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Veratos H.

The Quadra

0 · 1,172 views · located in Sable

a character in “The Promise Made”, as played by noctemys

So begins...

Veratos H.'s Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H.
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"That my friend was Dean finding an outlet, didn't think it would work, I'm quite impressed, usually he has Rebellus to help him change back again," Veratos began to explain to the huntress, "he's a Nephilim, and has the ability to change into his true form, we call it a Devil Trigger, it unlocks his full supernatural potential, though he doesn't ever turn unless he thinks it's absolutely necessary --or he's forced. He can't always control himself in that form which is why he rarely activates the trigger. That's why he uses Rebellus most of the time so that he won't have to rely on it much. The sword basically keeps his powers in line, that's why he always needs it." The young woman's dark grey eyes flickered to the Italian girl as she reached for the blade and turned to face Azera. "Don't tell me, she's planning on taking her down?" She can't be that stupid at trying to kill an angel Vera thought not agreeing with this move at all. "That girl is his source of strength."

Dean stood up, he wasn't so sure if what he'd heard Isabella say was real or something he wanted to hear, in any case, it wasn't something he was about to bring up. He really needed to get back on track and do this right. At noticing the large amount of zombies all gathering around them, he smiled like a child in a candy store, even his eyes seemed to light up with excitement flowing like an open hydrant in his veins. Must have been his Devil Trigger that revitalized his energy making this possible. Upturning his gaze to meet Azera's cold, expectant gaze he asked rather non-nonchalantly, "Did you put up all this for me?"

"I may or may not have tinkered with the dead to use as my puppets, so yeah." She said bored.

Whipping out Silver Moon and taking back the much needed Solar Flare from Isabella, the hunter shot multiple "charged shots" at the line that held Rebellus suspended in the air, making a mental note on the curiosity of Azera's not doing anything to stop him. After the metallic-like cord snapped, he called it forth, and like a magnet the weapon flew to his hand, which he caught by its hilt then swung it over to his back. Satisfied, he smoothly continued on to shoot multiple "charged shots" at a bunch of zombies that were getting too close for comfort, a bunch of head shots would do the trick to clear up the congesting hordes of walking dead. "This is almost like Resident Evil, but way cooler!" Of course he remained beside Isabella, "Hey Isabella, you should join me, it's fun!"

Once that was done, he turned to face the real threat, an angel who was definitely up to something. The question was what? Kill him? Kill him and Isabella? That seemed to be their enemies' main shtick.

"This is getting rather dull, I was expecting you two to kill each other, I wasn't planning on this." Azera said with a sigh as she pet her shadowy companion. She noticed the little Italiana now possessing her angel sword and she smiled, then laughed. "What do you plan on doing with my blade darling? By the looks of it I can tell you want a fight," the sclera of her eyes become an icy, aqua blue, and she looked quite irritated, almost bothered by the fact that this mortal little swine wanted to go up against her. She wouldn't last a second. Smiling rather cockily Azera addressed her, "Go on, make your move girl, I'm waiting."

Dean glanced back at Isabella and he rose a brow, she was either very brave, or very dumb, was she joking? Taking on a full fledged angel like that? "Um, Isabella, what are you doing?" he whispered, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention. "She'll kill you, I don't think you want to die yet, let me handle this, it's what I get paid for." He aimed his pistols at Azera who wasn't pleased with the hunter's always messing up her plans.

"No, I want her to try and hit me!" Azera shouted, glaring at the hunter for intervening.

"Now come on Aze, you know she can't put up a fare fight with you," he said this, as an idea formed in his mind, he couldn't shoot down Azera because she was using her demonic mind-possessing pet on him, (he could sense the demon aura practically oozing from the creature) if Isabella could work with him, than he could destroy the creature, while letting Isabella make her move. He shrugged at the angel's persistence, "Alright, if that's what you want," the hunter slid beside Isabella and wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled at her, confident in her ability to at least wield a blade properly, "Okay I'll give you a boost, hope you've got a good swing." Holding Isabella this close to him, Dean was able to detect the scent of her salt tears and Lorenzo's blood on her. Did something happen in-between them? He'd ask her later.

"Oh sweet lord, what is he doing?" Vera groaned, as she shot one of the zombies that was trying to leave the premises of the cemetery without having to look at it. She exchanged glances with Selene giving her a 'seriously' expression.


Dean held both his weapons and leaped up into the air, tossing Isabella at the angel who stared back at them with a dark smile on her face. He aimed both Silver Moon and Solar Flare at the shadow creature that was glaring at him surprised and he let loose a barrage of bullets that pummeled the otherwise ghostly creature. Destroying its form to nothing, the hunter felt the control she had over him literally "break" at the action and the woman's eyes widened like saucers -she did not see that one coming, and before she could react, that damned Italian girl was hovering above her glowing like an angel sent by the wrath of God himself, poised with the silver, glistening Angel Sword that would potentially kill her if she didn't do anything.

And she couldn't do anything, she did say for the human girl to get the first hit, but what she hadn't expected was for the hunter to destroy the very thing that kept her immortal! As strange as it may be, she was feeding off Zeri for both immortality and the power to dominate demon kind. Now that her link was shattered, she was pretty much screwed. Unless she dodged Isabella and in turn attacked the girl herself and this she attempted to do.

"Now don't go back on your word!" Dean yelled, seeing the angel's intentions, she reached out for her as he soared downwards, grabbed her arms, pinning her in place and keeping her there as Isabella did her thing -if she would do the honors.

"LET ME GO YOU DISGUSTING DEMON!" she yelled, struggling in his iron grasp.

"Sorry, but I take orders from no one, I'm the master of myself," he replied, kicking her forward, so that Isabella could reach her sooner and get this done quickly.

A giant black wolf emerged from the shadows, as if brought in by the night, morphing into Aleksei, the figure glided among the cemetery, passing by the re-animated corpses, his fury and power so great that the surrounding area of zombies were obliterated by his auras alone. Coming to a full stop below he cast a dark look at the hunter, not agreeing with his decision of allowing Isabella to be utilized against the enemy -no matter if they had a plan.

But he was too late to try and stop what was happening all too fast.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H.
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{Happy Valentine's day, my loves!}

Isabella stared at Azera, her golden eyes glowing, brows furrowed, a steep frown tainting her features. The woman writhed in Dean's grasp, screaming for him to let go, though he did not. The sword hummed in Isabella's hands, which were trembling with a mixture of fury and guilt. Lorenzo's blood was still fresh on her clothes, and the image of the betrayal ridden on his face when she had shot him continued to plague her mind. Would she be subjected to brutally maiming someone who had saved her life, and kill another, all in the same day after seeing her father die in her arms and burning her house to the ground?

While corpses continued to rise from their graves, then falling to the ground in permanent death as Selene and Vera slayed them, she took a shaky breath, wielding the sword and aiming the tip of its blade at the girl's throat. She stepped over her, gazing down at her with the mercy usually so eminent in her honey colored irises gradually continuing to fade away. It had only been her first day of training- would she have to become a ruthless killer to be a successful hunter's apprentice? would a moment like this, in which she had to lay her compassion aside to eliminate a threat against their lives, define or determine her success against the Italian vampires?

She raised the blade above her head, its sleek metallic frame flashing again in her grasp, as though it were channeling her rage. She took a breath, her eyes glossing over, and caught a glimpse of Aleksei's silhouette. She could almost feel the hatred he had for the situation she was being subjected to. But he had to have known it would come down to this one day; she couldn't look upon all of those who tried to kill her or her friends and let them live; what would be the point then?

Selene glanced over at Vera, who had explained the supernatural phenomenon that had occured between Isabella and Dean in the simplest of terms. Clearly, Vera didn't believe in the soul tie that the two shared, which was so transparently eminent that even the corpses were feeling from it, having lingered off toward the entrance of the cemetery. Then her eyes shifted over to the Italian girl, inspecting her, trying to predict the girl's next move. Would she do as they expected her to? Would she let the potential killer leave with her life, or would her first day of training prove effective on the girl?

Her hand touched her neck almost by instinct, reliving the moment that the French messenger had snapped her neck, and then waking up with a debiliating thirst for human blood. She recalled the ethereal sweetness of Isabella's blood after she had attacked her, and the euphoric surge of power that she experienced with just one taste; this, she also remembered, was the reason that the girl was being hunted so relentlessly.

There was something inside the girl that their enemies were trying to get their hands on. What was it that made Isabella's blood so special?

Isabella, with her teeth gritted, rained the blade down over Azera, stopping just before one of its two edges could cut the girl's neck in half. The grace in her eyes was returning, though faintly as ever; she held the humming sword above Azera's throat for a few moments before she withdrew.

"I knew she wouldn't do it," Selene muttered under her breath, her shoulders drooping in defeat. She couldn't help the mild disappointment she felt, either. "She's not ready to kill another person yet."

And then, out of nowhere, an angry cry erupted from the Italian girl's lips, and she plunged the blade into Azera's heart. She pressed down with all of the strength that she had, watching as the crimson spilled from the wound, though she knew it probably wouldn't kill her. The weapon flashed again, an image comparable to lightning, and Isabella let it go, stepping away and turning her face to hide it away from the others.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H.
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[Happy V-Day everyone! <3]

"What are you doing?"
"Having fun."
"Of course."

Azera turned away from the group as they crowded around her dead "corpse" in the cemetery. She smiled back at Zeriel a taller man clad in black with light hazel eyes,(no longer a shadow cat) as he stopped beside her, inspecting the damage she'd made this time, he made a slight frown, "You really suck at duplicating clones, do you get easily side-tracked?" He could make out the objects of her greatest interests being the son of Adacio and that girl Lombardi, the one who had landed the blow on her craptastic double. "Love don't you think they'll realize they've been tricked?"

She smiled as she leaned against him with a sigh, "Yeah but I guess I wasn't focused enough to make her right, she came out with my nastiest and brattiest attitude. She's more like a little sister, which they killed. Oh well, Salvatore will notice it, unless he doesn't know much about angels which I highly doubt since he is one -sort of, but that's not the case, I've already acquired what I've come for. He's grown stronger that much is certain and his morality pet is that girl. He's protecting her and he's made it quite obvious too, this boy has so much to learn."

"Like you?" Zeriel nudged her shoulder, ignoring the death glare he could sense her shooting toward him.

"Hey, you know what happens when I get bored. Come on let's go, we're to report on our observations with the fancy royal vamps, let's not keep them waiting." She turned and like the wind both angels vanished.


Dean turned his gaze toward were he could slightly pick up the auras of angels near by, but he couldn't focus enough to determine who they belonged to for they had dropped out of his range. Returning his gaze to the dead body he looked around trying to find all the things that just didn't add up. If this here were an angel, and was stabbed with her own angel sword, than why hadn't she glowed when she was impaled by it? Where where the burnt imprints of her wings on the ground? Unless...

"Don't worry Isabella, it's not like you actually killed the real thing, I should have known." Dean said softly, putting his guns away as he stared at the decaying corpse, even the sword turned into a rusted, old rod as the spell cast to create it wore off. It was just a doll, another one of Azera's puppets.

"And how did you come to that conclusion Salvatore?" Aleksei asked, staring at the hunter darkly, still not at all moved by the boy's decision to involve Isabella in his mission.

"Well for starters... an angel would never give away their sword, that should have been my first clue, and second," he reached for Isabella's hand, tugged her toward him so that she could see what he was talking about, "when she was stabbed by her blade, that should have been enough to destroy the angel within the vessel, a mini light show should have bursted from it. So from those two factors I'm able to conclude that this is a fake."

"Congratulations, do you want a prize?" Aleksei spat, clearly not impressed, he glared at the body of Azera as it turned to ashes under his influence.

Dean perked up and actually semi-smiled at the pureblood, "Sure, got something for me?"

Aleksei shot him the most scariest look he could conjure. Dean reacted with a shrug, not giving a damn.

"So if the winged monkey is still kickin' I think I should go after her." Dean said easily as he let go of Isabella's hand and started to walk in the direction of his parked ride. He would let her stay out of this one for the moment, let her kick back with the girls. She'd seen and done enough and he was pretty sure as hell that she wouldn't want to hang with him anymore -not after seeing what a total beast he was. Even he wouldn't want to stick around with himself after that huge reveal.

"No, you stay. Calisen has been notified of the disturbances, and is on her way. I'll handle this Salvatore, take Isabella to my place it has been prepared for her so it's perfectly safe." he instructed the hunter seriously, before leveling his gaze with Isabella, speaking to her much softly, he told her, "Unfortunately I will no longer be your guardian for the time being, something's come up sweetie. You'll be with Salvatore for a while, please be more careful." He offered her a kind smile before turning to address the others, switching back to his authoritative, no-nonsense, tone, "Keep her safe, I urge you to do so, it's getting more and more hectic out there, and Salvatore, we have more important matters to handle, like figuring out who sent the avenging angel in the first place, that's why you can't go after her just yet."

"Like the Italian vampires?" Dean guessed, hesitating, turning slightly to stare at the pureblood, "we can figure that out now," he smirked, glanced in the direction were he could sense Lorenzo's wounded pride and called out with a chuckle, "Hey Dandi-Dick, come out, come out where ever you are!" he brandished Solar Flare, aimed the double-barreled weapon to the air, focused his energy into a charged shot and let it fly in the ebony night sky, sounding like fire works as the blast roared into the silent atmosphere above, a warning for the perp if he refused, "come on, or I'll shoot your brains out. Isabella wouldn't but I will!"

And that was a promise, damn straight.

"As if he's going to tell us anything useful besides his wanting Isabella back in Italy for a marriage proposal or the prophesy or which ever they decide to do first." Veratos stated coolly and business-like as she approached them. "We should get a move on before the sweepers arrive or they're gonna want to interrogate us on what happened and you know how fun that gets."

(OOC--After giving it much thought, it would make much more sense for her to be within the protective confines of Aleksei's home rather than away from it.))

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H.
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"Aleksei!" Isabella cried, running up to embrace him lovingly.

She buried her face into his chest, fighting the urge to cry, though it waned when that familiar sense of security she felt when she was with him returned. A sigh escaped her lips, and she recoiled from him, turning to stare at the belltower where she had left Lorenzo to bleed out while Dean tauntingly addressed him. She watched him raise the gun and fire a shot that warned him not to come near the girl again, and she let her gaze fall to the Baretta nestled in her jeans. She felt it had become almost like an extension of her body, as though it belonged there at her side; perhaps that was because it was previously owned by Dean, whom she also shared a connection with.

"He came back," Isabella admitted to Aleksei, turning and looking up at him inquisitively. "I don't know why. He didn't attack me, but he wouldn't let me leave the tower. He was trying to protect me-"

"There he goes," Selene interrupted, nodding to a wounded shadow as it leapt from the building and disappeared. She could smell his strong metallic scent from where she stood, her eyes still flared crimson. "Stupid little bastard."

Isabella gazed in the direction that he had fled, wondering what he had returned for, and how he felt about her shooting him. Would he report to his father back in Italy? Did she let off the first shot that would ignite the war between them? She grew a little nervous, standing among her friends, though they didn't seem very phased by it at all more than peeved. Then Aleksei began to explain that she could no longer stay with him at his estate, and her heart sank.

She had a strange feeling that he wasn't telling her certain information; like where he had wandered off to this whole time, and why he was suddenly kicking her out of his house that he had prepared a room for her in. She studied him, her eyes curiously trying to decode him, though she couldn't read him as well as she might have liked to. She knew everything that he did was to ensure her protection, and for some reason she felt like this time would be no different, though it was much graver.

"Dean Salvatore?" came a random voice, which, when they turned around, could see belonged to Damian Ulric, one of Julian's brothers.

Behind him were two other males and a female, though neither of them said a word as they followed. Their eyes inspected the group closely, although their gazes were not intimidating moreso than intrigued. Selene was the first to step forward, nodding at Damian in acknowledgement and she silently inquired why they had been sought out. Damian and his packmates then turned and recognized Aleksei, their heads low as to show respect for the man they recognized as the White One.

"I am Damian Ulric, and these are my brothers, Lukas and Tristan, and our sister Artemis. We believe we may have caught one of the rogues that belonged to an outlaw tribe that attacked your father... James Salvatore, is it?"

"We have bound the intruder, if you wish to question him," Tristan added, his dark curly hair bouncing about his fair face. "Our methods have failed to get anything out of him."

"His name is Botolf," continued Artemis, her eyes still on the ground and her voice soft like a child.

"Rogue tribe?" Isabella whispered, a little confused. "So there's more of you?"

"Yes," Lukas answered. "And there shouldn't be. At least not in this region. This is land grandfather Wolfgang established as our domain- we were appointed its guardians. Anyone else is an intruder."

"They attempted an attack on another human," said Damian gravely. "Thankfully, the alpha was present to defend her. They have wounded him severely, and the human is still tending to him."

"Another human attack?!" Selene said in bewilderment. "In Sable?!"

"The borders," Tristan replied. "They breached Silver Mist and tried to claim a little red-headed girl that was camping as their next target."

Isabella froze. Her heart turned to ice inside her veins and a feeling like she was about to vomit wrenched her gut and turned it upside down. She realized she hadn't spoken to Lyra since they left school yesterday- could she have been that victim?

"You said they're still in the forest?" Isabella asked, her tone and speech quickening with urgency.

"Yes."

"Well, what do you think?" Selene spoke up, her eyes shifting from Veratos to Aleksei, then to Isabella and finally settling on Dean. "Should we check it out?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H.
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Aleksei welcomed the girl with open arms and a smile, though it did nothing to take away the heavy sadness from his eyes. He held the girl in his arms but it would never compare to actually being there, right there with her, feeling the full warmth of her small body against his. She would never forgive him if she knew. His thoughts skirted away from the terrible decision but ultimately the right one that he had made for her sake. At the sudden blast of the hunter's gun, his own heart jolted and he instinctively moved himself closer to her, like at any second he would pull her in and be her human shield if needed. The hunter was addressing someone, and by the familiar scent of that idiot, Aleksei already knew who.

He returned his gaze to Isabella as she spoke to him, then to Selene as she pointed out where the royal vampire escaped. "A coward is more like it. This won't be the last you've seen of him."

Dean watched the vampire flicker in and out within the shadows, obviously retreating from them, to most likely return to Italy this time and to his guess, inform the other dandy vampires about what had occurred. However he wasn't too sure that the vampire would admit having been shot by Isabella, or he risk major embarrassment. At the arrival of the wolf tribe the hunter listened to them report on their findings of the rogue wolf they had captured and had tried and failed to get information from, and of a particular girl whom had reddish hair. The last person he could recall ever seeing that fit the description was Isabella's school friend, Lyra. He hoped she was okay, getting mixed up with were wolves could never be a happy experience for a human.

"I say we get going." Vera said.

"I don't have anything else to do right now," Dean drawled with a half smile, almost too happy.

As they all shuffled out, the pure blood would pass by him and hand him a key, along with his own mansion keys and a card containing the deets to his address before morphing into a black wolf. That alone was enough to inform him that the vampire had never truly been with them.

Take care of her. The wolf probed the thought to the other, its crimson eyes glowing faintly at the moonlight.

Dean nodded at the wolf as he gripped the keys, now the girl's life truly rested in his hands, now he was appointed to her as her full-fledged guardian, and would probably get a good pay as well, the pure blood didn't ever do things half-way, that much he knew. But what he didn't know was why he had decided to suddenly give her up to him. Must be doing some shady business that he wouldn't even tell the hunter about. In any case, whatever it was, he was certain that it had much to do with Isabella's well being. The vampire cared about her so very much, as much as Dean himself, and he was an ancient, he could handle himself, the hunter didn't have to concern himself about the dude. Though he couldn't say the same for Isabella, she would worry about the pureblood's disappearance and would hammer Dean with questions about his whereabouts. Perhaps that explained Aleksei's silence, as if he could not trust him with that info.

"She'll find out eventually, as she has before, you should really stop keeping shit from her." Dean told him seriously, as he started to follow the group back to the forest.

This is something that doesn't concern her for her own safety, I'm paying the price. Keep moving forward hunter, even if what lies ahead, is but a river of blood. Above all, keep her safe. Or I'm not paying you jack squat. You have your orders Ace.

At the mentioning of his old alias, the hunter felt a flash of memories flood his mind and he had to stop for a moment, hand to his face as he tried to sort it all out but failing to. It ended up giving him a head ache.

"Dean." That was Vera, glancing back to see him rubbing his forehead in pain, he looked up at her and dismissed it with a frown. Dropping his hand and slipping it into his pocket he ignored her staring and continued to stroll to his car so that he could drive to the place without having to abandon his baby. He fit as many people as he could into it, Isabella riding shot gun and the others that wanted a ride into it, he knew that Selene already had a bike of her own so she wasn't a part of that group.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric
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-Has been moved to the proper location: Silver Mist Forest, you'll find your post there-

The setting changes from Sable Cemetery to Silver Mist Forest

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric
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St. Valentine wrote:
"Aleksei?" Isabella called softly, searching for him when she turned to see if he was following. "Aleksei? Where are you?"

Her voice was so small and shaken it sounded akin to a child calling for its mother. Her eyes became glossy when she realized that he had long disappeared, watching as Dean returned without him and joined them as they made their way toward the forest where Isabella's house had once been. Selene nudged her forward, urging her not to waste time looking for the pureblood that had vanished for a good reason that he obviously did not wish for the Italian girl to know. She continued on reluctantly, looking over her shoulder in search of him repeatedly until they left the cemetery.

When they reached the forest, Isabella was horrified at the carnage strewn about the foliage. The earth had been torn apart in several places; some trees had been snapped in half, and there was blood and fur all over the place. They reached the tent, and she could see the familiar silhouette of Lyra's bouncy hair, as well as Julian resting beside her. Instinctively, she ran toward the campsite, barely able to contain herself.

"Lyra?!" she cried out, on the brink of hysteria. "Are you in there??"

She whipped open the tent to find Julian beneath the sleeping bag, naked and bruised, and Lyra with her arms curled around her knees next to him. Their source of energy and protein were chocolate bars and sugary energy drinks, marshmallows and graham crackers- Isabella's horror intensified. Immediately, she dove into the tent and embraced her friend, relieved beyond measure to find that the girl had not been harmed.

"Oh my god, Lyra, I thought you had been hurt or killed! What on earth are you doing in a tent?!"

Julian stirred beside them, trying his best to sit up on his elbows and acknowledge the Italian girl that had just knocked his bandaged and injured foot when she leapt into the little tent. His grey eyes watched the pair interact, though he was biting down on his lip to keep from howling with the pain that surged the span of his limb. At that same moment, Lukas appeared with a bundle of Julian's clothes, which he put on before he was helped to stand and exit the tent.

"The Salvatore boy has arrived," Lukas informed his alpha, who was struggling to stand upright as he shifted his weight onto a tree for support. "He wishes to speak with the rogue alone. We figure the hunter will do better to get some information out of him."

"Does he know?" Julian asked.

"Yes."

"Take me to him."

Bound at his post, Botolf slumped over, staring viciously at the ground with the one eye that hadn't been swollen shut. Blood oozed out of his wounds and dripped from his broken nose and busted lip. Sweat had slicked his skin and dirt was caked on it, turning gradually into mud, while his hair had been cut off and only a few patches had remained. He didn't look up when the hybrid hunter arrived, though a smirk did curl over his split lip, and a weak, pained laugh erupted from his throat as Dean cocked his weapon.

"Go ahead and shoot me, hybrid," Botolf spat. "I will take the secrets of my alpha to the grave, and you will only be making it easier."

His one good eye, the color of a ring of purified brass, feral and inhumane, lazily lingered up to meet Dean's furious gaze. The rogue's smirk widened, revealing several missing teeth, which the other wolves had crushed when trying to get him to talk. Bloody saliva dripped from the side of his mouth, adding to his barbaric visage, then he cackled wildly.

"You will never see them coming."


"Actually you'd be a waste of a perfectly good bullet," Dean retorted back even putting the pistol away for emphasis. Listening to the captured man talk he was coming to the conclusion that he was an insane catch and there was no real way to deal with him, unless he wanted to be dragged down to his level and beaten by his own craziness. He was not going there. Whoever sent him was no longer the concern here, rather whom he spoke of. The hunter was only aware of one group that surely wanted Isabella so far, the Italian vampires. Now if there were a whole other group of big bad that wanted her too, well, it would be wise to know at least who they were. Nothing else mattered, when they were coming didn't matter. He would be prepared for it.

"So we're getting a surprise visit from 'them' huh? Wow, I didn't even have to touch you to get that out. Progress." Dean noted aloud smiling back at the deranged fellow. Poor dude, it's like he had nothing better to do than prey on weak people, he couldn't blame being a wolf for that, his changing had nothing to do with his insanity. Shaking his head, the hunter leaned back on his heals, looking the other up and down, maybe all this was just an act, perhaps his mind running on half-charge since he thought he was a gonner. "Hey Botolf, tell me something, why are you in this? I mean, what's in it for you? Do you have any idea what you're dealing with here? Did some one in a dark cloak approach you and promise you power or something? Because I'm not gonna believe that coincidence crap that you just happened to trail all the way out of Carolina to a much smaller, less populated ol' Sable town for no reason than hiding out in the woods and preying on defenseless, innocent people, only to get caught by these guys," he hooked a thumb over his shoulder to the pack of wolves across from them. Staring into that sickeningly yellow eye, Dean drew toward him, closer, then reached out and touched his forehead, all traces of his severe beating on his face, and head shaving vanished, like a cool breeze, and that was it, he only healed Botolf's head and facial injuries, not him entirely, "Let's make a deal, you tell me what I want to know, I help you out, see, unlike some people, I don't harm humans, I protect them," he let his fingers trail down the fully healed man's face, to grip at his jaw, now he could glare into both Botolf's eyes without missing a beat, "you could be the most terrifyingly, ugliest, monster on the face of the earth, but that doesn't define you. It's what you do with what you've got that makes you who you are. And right now, you're just an animal, still hangin' on a thin thread between being human and being a beast."

Yup, the hunter believed in second chances, but only for those who deserved it. This man could be saved, maybe he was going on the convictions that being an animal was the only way to go. Maybe that's how his alpha ran things and since he had no one else to follow, went with it. If he had been human, he must have remembered what it was like to be one right? To have a life? Why was he even trying to save this guy? It was beyond the hunter, but that was just his ways, in a sense he could see himself in Botolf's eyes. See himself lost. See himself hiding behind the mask of the beast roiling inside, given up on everything and slowly loosing his humanity. Most were wolves even forget how to change back, or choose not to voluntarily, instead live the rest of their existence as the animal they've become. Either that would be this man's fate, or he would die here. But nothing was ever certain.

"Who's coming over? Give me a name, it's as simple as that, you're making this more difficult than it has to be," Dean said calmly, loosening his grip on the man's face to let him speak. "I really don't think you have any other options here, these guys aren't gonna stop pummeling you, and you're not going anywhere. You're all alone, your buddies, they're all dead. That includes your leader, you're no longer bound by his will don't you get it? You're fucking free, you do whatever the hell you want now. Do you really wish to keep that secret so bad? You're screwing yourself over if you'd rather accept a bullet than anything else. I just want to know who we're up against, that's all, I don't want to know about your alpha or the fun times you've had with him." His eyes stared unwavering at the man, almost seeming to glow a bright blue, his countenance a mixture of hope and integrity, "You're still human at the end of the day, and right now, a lonely one. Think about it."

Veratos watched the hunter not surprised as he conversed with the enemy, why was he trying to humanize the son of a bitch was something that made Dean totally weird -but it was that simple fact that would always draw her in. It was in his prerogative to try and "reach" to those he thought he could save or whatever. Except this dude, he was just a waste of their time. It was touching, the futile attempt Dean was making, but it would be a grave disappointment on his part if he walked away with nothing. Which would not change a damn thing, he just wasn't the type of guy to give up. Ever. She glanced back at Selene wondering if she was getting this, it was almost sad and it would be a fact of life Dean would have the most trouble swallowing: Not everyone could be saved.

Aleksei's wolf, lingered near the tent, seating itself on the earth, it's carnelian eyes watchful to its surroundings while his charge interrelated with the the other human girl inside. It's ears twitched at every slightest sound made by the others around him, and knowing they were created by the other humans he didn't need to look at them. He was however mindful of anything that would make a new sound, or try to pop out and attack them. A new fear though was beginning to grow within him, the Italian vampires were no longer their main threat, perhaps there were others out there that have found out about the Lombardi's secret, and would come to covet her. Was this the secret that the captured were wolf Botolf was concealing? Knowledge of more assaults after Isabella?

The setting changes from Silver Mist Forest to Sable Cemetery

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Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric
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-removed, did it again sorry -_-

The setting changes from Sable Cemetery to Silver Mist Forest

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Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric
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Selene watched Dean converse with the mongrel closely. The aquamarine tone of her irises returned, though her gaze was still intense and steely. She exchanged glances with Vera, who seemed less than impressed at the mercy Dean was showing the captive; perhaps Isabella's good naturedness had rubbed off on Dean a little too much. The huntress shook her head, her curly locks bouncing around her face as she pivoted on her heels and faced the tent, which now housed Isabella and her friend. Julian was crawling out of the exit, wobbling with his injuries as one of his brothers helped support him.

"You look like hell, wolf boy," Selene said, though truthfully she felt compassion for the young alpha. "Taking on three wolves at a time is a stretch even for you."

"I think they may be scouts," Julian continued, ignoring her sarcastic retort. "Just like Isabella had suggested we seek out scouts in Europe to locate the Italians- they may be doing the same."

Selene paused, considering the possibility. Was it probable that the Italians were one step ahead of them all? She clenched her jaw, the outline of a vein visible on her forehead as she grew angry. But then what was Lorenzo still doing in Sable? She huffed exasperatedly.

"That doesn't make sense," Selene added. "Why would they hire scouts if they already know where Isabella is?"

Julian stopped his hobbling to lean against a tree, his face wrenched in agony as he turned and looked toward the tent, where he could see Isabella's silhouette moving about wearily over her friend. He sighed, then turned back to face Selene and Veratos.

"I think that when Isabella and Dean found their way to each other, something like a red flag was activated around the world," Julian explained gravely. "Like the silent war that had been simmering all these years finally boiled over. It might explain why suddenly we're being bombarded with attacks. They don't just want Isabella dead- they want Dean dead, too."

There was silence for a while as Selene calculated this new information. That would make sense of the reason that Dean's father had been brutally attacked- like the hybrid had been baited by the wolves, or some higher power, knowing that the hunter would come to his aid immediately. His cover would be blown in his recklessness.


"They must know how strong the pair is together," Selene whispered, suddenly realizing something. "If they get rid of one, the other will go down almost automatically. So you think those scouts were sent to track Dean?"

"I think they were a decoy," Julian said, beginning to wobble off in the direction of his brothers with the help of Tristan, whom had stayed behind to help him. Both of them looked toward the prisoner, their demeanors fallen, as though they had lost hope of the rogue's salvation.

Botolf stayed quiet as he felt the wounds in his face disappear; his eyesight was restored, and he no longer tasted his own blood mixed with his saliva. He felt his face get gripped in the hybrids hands, and then his eyes were forced to meet Dean's blue ones. The outlaw cackled at his words, unphased by his sympathy and attempt to salvage his humanity- in fact, Botolf found the compassion quite amusing.

"Mercy is uncharacteristic of your kind," he mused almost delightedly. "Though I suppose you have that angelic half to blame- or perhaps your little girlfriend, the Lombardi girl? They know her secret, boy, and yours too. She's your weakness, and everyone knows it. Now they know where to strike."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric
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Dean sighed as the man addressed him, he was already lost, there was no turning back for him. Pity. Crossing his arms the hunter thought over what he'd said, so it looked like whomever had sent the pack over to Sable was aware of what Dean was, and of his association with Isabella. Could it have been that Azera girl? Or maybe it was Lorenzo? Or the entire Italian clan teaming up with were wolves in attempt at taking them down? Wait -teaming up, with were wolves? Weren't they supposed to be enemies? Wow, they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. It almost cracked him up, but he kept his composure, little by little Botolf was revealing what he knew, or what he wanted the hunter to know.

"Mercy is something I only have for humans, but for monsters I have none. Nada," the hunter said, he didn't care much for the man anymore, he could see now in him nothing, an emptiness that had already consumed him long before they even met, he was already doomed. "And I suppose you're talking about the Italian fucks back there in Italy right? We'll go with that. Apparently they don't know shit, if they think that girl is my weakness, they got another thing commin'. Well I think I've heard enough, later." With that the hunter turned and walked off to meet up with Selene, Veratos and some face he couldn't quite name but knew he was a were wolf, to inform them on what he'd gotten from Botolf.

"They know Isabella's blood secret, and that she's supposed to be my weakness and they think they have an advantage over me. They think they know where to strike, can you believe that crap? They need to do their homework if they assume that they know me, 'cuz they don't." He shook his head with a half-smile and chuckled darkly, he found that so amusing. What did they know? His weakness? Certainly not a girl, what? They're joking, what the hell did they think weakness was? He saw it as Krytonite to Superman, an object that physically brought him fall to his knees, Isabella NEVER had that effect on him, but the opposite. With her he felt good, clean, powerful, whole. She could never be his weakness, more like his strength.

Now his weakness, it was something he had yet to discover, for a boy who feared nothing, what could possibly weaken his spirit? He was afraid to find out, and the fact that he realized this made him in turn freak out even more.

"Well that was expected, why do you think they're after her? But as of your connection with her I don't think they know that yet. It's best that they don't for obvious reasons, though I suspect that they want you out because of your father's involvement with her family. They assumed that you would follow in your father's steps and protect her, as he had defended her ancestors before her. They were right, and they know how much trouble you'll be for them if they try to capture Isabella, makes sense don't you think?" Veratos asked, looking from Dean to Selene and then and Julian, and back at the hunter as her own mind started up on a spin wheel, her eyes trailed to the little tent aglow with a flash light the girls had lit up inside as they caught up with each other, "they want to get rid of you so that it will facilitate their reach to Isabella, they know that where ever you are, she will be. So that means we gotta get off the grid and figure out what they're planning so that we can plan around their plan."

Dean turned to gaze at the tent recognizing Isabella's shadow against it, "Or we take them down head on, I don't do hiding, what do you think I am? Not a coward, you know that Vera. I don't run from danger, I run towards it."

"Well that is your style, but we should consider the safety of our client first Dean, I'm not going to tell you how to run things, but it's not just your fight anymore, it's hers too." Vera told him, her gaze following his to see the tent.

"I think they're trying to ambush us, using were wolves to lure us right where they want us. They must have been tipped off by someone who knows what we're trying to do, or like a chess game, they're trying to anticipate our moves, trying to prepare for the worst. I think we should strike now, and not wait," Dean said, voicing his own thoughts to the group, "it may be her fight, but this is something she can't handle on her own, she's a just a girl with alien blood that every one is killing each other over. I'm her guardian now," he showed them the key,

"that means I protect her, and that means she can't be directly involved, I hear you Vera, we all have to protect her, and deal with this shit ourselves, that's what we were hired for. Nothing else matters, remember when Lorenzo told us six months? I doubt that was giving Isabella time, more like giving them time to plan out a strategy of their own. I say we surprise them by giving them a visit in Italy, take out their monkey running the joint and finish this shit. I don't like taking forever on a damn case, I've dealt with vampires before, they aren't that scary."

Vera looked pensive as she took in what he had said, he was right, they were just puppets with fangs and glowy eyes, not as scary as demons, but in a group they could be a little more tougher to "take down" and Dean may have trouble dealing with them, especially if they fight dirty -Dean likes a fair fight.

"So you're saying that we should ambush them, before they strike?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"And you think they'll be surprised? I think they've already thought of that tactic, we have to really come up with something in case that fails."
"Whatever we should just get going, leave Isabella somewhere safe which I have pretty good idea where and go. We'll be assassins and change up our plans, we can't stick to one now can we?"

Vera nudged Selene and asked her what she was thinking on all of this. If she agreed on it all or had something to add, or knew anything more about the Italian vampiros?

The black wolf eyed the group as they conversed, their thinking that going after the Italian vampires was a good move could be risky, there may not be many pure bloods left in the world, but there were enough of them to become an unstoppable force if faced with all together. If Dean was planning to go up against them, he would require the help of the hunters association, with every weapon in their arsenal, that would be the only sure way to defeat the vampires, unless he was planning on taking them from the inside, like Isabella had suggested. Though without Isabella actually being there, could get very interesting.

Your friend could disguise herself as Isabella, she's done it before, you might want to consider the possibility of using that as an advantage. He probed the idea to Dean.

The hunter thought it over and nodded agreeing, "We already have what they want," Dean said, turning to face Veratos, her eyes glowed a bright golden resembling Isabella's topaz hues.

"If I play her for a while, I could trick them, they don't know about me at all, or of my skills." Her voice sounded like Isabella and it kind of freaked Dean out which he knew was going to work.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley
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"That's a suicide mission," Selene hissed, unimpressed with Veratos' half assed attempt at shapeshifting into an Isabella clone. "You know damn well that Isabella will find out one way or another, and take matters into her own hands, especially if you excluded her from your plan in the first place."

She shrugged, her aquamarine eyes shifting toward the tent, lingering there for a few moments, then traveling back to Dean and settling there. He seemed confident about his decision, and she knew that nothing she would say would deter him from seeing its execution. He was as stubborn as the client he had sworn to protect with his life and nothing would waver him from his position.

"There's a difference between hiding like a coward and hiding like a lion, waiting for the right moment to strike. Whatever Dean, it's your choice. I'll back you up because you're my partner, even if I think your plan is utterly stupid."

She turned when she sensed Michael's arrival like a winter chill. She could see his dark shadow enter the tent, evoke a scream from the redheaded medium, then a flashlight shining through the entrance. Julian nudged her, before he nodded at Tristan, who acknowledged his gesture and went to the fire where a log prodder's sharp tip was beginning to glow orange. Julian's steely eyes flickered with the reflection of the dancing flame as Tristan picked it up and made his way toward the hostage, followed by his brothers, although Artemis was left behind to stand beside the alpha.

"Brother-" she began softly, but was interrupted.

"He no longer serves a purpose," Julian said, his eyes locked on the wood where the darkness hid Botolf and his brothers. "He has decided to go to the grave with his secrets, and so he shall."

"Julian's pack caught the rogues that attacked Dean's father," Selene informed Michael when he arrived to join the group. "The one who led the attack won't talk. We think they're scouts, but we don't know who sent them."

A deeply agonized cry exploded through the forest, followed by the scent of scorched flesh. Isabella immediately snapped toward the sound, her heart catching in her throat. She exchanged glances with Lyra, who, by the look on her face, knew exactly what was going on and the source of the terrible, nightmarish scream.

"What was that?" she aked her friend shakily. "Lyra, what on earth are you doing in the middle of the forest in a tent? Julian just got a pack of rogue wolves, which I heard almost tried to kill you- no, you're coming with me. You can live with me and Dean if he likes it or not. There's no way I'm letting you stay here by yourself- and if you say no, I'm staying here with you."

She crossed her arms and furrowed her brows for emphasis, though she was still a little shaken by the shriek that resonated through Silver Mist.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley
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Veratos' eyes returned to their natural grey and a smile curved her lips, sounding like herself this time she said, "You make it sound like an insult Morrigan, you just haven't seen me in action, I'm excellent at impersonations and well, if you think it won't work than maybe it won't, those vampires are single-mindedly obsessed with her, just might even know each and every breath she takes, what she smells like, they could even be watching us at this very moment. Watching her. We'll discuss a more thorough plan when we're in more private quarters. Don't be a debby-downer now, nobody likes that." She smiled and then winked at Dean, as ever so cool.

At Selene's comment, Dean shrugged letting her words sink in, she could be right, "If she finds out, then she'll find out. But her taking things into her own hands is something I won't let happen," He stretched his arms over his head and started to walk toward the tent to fetch Isabella and her friend, at the second thing she'd said, he quipped, "she's the client, and I'm the one taking the case, I call the shots, you could agree, or not, but hey, you can't please every one, but I'm glad to know you've got my back."

Veratos rolled her eyes, always as stubborn as a mule he was, ain't nothing ever going to change that simple fact. Kid liked to make his own rules and run on them alone whether the world agreed or not. She glanced at the others picking up on something, they decided to take care of the captured were wolf, and by the way it looked, end him permanently. At this, the young lady turned an eye, he was nothing more than a fleeting leaf in the ground, just passing by only to be crushed to nothing by the next foot to stomp over it. At the sound of his cries, she let it flow above her head, it was as natural as life itself. Enemies had to be dealt with in that manner, it was something she had grown used to, growing up around a family that thrived on the hunt itself, death was eminent, as was life. One complimented the other, as good thrived over evil, one could not be complete without the other. Night and day.

She glanced at Dean, the pulse of the life they had once crossed like cruising ships in a dense night, suddenly stopped and they both felt it. She walked passed him and elbowed him on the arm, he stared ahead, his eyes sharp and grave as this sober realism struck him like the very bullets he shot. "He was a monster without a name." Was all he said, before reaching the tent, bending over and yanking the flap up to peer in, on Lombardi and her bestie Lyra,"Come on we're out of here. You too medium, let's get."

"Where to?" Veratos asked, placing her hands on her hips, was Dean thinking of taking them to his cramped and drab motel?

"Avalon's got a sweet pad for us to crash, so that's where we're going for now," he answered, both to Vera and the other girls in case they were wondering the same thing. He moved away from the tent and continued toward Julian, "Yo, we're about to bounce, need anything else?"

The wolf stood up on all fours as it watched the hunter turn to the pack's leader, wherever Isabella would go, the wolf would follow her. Even to the ends of the earth.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley
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"Um, I guess that was the um, wolf person that they caught... I-I can't live with you, I wouldn't want to be a burden, your parents might not agree." She was shaking her head and waving her hands to dissmiss Isabella's invite when no sooner had she said this when the entrance of their little hide away was once again broke into, shining her torch (flash light) to the stranger's face she glared at him, it was just that chum that seemed to pop out of no where, Dean the hunter, he was telling them to get out, more like commanding them to, rudeness.

"Pardon me? We're going where now? What's a pad? I don't quite get it," Lyra looked deeply embarassed at not understanding his slang at all, they were going to crash a what now? A pad? How? She was confused, and at a loss, but she did as told anyways, deciding that the wood would no longer be a good or safe place to spend the night. These guys were leaving so she would too, getting right on it, she started walking around collecting the little she had and packing it all up. Pretty soon she was done and was ready to go -but not with them.

"Okay I'm ready, cheerio!" She waved, smiled slightly and gave her back to them all to leave. Where she was headed, no one knew, all she was concerned about was finding a place to sleep for the night, which she had no idea where it would be.

Katherine appeared, like a dog chained to its master by a lead, she would also follow her niece to the ends of the world, and back again, not concerning herself of anyone or thing, just her alone. Though Dean seemed to have taken the girl into concideration and for that she was awed, the boy seemed promising, and for the first time since ever she felt that in being with him, her precious niece was better off being with him than being alone. She was sick of seeing her niece so alone and defenseless, it was about time she stopped being so damn stubborn and accept help when it was offered to her.

However it didn't seem like anything she could say would shake the child from her resolve, it was like she was in terms tired of being dependant on others, tired of being told what to do. She wanted her own from now on so it seemed, now that she was in America, she would seek out whatever she came by and keep pushing forwards.

Keep moving on.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley
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Isabella screwed up her face, watching Lyra leave on account that she felt she was a burden to them all. Did that silly Brit not understand they needed to be a team? That they all worked together like a body, different parts with different and equally important duties? She shook her head and rolled her eyes, unsure if following after her friend was going to change her mind at all. She was beginning to grow irritated, actually; it was like she wanted to dwell in the middle of danger. She turned and looked at Dean, knowing it was a futile attempt in silently asking for advice.

Julian reappeared with his packmates a little ways away from them, their forms half illuminated by the dancing firelight. Isabella could see Botolf's form, still bound by the arms and neck, with Lukas and Damian holding his chains. As the rogue glanced up and caught sight of the Italian girl, he roared, revealing a black, mangled mound that was his tongue, which had been scorched by the log prodder. He lunged at her, but a sickening snap stopped him in his tracks and he fell back with recoil, as the brothers controlled his movement with their grips on the chains.

Pinkish foam started bubbling out the sides of his mouth, and he clawed in the girl's direction, trying desperately to get to her. She watched him, horrified and frozen in her steps at the barbaric scene. Julian turned to acknowledge Botolf, then nodded at his brothers, who yanked violently on the chains and forced the mongrel to his feet. His feral eyes were locked on Isabella though, and she couldn't help but succumb to their hypnotic quality. She began to walk toward him, almost like a rat to a dancing cobra.

"What will you do with him, Julian?" she asked, her voice monotonous.

"Put him down like the cur that he is, I hope," Selene hissed, bearing her teeth at the animal.

"Stop."

Damian and Lukas looked to their alpha for direction at the Italian girl's odd request. After a moment's hesitation, and knowing that the dangerous outlaw was secured by his packmates, Julian nodded. He studied the girl's movement; she cautiously approached Botolf, maintaining a safe distance as she observed him. He was shifting in his restraints- she could hear the bones moving around and cracking inside his body- and showed no sign of humanity.

"What the hell are you doing, Isabella?" Selene barked, stomping toward her, though she paused when Isabella held up a hand.

"He cannot speak," Julian informed the girl, who curiously observed Botolf. "His tongue has been melted. He will be executed and discarded in the ocean with the others."

"What do you want?" she asked the wolf man, whose body had mutated and grown fur.

He snapped at her again, his remaining teeth becoming jagged and deadly looking. She couldn't help but see him as a defenseless, tortured animal, like the many she had treated while working at the animal hospital in Sable. She reached a hand out to stroke the fur, but Selene's newfound speed enabled her to catch the girl's hand and stop it before Botolf had the chance to tear it off.

"Don't be stupid," she said. "One bite will turn you."

"Maybe that was the idea," Isabella answered darkly, ripping her hand away from Selene and giving them all a very pointed look. She shook her head and stormed off toward the direction where Lyra had retreated from them, evoking an infuriated eyeroll from the huntress.

"Have we lost all sense of humanity?" came Isabella's voice as her form disappeared from the firelight's luminescence.

"I swear that girl is going to get herself killed before the Italians have the chance to get their hands on her," Selene growled, turning to look at Vera, as if inquiring whether or not they should bind her to a post somewhere for her own safety.

Julian nodded again at his brothers, who snapped the chains and dragged Botolf in the opposite direction, leaving only Artemis behind. The girl watched Isabella walk off in her anger at the tactics they used to deal with intruders, her lips slightly curling. There was always a reason grandfather Wolfgang had specifically commanded them not to associate with humans- their ignorance to the magnitude of situations such as these was one of them.

"Thank you for your help, Salvatore," Julian said, nodding at the hunter. "I'm sorry you couldn't get any information you needed from the fool. We will continue to keep watch over Sable's borders, and you will be the first to know if anything else comes up."

"We will make sure Isabella gets home safely," Artemis added, her voice soft and angelic in its timidity. "She will be safe in our territory."

***


"LYRA!" Isabella called, her voice resonating through the forest. "Lyra, stop!"

She reached the girl, and caught her by the arm breathlessly. She had been running for a little while and was growing quite weary chasing her around. She doubled over, supporting herself with her hands on her knees and huffing for a few moments. Behind her, William materialized for the first time in a couple hours, watching the girl closely. He then shifted his gaze to Katherine as she stood near her niece, always guarding her to the best of her ability.

"Won't you please stop running away? Look, with all that's been going on- demons, vampires, rogue werewolves and monsters- it's really not the smartest idea to go running around on your own. I mean, look what happened just now- if Julian hadn't been there, you could've easily been dinner for Botolf."

She let go of her friend's hand and stopped huffing and puffing. She stood upright and looked her dead in the eyes. She was just as stubborn as the Brit- she'd argue with her all night if she had to.

"My parents aren't in the picture anymore. My dad is dead, my mom is in Italy, and my house was burned to the ground. Now I've come to realize that the only way I can stay alive is so cooperate with my teammates," Isabella continued. "That's what we are. A team. None of us have parents to depend on anymore. Dean's dad was almost killed, Selene and Vera are all by themselves, and Julian's grandfather died this morning. We're all in a pretty similar boat, and the only people we have to rely on is each other."

She offered Lyra her hand.

"We all care about you. And we are all working to keep each other safe. We can't do that if you go off and get yourself killed all alone."

William's eyes glittered at the sound of Isabella's compassion. It mirrored that which Maria had possessed; his heart became extremely heavy, and although he was incapable of shedding tears, he was at a loss for words.

"The girl is right, woman," he told Katherine. "And you know it would ease your soul if she could rest among guardians that care for her almost as much as you do."

"Just come with us, Lyra. I'm sure Aleksei had better food to eat than a damn chocolate bar."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Julian Ulric Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley
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"I'm sure she will, keep up the work guys," Dean replied, saluting them as he then went off in pursuit of Lombardi, she seemed to like wondering off on her own as if her life weren't in danger. Just like him, acting like a carefree teenager, something that couldn't be helped. He wouldn't tell the girl how to live her life, he wasn't her father, but that didn't mean he would also stand by and watch her put herself in danger, she's already shown him what she was capable of. Twice and how she was rolling it, was not good looking. She needed to take extra precaution and that's where he came in.

As he neared the girl's the hunter could pick up on what Isabella was saying, she was trying to convince her pal to "join them" and stick together. What the hell was her problem? They didn't need the Brit, she would just be another life they had to worry about. She was not apart of their case, involving her would only put her in jeopardy, she'd be used against them, knowing these Italian vamps they wouldn't think twice about it. Isabella did not know a thing about 'knowing thy enemy' she was still innocent and fragile and not thinking ahead. And if Lyra was stupid enough to not value her life, she would agree and join them anyways.

Acknowledging Selene's irritated glare, Vera nodded at her, agreeing, "She's quite the treat." Vera purred, with a hint of a smile, she then took the cue that it was time to go at Dean's leaving. She signaled the huntress with a simple hand wave to let it be and move on, before getting into the path following after the hunter as he lead the way.

The wolf was seated right at Isabella's left, only stopping when she did to address the Brit girl who showed how clearly she wanted nothing to do with any of them in her retreat. Would Isabella be able to draw her in? That wasn't even a question, for how could anyone ever say no to such a sweet face?

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there," The hunter crossed towards them, separated his client from her pal, looked from one to the other before continuing, "see I was told to watch and protect you, not your BFF. Isabella you'll be putting Lyra in danger if she's around us. I'm not gonna sugar-coat this for you, you know what happens to the people we care about, they're targeted. Do you want your father's fate to be hers as well?" then he addressed Lyra in the same manner, "we can't afford another life getting swept up in this, I'm sure you already understand the situation here, do I need to tell you what that means?"

"He has a point there Brit, anyone that hangs around us knows what they're up against, know that at any moment they could get killed, what he's trying to do is protect you. I advise you listen and go on your way home to your parents." Vera added, turning after a moment to see if the rest of their group followed them here. It was true, they were a unit and they had to cooperate as one, stay strong and handle this in a uniform and professional manner. Any slip ups and it could be over, they needed their best assets, not another person that was as defenseless as a little kitten. They didn't have time for it or much anything to maintain it.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley Character Portrait: Katerina Character Portrait: William St. Claude
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Looking up into the sky, Lyra could see that the air was clear, the moon shining full and bright and it was enough to make her tear up. She had once recalled a moment when she had been told by her travelling father that when he was away and night came, he would look up at the moon, which would be the same moon that she would look up to and know that in doing so it would be something the two shared. They lived beneath the same moon and were together even when they were apart, she wondered if he was watching her now from his home in Heaven, could he see her watching the moon now as she did? Maybe even in death he would always watch out for her, for that she hoped for.

"I will always be here for you Ly, don't forget that ever. I will not leave until I see to it that you are at peace in your heart," Katherine whispered, gently bringing her back to herself, she didn't like the sadness that weighed on her niece's heart like a heavy London fog. It made her feel like she wasn't doing enough for her. Would it ever be enough?

"LYRA!" Isabella called, her voice resonating through the forest. "Lyra, stop!"

She reached the girl, and caught her by the arm breathlessly. She had been running for a little while and was growing quite weary chasing her around. She doubled over, supporting herself with her hands on her knees and huffing for a few moments. Behind her, William materialized for the first time in a couple hours, watching the girl closely. He then shifted his gaze to Katherine as she stood near her niece, always guarding her to the best of her ability.

Lyra's eyes widened with utter surprise, before she smiled and settled her features to those of normalcy, this was Isabella here, not anything else. She felt William's presence and for a split second her eyes flickered to his spirit just before snapping back at the ebony haired girl she so dearly cared about as she did her.

"Won't you please stop running away? Look, with all that's been going on- demons, vampires, rogue werewolves and monsters- it's really not the smartest idea to go running around on your own. I mean, look what happened just now- if Julian hadn't been there, you could've easily been dinner for Botolf."

She let go of her friend's hand and stopped huffing and puffing. She stood upright and looked her dead in the eyes. She was just as stubborn as the Brit- she'd argue with her all night if she had to.

"My parents aren't in the picture anymore. My dad is dead, my mom is in Italy, and my house was burned to the ground. Now I've come to realize that the only way I can stay alive is to cooperate with my teammates," Isabella continued. "That's what we are. A team. None of us have parents to depend on anymore. Dean's dad was almost killed, Selene and Vera are all by themselves, and Julian's grandfather died this morning. We're all in a pretty similar boat, and the only people we have to rely on is each other."

She offered Lyra her hand.

"We all care about you. And we are all working to keep each other safe. We can't do that if you go off and get yourself killed all alone."

William's eyes glittered at the sound of Isabella's compassion. It mirrored that which Maria had possessed; his heart became extremely heavy, and although he was incapable of shedding tears, he was at a loss for words.

"The girl is right, woman," he told Katherine. "And you know it would ease your soul if she could rest among guardians that care for her almost as much as you do."

"Just come with us, Lyra. I'm sure Aleksei had better food to eat than a damn chocolate bar."

Julian's grandfather died? When? That was most dreadful and she felt sorry for him, wished she could console him even. And what was this? All that terrible mess fell around Isabella, all in one day? What the fahk was going on here? Why had she felt such a dark and heavy vibe emanate from the girl she knew was blessed? It almost scared her to think that there were people out there that wanted the girl to be subject to danger and uncertainty.

"Isabella…" she was beginning to say just as the hunter came in and further drew the two apart. He went on to explain why he did so, it was in order to keep her safe. And for that she would forever be grateful, it was like he was looking into her soul and reading out exactly what she wanted: nothing to do with this crap. She loved Isabella but she wasn't going involve herself in her life only to be in everyone's way. She was not going through that again, she would rather be alone.

Then the other lady, whom Lyra had never met before agreed and added that the girl keep on going straight home.

"Right, home, that's where I'm going." she said, smiling gently but not meaning any of it. Unless by home she could stay at a motel until she got a job and was able to hold her own in a small duplex perhaps. One step closer to-

"What home, Lyra you know you don't have one!" Katherine snapped, eliciting a flinch from the tired, British girl who'd snapped her eyes up to glare at her spirit. She could see the fire in her aunt's eyes, the gravity of her expression and knew that she had reached her limit, she was sure brassed off with her.

"So, I'll see you later Isabella, be safe-"

"No Lyra don't do that again!" Katherine yelled, gripping at her shoulder, stopping her from turning away again, making that mistake again. Yes she wanted to stop leaning against others, but now wasn't the time for that, she had to accept their help, or at least the help Isabella was promising.

Lyra stiffened at the icy chill crawling across her skin, Kat looked serious and wasn't about to let her have it her way, not this time. Shaking her head she pulled away and continued to walk, "they clearly have other plans and no room for me Katherine, let it go." she whispered, hoping they wouldn't hear her mumbling to herself as she inched away from them.

Katherine's spirit sizzled as she followed her niece, try as she might she couldn't really convince the girl otherwise, she kept walking away, "And you're going to let that stop you from getting the help you need? Are you that mad? Listen to Isabella for once in your life, you are not on your tod! She is there for you, why can't you-"

She was interrupted when the girl suddenly hesitated, looking up, Lyra's eyes flickered, a flash of light cut across her eyes as she heard that voice again in her mind. Dropping all of her things she sprang forwards running at full speed until she was back at her little camp with the tent and the fire. She sunk to her knees, stared at the flickering flames and with a slight nod to herslef reached out and stuck her hand whole into the flames, watching as her hand felt nothing but warmth and no pain.

She had faith.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Michael LeVian Character Portrait: Lyra Kingsley
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Lyra was shaken when she found Dean suddenly gripping at her arm and demanding answers, blinking lightly she glanced back up at him her expression unreadable as she simply replied, "She was testing my faith, I'm fine Dean look." She wiggled her fimgers the warmth in her hand fading, she looked up again as the voice only she could hear addressed her. Then she looked at Isabella with sadness in her eyes but a smile playing at her lips, "I won't be a burden to you Isabella, I want to help you. So I think I'll accept Assaciel's help. That way you'll always be safe..." She upturned her face to the sky that was alit with such a vibrant light that it was almost like day. Lyra's eyes lit up and her body absorbed the light into herself and soon the light was gome leaving them in darkness. The Brit stood up her gaze serious as she then blinked her eyes returning to their amber hue. She looked normal but she wasn't, far from it.

Michael remained close to Selene as Lyra accepted the angel to use her as its vessel. Thia could be either a good thing or a very bad thing. It wasn't everyday that you meet an actual angel.

Katherine glared at her niece, so pissed off she was that she stepped away from the girl aware that whoever and whatever invaded her body had sent her niece packing. She couldn't demand the angel to leave her however because she had said yes to this.

Michael said, "Lyra... What happened?"

The girl lowered her eyes to meet the stranger that had called her by her vessels former name, "I am not the Lyra of which you speak of. My name is Assaciel an angel of the Lord." There was no trace of an English accent in her tone which sounded more serious and adult like than it ever had been. She then leveled her gaze toward the Lombardi child, her eyes softened and her expression looked almost a little friendly. "You really are beautiful in person, Ella was right."

Michael glanced from the girl to Selene, "That's not our medium anymore, guess we got a new team mate. But I wonder now, what happened to Lyra?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Michael LeVian Character Portrait: Assaciel
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The angel expected that reaction from Isabella so she wasn't much bothered by it, at her question which was also another thing that she anticipated, Assaciel frankly responded, "Lyra's soul is in Heaven. All I did was answer her prayer, she wanted this Isabella." Even if she could explain her reasons it would do nothing to console the girl, she had lost a dear friend, and there was absolutely nothing in the world the angel could do to make anything better for her. Sensing the others around her react at her arrival, Assaciel remained still, not making any sudden movements so as not to cause unnecessary fright about her. She came in peace as clichéd as that sounded, and was only present to aid -nothing more. She switched her gaze to the next face that called to her, this one a huntress, Selene. She too was interested in the human girl's status, "You all need to understand this, Lyra has given me consent to serve as a vessel. I'm here because God commanded it, and I will follow through with my orders, there is a great war coming and it must be apprehended, which means Isabella must be kept away from those who wish to use her for power," the angel's eyes surveyed the bunch that had collected around her, as of now it appeared that none of these people would be prepared for the great danger that the Lombardi girl would face had she been attacked now. Perhaps the hunter would be, but she could also see that they had yet to form a tight unit, or even a plan of action. Good thing she dropped in.

Michael petted the top of Isabella's head, finding consolation rather natural on his part, he would try to soothe the distraught Italian girl but this was a pain much worse for her than anything yet, and he could tell that there would be much more to come. Glancing at Selene, he whispered further clarification, "That's not Lyra anymore, Assaciel is riding inside her now, and that means it's really getting serious. Not a simple case anymore love," he eyed the auburn haired girl curiously, this would also be his first at witnessing an angel full on. He couldn't say he would enjoy this much. angels and vampires weren't exactly BFFs after all, it would be tough, but they were all on the same team so maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"So that's it, Lyra's soul is in Heaven, she's dead now?" Michael asked Assaciel, just to be on the sure side, a question he was positive Isabella would want answered as well.

Assaciel stared at the vampire, her face unfazed by the creature's presence what so ever, at his query she took no longer than a heartbeat to say,"That depends on many factors, but most importantly if Lyra decides she wants to return when all this is over."

"So she's not dead then, just sitting it out in cloud 9? And why her of all people?"

"Correct. And finding a vessel durable enough to contain me --it's not easy. Now, tell me your status." This time she was directing this to the hunter Dean, who just like her was of celestial blood, but not so heavenly. She had heard of him amongst the angels, of his father who like no other had defied expectations and twisted his role of a demon into those of a hero, siding for the sake of humanity over destruction and chaos. It was why, she was more than happy to assist them in this cause, save the world, save its people.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Michael LeVian
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"That will be discussed when we're within much safer ground, as of now, you're all vulnerable." Assaciel replied to the hunter, then to the vampire she acknowledged him with a glance, "Is there a safe place that I can transport you all to?" She was speaking to the entire group now.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Dean Salvatore Character Portrait: Isabella Lombardi Character Portrait: Selene Morrigan Character Portrait: Aleksei Avalon Character Portrait: Veratos H. Character Portrait: Michael LeVian
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By transport she meant teleport, herself and them all through time and space to another location, she could cover great distances in a matter of seconds. So no airport would be required for when the time came to go to Italy. Aleksei could not help but ponder whether that was a good thing or a bad thing in their case. "Yes, my home, it's safe there, I've already prepared the place for Isabella's stay. We can discuss this there." He provided, reaching the angel then turning to the others to clarify a few things. "Isabella you have nothing to fear, your friend is safe as long as the angel is here, she won't let anything happen to Lyra's body I can promise you that. I know it's a bit much to take, but remember it's what Lyra wanted too. She wanted to help you, not hinder you with worries, Salvatore was right, having her involved would only have put her in risk at the long haul. As you can see now, that changed the instant Assaciel took over, not all hope is lost. You will see Lyra again soon."

Dean crossed his arms but said nothing more of the matter, Aleksei was right for once, the hunter had no arguements against him. Now that Lyra was just a meat suit for a powerful angel, she wasn't as vulnerable any more and more of a necessity on their team than just another person he had to protect, along with Isabella. It was at this moment that he was seeing what Isabella had meant, they all needed to work together and rely on the power of a group in order to make it.

But what haunted him was the thoughts formulating in his mind, No world is without sacrifices, and it works both ways, if we produce casualties, we're likely to sustain casualties of our own. This won't be an easy fight, but I'll go down swingin' all the way. But it kills me to even think that we might not all come out of this in one piece. Because I know deep down that we won't. he frowned as he nodded back at the vampire and stepped closer, seeing Veratos take his hand and reach out to grab at Aleksei's offered one so that they could all form a link, he turned to take Isabella's although with her breaking down, he didn't think she would even want him to touch her so he placed a hand over Selene's shoulder. The vampire held Isabella, and she in turn was in contact with Michael.

He would give Assaciel a chance, but as soon as she showed even the slightest hint of betrayal, he would cast her out and send her packing right back to the attic upstairs if he had to. If there was something he couldn't stand, was bastards pretending to be people they weren't and hurting those he cared about. Maybe they were all sorta strangers and haven't known each other very long, but the hunter was already feeling like they were family and when it came to family he took that very seriously.