Dominic

The sight I was met with made my heart pound harder inside my chest. The man I had just kissed suddenly stood before me in the form of a massive golden lion. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined how he would actually look. He was majestic, beautiful, wild, and terrifying all at once, but also more human than I had expected.

A huge paw held a firm grip on Lumiere's neck, lifting him high off the ground while pressing him against the precious lilac-hued wallpaper, claws lingering threateningly against his carotid artery. 

 "Your claws won't kill me, kitty cat," Lumiere hissed, baring his fangs and staring menacingly into Magnus's eyes. 

 "Not even a vampire survives without a head," the enormous lion growled between his teeth, licking his lips. 

 Behind me, I heard two surprised exclamations and immediately recognized the presence of Belmont and Masson. 

"H- he's," Bel stammered. 

 "...a lion," Mass replied in a reverent voice. 

 "I told you so," I whispered, trying to sound calm and unaffected, but the truth was that his appearance was completely overwhelming. It wasn't the first time I had seen a shapeshifter in their true form, but it was the first time I had seen Magnus so furious. 

 "You shouldn't be allowed to roam free in the castle," he growled, "you shouldn't be permitted any comforts whatsoever," he clenched his jaw tightly and squinted his eyes in a painful grimace, "you should suffer as you forced them to suffer for you." 

 "So your little friend has cried on your shoulder and told you his sob story?" Lumiere laughed coldly, "today's vampires are so sensitive, so weak, and sooooo replaceable." 

 The large lion's body shook with anger, and I saw the muscles tense under the tawny fur. "One more word and you're dead," he whispered threateningly. 

 "I'm already dead," Lumiere hissed back, suddenly lunging with his long nails towards the lion's eyes. 

 Magnus reacted instantly, his massive paw tightening around Lumiere's neck until we all heard the horrific sound of a broken neck. Seconds later, he tossed the slender body far away from him, and I followed it with my gaze, watching it fall with a thud onto the floor. Eight pairs of eyes stared silently at the lifeless body, but we all knew that broken bones didn't lead to death. Yet we stood there, helpless. 

 My gaze fell on Magnus, who was still standing on his hind legs, but the fur was starting to disappear. He shrank, the mane turning into curly hair, and the claws becoming fingers that I suddenly longed to feel against my skin again. Slowly, he turned around, completely unbothered by his nakedness despite all the eyes on him. His eyes were dark with hate, and it struck me that I had never seen that emotion in him before. 

He took my hand, and I followed him without protest as he led me down the corridor toward our room. Before I entered, I turned my head and cast one last glance at Lumiere, and with a stab in my heart, I saw Clocksworth adjusting his vertebrae and helping him into a sitting position. Damn them all, I thought with an aching heart, gripping his large hand a little tighter.

The tension in the room was suffocating as I watched Masson whisper something to Belmont, his expression a mix of disbelief and anger. I glanced over at Lu, who was now taking Clocksworth's offered hand, clearly grateful for the support. 

"Let him die," Belmont's voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried an undeniable weight. I could see the pain in his eyes, and it mirrored my own. When he locked eyes with Clocksworth, I felt the air thicken. "You heard me, Theo. You've seen what Lu's done to us, what he forced us into, yet all you do is protect him!" Belmont's voice cracked, and my heart sank. 

I knew the weight of his words, the bitterness behind them. How could he defend Lu, knowing the destruction he had caused? 

 "He's my family, Belmont," Clocksworth said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

"What the hell am I then?" he spat, his fury palpable. I watched as he turned away from him, storming past Masson, whose shocked expression mirrored the turmoil within me. I wanted to run after him, but a strong hand pulled me inside our room.

Moments later there was a light knock on the door, and I managed to glance at Magnus before I opened it. "Maybe you want to get dressed first?"

It was as if my words had slapped him; he flinched and was quickly pulled from his deep thoughts. He nodded briefly and grabbed a pair of plaid pajama pants that lay discarded on the bed.

My hand moved towards the doorknob, suspecting it was Mass, though it could also be Bel. I almost hoped it was him; I longed to comfort him and assure him that everything would be alright. I would damn well make sure everything got better again. 

My hands still shook from hearing him scream at Clocksworth out there, and I wished with all my soul that this wouldn't turn into another trip to the States filled with anxiety-ridden nights and blood dependency afterward. What would I do if he asked me to come home with him?

The door opened, and two puppy-like eyes looked up at me with concern. "Can I stay with you for a while?" Masson mumbled pitifully from the other side of the threshold, and I couldn't help but give him a small smile.

"Sure."

"We should have stayed in Paris," he grumbled sullenly and crawled up into the bed with a sigh. "This place is the same as before; right now, staying in the tower feels a hundred times better."

I lingered by the door for a moment, studying Magnus. He sat unusually silent, arms resting on his thighs, lost in thought. Something had changed; he radiated a new kind of strength, not the kind of friendly, helpful strength he had as a guardian. This was something different. 

With a gentle smile, I walked over and crouched down so I could look into his eyes. "Thank you."

My words made him shake his head, and his hand reached up to stroke my cheek. "I should have killed him."

"And become enemies with Clocksworth?"

"Maybe I would have done him a favor?"

I sighed and bowed my head. I had never thought of it that way, but Lumiere's behavior must be an enormous burden for Clock, so why was he doing nothing? "Rules and codes of honor," I muttered, and Magnus nodded in agreement.

"You vampires like that kind of stuff."

"Not all of us," I grinned, giving him a quick kiss before standing up to glance at Mass. "Have you heard anything from Marianne?"

He shook his head. "She seems to be hanging out somewhere else these days."

"What about Roch and the gang?"

"No idea, actually."

"What about Max and Œil?"

He shrugged. "I can have a look  around."

A pair of large hands grabbed my hips and turned me around. "Say what you're thinking."

I bit my lip and ran my fingers through my hair. "We need a plan B."

"If everything goes to hell, you mean?"

I nodded. "If Clocksworth doesn't keep his promises."

"Damn it, Nico, he's always delivered before. Why would he go against us now?" Mass exclaimed anxiously from the bed.

"Not always. Do you remember when he came back and saw what Lumiere had done?"

"He was furious."

"And he had a plan, but Belmont made him rethink it."

"What do you mean?"

"And what was the plan?" Magnus asked with an unusually harsh tone.

"To take Lumiere as far away from us as possible."

"And leave us again?"

I nodded and looked from one to the other. "I suspect that his love for Belmont is the reason Lumiere is still here."

"So you think he might decide to leave again? To protect us, even though we're fucking hunted?"

"If he believes that's the only way."

"We need to prepare for the worst," Magnus sighed, pulling me down into his lap, and I immediately felt my muscles relax from the embrace.

But from the bed, a loud sigh was heard. "You're damn right, Mufasa. You should have killed that bastard."