between anger and adoration. Anala was a bit breathless, soft pants coming out quickly from her lips. Her emerald eyes were luminous and warm. Her smile was infectious and she held out her hand.

"here." the object was about the size of a grapefruit only the outer skin was thick, the deep maroon flesh rough and uneven like that of an avocado's. "Break it open."

Emmett did so, tearing it open smoothly and exposing the deep red flesh inside. He gave Anala a questioning look, not understanding why she gave him this when he didn't eat. Her smile didn't waver.

"It's a Bloodfruit," she explained. "They grow pretty wild this time of year. They're really popular among Natural Vampires, I thought you'd like to try them." she offered some to the others, and they took them. Nolan and the Vayars however didn't move towards her. Anala handed the last one to Edward as Emmett raised the fruit to his face and inhaled. It didn't smell terrible, sort of sweet. He shrugged and bit into the fruit. Natural juices burst on his tongue and the fruit gave easily under his bite. It tasted . . . appetizing. That wasn't the right word. It tasted far better than appetizing. But the overall fact that it didn't taste like dirt or that he didn't have the overwhelming urge to puke it out was surprising.

"Well?"

Emmett licked his lips and shrugged. "Not bad."

Anala smiled knowingly. Nolan folded his arms across his chest. "At least you like them. We never acquired the taste." he smirked. "Thankfully."

As he ate the strange new fruit, Emmett admired his mate. He watched the water trail down her neck and chest, followed the trail of a drop on her cheek collect more on its journey down. He watched the accumulated drops slip between the crease between her ample breasts that were a bit more exposed due to gravity weighing down her dress. Anala bent to pull off her boots and set them aside, standing barefoot in the puddle of water that came off her person. She gathered her sodden hair, squeezing the excess water out. Droplets trickled off her dark lashes like tears and landed on her cheeks. Long dark bangs hung forward, pushed back by a motion of her head. Emmett watched her eyes, watched the pulse in her graceful throat steady to a normal pace. He felt his heart swell and love flooded through his veins like adrenaline. The beauty he could always see deep in Anala was reflected in her actions, however simple they appeared. His attention was fixed. He was too entangled in this woman. Anala was everything, and as frightening as the concept may have seemed Emmett existed solely for her; the reality didn't scare him. Anala had died but somehow had been given back to him. He didn't know how and as curious as he was, Emmett didn't care to know. Whatever it was, he was grateful to be given the chance to see her like this. To openly and unapologetically watch the woman who was meant to be his. To watch her live. Anala's very soul called to everything inside him and it as hard to believe he had almost lost this, almost missed the opportunity to have that piece of himself.

The distant, mysterious creature he'd first seen in that high school parking lot had turned out to be vital to his entire existence. Emmett watched as Anala bent to wring out the water that weighed down the dark material of her dress. It clung to her form, shaping against her wetly. The high slit exposed her leg and thigh, the trail of black markings that disappeared up beneath it tempting his imagination. She had been so hesitant and afraid then. Emmett was left in tormenting wonder more often than not, starved to know something, anything. Despite his chronic tendency to be impatient Emmett had found a way to control it, knowing her almost instinctively. Even back then. Now he stood in a cave she had played in as a child. It made Emmett indescribably happy to know Anala was willing to share herself and her life with him, share her home with him. They may have been mates but Anala chose him freely. Because she wanted to. Emmett didn't think she knew how much he loved her. Anala knew of course, Emmett told her every day and saw the warmth in her eyes as she heard and believed him but he wasn't sure she truly understood the extent of it. Emmett looked forward to have her see and know it, to feel all he felt for her though the days yet to come.

Emmett tossed the remainder of the Bloodfruit out of the cave, hearing it land far below where it could become a potential meal for whatever animals that lived in the undergrowth. Anala was moving towards the wall and he quickly caught her in his hold. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her close. A disgruntled escaped her. "Em you're all wet!"

Grinning, he began to nuzzle against her, causing water to slide between them at the applied pressure. Anala was squirming, and he laughed. "That's cold!"

"oops." he pressed a kiss to her hair, her damp face and neck. He captured her lips for a long moment.

Anala ducked under his arm when he lifted it and she moved towards the wall. Emmett followed and pulled her down into his lap when she moved to sit. He supposed there were much greater things in the world, beyond it even, and Emmett was knew it had interfered somehow. It had to. He'd been given something impossible, though he would never know what he'd done to deserve it. A strange foreboding sense of anticipation hovered outside of his awareness. Emmett however, was heedless, happy to simply wait out the storm with his mate in his arms.

A warm soft breeze swept by. Anala brushed her hair out of her eyes. It had dried quickly, along with the material of her dress. The storm had been boisterous and mighty yet relatively harmless. The dark clouds had been replaced with open endless blue skies distantly floating across the horizon. The sun beamed down on them and the summer air was hot. The ground felt comfortable and deeply familiar, dark earth damp and cool beneath her bare feet and the tall grass brushed against her dress and calves as they made their way along the hill. She held her boots loosely in one hand and walked calmly. There was a whoosh of air and the sound of wings as two shadows darted above her head. Rowan and Elias touched down several feet ahead of them, laughing and dodging each other. Their forms grappled and collided on the grass, sun glinting of amber and gold flashes before they were in the air again. Emmett was quiet at her side. His large presence was calm and steady, the sun making his hair and eyes shine.

"If our planes are so closely connected and Layame have the power to move between them then why haven't you at least developed it? Surely there has to be more than these untouched areas?" Carlisle's curious nature had gotten the better of him and Nolan was patiently answering his inquiries.

"Of course there is more, but our realms are not connected, just adjacent. Unlike humanity, we coexist much more intimately with the world around us. This plane exists right along with the metaphysical plane. So closely in fact, that there is only the thinnest of veils between them and they intermingle. Because humanity is more attached to the physical, they cannot always sense how strongly the energy in the land manifests. They are capable of destroying their world on an astonishing scale. Layame are made differently. We are too sensitive to the balance and the energies that govern it. We take only what we need from the earth, and never take more than the land can give at one time. More importantly, we don't need it. the earth provides what we need, down to the most complex of physical necessities and the rest is provided though a spiritual energy that does not exist on that plane."

"But if you need that energy, why have so many Layame been able to live on our plane for so long?"

"Layame were born from Mages as well as Angels. On some scale we are partially human, because for all intents and purposes, Mages are human, just enough to allow us to live without it. However, that doesn't mean it won't take its toll. We all have a limit. Yes, my people have been living between worlds but ultimately we are all drawn back here. Physically, it is damaging after long periods of time, and many have died much sooner than they were supposed to, especially right after the war forced many away. We can be there, live there even, but only for certain periods of time. We thrive here because our bodies feed off the energy here, and in turn sustains the natural power we contain. While it might seem like we have the choice to adapt to the human world we can only play the part. Eventually, we search, even if we don't consciously know what we are searching for which is why I need to bring those who are still on the next plane back."

"Or you go extinct."

"Eventually, yes."

"Civilization hasn't fallen though, right?" Edward's interest had been sparked. "You said yourself there are still Layame here."

"Yes, but my kind are deeply linked creatures, not just to land or energy, but to each other. We keep each other alive but as Ahrahn, I have the responsibility of keeping my race alive through the power I inherited while the other half of both it and my soul, is placed elsewhere to keep it balanced."

"You're talking about Anala, aren't you?"

Nolan nodded. "The Marked are born in pairs. Anala however, was born as the Oracle, which is apparently different."

"How so?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. We've been together since the beginning, were born together. All my life I've been told our connection was different, more special somehow because we were both chosen by the Goddess to bear our marks, but we wouldn't know it. It's just us."

Rosalie's voice came from behind her. "So how far did the destruction go then? It seems very empty, surely there are other structures and buildings?"

"Definitely. There are seven clans of Layame located throughout these lands, while the population has dwindled they are still in place and those that weren't were rebuilt fairly quickly. But the war took place here. It was targeted specifically because it's more like the core of our very foundations. It has been home to my family since the first of my line were born to the Angels and gifted these very lands. Other areas were not hit very hard or left alone completely due to that. These lands are shared with the natural vampires as well as various Mage Tribes. Structures that you wouldn't believe are scattered everywhere. We have a central ruling family headed by yours truly and several temples devoted to their own specific deities and then of course there is our Naiyaila."

Edward turned, pacing backwards as he frowned at Nolan in confusion. "You're what?"

"The Outland Temple." Anala looked over to the copper-haired man. "The world isn't always as obvious here as it is over there. Sometimes, you need to know where to look."

Rowan and Elias landed roughly on the grass some yards away. The Vayars wrestled aggressively, but the playful tone was unmistakable. They rolled and suddenly dropped out of sight, their surprised shouts followed by a distant thud.

Nolan chuckled. "Ouch."

Anala ran forward and looked out at the stretch of land. The ground dropped off naturally, sloping downwards and opening out into a large spacious valley. Green grass was littered in shrubbery and bundles of wildflowers and large stones were seated amongst the grass. Past it, on the other side, was dense forest where massive trees stretched high into the sky. It was lovely. Beautiful.

And it made Anala's chest ache painfully.

A demon fell out of the sky, bloodied and mangled. The corpse hit the ground with a dull thud, bones cracking. The ground was stained with dark blood. Twisted, monstrous carcasses lay alongside the still, winged corpses of dead Layame, many tragically familiar. Anala suddenly felt cold. Carnage was everywhere. Two Layame cut down a large inhuman beast. A woman fiercely decapitated a lunging demon falling to the ground as her hand pressed into her severely wounded side. The smell of blood and death and smoke choked her lungs. Howls and screams endlessly filled the air. Her bones ached and her breath was labored. Fatigue had taken a toll and the injuries on her person were slowing her down as she pushed beyond her limits. She sent out a sudden force of power, eliminating the closest wave of demons in wave of black, giving the warriors as much help as she could as she struggled to keep running forward. She felt every death, sensed each life fade into nothingness as it passed. Images continued to flash before her. Nolan lay on bloodstained grass. Pain speared through her back and chest, a blade protruding from her body. Her fingers clutched the grass as she crawled forward. Carus, standing tall and cold. His voice was mocking above the wet, labored gasps that escaped her brother's lips. Her brother's cold hand squeezing hers tightly. Nolan's unwavering stare locked on her own and power shredded through them as they summoned the last of their strength and released it on their final strike.

A hand taking her own snapped Anala's mind into the present. Her gaze turned to meet the vivid azure stare of her brother. She took a sharp breath, realizing she had been holding it. Nolan's hand was warm in her own, and the awareness of his spirit soothed her. Anala swallowed thickly. Her brother smiled gently and began to pull her along the ground to begin the descent into the valley.