Juniper's eyes darted around the desolate pack grounds in front of her, behind her the battle raged on. Her mate fought against the attackers with everyone else.

Her chest heaved, focusing on the largest shadow cast by the building. Pressing her hand to the baby girl's head, Juniper took a running start.

Closing her eyes and tempted to cross her fingers, she leapt into the large shadow. Her and Grayson's bodies disappeared into the shadows.

On the battlefield, Raphael caught sight of his mate darting off in the other direction as Onyx and Demi joined the fight. He ducked underneath one of the wolves leaping towards him, gripping him by his tail he slammed the pup into the ground. Hearing his spine crack, he then tossed him up. Onyx, the biggest goddamn wolf he'd ever seen, lept to clamp his teeth into the body he threw.

"Where is my fucking mate going?!" Raphael roared as he kicked another hellhound away.

Apparently, Sebastian had seen exactly what he did. Raphael and Elora alike had been beelining for him as he waved his own hellhounds over to follow Juniper. "Light up anywhere you can! Burn that damn shadow demon to hell!" Sebastian's command made Raphael see red.

Without another thought, Raphael turned to retrieve his mate. Take her away from all of this, fuck the entire battle, fuck the Legion, it meant nothing if Juniper wasn't safe. He was about to follow after her, at the very least taking care of those hounds getting farther and farther when Sebastian lept in front of his path. He was fully shifted as well now, the two berserkers facing off.

Raphael snarled, Sebastian was a dark gray berserker. The lighter the gray of the berserker the more powerful they were, he was at the disadvantage but time was against Raphael.

The two clashed, loudly as if thunder was clapping around everyone.

Elora released a low cry, wrapping her legs around an elf nearest to Raphael trying to get him from behind. She brought her knife down into his chest while sitting atop his shoulders, her teeth were bared while stabbing wildly.

"Demetri!" she yelled above the violence. Her mate's head whipped towards her, ripping a wolf off of Warren and tearing his innards out while the hellhound on their side burned him to ash.

"The shadow demon! Get Juniper!" she cried out. Her magic was straining in her body, bubbling in her chest like boiling water. It was banging against the cage that was her body, waiting to get out with this damn ward around them.

Without another question, the lycan dropped the demon he'd grabbed. Demi and Warren worked together as she threw a dagger into the man's stomach as Warren held him still by his neck.

Back into the town, Juniper clutched Grayson to her chest. She was sweating, behind the wall she crouched against there were three hellhounds burning everything to ash.

Her gray eyes were steady, staying focused on the task at hand. Pressing her hand back against the wall to push herself forward, the wall was so hot from the fire that her skin seared. It bubbled immediately. Bending her head down, she bit into her sleeve to muffle her cries.

Grayson sniffled against her chest, obviously sensing her distress while being far from her parents. Pupils shrunken with anxiety, Juniper pushed through the pain and straight into the nearest shadow she was aiming for.

God, she hasn't traveled so quickly in the darkness like this in years. Let alone using her abilities, her skin tingled as she traveled through the darkness. Her gray eyes quickly adjusted to the dark masses surrounding them, everything around them was grays and blacks as she traveled quickly. Feeling the ground shake around her, she froze knowing one of the hounds was near.

She couldn't idle in the shadow for too long, the shadows were constricting. You couldn't stay in them long or they would begin to crush you, she knew Grayson wouldn't last long.

Gripping the knife Demi had lent her, she pushed out of one of the shadows. Her body elevated from the dark mass, impossibly silent before gritting her teeth.

Slashing forward, the hound screamed loudly as Juniper sliced through his Achilles heel. Before the two other hounds could react as he dropped she rose higher up. Stabbing the knife into his temple, the flames spewing towards her reflected off her face before she fell back into the shadow.

However, the flames quickly lit up any dark spaces she could hide in so she had to propel herself out by what seemed to be a farmers market. Resting against a wooden crate, she shushed Grayson.

"You're a trooper kid," she panted quietly to the pretty baby girl. The infant reached with her hand, a lighter brown than her own, to yank at her blue tresses. Juniper's body was buzzing with more adrenaline and anxiety than ever before.

A loud roar sounded, the baby in her arms giggling at the sound. Juniper peaked her head around to see what could only be a shifted Demetrius barreling towards the hounds searching for Juniper and his granddaughter. But behind him came more enemies, trying to distract and slow him down, Onyx snarled from afar. Black smoke billowed off his wolf body, leaping over the carcass he left behind to help Demetri.

Using the distractions, she darted out when she ran out of other options. If she can make it to the nearest cottage she could hunker down with Grayson. Protect the pup, protect the baby, she repeated to herself.

Feet moving quicker than ever before, she glanced over in time to see a wolf attack Raphael from behind. A loud cry erupted from her chest, her legs stopped working for a moment. All of her base instincts crying to go help her demon, she stumbled but tried to keep going on.

This was enough for an elf to catch up and attack her head on.

Tears clouded her vision as a dagger longer than her own was slashed at her and Grayson. "Shit," she hissed and ducked. He was quick though, aiming for Grayson and her chest just in time Juniper reached up to protect them both.

A scream bellowed from her mouth as the knife sunk into her palm, straight through it. She wrapped her fingers around the base of the weapon while trying to push him away. Lifting her leg up as he tried to stab through her grip, she kicked him and sent him flying onto his stomach as the blade was ripped from her limb,

Juniper turned just in time to see a wolf barreling towards her with his teeth bared, ready to take her out for good. Her gray eyes widened, nowhere to turn, and feeling utterly hopeless she wrapped both arms around Grayson before crouching down to shield her.

Both Onyx and Demetri turned towards her, watching as if in slow motion as the wolf was about to sink his teeth into Juniper. Both left their fights, uncaring as they left their backs exposed to sprint towards the shadow demon and the baby.

"Grayson!" Onyx roared in absolute terror before they both halted.

The wolf was supposed to get her, she was in his paws and toast as far as Juniper understood. Yet, somehow he landed roughly on the ground, rolling and trying to catch himself at the unexpected landing.

He had lept through Juniper and Grayson, his body cutting through what looked like a black mist. Like walking through a shadow.

As quickly as it had happened, Juniper and Grayson returned to their normal form. Juniper peeked an eye open, shocked, to say the least, and looking down at her skin that smoked black.

"Run!" Demetri demanded.

She didn't have to be told twice, darting out of the way of the same wolf again. The same wolf who had his sights set on Juniper was quickly killed as Onyx himself tore his jugular out.

Raphael felt himself working with Elora as he took the brutal punches from Sebastian while returning them tenfold, using himself as a distraction and shield she was able to further damage him. Her knives had already broken on his skin, and the only thing she could resort to was hiking herself up his body, using her own surprising strength to get him in a full nelson momentarily. Raphael snarled, ducking down and throwing devastating blows to Sebastian's body.

This was a true face off between berserkers, it wasn't flashy, but it was brutal and painstaking.

In the background, he could smell Phoenix approaching. In the back of his mind, he knew that meant Seraphina was tucked away somewhere safe.

"We got a warlock lurking in the treeline, boss!" Phoenix barked to the group.

"Take him the fuck out!" Raphael ordered. Elora piped up, "Now!"

Sweeping his long leg out, the berserker king managed to kick out Sebastian's feet. Elora with a running start jumped, kicking her foot into the man's temple. "Demi go with him," the head witch hissed as Sebastian stumbled back.

He clutched his bleeding head, dark eyes warily examining the two that stood next to each other.

"Even if we lose this, it's just the battle to kick things off," Sebastian gripped his jaw as he spat blood. Raphael was bleeding from his chest but had barely worked up a pant. Dragging his fist over his mouth, he wiped at the grime as Elora's yellow eyes tracked his every move. Her short figure was still imposing beside the behemoth of a berserker.

"This is war, The Order isn't going any fucking where!"

"Ya know I've killed hundreds of bastards saying the same thing," Elora let her shoulders sag as if relaxed. Her words were casual but the way she braced her feet meant she was ready to attack at any time.

"The Order is a pipe dream power grab, you're out of your fuckin' mind man," Raphael hissed while cracking his neck. "I'm gonna separate your goddamn head from your body for sending your douchebags after what's mine."

Loud screams sounded to their left from the tree line by the end of the ward blocking them all in. A scrawny warlock was darting toward them away from Phoenix and Demi who chased after him as fast as they could. All three of their gazes zeroed in on him, Elora was the first to break ahead of the two men towards the warlock.

Sebastian cursed loudly, trying to grab her only to be tackled down by Raphael who pounded his face into the ground. Trying to break his neck even if it was futile as his bones refused to break. The two berserkers had barely even begun to break one another's skin.

Both looked up at the sound of gargling, and they both looked up to see Elora stomping her foot onto the warlock's neck. Gritting her teeth, she could feel her magic returning as she choked him. His own magic crumbled in the moment of weakness.

Her eyes glowed bright, reflecting off the ground as her veins turned gold. With an angry scream, she brought her foot down one more time. Her heel went straight through his neck as blood spurted and her magic shook the ground.

Raphael and Sebastian both looked at each other. Rearing back, Raphael prepared to punch down on him with as much power as he could muster. Seeing this, Sebastian reached up and gripped the amulet underneath his shirt. With a blink of an eye, Sebastian smirked and disappeared in a puff. The last few attackers he brought disappeared with him, and only five were left alive at this point.

Raphael roared, fist pounding into the earth and crumbling the ground causing cracks up and around him for yards upon yards.

His head snapped up, hair falling in his face as he looked around for his Juniper.

Back in where she held her bleeding hand tightly, she bit her lip to hold in her cries. The knife had gone through the same hand that was burned beyond repair at the moment. But a booming sound vibrated the dirt under feet as the ward fell down quickly. Hope filled her chest in the dark room they hid in while looking down at Grayson.

Her gray eyes which almost resembled her own, but brighter since Juniper's were an opaque single shade, stared up at her. Juniper was just about to stand when the baby's eyes lit up, yellow suddenly ringing what was previously black.

Her blue brows furrowed as the baby laughed joyously, for a second Juniper wondered if she could feel whatever magic her little body held return.

However, it may have been too much because her stomach jolted as a funny feeling flooded her body and the two of them were teleported out into the open.

Out into the open, twenty feet above everyone else.

Juniper screamed bloody murder, holding the baby tightly as they plummeted down quicker than she would have prepared. She couldn't hear everyone yelling as blood rushed in between her ears.

"Holy fuck!" Elora cackled loudly as she had just fallen to the floor in exhaustion- covered in blood. "Just like her mom!"

Raphael glanced up in alarm while searching for his female, heart dropping into his ass when he saw her plummeting. "Juniper!" his eyes widened while trying to track where she was falling to.

"Grayson!" Both Demi and Onyx yelled in different tones. Onyx's pale skin paled even more if possible while Demi grinned. 

Without another thought, Demi teleported to tackle them in the air mid fall, teleporting them all to the ground as they tumbled.

Juniper hissed as they rolled, Demi lay atop of her, careful not to crush her baby. "My magic baby!" Demi cried happy tears. "Thank you," she whimpered to Juniper while kissing her cheek gratefully and pulling her baby into her arms. "Oh you're so good, my pretty girl," Demi cradled her daughter as Onyx lifted them both off the ground only to collapse in a heap with them himself, holding them both close in his lap while shielding the two of them from anyone else. Burying his face in her hair, Juniper could swear she heard him cry softly.

The pain in her body and mostly her hand came back as she hissed, cradling it as it bled and rolling onto her stomach. Her forehead rested against the cool grass while putting pressure on the injuries.

She smelled her mate before she felt him, his large arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her up. "Holy shit," he panted while inhaling her smell at the crook of her neck. Juniper moaned in pain and relief simultaneously, turning her face into his chest instinctively.

Behind him, their friends crowded to see if she was okay as the Bordoa's themselves huddled up as well.

Her burned and punctured hand was the largest injury out of anyone in the group, which Juniper considered lucky at the moment. "Are you alright?" she panted as his lips captured her own desperately. His large, free hand gripped her injured one. Both winced as he tightened his grip to apply pressure on it.

"You'll be okay, baby," Raphael panted while lifting her up entirely. "Am I alright? Fuck, what were you thinking, Juniper?" His frantic tone made her heartache.

"I had to because I could. I would want someone to do the same for us," she whispered tiredly against his neck.

"Can we get the fuck out of here so we can treat her?" Raphael suddenly barked at the witches. Elora's head popped up, eyes lighting up with realization. Rubbing her hands together, when she pulled her palms away from one another they sparked while putting up some resistance. A portal, smaller than the ones she usually makes was created. Her brows furrowed in frustration as everyone walked through- Raphael first as he rushed to the nearest medic on Bordoa's land.

Demetri ran his hand over Elora's waist as they walked through the small portal, "Let yourself recover, princess." The large lycan bent down to kiss her gently, "Always so hard on yourself," he rasped in displeasure while she wound her arms around his neck.

Elora hummed while threading her fingers in his chocolatey brown locks, gazing up at him lovingly. "You think they can still say no to us?" she smirked a little at how the Saints were now trauma bonded to them.

"Enough with the trauma bonding shit, Lora," Demetri rolled his eyes as she didn't even have to speak her thoughts aloud for him to know what she meant. "It works! They're going to like us now!" He clapped a hand down on her ass and pushed her forward so they could check on their family and then Juniper once they were settled.

It took almost forty minutes for Juniper as well as all of the Saint group to be treated. Her hand was completely bandaged, stitched, and burn salves slathered all over it. On a table apart from Warren, Sera, and Phoenix, Raphael had Juniper sitting in his lap. They both cuddled in the dark corner, allowing Juniper to heal in the comfort of the shadows.

"Did you see what I did out there?" she whispered against his shoulder as she rested her face against it.

Raphael rubbed his hand up her back, trailing his fingertips over her spine gently. Her dress was soaked in blood from her wound, his own torn from battle. "No, but I heard Onyx mention it."

"I-I was a shadow," her eyes widened a bit in kiddish excitement. Pulling away to look up at him, his head tilted down to take in her pretty face. Shadows cast against his tan skin, he brushed his thumb over her full cheeks. Cupping her round face, he kissed her once before responding.

"Yeah?" his brows rose to show her he was interested in what she was telling him.

"Grayson turned with me, never knew I could do that. Wonder if I can only do it when I'm about to die. You know I've only heard of top tier shadow demons being able to do that," her navy brows wiggled arrogantly as she smirked just a bit.

"I expect no less from my perfect girl," he rumbled in her ear quietly. Lifting her face up to his, he pressed his lips to hers once, hard. Then as soon as he pulled away he bent down for one more, growing more and more desperate for her taste and feel. "Fuck," he hissed.

"'M so proud and mad at the same time," his hands trailed down her figure. She didn't feel like he was trying to initiate anything too inappropriate in the hospital, she just felt wanted. Like he didn't want her a mere few inches from his protection and Juniper felt emotion strike her heart.

Whimpering quietly, she clutched the back of his neck and kissed him deeply. "I love you so much," her voice cracked.

Raphael pulled away, peering down at her with the most love she thinks she's ever seen on someone's face. More than she thought possible, his brown eyes watering at the corners.

"I fucking love you," he held her face tight while pressing his forehead against her own. Their noses nudged against one another, Juniper kissing the corner of his mouth and along his jaw. Mimicking her as if he couldn't get enough, he nipped at her cheek and kissed her temple and brow. They did this for a few minutes, getting lost in one another.

Her nose twitched as she gripped his tattered shirt, "You smell."

Raphael's brows fell, pulling back once again to look at her. "I do not."

"You do," she leaned down to sniff at his shoulder. Raphael scoffed, "You don't smell like roses yourself babe."

"You love how I smell even when it's sweaty and gross."

"And you don't with me?"

"No I love your BO," she cocked her brow sardonically.

"Have we had one meaningful conversation without you starting something?" his strong fingers tickled her sides teasingly.

Juniper grinned a bit as he tried to keep a straight face, shifting with her aching joints she straddled his lap. "Probably one or too," she hummed cheekily.

"I think it was Phoenix that said my love language was arguing? Don't think I didn't hear you too talkin' shit," her nose bumped his own.

Her uninjured hand caressed his neck, running her thumb over his jaw. "Wasn't talkin' shit," he mumbled against her lips grazing his own. "God... I love you so much." If it was possible to have actual heart eyes, Raphael was sure he'd have them at the moment. Shit, he might have them every time he even thinks of Juniper. "Can't wait to put a baby in you," he hummed.

Juniper shivered at the sentence, pecking his mouth teasingly.

"Please never leave me," Raphael asked her quietly.

"You couldn't get rid of me if you tried," she promised vehemently.

Raphael rested his head against her chest, listening to her strong heartbeat. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Elora and Demetri walk into the makeshift room their group had taken over. Behind them were Demi and Onyx and what she could assume were the other Bordoa children. Two large men that looked like twins and a girl with dark hair and pink eyes.

"You have some important conversations that need to be had," she bent down to kiss his ear.

His dark eyes glanced over her shoulder, making eye contact with Demetri and looking absolutely uninterested in giving them the time of day. Not with the injured Juniper in his lap.

"No," he growled childishly.

"Yes," she rocked her hips defiantly.

Gripping her ass, he cut an annoyed glare to her as she waved Elora over. Turning to sit sideways on her mate, she showed them her injury as they asked how she was doing.

Demetri's serious eyes met Raphael's determined ones, "I reckon we can start having those serious talks, Saint."

Nodding once, they were all introduced to the other Bordoa children while Demetri began to discuss proper actions to take against The Order. Juniper rested her head on Raphael's shoulder, listening to the thump of his chest and ignoring all else around them.

~~

I'm actually really happy with how this came out on paper so to speak lolol

its moments like these where I'm like wow I've come far in writing, hopefully you guys enjoyed I literally powered through to get this out right before midnight Sunday night

as always, since it was such an action heavy scene let me know how it was following so many different characters and if you think I did that well with following?

are the feels flowing? cause mine kinda are hehe love u guys thank you for being patient as always <3