Finn grabbed Matilda and I by our hands, dragging us back towards the house. Leighton and Malaki greeted us at the door, Matilda hugging her boyfriend tightly as he pulled her into his chest.

"You all need to get out of here as quickly as possible." Finn barked, the Bentons trailing out onto the porch. "No planes or else you'll be taken out of the sky. Run past the train tracks into the woods and stay low. Do not let that dragon see you or else it will hunt you. Get as far away as you can."

"Can we get out of the city without getting fucking eaten alive?" Bodhi asked.

Finn nodded, "we cleared a path near the train tracks for evacuations, and guardian forces are stationed there. You need to hurry, so don't look back."

Cybele shoved through the Bentons, a stretchy black suit now coating her body as she adjusted her bow. It looked particularly huge, nearly as long as her entire torso as she used her teeth to pull down one of her sleeves.

"Finn, zip me up." She turned her back to him, Finn's fingers taking the back zipper and sliding it up to her neck. Cybele twisted her hair up into a bun with ease before giving her wings a stretch.

The dragon let out another roar, disappearing into a thicket of clouds. Its dark shadow was still visible as it continued to grow bigger and bigger to the point that I couldn't believe anything in the universe could ever be so large.

Cybele slid her bow off her back, grabbing two arrows from her quiver. She strung one, giving her arms a nice stretch as though she were readying to fire.

"You're going to try and shoot it down?" Ethan asked with wide eyes.

"I am the distraction." Cybele said through gritted teeth. "And I'm the only one fast enough to get the beast out of the area."

"Wicked." Vulcan said under his breath.

The dragon broke through the clouds, approaching Ultrona faster than before. Cybele spread her wings as she walked forward, preparing the first arrow while putting the second between her teeth. With a mighty thrust of her wings, she shot up into the air like a bullet. She was fast, much faster than Raphael or Finn could ever fly. Into the air, she rocketed through the overhanging clouds, plunging towards where the dragon had begun its descent.

"I'll guide you all out." Finn said, taking my hand in his.

Leighton scoffed, "we know our way around, Butterfly."

Finn narrowed his eyes just as Bodhi stepped in between them. "I don't know about you all, but I'd rather he be with us. The man knows how to use a sword, Leighton."

"Are we seriously arguing about how we are getting out of here?" Malaki hissed, "you fucking idiots! I don't care who is leading or if anyone is even leading at all, we need to get the hell out of here now!"

"Leighton," Finn said, their eyes meeting. "Go." With Finn's words, Leighton waved at the Benton's, marching down the street as they followed on his heels.

Ethan looked at Finn shyly. "You're still coming, right?" Finn nodded, Ethan letting out a sigh of relief. "Oh, praise Fate, we really aren't going to die."

Finn and I followed at the back, his hand still holding mine as we rushed through the streets of East Sector. "Will Cybele be ok?" I asked him.

"She's done this plenty." He replied, giving my fingers a squeeze. "I'm just happy that you're alright. I told Raphael to watch you..."

"That was not your smartest idea." I smiled.

"It was the best I could do to make sure that you were safe considering Secta wouldn't let me near you. Believe me, I tried." He said, exhaling loudly. "When today ends, I don't know when I'll be able to even see you next. That's the most miserable thing I can think of."

There was a loud screech behind us, making us all jump as we glanced behind us. The dragon was spinning in the air, its jaw snapping as it tried to sink its teeth into the fly swirling around its head. The fly, I realized, was Cybele. My jaw nearly hit the pavement as I watched her avoid its large teeth by ducking under one of its wings.

"Big dog! Big dog!" Ethan screamed from our other side, Finn gripping me to his chest. The Bentons had jumped into the side alleys, giving us a full view of the creature that waited at the end of the walkway.

It was indeed a huge dog, but from its face I knew that it was a wolf.

Just the same, it wasn't a wolf, its body composed of black vines coiled to create a strong back and firm legs. It looked like the ugly, weaker demons, but I knew that Nocen was far from weak. The wolf of darkness showed its teeth, letting out a snarl that made Finn stiffen and let out a growl of his own.

Nocen surged forward and Finn pushed me towards one of the alleyways. I fell into Malaki's side as my guardian charged at his brother with equal speed. His human body bled away until his feet transformed into paws and his skin to silver fur as the two wolves met teeth first.

Their dogfight began with the loud snapping of jaws, barks and snarls echoing into the air. Paws swatted at the other, Finn sinking his teeth into Nocen's shoulder blade as he struggled to try and pin him into the dirt. They flipped over, hitting the dirt and making the entire ground shake under their weight.

"Your boyfriend's a...?" Malaki managed to stutter, Matilda's mouth hanging open.

"He's a dog, a real dog." Vulcan said.

"I fucking love this man! What a legend!" Ethan shouted as he clapped his hands for Finn, letting out whistles as though he were watching a horse race. "Sick 'im! Sick 'im, Butterfly!"

Their jaws smacked in the air as Finn swiped Nocen across the stomach. The demon wolf howled, smacking Finn across the chest so hard that he flew backwards and collided against one of the buildings. He went through the wall, boards splintering everywhere as he disappeared into the shadow of the unlit building.

My heart fell in my chest, fear pumping through my veins as I pushed out into the alley. "Nocen, stop!"

His head whipped around towards me as he let out a snarl. My meraki sparked, and I found myself reaching deeply inside his chest to where his own fire flamed. Its outer color was black like the rest of his body, but underneath its fierce exterior it glowed a warm orange similar to Cybele's.

She was right about him; he was trapped deep inside by darkness. Could I break him out?

A tap on the bruised, outer shell made him whimper as his wolf fell back. He cried out, claws digging into the earth as he slowly transformed back to his human form. He was whimpering and flailing on the ground, cursing loudly as sweat started to coat his forehead. Finally, when I took my finger off his meraki's outer shell, Nocen went still as he laid on his back panting. A crack ran along the layer of his meraki, and I returned to my body fully.

There was a howl behind me, making me lose my focus as I turned around. In the clouds, Cybele was trying to keep the dragon entertained, arrows hitting into the beast's sides.

They were special, some causing explosions on the dragon's scales that made it flinch away. Some had the power of an icy blast or water that Cybele was trying to get down the dragon's throat. She wasn't trying to harm it; the guardians only wanted to get it out of the city.

The creature was infatuated with her, its eyes following her body as she soared around its head. She angled her wings, now turned as she made quick flight away from the city. It was following as she began to lead the creature towards the mountains in the west.

She didn't make it far as something burst through the clouds in front of her, a new beast that none of us had seen before. A second dragon had emerged, and with one mighty swipe sent Cybele down to earth with the speed of a lightning bolt. She disappeared in the forrest, hitting the ground like a comet.

My heart stopped in that moment as I lost all ability to speak. The two dragons had begun to quarrel, landing in front of Ultrona as they breathed fire that was quick to spread. My city's going to burn again, and the angel was gone.

"Cybele..." Nocen let out a groan, his eyes now burning an intense green. He disappeared into a whirlwind of silver, his body now nowhere to be seen. None of us knew what to say or what to do.

The rumbling of stone beside me made my head turn, Finn stumbling out of the rubble of the building back in his guardian form. He brushed dust, wood chips, and cement pieces from his hair, stretching out his wings. His dark eyes met Malaki's before he spoke, "I need your bow."

Malaki blinked but slipped the bow with its quiver off his shoulders, handing it to Finn without a single question.

It was Leighton who was the first to speak, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Cybele's down. Someone has to finish this." He growled, pulling a glowing blue crystal from his pocket. "Raphael's taking one and I'll get the other."

I couldn't breath, watching him string an arrow as all my fear and love for him pressed to intensely against my chest. Cybele was gone, and he... he...

"Finn..." I breathed. My voice was low, and no one besides the man himself heard me. His blue eyes met mine, sliding the bow across his back before he walked to face me. One of his hands came up to cup my cheek, his thumb running across my cheekbone. I was on the verge of tears as I looked at him, "please don't."

"I have to." He said, his voice so soft and sweet that it warmed me as much as it burned. "It's my duty, and if that means this... I'm doing it."

"I can't lose you."

"You won't." He kissed me fiercely, his lips possessing mine as I held onto the front of his shirt to keep myself steady.

I deepened our kiss, parting my lips for him as he clenched me against his chest. Leaving my body on fire, Finn pulled back, kissing me on the forehead as though I were made of glass. Coldness conquered my skin as I missed his warmth, looking up at those sky blue eyes I knew so well.

"I love you, sweetheart. Get out of the city, and I'll see you soon."

"I love you too." I whispered, and he gave me a charming smile. In the next second, I was encircled by a powerful gust of wind, and Finn was gone. I spun around, walking blindly backwards to get a better look at the sky. The clouds had rolled in, and to my disappointment, my guardian was nowhere to be seen.

Dragons roared in the distance, setting a spark of red hot fire alive inside my chest. I flared my nostrils, feeling the hair on the back of my neck bristle. The violence that I'd felt before, the excitement over a new challenge, was running through my body like tidal waves.

"Kate!" Matilda screamed from behind me, and I wiped around. Demons were surging around us all everywhere, pixies in tow that had pinned every Benton to the ground. Two demons like the ones from the Mimic stood in front of me, snarling as saliva fell from their waiting jaws. The woman, Maven, held Matilda's neck, holding her effortlessly off the ground. Her fangs were bared, flaunting them to me as she held them dangerously close to my sister's neck.

The pixie slapped her hand over Matilda's mouth again, giving me a smile. "I'll eat her if you aren't careful." Malaki was struggling against two beasts that had him stuck against the asphalt, making Maven let out a hiss. "Don't kill any of them yet."

"I can kill all of you right now." I snapped, which only made her chuckle.

"You're weaker than you want to let on, dear. We know that your powers are less than controlled." Maven hissed. She gripped Matilda tighter, letting her fangs graze the side of her neck. Matilda let out a muffled cry that made me flinch. Maven looked up at me, "game over, Stratton."

"Don't do it! Tell these motherf...." Ethan shouted but was instantly silenced.

"Don't hurt any of them:" I told Maven.

"Of course. It's a deal." She grinned.

My heart beat like a hammer inside my chest as I took a steady breath. All the fear and anger raged inside my body, but I could only concentrate on my sister. She needed me. I stared Matilda in the eyes as I raised my hands over my head and sunk down onto my knees.