Our friends file out of the city building one by one, Ryan hesitates to offer me his arm and I gesture for him to move on, gaining an odd expression from Helen that I can't quite place.

 "What?" I allow, curiously, as I fold my arms around myself and I hook her elbow in the crook of mine. She was plenty warm and my lack of body heat had tossed any aversion to human contact out the window. 

Helen walks quietly beside me, waiting until we are out of earshot of our friends as we head towards the pub down the snowy street. Landon and Pascal tag along quietly behind though the distance is growing as Helen and I walk at a much more hurried pace than most. 

"Nothing." She finally manages with a sigh. "I just don't like the way Ryan is always touching you."

Her defense surprised me, Ryan was probably one of the most unassuming men I'd ever been around. 

"Well, Verando did tell him he would murder him if he didn't keep me warm. He's just doing his job, Helen." I considered myself an expert on men and their desire for my loins, Ryan had never given me much of an inkling as to that being his desire. He seemed quite professional, ever doting to make sure I would live to see the next moment warm and comfortable. 

"Besides, I think he's sleeping with Sulema.." My voice lowers and gains her interest. 

With a shy giggle, she bumps me with her hip, wrinkling her nose in the way that her family is genetically inclined. "Such a gossip!" She scolds, clinging closer to me as the wind kicks up snow particles. "I wouldn't be surprised. She does seem to fancy him."

She wasn't the only one who seemed to fancy someone. Glancing over my shoulder, I spy Legardo trotting up to join Pascal. They walked comfortably close, a familiarity that I knew quite well. "How's your father?"

For a moment, I know her mind drifts towards my husband before her actual sire. With a shrug, she offers a lazy kick at the densely packed ice cluttering the sidewalk. My eyes drift to admire the massive tree, glowing brightly in the crisp morning air. Since the fight, the air had been palatable, one might be able to comfortably breathe the air in such a climate. 

"I don't know. He seems distracted. It's weird seeing him like this, normally he's a busybody in the kitchen. Lord knows where he is while Harrison watches the girls..."

Raising a brow, I have a healthy suspicion where he is. "How are things with Tyler?"

My question causes her to flinch, her fingers squeezing the density of my coat. "Bad." She admits, her tone low. "Nic, I don't know what to do."

As much as I don't want to, we pass the pub and leave our companions behind. I want to spend my every spare minute with Xavier but Helen and the resistance need me more. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I check the monitor that Landon so graciously installed and see that he's happily napping in his crib. 

With a heavy sigh, I slip it back into my pocket as we make our way towards the ranks on the edge of the city. The walk would be long, there would be time to talk. 

"What's the problem?"

"He's so vanilla.... he looks at me as if I'm a child; as if I can't do anything. I'm an Alpha in training and he acts as if I'm some delicate rose." Vanilla and caring don't quite seem to go together in the context of which she describes. "I feel caged when I'm with him, he's so negative, always offering the downside to every plan. If it were up to Tyler, we'd be hiding in a bunker somewhere waiting for the end of days."

I couldn't help but feel some sort of responsibility for that. Tyler had not gone through the strenuous schooling that I had, that Pascal had in a way, he was a gentle soul living a gentle life. He was not created for war, he was the ultimate aftercare that we would eventually come to rely on when the rest of us were too damaged for this fragile world. 

"Tyler is not like us." I agree. "But, you aren't like us either."

This seems to offend her and she stops abruptly, her expression hurt. "Nic, how can you say that? I do everything you ask, I have worked so hard to make Papa proud... "

"You work harder than anyone here." I agree once more, taking a casual inventory of our surroundings. 

The difference between us was quite clear to me, Helen was still youthful, innocent in a way. She had not yet been soiled by the lies that the stillness held. 

"I just think you're comparing Tyler to someone who is not really on the same scale..." 

Finally, my gaze falls on her and she frowns heavily. 

"Could this possibly have anything to do with your role model?" 

Didn't they always say girls married their fathers? Tyler was much like Legardo in the way that he cared deeply for all around him, was fiercely protective of those he loved, and was outspoken when it came to his family. I could admit that I disliked the way he spoke to her at times, I loathed how he seemed to think she was unable to protect herself

But those weren't the root of the reasons she was giving me for their hardships.

Shaking her head, she hops up on the ledge of a retention wall to walk in deliberate disobedience to the designated walkways. I can't help but roll my eyes, seeing my future played before me in what to expect from Xavier. The thought brings me some internal warmth though I can't help but shudder at my inner monologue. 

When did I get so old? 

"This has everything to do with the fact that I'm not a child and I'm sick of everyone treating me like one."

Holding her arms out much like a young girl, she balances on the thin edge. "I see how Papa looks at you, how you look at him, I see your face, and how much you miss him. Papa never acts as if you can't do something, he just trusts you to do it because you can. You're so strong and brave, would you, honestly be happy with Tyler?"

The thought brings an onslaught of laughter that offends her yet the thought is so ludicrous that I can't keep it in. "Helen, Verando is very much concerned with my well-being. You also would do well to remember that he's nearing fifty and Tyler is hardly twenty-five. 

I can't say I'd be happy with Tyler but you seemed completely content until only recently. Verando worries about me more than he cares to admit, he just respects me enough to voice it in private. Have you considered talking to Tyler instead of throwing him on the pyre?"

My skin crawls at my rational behavior. I would need to do something horribly lude when my husband returned to make up for this level of maturity. 

Stopping once more, she considers this with a slightly pouted lower lip. I wasn't giving her the answers she'd hoped for. "That's all he wants to do is talk. I don't want to be petted... I want to be taken and held, to have a partner, not a soft companion. I want more, Nic." 

The burn deep in her eyes tells me exactly what she means. I swallow as I come to terms with the fact that young people seem to think I'm a sexual deviant who holds all their solutions. 

"Sex is a dangerous thing, Helen," I respond, curtly, adjusting my coat.

"For the first time in my life, I'm talking to people and hearing about all these amazing things... I want to experience it, not cling to plain old vanilla. I love Tyler, with everything in me I love Tyler, but I'm not in love with the way Tyler sees me. I want to be... what does Tiberius say, a goddess?" 

I choke on my surprise and purse my lips in frustration. 

"Oh for the love! Have you been talking to a Siren? For god's sake, Helen!" I shove her off the ledge and into the fresh snowfall. She disappears into the drift with a sound of surprise much like her grandfather. I'm too angry to even enjoy the moment. 

"Damn it, child, if you ever come to me again with woes of the lies a Siren weaves, I'll show what it is to be a slave to lust. Join a damned brothel if that is what you wish, there is no place for it in polite society."

The light eyes and pale hair peer over the edge of the snow, glossy with emotion and I frown at myself, running a hand through my hair as I cool down. Awkwardly, I lean over the wall to extend my hand and pull her out as she scrubs her cheek with the back of her hand. Sometimes I forget how sheltered her life had been before us. 

A siren was created to entice, she couldn't possibly know the impure temptation behind his every word. "Helen. I promise you, if you stop talking to Tiberius, you will find your life is much happier and much more fulfilled."

"Why would Tiberius intentionally say things to deceive me? That doesn't make any sense, Nic. He's our friend."

Composing myself, I help her over the ledge and dust the snow off her coat. "I don't even think he realizes that he's doing it, it's how they're designed. They act on lust, you could easily just pick up on a tone or a feeling he's putting off and your sensitive nature runs wild with it. It has the same effect on Verando and surely on your father as well. You don't notice that most lycans stay far away from him? He feeds on souls."

She flushes and I offer her a small smile, a peace offering. In this way, she is her father as it seems Legardo is quite a sensitive soul. "Give Tyler one more chance?" 

Reluctantly, she nods. 

"And stay away from that damn Siren." 

With a giggle, she nods once more. 

We traveled in silence through the streets and I quietly wondered how long it would take to build the motorcycles as the amount of walking we were doing was getting quite old. It's nearly noon by the time we reach our destination and as I spot Leo, hiding under an awning, I can tell by the look on his face that we're going to be here for the rest of the evening. 

"How did you know I needed you?" His smug grin uplifts my mood, despite the concern clouding his gaze. 

"I'm a King, it's my job to know these things."

He chuckles in response, motioning with his hand for us to follow as he takes us into the internals of the camp. One thing I like about Leo is his no-nonsense attitude, while he was quick with a joke, he was quite straightforward with his issues and needs. There was a lot to be said for the speed at which he could form solutions and troubleshoot issues. 

"What seems to be the trouble?" I ask, taking in the slowly growing city. 

Our ranks were expanding, though close nit, it was the best we could ask for. On the edge of the city limits, it was quite a few miles to the next town over and we owned this border. Jutting his thumb in an upward motion, I follow the track to see one of the massive buildings leaning quite impressively overhead. My heart instantly gallops as I clutch Helen as if that would save her.

 "Got it stabilized but-" he shrugs. "It's going to fall."

"So move?" I suggest hastily. 

"Trouble is, that's one of our few hospitals right in its path." His finger tracks downward towards the sizeable white building before us. "I'm thinking that this is no coincidence. Did you see Master Gabriel leave the city?"

The question brings me to a pause and I consider this as I try and recoup my brings in the panic of realizing we could be crushed at any moment. "I'm quite sure..." Was I? "Honestly, I don't remember. Leo, how are you stabilizing this?"

"Ice and lava from some mages, a few rock shelves. Look at the damage to the far side-" I examine the busted windows, it looked like it'd been scratched by a wild animal. "I'm thinking something pushed this over."

A dragon? 

Surely not, there would be more damage, more char, and destruction. This wasn't nearly sizable enough to have been caused by an animal of some sort. It appeared staged the more I looked at it as if someone had hoped we might follow the path and begin looking for an animal. 

As I match up the lines, I know exactly what it's from. "You think Gabriel slashed this building with a wind current."

Leo nods, one time. 

"We would have been able to hear it? Surely?" Helen asks, crossing her arms at the chill blowing off the vacant badlands just outside our limits. 

Leo removes his hat in respect for the woman, his eyes stern. "There's a lot of wind noise off the badlands at night, plenty out there to cause a ruckus. There was some noise but nothing out of the ordinary, woke up to the building threatening to crush us all. I think it was intended to, something must have interrupted him."

I lack a lycan that can reliably track magic though Helen had proved her nose on occasion. "He easily could have laid a dampener spell overtop of your dwelling and blocked out the sound of his attack. Gabriel uses dark magic, there isn't much for limits on his powers. If Gabriel is on the edge of the city, we need to flush him out and get him on the move again."

"Or kill him." Helen spits.

While I'd love to believe that was the truth, without Gabriel, what would happen to Fergus? I struggled with believing it would be so simple as to go to my old home and Fergus would be standing there. On top of this, there was my heartache that Gabriel was my flesh and blood, my only progeny. 

With this in mind, the only logical conclusion was the harsh reality that we were horrendously under-communicated. 

Why was it that we had no idea that this had occurred till now? 

"Leo, I need you to make a report about this and do a video call with Legardo to relay information. We must keep track of this. You need to call the metal crafter from the city and see if he can help melt these supports into something more sustainable. In the meantime, send out messages to all of our small groups and arrange a mass conference call for this evening. We will do it live from your headquarters before dinner, it appears I will be staying the night."

Surprised by the suddenness, Leo straightens with a quick nod. "Anything else?"

"Begin to make arrangements to transfer from this hospital to another. We have to remove their leverage, once this building falls, we will turn it into a wall to separate the edge of the badlands from us, it appears this is one of the major highways leading into the dead space. It only makes sense that this is where he would strike first." 

Which only left one more thing to do, it was time to go hunting for Gabriel once more. 

"Will that be all, Your Majesty?" Leo's face mirrors my concern as he seems quite aware of what I plan to do. "Should I let Stefan know you plan to go hunting?"

"Best not." I almost plead. "I'll see Stefan tonight, having him with me for this will just complicate things. I have Helen, it'll be easier to track him with just the two of us. I'll return before nightfall, Leo, please have the report ready for me by then." 

Dismissing him, I gather Helen and we tread into the open street, hasty to get out from under the towering shower of the leaning building. 

Stefan had not been the same since he returned from his excursion in Spain. Something had greatly bothered him, something that he felt I was not giving nearly enough consideration and yet there wasn't much I could do about it. Dwelling seemed pointless and without hard evidence, it was difficult to justify leaving my post when Gabriel kept reappearing at the most inopportune times. 

Unable to even tell me what he thought he'd witnessed, I could only chalk it up to his love for drama. 

"What're we looking for?" Helen questions, sampling the air. 

"Magic. He will need to recharge after something as immense as trying to knock down a building. This is the perfect time to find him, I'd imagine he will be near a water source.. perhaps creating a new forest to house more wraiths as he seems to draw power from them. I can only assume his power is drying up since he didn't succeed in knocking the building down?" 

As much as I'd like to hope it was a sense of humanity, I couldn't lie to myself that Gabriel had a human side left in him any longer. With so much time spent in the school, it was a wonder the man wasn't completely without emotion. 

"I'm not the best at tracking magic lately.." Helen hides her embarrassment, it would seem in her time with our neighborhood Siren, she'd be lax on her training.

"You better not let your Papa hear you say that," I warn her, irritated myself with her lack of commitment. She'd be at least capable at one point, she best hope she proved capable once more. "Smell for burning atmosphere and we will go from there, he has to be using if he wants to harness more power. Maybe we will get lucky and catch him at rest but even so, it should still smell quite strong. Dark magic is potent as hell."

I keep my gaze on the horizon, scanning for any glimmer off a forcefield that could be concealing the man. The longer we walk, the more the city turns into a distant clump of skyscrapers and haze. No trees, no scent, nothing to indicate anyone was even alive out here. I begin to doubt myself as we tread closer to the opposing city, spotting distant movement in its ranks of buildings, I'm reluctant to tread any closer. 

"I think we should head back." I finally admit. 

"Yeah, we should-" She hesitates, taking a slow inhale as she tilts her head. "Do you hear that?"

"All I can think about is those shapes moving amongst those buildings within shooting range of us. We can't stay here, Helen."

She kneels, touching the ground with her palm. "Under us. There is running water."

"Probably a pipe." I hiss hurriedly. 

"No.. it's echoing. It's a cavern." Suddenly, she grabs my wrist and yanks me to the ground a bullet flies over my head. "I think there's an underground cave."

"I know what a cavern is!" I retort sharply, covering my head with my hands. Bullets fly overhead, whistling through the air and causing little plumes of explosions all around us as they hit the snow. 

Helen huddles closer to me, attempting to guard me with her body. "We need to get underground, we're sitting ducks out here!" 

It seems like a fate worse than death to be trapped underground with that mad man and yet, watching Helen attempt to shield me with her own body was all the convincing I mean. "Hang on tight," I mutter as I shut my eyes and utter a quick revealing spell. The floor gives way beneath us and we're falling into the darkness below.