Danielle stepped aside and allowed them inside. They all gathered in the living area where the little mermaid was playing in the background.
'I believe you remember Fauna.' Nick asked her getting comfortable on the sofa.
She nodded. The guilt that had been gnawing softly in her belly intensified with Nick here. And the fact that he wasn't yelling or stressing the situation immediately had her feeling all the more shifty.
'Nick, I...'

'This is Cayden Lynch.' Nicholae tactlessly went on interrupting her before she could speak.
'Osei's cousin from the Valley.'
Danielle stared at the man who, now that she thought about it, bore some resemblance to Osei, the love of her life.
She wiped her clammy hands and offered one to Cayden who hesitated in taking it.
'Nice to meet you.'

'I wish I could say the same.' He bluntly replied letting her know that he already knew who she was.
It had been six months since she'd collaborated in the killing of her then fiancé and that wasn't nearly enough time for the pain in her chest to ebb away into obscurity.
She'd been dying to know how Osei was doing. Was he even still alive? Did he die? Did he remember her or had he completely erased her from his heart?
These were the questions that kept Danielle up at night trying to find the answers to. Standing before her was someone who could actually tell her about him.

'Let's all play nice.' Nick dryly said.

Clarissa came to stand beside Danielle holding her hand and sending a silent apology to her for ratting her out.
She patted her friends hand.

'We're leaving, Danielle, now. We're going to the Valley. I'm sure you've already seen your mother.'

Danielle frowned, she couldn't leave now.
'What about the parade?'

'What about the parade?' Nicholae sarcasm bit.
She didn't blame him for being angry at her but his display was an unusual contrast in his demeanor.

'I need to be there with my father and mother. And I just can't leave, my mother is sick.'
Nicholae stood from his seat and took three threatening steps towards her.

'Yes. Yes, you can. It is not safe here, you won't be safe out there. Your being here puts all of us in a spot we don't want to be in. That's why I brought the shapeshifter and a witch to try and cover our asses.'

There was the other thing.
'I don't know where you're taking me.' She complained.

'Did you not tell her anything?' Cayden asked Nicholae.

'I was working under the principle of a need to know basis. She already knows enough.'

Cayden rolled his eyes.
'Did He Tell you that witches, werewolves and vampires exist?'

'I didn't think Vampires existed.' Danielle slowly replied. It should have been a natural progression of thought but she hadn't thought about it since no one mentioned it. And honestly it wasn't a surprise to her because it wasn't as frightening as when she found out about werewolves and that she was in love with one of them.

'Well he's a vampire, I'm a wolf and she's a witch.' Cayden bluntly stated.
Danielle stared at Nick, why hadn't he told her? And how was he walking in the sun without combusting. The casual throw of information shook her trust in this man... no, vampire.

'I'm guessing the Valley is then home to all of you supernatural creatures?' She guessed.

'Exactly. So now that you know. We need to get moving, we've spent enough time here as it is.'
Nicholae said.

'Fauna you recall where the nearest gate is?'
When she nodded he clapped his hands. 'Then shall we go?'

'Are we going to see Osei?'

'Yes. We need your help to save him.' Cayden replied.

'So he's still alive.' Her voice trembled.

'I'm sorry you don't sound so happy.'
Cayden grinned grimly then faced Nicholae.
'Are we sure that we need her to save his life?'

'I'm going to help. I want to help him anyway I can.'

'Seeing that it was you who put him in that state.'

She didn't appreciate Cayden's sarcasm.
'Thats not it.'
How could she face him now?

'I was tricked into doing it. And I also lost something important to me.'

Cayden and Fauna turned their head to the window at the same time .
'Someone tripped the wards.' Fauna reported
'There are at least seven of them. Cayden added.

'Well Cayden, take the Clarissa and Danielle out the back and keep them safe.'

'Did you hear me? I said seven.' Cayden argued pointing out the window.

'Yes. And you'll be a clumsy duck in here. Go out back, we'll split them up. Fauna and I will hold our own. Now hurry.'

The door shattered sending all of them ducking for cover.
Too late.

Nicholae removed his concealed guns and opened fire.
One or two slugs hit their targets but the bullets might had as well been toothpicks because they barely batted an eye.

'Demons.' Nicholae calmly said.
Clarissa and Danielle has the same wide-eyed reaction to the news, they were terrified.

'Demons? They exist too?' Danielle cried.

'You should go to church more often darling.'
Nicholae dropped his guns and switched them for new ones. This time when he shot the bullets their targets fell to the ground writhing.
Danielle was sure everyone noticed the woman in the middle who the bullets seemed to control the bullets.

They all pounced as one body.
Cayden pushed the two girls behind him catching the two attackers with powerful blows to the stomach.
He quickly changed into wolf form and really brought on the heat.
Fauna kept the witch busy while the others handled the demons Clarissa and Danielle stayed behind the counter, hiding. Snarls and growls filled the room.
Nicholae switched his weapons to ones better suited for combat combat. They proved to be a formidable bunch.
'Take the girls out of here Cayden.' Nicholae ordered. More of them might come and it was hard fighting the demons with divided attention.
Cayden shook his head in objection with defiance shining bright in his golden eyes.
'Just do as I say don't ask questions... Please.'

Nicholae covered their exist.
'Fauna, we're getting out of here.' He said to her. And then A demon came at her from behind temporarily distracting her from The witch whom she fiercely dueled with. Thankfully Nicholae threw the blessed silver dagger and impaled it in his chest.
The witch threw a dark vial to the ground which released thick gray smoke into the room. The smoke caused a mild inconvenience to Nicholae, however Fauna would be blind.

Nicholae found her and stood beside her shooting at the movement.
'Get this thing out of here.'

'I'm working on it.'

A demon tackled him slamming his back into the centerpiece. He elbowed the creature in the face and the stuck his eyeball with a shard of glass.
Then he took his gun and shot the demon theee times in the abdomen.
Taking advantage of the Nicholae's vulnerable position, the witch threw a spell at him just as the fog cleared.
Before Nicholae knew what was happening Fauna stood before him attempting a counter spell which didn't work in time before she got hit and would have fallen on broken glass had Nicholae not caught her.
He placed her limp body behind the counter where he took cover for the time being.
'Fauna, Fauna.' He softly slapped her cheeks.

'Such a loyal dog.' The witch cackled.

The marble counter exploded and Nicholae scrambled to place his body over hers.

With a renewed intent for murder, he went in for the kill with madness and hunger in his eyes. He channeled the hunger which still hadn't been curbed since his cup laid spilled on the floor'amd attacked with a desperation that had the witch taken aback, and she was the first person he went out for. He back handed her and immediately bit into her neck before she could even react. The remaining two demons tried to come to at Nicholae. With ease he side stepped them evading their every move.
Like a ragdoll he tossed the weakened body aside.
He had his gun trained on the fuming demons.
'Who sent you?' He asked.
'The devil himself.' The one replied in a goofy laugh.
He emptied his magazine in both of them.

Then he went to the witch and said to,
'I'll give you one chance to live. Just tell me who sent you and why.'
She couldn't speak all she could do was groan and gasp in pain. In his hunger, he caused more harm than he had intended.
'It's not too late. I can spare your life and hide you.'
'The mistress...' she wheezed.
'She will have her reign.' The trickling blood called out to Nick. So like a starved animal, he responded to it's call and bit into the witches neck and drained her dry.

Clarissa and Danielle followed Cayden into the forest.
He stopped urging them to go ahead of him with a motion of his head.

Danielle saw the four men running towards them.
The two ladies were temporarily amazed yet again by Cayden as he ripped and tore at the demons.

She grabbed Clarissa's hand and led her to safety.

By the time Cayden joined them, he was back in human form and very much naked.

'Do you think Osei kept clothes in here as well?'
He hand his hand on his hips not ashamed of his body at all.

Danielle looked everywhere but at Cayden when she returned with a T-shirt and ripped jeans. She threw it at him from the door and quickly walked inside the Victorian house.

Clarissa however wasn't as gracious.
She openly stared at the wolf shifter's glorious body and all but drooled.
'He's beautiful both as a wolf and a man.' She sighed.

'Clarissa, give the man his privacy.' Danielle jokingly admonished.

They sat in the dusty living room and waited for Cayden to join them. When he did he came with Nicholae who was carrying Fauna,

'What happened to her?' Danielle went to Fauna who Nicholae set on his lap and cradled her head on his shoulder.

'She took a hit for me.' Nick explained.

'But this is all my fault.' Danielle's voice cracked.

'Yes.' Cayden answered harshly.

'Guys, this is not the time to be throwing the blame around. What happened happened.'
Nicholae spoke in a calming tone which was far from what he was feeling.
'Clarissa. See if there's anything you can do.'
The young girl nodded kneeling before Nick and Fauna.
She closed her eyes and scanned Fauna's face with her hands.

'I don't know which spell this is but it feels very strong. We shouldn't worry too much, her life force is growing stronger.'
Her voice was hopeful.
'The effect of the spell is weakening already. All she needs now is rest.'

'You're a healer.' Cayden stated.

'That is what I use my powers for. But I can do other things.'

'We'll stay here until she wakes up and then we're leaving at once.'
Nicholae carried Fauna upstairs and took her to a room which was decorated in spider-man merchandise.
He set her on the bed and stayed by her side.
Danielle soon came to find him.

'I'm sorry Nicholae.' She said from the door.
'It really isn't your fault.' Nicholae responded.
'You've just been caught in the middle of a fight you didn't ask for.'

Danielle hugged herself. She had so many regrets in her short life and it seemed the list was ever growing.
'Who's after me? Do you still not know?'

'The witch called her the mistress. And she wants you dead because you're the only one who can save Osei.' Nicholae turned to look at her.
'It's your blood that damned him and it's your blood that can save him.' That's what they hoped.

Danielle walked further into the room.
'Does he...' the question was hard to ask.
'Does he still hate me? Has he forgotten about me?'

Nicholae pressed his lips in a thin line.
There wasn't much that he could say to ease her mind or alter the truth as much as he wanted to.

'I don't think he can forget you with him dying and all.' He said with a grim smile.
'I'm sorry Danielle. I can't give you the closure you need. You'll have to ask him when you see him.'

When she see's him. She wasn't prepared.