Can you hear the silence?
Can you see the dark?
Can you fix the broken?
Can you feel my heart?

Bring Me The Horizon - Can You Feel My Heart?

My old car looked out of place in the large detached garage that housed the Clan's vehicles. Next to the dark SUV I had seen from my store and the little red convertible I assumed was Nevaeh's, both sparkling, my car looked even more ancient than it was. Even if it wasn't pretty though, it was reliable. I patted the dirty hood as I crossed to the driver side, instantly regretted the decision and wiped my hand on my jeans.

The city loomed ahead of me, the sun almost fully below the horizon, just peeking over. It gave the city's tall buildings a dark gleam I found beautiful. This was my favorite time of day, the shadowed end of twilight fading into black, coating the city and dampening the signs of ordinary life. I parked on the outskirts of the city, far from downtown and the nightlife that was probably just beginning to rustle to life. Drunks, dealers, and hookers would be coming out soon, and I wasn't in the mood to deal with them. I fingered the knife in my pocket, glad to feel it's cold, smooth surface, before pulling my hood up and starting out across the lamp-lit streets.

The city felt odd to me. Something was off, different. The thought drifted through my head that it wasn't the city that had changed. Nothing seemed magical anymore, the streets were still beautiful, but the allure was gone, maybe because I had had something more captivating on my mind all day.

Despite being back in my city, I felt on edge, I could feel each heartbeat pulse through me, feel every breeze pass over my skin, each movement in the shadows and unnatural noise, nothing went unnoticed. I felt like a predator. I found a smile pulling at my mouth, and I tucked my knife up my sleeve for quicker access, just in case.

I passed by numerous warehouses, windows black or broken, abandoned cars on cracked concrete and fences plastered with trash the wind had blown and discarded there. It was strange to think that the world was still the same to so many people when everything had changed for me. I walked without a final destination in mind. I just followed wherever my feet led, turning at cross streets, weaving between brick buildings, I even ended up walking a couple of new streets I didn't recognize.

There were very few people out, probably because of the chill in the air, but the few I did see kept their distance as usual, and for once I was glad. These weren't the people I wanted, I wasn't looking for a pick-pocket or petty street criminal to practice my new skills on, that would be too easy. I was looking for something more worthy. I don't know when my walk turned into a hunt for something supernatural, something evil, instead of a search for James, but it had and I felt drawn to whatever it was I sought.

Soon I found myself in a seedy area, one I usually stayed away from because it seemed too obvious a cry for danger, but tonight I didn't care. I was pulled there, as if my body was on a string and I was merely following it to its source. Suddenly something in the air wasn't right, and the Call felt heavy in my pocket, but I couldn't imagine the embarrassment of calling on Kael for no reason more than a weird feeling so I ignored the eerie sense and focused on my surroundings.

I was near the back of a bar when I felt it, a small tingle, almost like a breeze, but something more, like when static makes your hair quiver. I stopped and listened, but there was nothing different, just a quiet street, too quiet. No drunks, no bums, not a soul. I continued my walk, but kept my eyes moving, scanning the shadows. The feeling grew as I moved toward the industrial sector at the city's edge.

Finally, the tingle morphed into something I recognized, something familiar; James. But it was different, even from this distance, I could feel his fire, the static turning to electricity, but there was something sharp in it, tipping the scales from pleasure toward pain. There was an uncomfortable feeling that made my mind cautious. He was angry, angry and violent, but it was so much more than mere violence...a black bloodlust, deep and dark, his mind thick with it, with lower needs and sick desires.

I sped up my pace, closing in on the source, the wire pulling me towards him, no longer a string, but something stronger, something capable of sending his current directly into me. My heart felt giddy despite the monstrous feelings of his mind, and a tight feeling lurked in my throat, as if a laugh was waiting there to escape. I had found him! And he was okay. I hadn't even realized how anxious I had been, but Kael's worries had clearly spilled over into me, mixing with my own.

My skin burned as I turned down a dark street, the usually pleasant connection now scalding. My skin felt hot, like I was too close to a fire. I nearly sprinted down the road, my eyes locked on an alley's entrance halfway down the block, my body was sure that was where I would find him. I reached the alley's opening and skidded to a halt, the feeling almost unbearable. I had to clench my jaw to stop from crying out. The energy was so much stronger than I had ever felt before, pure ecstasy mixed with agony ran over me, burning so bright I felt like I would combust, so hot I would melt.

I had never understood just how intertwined pain and pleasure could be until that moment, until the feelings were colliding within me. My heart was pounding and I could feel his presence seeping into me like a drug, filling my veins and giving me power that rivaled how I had felt when he called Rogziel.

The scene in the alley was difficult to discern. There were two men fighting, but it was only a blur of movements, impossible for me to pull apart. I couldn't even tell which James was, though the feeling of power and anger pulsing through the air had me sure that one of them was. Something metal flashed in the moonlight, like an extension on one of the men's hands - and came away red. I still wasn't sure which was my partner, but I had a feeling he had drawn first blood. Both men had their hoods up but the way my eyes were drawn to the almost poetic, swift movements of the first man made me more and more sure it was James. I felt frozen in place, mesmerized by their movements, taking in the beauty of the fight.

I saw the other fighter's mistake as soon as he made it, and James reacted just as quickly. The enemy stepped awkwardly on a pile of garbage, not enough to make him stumble, but just enough to give James an opening. James took it and shoved the man against the wall behind him, pulling his hand up into his abdomen. The angle was just right for the moon's light to illuminate the scene before me, like they were on a stage for only me to see, and I finally saw what the flash of metal had been. It was a knife that came out over the top of the center of James' fist. James twisted his arm and I heard the man gasp in pain. Crimson poured down his unique weapon as it glistened in the pale light.

James hissed something and the man let out a low chuckle. It was strange to see a reaction like that, my pair didn't seem like the sort of opponent one laughed at. In response, James shoved the knife deeper. The man's head jerked back against the brick wall from the force of the blow and his hood fell. I had to stifle a gasp at what I saw.

The man's face was sunken in at the eye sockets and his small eyes looked like a lizard's. They were a pale green color that seemed sickly, and his mouth had a long, black, forked tongue crawling from it. His teeth were spaced like a zipper, gaps between each to be filled with the other half of his jaw. His skin had an odd thinness that almost made it look transparent. Everything about him was reptilian and frightening, like a monster from a children's story come to rob you of something you loved.

In horror, I realized my small exhale had drawn attention, first from the thing pinned to the wall and then James slowly turned his hooded head towards me as if his neck was tilting without his head's permission until I could see his dark eyes and the disbelief behind them. He looked like he wished I wasn't there, like he would rather have seen anyone else at that moment than me.

In an instant his face morphed into the monster from my dream with black glistening eyes, all the light chased away. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, and though he looked nothing like an Angel, I still would have believed he belonged in Heaven. He looked more demonic than angelic, but I had always found beauty in darkness, and he was dark, as if nothing good or pure could possibly live within him. The others' Shifts were frightening and powerful, something to be jealous of, something to admire, but James' - his was beautiful, somehow more real than the others'. His was full and deep and perfect.

He turned back to the thing against the wall and violence was etched into each line of his taut body. He brought his free arm up, which also had a knife coming from his hand, and let it hover just in front of the monster's neck. James growled something low to the Demon-man again and there was a pause before the thing replied. His voice was smooth but inhuman, his s's strung out as if painful.

"You ssshould worry about your little friend, sssire, not my massster."

The threat was apparent in his voice. The thing almost sounded gleeful, even with James' weapon skewering his middle. I pulled my knife from my sleeve and flipped it open, suddenly feeling vulnerable. What if there were more of him, of the Demon-man lurking in the alley's shadows? Is that what he had meant? Is that why he had laughed?

James must have had the same fear and I saw him tense at the mention of me. A half-second later he involuntarily glanced in my direction, the first mistake I had ever seen him make in a fight. He lost his focus, his attention split between me and the monster he had against the wall.

The Demon kicked up his knee into James', weakening his balance before shoving him back with an unnatural amount of force. A loud crack filled the alley's silence as James' hit the opposite wall. He collapsed against it, clearly dazed from the impact as concrete crumbs cascaded down on him. The monster sprung towards him and without even thinking I threw my dagger. I saw it fly through the air as if time was altered. I felt calm. I knew I had thrown it true. And I knew James was safe the moment the knife left my hand. It gracefully flipped through the air, gaining speed as it raced for its target.

The thing never saw it coming. He hadn't thought of me as a threat, neither of them had. The blade hit home regardless and stuck in the creature's neck, the only vital part of him I had a clear shot at from my side-angle. He staggered and dropped to his knees, sputtering and clawing at his throat in surprise while blood poured down over his shoulder, a look of pure shock on his disgusting face. The monster in me jumped with joy at seeing the blood and damage I had caused and I felt a grin form on my face as I walked towards the men. The Demon was now on its back, writhing as James crouched over him. As I came closer, I heard what he was saying in a low, dark voice.

"Give me the name of the one you follow. Then I will kill you quickly, mercifully. Or..." James paused and looked down at the creature, before raising his hand and staring at it. He flipped it over as if he was searching for something on its surface, a moment later white and blue flames materialized, sending distorted shadows onto the alley walls. The fire hovered just above James' palm. He was certainly giving a good show.

"...you can make my night a little more interesting. I haven't heard a Serpentine shriek for a good long while, music to my ears that I've missed dearly."

The creature tried to lift its head off the ground but I stepped on the handle of my knife, pinning him where he lay. He let out a hiss of pain and his eyes darted between James and me, fear in their unnatural depths.

"I'd do what he says, you'll like my plans for you far less." I gave the creature a smile that probably rivaled James' usual predatory smirk.

The scent of his blood hit me like a wave as I stood over him, a sweet burnt smell, almost Human but richer, without the metallic undercurrents. It was strange but not entirely unpleasant. I felt something shudder inside me and then the world changed. I could hear the man's labored breath as he bled out before me. I could hear his heartbeat fading. I could smell the sweat on his thin skin. The shadows seemed to flee wherever I looked and the world was thrown into shades of ice and ash, color drained as my vision sharpened.

I felt a pinch in my mouth and realized it was my own teeth, stretching, tearing into my lips. The logical part of me was terrified, but some other part of me, the larger, stronger part of me was calm, excited even, like I had been waiting for my dark to take over for a very long time. Like I was finally being me, acting as myself for the first time in my life. I felt an unbelievable power ripple through me, like I was invincible, like I had nothing to fear in the entire city because I was the most dangerous thing on its streets.

James glanced over at me and a small smile played with the corners of his lips, his sharpened teeth just barely visible, a hellishly beautiful sight.

"Down, girl." He purred to me, as if I was his pet before turning his head back to the man fading on the concrete before us.

"She's the twisted one out of the two of us, real sadistic, disgusting stuff. You should be glad I'm here to temper her," James said in a teasingly cautionary tone, as if the Demon's well-being was of utmost importance.

"Don't play with me, sssilly underlingsss!" The creature spat. "You'll find my massster when he wissshesss to be found, not a sssecond before."

James cocked his head to the side and watched the bleeding creature for a moment. Finally, he shrugged and spoke.

"Suit yourself."

And in one unbroken, frighteningly swift movement, he brought his hand up to the creature's neck and dragged it across, splitting the skin, which appeared to be honeycombed with small scales. Blood sprayed and poured out as the creature stilled. I heard his heart stop a few seconds later. The smell of blood was overwhelming and something in me ached to feel its warmth, its slickness to coat my skin. I took a step back, trying to hide my thoughts, embarrassed by them and worried James would somehow sense them, see them.

James glanced up to me with a look of concern, the blood sprayed across his face didn't help settle me though and I found my back against one side of the alley, the damp, cold bricks pushing back on me.

"Angel, it's okay, it's hard to come back the first time, just focus." He said in a quiet, calm voice.

Suddenly, he appeared inches in front of me, his body as solid as the wall behind me. His hands came up to my face and forced me to look up at him. His eyes glistened darkly as he flashed his teeth at me, each point gleaming in the alley's dim light.

"Watch me. Follow and do what I do."

Even though it was James there with me, a friend, or at least not an enemy, something in me couldn't stand being caged in like I was, being confined, and I struggled against his weight. In an instant he wrapped his arms around me in a iron hug and pushed me into the wall, laying his weight into me, leaving me trapped between him and the bricks as he stared down at me.

"Look at me, watch me do it. Focus." He murmured the words, sounding almost breathless as he spoke quietly.

I looked up and felt pulled into his eyes, like he was able to wash away my feelings of captivity. Even in my black and white vision I felt like I could still see the deep, dark blue of his eyes as they slowly became normal again, the whites returning to their edges. Soon I realized it wasn't just my imagination, my jaw slowly began to feel normal and color crept back into my vision. The power and bloodlust I felt receded, sinking back into me somewhere, but unlike before, I was now aware of its presence, like I could call on it at any time, like my Gift.

After a few more seconds James dropped his arms and flashed the most beautiful, brilliant smile I had ever seen. He looked proud of me, like a man might look at the woman he admired. He was so beautiful my breath caught in my throat. He looked like a real Angel, not the descendant of a monster. In an instant the smile was gone though, not a trace of it left behind. He straightened and backed away, giving me space and the warmth of where his body had pressed against mine flew away with the brisk night air. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Good job, you controlled yourself well for it being your first Shift. I've seen firsts go very badly, the desires can be difficult to direct the first few times. I've seen Darklings turn on their own before. I was expecting a little more fight from you to be honest. I apologize if I hurt you."

I hadn't even noticed, but my arms ached where he had pinned them to my sides, I didn't admit it though.

"I'm fine, thanks."

I hurried to think up a subject change.

"What will you do with the body?"

I turned to where we had left the creature, but nothing was there but a pile of gray sand.

"We're called dust-makers for a reason, any demonic being killed by one with Angel blood turns to dust. They don't go back to Hell or any afterlife, they just cease to exist, becoming the dust from which we came. Pulvis et umbra sumus."

"We are dust and shadows," I said quietly after a few beats of silence hung between us. James looked a little shocked at this, whether it was because he had gotten lost in his own thoughts and forgotten I was there or because he hadn't expected me to get the reference, I couldn't tell.

"You aren't the only one who likes depressing writers," I said with a sly smile.

His eyes took on their signature amused look and I knew we were back on safe ground.

"We should get home, Kael wasn't very happy you left him out of today's adventures."

Understatement of the year, I thought to myself.

James let out a small groan at the mere thought. "Kael can be such a child sometimes. He'll probably be sulking all day tomorrow."

I couldn't quite picture Kael as a kid, but the thought seemed entertaining enough that I tucked it away for a time when I could put more effort into my imagination. James wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket, rubbing most of the blood off before he muttered a word I didn't recognize and started walking toward the main street.

"Was that an Angel name? Are you okay?" I tried to keep most of the concern out of my voice, since I knew my fear for his safety was completely irrational.

"Just a scratch, I think I'll survive." He teased at me.

"I could try a heal? It couldn't hurt at least, right? I mean...I might as well practice." I replied casually, but James chuckled and I felt my cheeks burn.

"Wounds from Demons, or from something with demonic energy, can't be healed with Angel's blessings, they won't touch anything so dark. Heaven doesn't heal Hell, merely endures it. I'll have to get Kael to help me out when we get home. He's a very good healer, with or without Angel's aid."

"So you're just going to walk with, with some..."

"Scratch? Yes, unless you'd prefer me to curl up in the gutter and wait to die." He replied dryly.

"Well can't we call a cab or something to get you home faster at least? My car is halfway across the city."

I was starting to feel worried, James' complexion didn't look right and his gait next to me seemed stiff and slower than his usual cocky strut. Something in me felt tight, a physical warning trying to get my attention.

James spoke in his same dry voice, clearly trying to minimize the situation and convince me to drop it.

"And how would we explain the blood? Any cab driver seeing me bleed all over his backseat would at least be suspicious, even in this part of town. At best he'd drive us straight to the hospital. At worst," James waved his bloody knife at me, "he'd see these and drive us straight to the police station, neither of which I plan on visiting tonight. No, we'll just walk. Hour or so to your car? Like I said, this is nothing." He gestured down at his left side, clearly trying to make his point heard but all I saw was a little boy trying to act tough.

"We could call Kael?" I offered one more logical option, but James merely looked at me like I was being dramatic, not bothering to grant a reply.

His eyes had their confident glint, but I was positive I saw pain in them too, something I had almost believed he was incapable of feeling. Kael's comment about James acting like he was immortal came to the forefront of my mind and I realized I had begun to believe the same.

I studied James as we walked, there was definitely pain in the lines of his face, though he was attempting to hide it well. I shrugged when he returned my glances and acted like I had forgotten all about his 'scratch' as we walked.

I gazed up at the stars, slowly drifting closer to him, trying to look like I simply wasn't paying attention to the path of my feet. I waited until he seemed to no longer be watching me before I lurched at him and unceremoniously pulled his sweatshirt up around his chest. He yanked it back down, but not before I saw an ugly red gash that ran down his side. It wasn't deep and he had clearly dodged its lethal intent but it still looked like it would require stitches and the side of his jeans was slick with blood. It ran down his abs in thick lines and my stomach jumped into my throat at the sight. I glared at him and even the feeling of his warm skin under my hands couldn't stray me from my war path.

"I'm calling a cab," I said with a determination that dared him to argue.

He seemed to recognize the lost cause, or maybe he was realizing that he truly was injured, and gave a short nod, consenting. He looked pale, almost a gray color that had my stomach in twists. He had an odd look on his face as I turned to call the taxi service I usually used.

After I relayed our location and told them to make it quick, I hung up and sat down on the curb, motioning for James to do the same. I had never been the motherly type, but in that moment all I wanted to do was care for him, comfort him. I knew it wouldn't go over well though, so instead I tried to act as unconcerned as humanly possible while my partner and the only person I felt truly connected to on the Earth calmly bled out next to me.

To keep my mind off of his pain, and the blood leaking from him making me nauseous, I let the flood of anger in that had been smoldering just beneath my consciousness, burning to be let free. I had never felt this kind of rage and it half-scared me, the other half of me felt an even peace in the middle of the dark anger. The strangest thing was that the feeling didn't seem to be an after-effect of my Shift. It was all directed at that creature for hurting James, for cutting him, for trying to kill him and rob him from me.

I wished I could tear him apart, rip him into little pieces while he was still alive, while he watched parts of himself become detached. I wanted to hear him scream, hear him beg for mercy, beg for death. I couldn't believe it was possible to be so angry at something that was already dead, that I had killed, or at least had a part in killing.

James had made it clear to me that pain and suffering were commonplace in their lives. Getting hurt was part of the job and I couldn't get wound up every time one of the Clan had an injury. James pulled me out of my contemplation by poking my hand, which had balled into a tight fist at my side during my thoughts of the creature.

"Relax, first Shifts are tough, just relax." He said in a soothing voice, as if I was the one that needed comforting.

Suddenly, I remembered what I had wanted to talk to James about, one of the reasons why I was wandering the city streets looking for him. I had been so focused on the fight and then on James' wound, it was like my mind had been wiped of any previous concerns, I couldn't even muster up any anger for how he had treated me that morning.

James laid back on the curb, his legs stretched into the vacant street. He had his arms wrapped around his middle in an attempt to look casual, but I knew it was to reduce the bleeding. I decided to take the plunge and took a deep, stabilizing breath.

"This isn't from my Shift, it's because that thing hurt you."

I paused for a second, glancing down at him. He had one eye squinted at me, the other closed, as if he had been trying to sleep.

"What do you know about True Pairs?"

I looked ahead as I said the words, not wanting to see his reaction. There was a long pause before I heard a small groan and James pulled himself up into a seated position next to me.

"They're very rare, they're equal blood, and they share Gifts, usually. They make each other stronger and work excellently together. Somehow they're tied to each other, connected in some way that isn't explained in any writings or lore. We don't know why they are the way that they are or what causes True Pairs, but they are very powerful. They're said to be the strongest of our kind. That they are what true Angels were like, a community, a oneness that the Earth cannot match, a joining that creates true power. Some say that Fallen, Darklings, aren't actually full creatures, aren't complete on our own, that only True Pairs are, that they require the other to be a full being, but there's no basis for that theory. Why?"

I could feel him looking at me, but I kept my eyes forward. The electricity and fire that had dimmed since the battle in the alley intensified once more as it ran over my skin and a small shudder of pleasure ran up my spine at the sensation.

You think we're True Pairs, Angel?

The thought was quiet in my mind, a gentle prod. I dipped my chin slightly, still looking straight ahead.

I do, too.

I hadn't been expecting that. For some reason I had thought it would be a battle to get him to agree, that I would have to make my case to him, present mountains of evidence, hours of arguing. I looked at him and his eyes were genuine, no walls or arrogant edge and even his usual amused or bored look was gone. A second later a white and blue taxi pulled up and the moment was gone.

James grimaced slightly as he stood and walked to the car, his arm still wrapped around his stomach, his knifes hidden up his sleeves. He didn't look back but somehow I knew he was trying to regain his armor. I felt like he was frustrated at how easily it slipped when I was around him. He was afraid of becoming weak. All of his fears of what could happen in the future leaked into my head and then there was something about that man with the dark laugh, Ambriel's killer...

Get out of my head!

His voice filled my mind and his sudden rage made me shrink back. I couldn't understand how he changed emotions so quickly. He was halfway in the car when a flash of anger welled up in me, too.

How dare he be mad at me. I came out here to find him, I may very well have saved his life, I may very well be his True Pair, but just because he was too scared to be honest, he was going to try to be an asshole and shove me away? Be mad at me because I cared about what happened to him? He was going to act as if I had done something wrong?

Hellfuck no.

"Why not block me then?"

I yelled out after him, my anger growing with each second I thought about how cowardly a little man he was acting. That he would rather yell at me to leave him alone than just talk to me like an adult, like the partner he was supposed to be to me. That he would rather live his life alone than risk letting someone get close.

He stuck his head out of the door and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then glanced ahead at the driver and seemed to think better of it. He looked irritated but said nothing until his thoughts flew into my head once more, no longer darkened by anger.

Get in.

Even though I would rather have argued any request he made, his injury was still at the front of my mind, and I didn't want to waste any time being stubborn. I settled into the spacious back seat with him, glaring straight ahead for a moment before I tried to pry into his mind once more, just to annoy him, hopefully annoy him into answering my earlier question, or throwing up a block.

He glanced over at me, twice, sending what I assumed were looks of warning, but I ignored them. Suddenly it dawned on me, either from my own realization or he had thought of it and I had stolen it from his mind.

"You can't. For some reason you can't block me, otherwise you would have already." I whispered to him, triumph painting my words.

He scowled straight ahead, refusing to look at me but his scowl wasn't as intimidating as expected. After another beat of silence his thoughts flooded my mind.

The more we're around each other, the more you grow and learn, the stronger you get, and the more difficult it is to block you...I still can, I just don't have the energy right now, considering my circumstances. Sharing blood connected us even more so than we already were. When I gave you my blood it solidified the bond we already had. Maybe you haven't been able to tell, but I have, and I just can't keep you out right now.

The cab driver glanced back, clearly waiting for James' response to my whispered statement. I had never been very good at whispering.

I leaned over and spoke in as low a voice as I could.

"You expect me to believe you're too weak to block me but you could have made it all the way home on your own?"

At this, James threw his hands in the air, finally goaded into speaking in an aggravated half-whisper.

"It's not physical strength that blocks, it's energy. I used a lot in the alley and earlier tonight and I'm not going to waste what I have left on this. It's taking more and more energy just to keep you out, it's...it's just not worth it. That's how you knew my suspicions about you the other day, in the kitchen, before our misunderstanding. I thought I was using enough energy to keep you out, but I was wrong and you broke through too easily. And then I gave you my blood, a part of me, so it takes even more now to keep you out."

I smiled and sat back, fully satisfied that I had won, a smirk on my face.

"You're very annoying," James said curtly, but his voice sounded mildly amused.

"Well, I'm your Pair, seems only natural."

He let out a breath of air that was a cross between a sigh and a chuckle and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. I was still worried about his wound, but at least we weren't out on the streets anymore.

After a few minutes of silence something drew my attention down James' body and I noticed with horror that there was a wet stain glistening through his sweatshirt now and even though the material was dark, it was still noticeable. I quickly yanked my own hoodie up over my head and draped it across his middle. A tired little smile played at the corners of his mouth but his eyes didn't open.

We were halfway home according to the scenery outside my window when I noticed James' breathing had quieted, I looked over but I couldn't see any part of him, he had pulled his hood up and was turned slightly toward his window. I saw that his chest was still rising and falling so I tried to calm myself by gazing back up at the stars, but I still had the nagging feeling that something was wrong. I glanced at James again and saw a barely visible tremor, like a shiver, causing his arm closest to me to shake. I reached out and touched him, lightly, as to not wake him if he was asleep. He was freezing cold. I snatched my hand back in shock. The cab driver looked back at me from the rear-view mirror.

"Everything alright, miss?"

I nudged James, but he didn't move, his chest was still moving but it seemed slow and with difficulty.

"Uhh, yeah, I just need a little air, too much to drink tonight, you know. Could I roll the window down?" I flashed him the most convincing sweet-girl smile I could muster as I fumbled Kael's Call out of my pocket.

"'Course now," the man said as my window slowly crept down. I bent down in my seat, acting like I was messing with my shoe, to hide from the driver's view.

"Lyt-mar." I told the little ball, just like Kael had taught me to command the Call to listen.

"Kael, we need help. Something's happened to James, he's hurt. We'll be back in a few minutes, be outside and ready please. Um, bring Nev, we'll need her Gift...cab driver." I whispered to the little grayish marble before I sat back up and casually draped my hand out the window, letting the Call fall to the pavement.

Thirteen minutes later we pulled up to the edge of the Clan's woods, which must have been where James had directed the driver before I'd gotten into the cab. The driver glanced back again.

"Are you sure your friend's okay? He isn't really moving." He sounded incredulous.

"Yeah, just tired...and drunk."

The man nodded, as if this was typical of his evening fares. I pulled some cash out of my pocket for the fee before looking out the window anxiously. Where the hell were Kael and Nevaeh? Almost as if they had heard me, they appeared, walking out of the woods' cover. The driver took one look at Kael's hulking form coming from the shadows before looking back at me.

"What are you playing at, girl?" He said nervously.

"Nothing, everything will be fine. They're just helping me with my friend."

I figured it didn't matter if I contradicted myself at this point, Nev would wipe the man's mind soon enough, so I continued.

"He's hurt, badly, these are my friends, they're just going to help get him inside."

"Inside? We're in the middle of the woods!"

The man looked like he was close to panicking, but I didn't have time to deal with it. I hopped out and ran over to James' side, opening his door and getting my first look at him since he had fallen into his coma-like sleep. He looked peaceful and I was relieved he didn't seem in pain anymore. A second later, Kael and Nev arrived. Nev went straight to the front, to the driver, and Kael came up next to me.

"What happened?"

His eyes were worried as he took James in, but his voice was even and calm.

"I found him in an alley in East Town, fighting some...snake-man Demon? He said he was hurt and then he...he just fell asleep in the car. He's cold and won't wake-up. He's cut and he told me Angel names wouldn't work. He said something about a Serpentine?"

My words came out in a rush, anxious to get everything out, any and all information that might help. I could feel panic welling up in me, it felt strange, not feeling in control, not feeling complacent with what was happening around me.

"Fuck," Kael said under his breath. "We've got to get him home so I can figure out what's wrong." At this Kael hoisted James up and walked towards a large spruce. I could just see the bumper of their black SUV sticking out from one side. Nev seemed finished with the driver and within a minute we were all in the car and moving up along the drive that led to the manor.

James was in the backseat with me, leaning on me heavily, completely still except for the slight rise and fall of his chest, and his tremors, those shivers. He looked so young, so innocent with his head on my shoulder and his hair pushed back. He looked like a different man without the hard edge in his eyes, the sneer on his lips.

A day earlier I probably would have said I'd like to see him without his guards up, but I didn't like it at all. Seeing James without his armor made him look vulnerable and I couldn't stand the sight of him like that, I couldn't bear the thought of him fragile. I pulled his face into my hair and laid my head on his, wishing I could do more to make him comfortable, to get him back to his usual, arrogant, powerful self.

My actions felt natural, his head fit perfectly in the dip of my neck and chest. His hair smelled of smoke and mint, but there was an undercurrent of sweat and blood that made my stomach clench. I tried to close my eyes, but images of James' face, cringing in pain, tears of black blood rolling from his eyes, or his motionless body lying cold and dead in a muddy field, a gaping hole through his chest, made me stare out the window instead.

But James is invincible, right? Or is there another death around the corner? Or...two? The feels! THE FEELS! And what's this about True Pairs...

-I can't drown my demons, they know how to swim-

T