Author's Note: I finally have time to finish this story! I will write like a fool this weekend and the days I don't have to work (when I get a new job that is) but after that, I'm going to take a hiatus to relax and watch some new dramas so I can write some more. I'm still waiting for Descendants of the Sun to be added to the fanfiction list so I can write for that.
After 14, there are only two more chapters to write. Hopefully I will have them done by Monday. If you are my pen pal, feel free to message me through private message. I will always answer that even while on hiatus.
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"Why do we always end up on the roof?"
Dasha looked over at Shi Yoon. They were situated like they usually were at times like this. One of her legs was tossed over his as her head rested on his arm. Anyone who saw them would think they were lovers.
But no one really knew what the two actually were. It took a lot of time and effort for anyone to find out. Even Benji, who had been with them since nearly the beginning, had a hard time deciding if they were lovers or just really close.
She looked back at the darkening sky. "Because no one comes up here. I'm not disturbed and it gives me time to think."
Shi Yoon sighed and ran his fingers through her hair. "You've always been a strange one. But I'm not the only one who thinks that it's a compliment."
"Leo?"
He nodded. "He really likes you. I don't have to hear the words. I saw it with my own eyes."
"That's still creepy."
"But you know I was there. That's not important right now. He likes you for who you are. And you're going to need someone in the near future."
Dasha turned onto her side and settled into his. "Aren't you going a little too far with this?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I talked with my father before coming here. I agreed to the marriage in exchange for telling you in person and visiting. I have exhausted all of my resources to help you this time. There's nothing more I can do."
Dasha felt like crying but she had known he would make a huge sacrifice to make sure she was safe. For some stupid reason, they had always held out hope that things would change and they could be together. She wasn't even certain they would see each other ever again.
As if knowing what she was thinking, Shi Yoon pulled her close with his free hand. She felt his nose in her hair and heard him inhale deeply.
"You know I love you right?" he asked. "You're my best friend who I wish could be more."
Dasha didn't say a word because she knew she'd cry. So she held on as tight as she could suddenly her world was falling apart. She had never thought she would hold on for one last time. He had always said he wasn't going to get married to whomever his father had decided. He had always wanted to make his own choices, and so far he had. But her predicament had changed that course drastically.
But the hardest thing about all of this was never seeing him again. She had no idea who the prospective bride was. She had no idea what the woman would demand of Shi Yoon. Would she know that he couldn't eat oranges, fish, nuts or beans? Would she know that he was allergic to grass, the aforementioned food, and aloe vera? Would she know he hated bitter foods including coffee and that he dumped half the sugar bowl to make sure it wasn't? Would she allow him to name his eldest son Ji Hoon because he had always liked the name? Would she be willing to have four kids for him?
Would she love him above everything else and not care that he was one of the richest people in the world?
All of those things Dasha knew and loved. She hadn't cared that he had money. His heart had always been made of gold, and he had used that tenderness to take care of his family. After his sister had married outside of their "ranking", everything had been thrown on him, and he had taken it in stride. But the on black mark on his perfect record had been Dasha. The mutt as she had been called had been the only thing that had marred him in their society. But Shi Yoon hadn't cared, and that's what had made him so special.
So Dasha held on to Shi Yoon just as tightly as he held her because both knew this was the last time they would ever be able to do this again.
They were half asleep when they heard the same car roar through five times. It wasn't unusual for people to have the same make and model of car in this neighborhood, but it was the SAME car that kept coming through. It had a knock in its engine that was very distinguishable.
On the sixth time around, Dasha and Shi Yoon sat up on the roof, one foot drawn up underneath them as they watched the street on full alert. They looked at each other as if came around the seventh time. Dasha was already preparing those inside as she heard them scrambling to assemble in one spot.
"Do you think they're treating us as Jericho?" she asked, making a reference to how the Israelites marched around Jericho seven times before the walls crumbled.
"They're definitely scouting," Shi Yoon agreed, "but for what purpose?"
The hair on the back of Dasha's neck stood on end as four cars pulled up to the gate. One was their knocking scout that had driven the block. The windows rolled down and she caught the distinct smell of gasoline.
"They're going to blow the house up. Get off the roof!"
They jumped just as two Molotov cocktails shattered into flames right where they had been crouched. The following explosion of a regular bomb or grenade shattered their ear drums, forcing red goo to steadily drip along the side of their faces.
Shi Yoon sat up first and checked them over, his voice a very dull roar in Dasha's ears. She looked over his shoulder to see Benji escorting everyone out of the house and corralling the parents and children in the center of their huge circle. The others were coming out of the secondary house to put out the fire.
"Dasha," Shi Yoon said. She was slowly regaining her hearing because his voice was a little louder.
"I know," she responded, eyes sweeping the yard as she did a head count. "That's the last of our worries. Bombing is just a means of getting us from point A to point B. But what is point B?"
"Benji!" Shi Yoon called. "Make sure everyone comes here!"
"Eonni, what's going on?" Jin asked as everyone finally crowded together. Donghyun held his sister up as smoke marred her porcelain face. This wasn't the first time the young woman had been in a fire, but no one was about to tell Donghyun that.
Dasha closed her eyes and over the dull roar of the flames, she extended her hearing. She swept the grounds of the estate. Typically she wouldn't extend any further than she had to, but this was a dire situation. Someone was out to kill everyone in that house and she had to find out who it was. The only way to do so without walking into the trap was to use telepathy.
Sharp pain swept through her head, driving her to her knees. Benji and Shi Yoon dropped beside her, but she knew she was blocked.
"They're coming from the garden," she explained as she allowed her friends to haul her up on unsteady knees. "The fire was just a way to get us out back. They've given themselves away because we're out front. It takes away their surprise since the cars disappeared as soon as the house was on fire. But I'm blocked so I don't know how many we're facing."
After explaining a few critical things, they formed a plan and hunkered down in the front yard. Ji Hoo administered first aid for those who needed it with the help of Hongbin. Some of the guys shifted so eighteen wolves roamed the front in alternating paths.
Dasha and Baye planned everything that needed to be done. Somehow they had to get out to get help and food, but most importantly the kids needed to be safe. The twins and other babies were sitting with Jenissi's and Hansol's wives as the women did their best to console the frightened children.
They had no way of knowing where the men in the cars had gone or if they had even left. Since Dasha's telepathy was out of commission, it was a hard thing to deal with. They were in limbo as they waited for the next thing to happen, and that was scarier than anything else.
Dasha was watching the shadows by the gate when a red beam of light caught her attention. She followed the stream until it landed square in the middle of Baye's back. She cursed herself for moving away from the Wild Power when she knew this was a possibility.
"Baye! Move!"
Everyone turned in unison, but her warning was too late as she heard a silenced pop. They scrambled to get to the woman in the wheelchair, but it was as if it were in slow motion. It seemed like no one could move fast enough to get across the yard and that it would all be over.
That is until the bullet tore through flesh.
An eerie silence filled the front yard as Shi Yoon stood completely still in front of the wheel chaired woman. Dasha never stopped moving across the grass, barely arriving in time to catch the man as he listed to the side. They fell the ground in a flurry of dust and grass as Ji Hoo slid beside them and started working.
Shi Yoon coughed, blood splurting from his mouth to run down his chin and splatter on Dasha's face. She stared down into his face as she held him up for Ji Hoo and talked incessantly to keep him away. He smiled at her as she spoke about Spain and Greece and the Maldives and children and a Disney movie marathon. They were all things they had done together and would do together in the future when he was healed.
Dasha caught Ji Hoo's eyes over the man's shoulder and the doctor shook his head. She looked back down at the man with a smile. Slowly, he raised his hands and took her face in them. Carefully, he kissed her then slipped back to look at her. He smiled again, his hands shaking as blood dripped off his chin.
"Saranghae," he choked out.
Dasha stared into his face. She watched as the light slowly left his eyes. His hands dropped as he let out a sigh, closed his eyes, and fell forward into her shoulder.
Kang Shi Yoon was dead.
Dasha cradled the man briefly, kissing the side of his head one final time before laying him in the grass. She folded his arms across his belly and mussed his mahogany hair. Blood stained her skin and clothes, but that wasn't the most dangerous thing at the moment.
Power swirled as she stood slowly, lifting dirt and grass in the breeze it created. The shifted wolves lifted their heads and let out a sad and lonesome sound. It was a song that one of their brothers was dead.
Dasha stood silently in the center of the yard. No one dared speak as she watched the burning house. No one saw her move but a guy suddenly slammed into the ground. She stared down at him, the coldest glare anyone had seen being focused to that one man.
Benji didn't have to ask. She and Creed grabbed the man by the wrists and dragged him away.
"Woo Bin." Dasha's voice wasn't her own as she spoke. It was gravelly and thick. Wolfy. "Douse the house. Right now we need complete darkness."
Woo Bin looked at the house, assessing it. "I can't sustain that much power to do that," he argued.
"Trust me." The phrase was weighted, but it spoke volumes to the control this woman had at the moment.
Woo Bin rolled up his sleeves and held out his hands. A huge rain cloud appeared over his head, and he sent it towards the house. It started to rain on the burning building, but it was obvious it wasn't doing any good.
The ground once again rumbled. Everyone looked at Yi Jeong, but the potter shook his head. He wasn't doing anything, but the mulch around the house rose up and hung in the air.
Without preamble, it dropped. Dust flew up in the air, mixing with the smoke and creating a noxious gas that permeated throughout the yard. But the fire was doused with the combination of rain and mulch, and the yard descended into quiet darkness.
"Jeongmin, illuminate only us." Dasha giving orders in a crisis was natural. With ease he didn't feel, Jeongmin followed the order. "Jenissi, P-Goon, Zico, and Taeil, set you packs equidistance apart. Don't let anyone through. Chase them down if you have to."
"We're going to lose lives," Hyuk chattered. "Noona, I'm scared."
"I'd be concerned if you weren't. Trust in me. No one else will die tonight."
"Can you guarantee that?" Ji Hoo asked.
"I'll die making sure of it."
The doctor and Hunter stared at each other for a heated moment. It was then and there that every member of this household respected the woman before them. Crisis and personal loss didn't deter her from saving them. It fueled her anger and made her stronger.
A soft yellow light surrounded them just as the next wave began. Men and women poured over the burnt house. Dasha quickly separated everyone and commanded the front line of Woo Bin, Yi Jeong, Jun Pyo, Donghyun and the twins. Benji had the second line of Creed, Hyuk, Leo, Jeongmin, N, Ravi and Hongbin. The others protected the women and children.
Somewhere in the middle, Woo Bin teamed up with Jun Pyo, Jeongmin, and Donghyun and created a thunderstorm. The winds blew as lightning crashed around them and thunder crashed. But with the four of them teamed up, it left Baye unprotected. She and Yi Jeong were taking turns disrupting the ground so people would fall in sink holes, but she was much farther from the group than she should have been.
Someone had taken the opportunity to go after her. Dasha left her line just as P-Goon and Zico crashed into it and started ripping attackers to shreds. Hot on the heels of the woman, Dasha launched herself through the air and tackled her mere inches from Baye. The woman rolled and Dasha came face to face with the one person she had known would be with this group.
"Bethany," she breathed.
Bethany Scott had been one of their best friends growing up. She hadn't gone through Hunter training but her father had been one of the instructors. She was a Halfling who had done her best to accept her magical ancestors, but somewhere down the road she had lost control of her powers. Her father had sent her to Spain to train and she had disappeared. Dasha now understood who the inside source was.
"The mutt protects the greatest asset this world has ever seen?" Bethany asked. Her voice gave away how far gone she was. Dasha carefully moved foot over foot until she had position herself between Baye and the other woman. "This is the best turn of events ever. Not only do I get to kill the woman who wants to turn our world upside down, but I also get to take out the stain left to live in the world."
Dasha knew this fight was going to be bloody and tough. She unlocked Baye's wheels and gently pushed her backwards into the ring of wolves protecting the women and children. With an explosive burst of energy, she carved out a crater to block them off from the remaining battle raging around them.
Multicolored flames filled in the void, and Dasha turned slightly to see Baye standing with the help of Jeongmin who had fallen back to his wife. He still controlled the lightning as he held his wife. The woman's skin with striped with colors as she held the flames in place.
With a shriek Bethany attacked, drawing Dasha back to the present. Weaponless, all she could do was dodge while Bethany attacked wildly with her sword. Dasha was without her telepathy and a weapon but she wasn't defenseless. Her telekinesis worked in many different yet wonderful ways. Even without having the abilities of Yi Jeong or Woo Bin, she could still control the water and earth almost as proficiently as they could.
Bethany brought her sword down straight across Dasha's chest, but the Hybrid was able to bring a dirt shield up just in time. The blade cleanly cut through the rock, but it saved her from a zipper type gash.
Unfortunately it slowed Dasha's reaction time down a little considering Bethany delivered a well placed kick to the woman's ribs. Dasha tumbled once until she popped up onto her knees, ending her slide just shy of the flames. If Bethany used her unpredictable magic, it was all over. Dasha had to somehow catch the woman off guard.
An idea formed as she was trying to catch her breath. Bethany relied heavily on her sword because her magic was so unpredictable. Looking around, Dasha realized that Bethany was the leader in this instance. She had to be. She was the only one with Maker blood in this whole group. Makers outranked Wild Powers considering they had created them with the magic of the four elements plus the spirit of freedom. Without Bethany, Baye would be in charge.
'Allow me out, Little Sister.'
Dasha heard her wolf sister call to her and gave up freely into the predator instinct. Her wolf rarely asked for release but they had fully bonded so it was much easier this time to let go. The wolf would protect her spirit from shattering because of what had to happen. They had made the decision together and this was how it was going to play out.
Bethany had ordered Baye's death but in the process had taken Shi Yoon's life. Dasha could forgive a lot of things, but killing that man was not one of them. She had been serious when she had said she loved that man and would kill for him.
Bethany wailed as she charged once more. Dasha stood her ground even as everyone around her yelled for her to move. That wasn't an option as she watched the smooth metal rise into the air then arc down.
Dasha caught the blade between her hands, but the force of the swing caught her in the shoulder and drug across her chest. She used the momentum to wrench the metal, and with a metallic clack it broke. Bethany shrieked something about how no mortal could destroy the metal made by the Makers before she threw the hilt down and charged. Dasha flipped the end of the metal and just as Bethany reached her, she drove the broken blade into the woman's abdomen and twisted.
Bethany's eyes widened and she looked at Dasha. Cold hatred stared at her as the Hybrid drew her forward.
"The only thing that can kill a Maker in battle is the Maker's own power or something forged by their bloodline," Dasha spat. "You would know that if you hadn't gone bat shit crazy. Even a mutt like me knows that."
She grabbed the dying woman's arm and slung her into the flames. The colors rose higher as Maker magic was returned to Maker design.
Around the ring of fire, the fighting stopped and everyone turned to look. They saw one lonely figure standing victorious but no one knew who it was.
Leo felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He looked down at Shi Yoon's lifeless body and hoped against hope that he wouldn't have to bury a second body.
The flames dropped just as Baye did and the yard was once again plunged into darkness. The lonely figure strode across the yard slowly, causing everyone to turn to watch.
Dasha stopped in front of Shi Yoon's body and stooped to pick him up. Bloody and bruised, she looked completely fine. But it was her eyes that held a different story. Stormy and white blue, she was not the carefree woman from this morning.
"Hyuk, I need you," she said.
The young man didn't argue as he ran to her side. "What is it, Noona?"
"Take me to New York. I'll show you where we're going."
"Take one of us with you," Jun Pyo advised.
Dasha shook her head. "No. This is Hunter business and I need the element of surprise. I'm going to yank the position from someone and I don't need any help doing it."
Hyuk didn't ask any more questions as he placed his hand on Dasha's arm, and with a pop, they disappeared from the front yard.