War erupted around us in moments, demons clawing their way out of sewer drains as pixies appeared from all directions in the air. Guardians burst out to meet them in seconds from every street, their forces mixing together like rain into the sea.

"This way!" Cybele yelled to us, Raphael pushing at me to run as we all broke into a sprint. She pulled open the door to a neighboring house, ordering the Bentons in one at a time. Inside it was dark but I knew that we were alone, Raphael barricading the door behind us.

"Stay low and away from the windows!" He roared over the shrieks and sound of swords clashing together. His wild eyes scanned the Bentons. "Who of you here knows how to use a sword?"

"Do you think we're stupid?" Ethan cried out from where he was crouched behind one of the couches.

"Use whatever weapons you have if anything comes through this door!" Raphael snapped in reply. "Aim for the heart or cut off the head. Do not let anything get behind you. Do not let anything get above you. And for fate's sake, do not let any teeth touch you or you might as well kiss your soul goodbye. You have to make up for what you lack in speed with skill. Are we all clear?"

The room was quiet, not even Vulcan piping up with a sarcastic comment or Leighton with a challenge. They all kneeled together, huddled behind furniture with their blades drawn. Cybele prepared her bow as she looked to Raphael, giving him a nod. "Nothing will get through me."

"Stratton," he said to me, "I need a shield, and for the time being, that'll be you."

"Finn is going to murder you!" Cybele hissed.

"She is not going out there!" Matilda shouted in reply. "You are not sending my little sister out there into the middle of..."

"She is the only option!" Raphael growled. His eyes met mine. "I want you to put out some of that power of yours when I open this door. Think of whatever the hell you want to get it to happen but if you don't, you'll be letting in night children who will eat your friends without hesitation. Ready?"

"Raphael, I'm not the best at..."

"Ready, set, go!" He yelled, moving his bodyweight off the door. It swung open, sunlight filling my eyes as I took in the battle breaking open outside. Guardians, demons, and pixies were everywhere, weapons flying as doves soared overhead. Arrows were shooting everywhere as blood of two different colors coated the ground.

My stomach came up into my throat, the horror of the Ultrona fire playing inside my head. I could imagine the smell of smoke in the air, the feeling of not being able to breath making my head spin. But I couldn't dwell on it long as many pairs of black eyes had shot to me.

A loud war cry of demonic screeches echoed, ugly beings just like the ones from the Mimic scurrying across the gravel towards the open door.

"Kate!" Matilda cried from behind me, my meraki exploding from inside my core.

I held up my hands, a lightness filling my chest and radiating down my fingers. Inside every demon's chest was a dark fire, twisted and so hot that it ran cold. All I needed to do was to clamp my fist around it, and like that, it was out.

All four demons that had clambered up onto the front porch dropped, venom pooling from their tongues and nostrils as their bodies gave a final twitch. Raphael stepped beside me, giving a whistle. "Well, that will work too."

"That was reckless." Cybele snapped, but she touched my shoulder, squeezing it with pride instead of anger. "Time to go, Raph."

"Me too?" I asked.

"Guard your friends." Raphael said as he stepped outside onto the street. "They look incompetent, and from what I've gathered after our last meal with them, they are."

He drew his sword, shooting up into the air with the hiss of the wind against his feathers. Cybele gave me a nod, "I'm staying with you all."

She pushed the door shut, leaning her body against it for extra support. I stood beside her, whispering. "What's going to happen, Cybele?"

"We will stay in here as long as we can. I can't let you out of my sight, Kate." She said softly, "Felix and Noxia mean business. If he gets you alone..."

"Why do they want Kate?" Leighton's voice rang out from the darkness. He'd stood to his feet just as had the rest of the Benton's and Matilda, all eyes trained on us. "Can we also talk about Butterfly's freaky twin?"

"You just saw a taste of her power." Cybele said. "She is a rarity, and she is the one who can end this war once and for all."

"Nocen is Finn's twin, and yes, he is a demon." I finished his question.

"This is the most confusing shit I've ever heard." Ethan said under his breath. "What dimension of hell have I fallen into? Dammit, I really thought I had a shot at heaven."

Bodhi cleared his throat, "you're saying that the myths of Noxia are true?"

Cybele nodded her head, "all of them. Secta is my father, and we are his army. Kate is the Prodigy from the stories, the one who decides the future. The demons here today want to capture her so that they can return her to Noxia where..." Her voice faded as she looked at me. "I couldn't tell you what would happen there."

"I'm not letting them take my sister." Matilda spat, eyes full of power. "None of us will let that happen."

"Why are you here anyway, Kate?" Leighton replied, making me narrow my eyes. "You could have stayed home and avoided this mess."

"I came to protect all of you." I hissed, letting my veins glow. "You are family to me, no matter how ungrateful. I couldn't let anything happen to any of you, so Secta gave me permission to go."

"You've met the God of Light?" Bodhi asked, eyes wide.

"I have, and he frankly can be quite a pain in the ass."

Something hit the wall outside, making us all jump. Blades were drawn, but nothing made a move for the door. Gradually, the tension in the air dissolved as the Bentons looked around the room.

"We should be out there fighting." Gryffin huffed, taking a seat on the edge of the living room's coffee table. He rested his chin in his hand while holding his sword in the other.

"You'll be slaughtered." I said, biting my lip. "Trust me when I say that you won't be fast enough. The Guardians have enhanced strength and speed, and they are barely able to compensate even with years of training. You all need to stay here with me."

"That sounds pessimistic." Ethan retorted. "We're Bentons. Fighting is what we do best, obviously."

"Did someone look up a new vocabulary word today?" Vulcan snorted, earning himself a loud slap on the back of the head from Ethan.

"Everyone," Cybele said, her voice soft but dominating nevertheless. All eyes rested now on her as she took a breath, "I need you all to..."

A breeze whipped across the room, flashes of color exploding on either side of Cybele. Something shoved her forward and she went flying, tumbling in a heap behind one of the couches as a hand locked onto my arm as I let out a scream.

Then I was outside, lying face first in the dirt as Nocen stood over me with a smile. "Funny seeing you again, Kate. Poor circumstances truly."

I looked up, noticing the house I'd just been in behind him. He hadn't taken me far, and somehow I knew this was part of the game he was playing. Cybele charged out of the house, sword drawn. Nocen looked over his shoulder, giving her a wink.

"Nocen!" She roared, "please don't make me fight you."

The Bentons were watching from the windows, Malaki and Leighton hunched in the open doorway with their blades drawn as Matilda hovered behind them. Her eyes met mine but not for long. Nocen's hand chomped down on the back of my neck as he lifted me off the ground onto my feet.

"Let go of me, you ass!" I snapped, elbowing Nocen straight in the nose. He dropped me, and I managed to land on my feet, moving away from him.

"Knock her around!" Nocen snarled, rubbing his face. "Don't use teeth and no broken bones please."

Cybele charged him, flying straight into his chest as she knocked him clean off his feet. They tumbled into the street as the demons Nocen had called began to circle in around me.

Before anything could touch me, something heavy hit the ground behind me, making me jump as I turned around to look. "This is why he shouldn't have put us on separate fucking doves."

Finn snapped both of his swords from their sheaths across his back, his brilliant blue eyes meeting mine. And then he went to work, leaving me breathless. He pulled me close to him, shielding me behind his back as his wings came up.

The first demon that lunged at us was decapitated before its back feet even left the ground. The remaining five circled around us as Finn kept me close, stalking them just as easily as they preyed upon us. One made a move, but Finn was quicker, both blades striking it in the skull.

"Behind you!" I said, the demon staring me in the eyes letting out a growl. Finn leaned forward before propelling himself into the air. I ducked as he flipped backwards over my head, landing on the other side of the demon as his sword went through the beast's spine.

"Stay down!" Finn shouted, and I listened, ducking my head. He pulled a knife from his belt, twirling it in his fingers before yanking his arm back to let the blade fly. It spiraled through the air, stabbing the third demon in between the eyes.

The fourth leapt at me but never landed a blow as Finn shot to my side, slicing the monster across the chest. The last beast jumped at us, but Finn was ready, ducking underneath it just as he was able to grab it by the back of the neck. A loud snap echoed in my ears, and Finn let it slump to the ground with a crooked head. Finn pulled his swords out of the bodies, shaking off the residue before sliding them back into place on both shoulders.

"Are you hurt?" He asked me, his eyes scanning my face with the kindest expression that was so different from the one he'd just had before. I could only respond by throwing myself in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck as he held me tight. His wings came around my back, his feathers tickling the center of my shoulder blades as he kissed my temple.

"I missed you." I said into the curve of his neck, making him let out a deep breath.

"I've missed you more than you'll ever know."

"He's gone." Cybele said as she walked towards us, her blonde hair wild and dirt all over her body. Finn and I pulled apart as she cursed under her breath. "He tricked me."

"We need to get Kate out of here now." Finn said before looking back over his shoulder. "Her friends too."

"I'll try and call a dove but I don't know if they're in the air." Cybele pulled something from her pocket, messing with it as she talked. "We're in battle; you know we usually don't leave unless we win or we're forced to retreat as a whole."

"Try please." He said before turning back towards the house. "Hey, Matilda."

My dark-haired sister had some how managed to slide out the door, greeting Finn with a big hug. "You are amazing! Thank you for protecting my sister. I see now more than ever why she'd fall in love with a man like you."

I glared at Matilda as Finn smiled from ear to ear, giving me a smile. "Been talking about me, have you?"

A deadly howl filled the air, making us all freeze as we turned around to look behind us. I sucked in a breath in shock, watching as a black speck on the horizon slowly grew larger and larger. The air seemed to go cold, a sound I'd never heard before in my life echoing in my ears.

"I need my bow!" Cybele shouted as she ran for the house, Finn gripping my hand.

The second howl from the creature made my skin feel as though it were on fire, and I realized I knew exactly what was coming for us when it broke through the clouds. The creature was nothing other than a dragon.