Chapter 18 – Steps

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            “Ready to go?” Xiu asked as he stepped out onto the porch.

            Pets’ head whipped around and she let go of Emma’s arms before she turned back to stare at the younger girl with an ashen face.  “What are you…”

            Emma shook her head at her, silencing her.   “Have a good practice,” and stepped back into the house without looking back.

            Xiu reached out and squeezed his sister’s hand as she passed him.  “I’ll be back in time to you.  Just going to see Jing and Pets to the border.”  She offered him a serene smile that was a touch sad and full of exhaustion.  “Rest until I get back, okay?”  she nodded and continued on without a word.  Xiu watches her back with a sigh, his face dropping the reassuring façade for a moment. 

            “You alright?” Pets asked quietly.

            “She looks beaten down,” he answered thoughtlessly, exhaustion and stress loosening his tongue.  “Like she’s given up.”  His heart ached for his sister.

            “Why would she… How could she… what….” Pets’ aborted all attempts to talk and just stood there with Emma’s last words ringing in her ear.  “…when I’m gone… when I’m gone… when I’m gone…”  She couldn’t even process the thought properly.  What the hell did that mean?  Why would she…

            “You ready to go to the village?” Xiu asked, shaking off his thoughts.

            Pets nodded and watched his unhappy face for a moment.  “Your sister is a lot stronger than I thought.”

            “She’s had to be,” he answered with a bitter tone, “Life hasn’t exactly been kind to her.”  And he cursed the lot of them. 

            Because she didn’t know, because she couldn’t possibly begin to understand, Pets merely nodded and gently touched Xiu’s arm.  “And she’s got really good, strong people around her to help and protect her.  That’s why she’s still such a happy person a lot of the time.  It’s amazing that she isn’t more… damaged,” for lack of a better word. “You should be proud.”

            He looked at her, surprised by her assessment and took a moment of comfort – very unlike him.  But if an outsider can see it in his sister, maybe it wasn’t as bad as he believed. 

            “Xiu, we need to…” Kai’s steps grinded to a halt in the doorway as he raised a brow at the pair.  “Am I interrupting?”

            Pets dropped her hands like she touched hot iron and blushed for no reason since she wasn’t even doing anything remotely inappropriate by any standards.  Right?  But the suggestive way Kai was looking at them… She fled into the a house without another word, not really sure why she was running when she had no reasons to. 

            “What the hell was that?” Xiu asked, confused, annoyed, and maybe even a little embarrassed. 

            Kai smirked and shook his head.  His brother’s obtuseness was quite amazing sometimes for someone so detail oriented.  “Alphas are on their move.  We need to get going soon.”  He glanced at the prowling cougars out front.  “I want them ten feet from us at all times.”

            Glancing over his shoulder, Xiu sighed with resignation.  He did not want to deal with his brother’s possessiveness or territorial tendencies right now.  He was too sleep deprived to be nice about it and the last thing they need is a diplomatic incident.  “The other Alphas are starting to think we’ve lost our grip on the situation.”

            “It would help if the girls weren’t hiding things from us,” Kai replied bitterly.  But the flicker of his eyes spoke much more of his internal thoughts.  He wasn’t angry at them, not really; he was terrified at what they might do.  The recklessness of their actions the night before was worrisome. 

            “Do we tell them?” Xiu asked quietly, as he reentered the house, unwilling to have their conversation overheard by the shifters at the gates.  He and Kai may not always agree on everything, more at odds than not, but they were family and you always present a united front. 

            “That’s not for us to decide; the Alpha will have to deal with it… thank god,” he muttered and glanced at the clock on the wall.  Ella had a ridiculous number of clocks around the inn, something about always seeing time to help focus.  “We’ve got less than 45 minutes.  I’ve got a team in town to bring the Alpha to the glen.  Should we get going?”

            “It’s less than fifteen minutes from here, let’s give the girls a little time to rest,” Xiu glanced at the same clock – Felix the Cat with his moving eyes and tail seem to be mocking him.  “I’m going to Jing and Pets to Sanctuary boarder before we go.  Wait for me,” as he walked further into the house to look for his friend.

          “You can’t help yourself, can you?” Kai commented as he walked away.  “Always got to be the white knight.”

            That stopped him in his track.  “What the hell does that mean?”

            “Exactly what I said.  You can’t help being the good guy.  You just don’t realize what it does to everyone else around you.”  Kai made a face and shook his head.  “You’re an idiot.  A blind one at that.”

            “Knock it off with the riddles,” Xiu scowled, “I don’t have time for it.”

            Kai glared at him.  “Be more aware of those around you.  That’s all,” and left his brother to mull over that cryptic advise.

            Because he couldn’t help but be annoyed, Xiu made a face at his brother’s back and muttered, “.”

            “I heard that,” Kai told him from around the corner.

            “You were meant to,” Xiu replied with a smile, suddenly felt better.

            “Xiu,” Calvin called out as he took the last three steps in a jump.  “A word?”

            “What is it?” Xiu answered distractedly.  Jing and Pets should be just about ready to leave for town by now; he didn’t want to miss them slipping away. 

            “Any chance you can score me and Chun access to that range as well?”

            Suddenly coming to full attention, “What?”

            Shrugging his shoulder, “I just thought that us being on Holy Ground means that we are basically chaining our wolves down. Ella, Emma, Jing, and even Pets can handle a weapon if need be but Chun and I have never had to touch one before.  Maybe we should be getting some lessons as well; for the just-in-case moments.”

            Xiu considered it a moment.

            “He’s annoyingly right,” Jing commented as she came into the front hall, rifle case slung across one shoulder.  “I don’t want to rely on his brute strength in human form, questionable as that may be, if it came down to a physical fight,” she half-teased and poked Calvin on his arm.  He was built like her brothers: long and lean.  And she’s seen what her brothers can do even without their animals.  “Maybe a few lessons wouldn’t be remiss.”

            Nodding his agreement, he sighed.  “I’ll arrange it but it can’t be today.  There’s just too much going on right now.”

            “That’s fine,” Calvin answered and looked the gathering through the front door screen as several sleek bodied wolves joined the already waiting cougars at the gate.  “It looks like your entourage is here.”

            “They  can wait,” Xiu muttered annoyed as hell, it was getting crowded out there.

            “I’m just going to go out there and take a quick peek,” Calvin replied cautiously.

            Xiu watched him a moment before he nodded.  Now was as good a time to introduce Calvin as any to the rest of the herd seeing as it looks like the man wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  “Try to play nice, and remember that these are allies.”

            Making a cross sign over his heart, Calvin grinned and made a small bow before leaving them.

            “He’s hard not to like,” Jing observed neutrally, “All that charm and charisma without any of the sleaze; the girls are going to love him.  He’ll fit in just fine.  Chun on the other hand,”  She made a vague gesture.  “His obsession with Ella alone is going to make him a…”

            “Are you okay?” Xiu interrupted watching her concerned eyes.

            Surprised, Jing merely stopped and stared.  “What?”

            “Are you okay?” he repeated, soft and gentle.  “You look better today.  But are you alright?”

            “I’m fine,” Jing answered, genuinely confused.  “Seriously. ”

            Xiu smiled, that warm smile of a friend.  “Good, I’m glad.  Everything work out, huh?”

            For a moment, all Jing could do was stare, unable to piece together what he was referring to.  Then it hit her all at once; it was the smile that did it, the familiar warmth in his eyes when he looked at her that reminded her what her humiliating melt down last night had all been about.  And yet…  she didn’t feel the stabbing pain anymore, as if the tears she had shed eased something in her heart; letting her accept something.  Sure it still hurt like hell but it was a little more bearable now.  Because he was still a friend, and will always be her friend no matter what happens, she smiled and nodded.  “It will work itself out.”  His friendship was too important for any other alternative. 

           And he smiled back, like she knew he would, and nodded.  “Good.  Now let me walk you to the edge of town.  I’d feel better that way.”

            Jing grinned suddenly, her jovial personality rearing its head, “You just don’t want to deal with the cats.”

            Laughing, Xiu shrugged.  “That too.”

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            Selina winced visibly and sipped delicately on her coffee again. 

            “Oh shut up,” Rainie grumbled and shoved another handful of fresh fries in .  “I can’t help it if I’m always starving after a full moon.”

            “You mean after you go native,” Kristen teased and picked at her own seasoned fries with a fork.

            “You going to finish that?” Rainie asked around a mouthful, pointing at the plate on front of truly disturbed Selina. 

            “Please… help yourself.”  She pushed the half finished platter at her. 

            Rainie grinned and reached for the half sandwich still on there.  She sniffed the air discreetly and found nothing unusual except for an excessive about of hormones from two tables away where half a dozen teenage boys were ogling Kristen’s pretty face and form; she was oblivious, as usual.  “So, any word from the others?” They had decided to put off discussions until Rainie’s stomach stopped growling at them. 

            “Benji checked in,” Selina replied softly, keeping her voice down anyways.  “The trio caught up to Jiro and Aaron last night, they had to hole up for awhile to recoup.  They’re going to start making their way to us.” 

            “Everyone okay?”  Kristen and Selina traded quick glances that didn’t escape Rainie’s watchful eyes.  “What is it?”  When they still hesitated, “Spit it out, girls.  We don’t have time to pussyfoot around right now.”

            Twisting the napkin in her lap, Selina frowned with concern before she answered.  “Jiro and Aaron ran into some Browns last night; they got into it.  No critical on our list but on theirs…” she didn’t know how to say.  No matter what was said and done, Rainie was a Southern Brown. 

            “But the boys are okay?” Rainie asked tensely.  She knew in her heart that Jiro was at least alive.  She’d know if he was gone; distance doesn’t eliminate the connection to your True Mate. 

            “And probably on the move already,” Kristen confirmed with a quick nod.

            “Good,” Rainie didn’t address the unspoken concern in the two sisters’ faces.  “Any changes to our current course?”

            “Not really,” Selina replied and pulled out the paper map from her purse.  Several routes had been marked and highlighted in color for easy recognition.  “We’re about two days behind our original plans.  If we take this route,” pointing to one in yellow, “We can cut off about half a day’s worth of travel but…”

            “But we risk running into pack,” Kristen continued quietly, circling a densely wooded area with very little population.  “This area is ideal and prime spot for those that want to go undetected.  I’ll bet dollar for dollar that it’s marked territory.”

            Rainie made a face, “How much time would be in them?”

            “Six hours if we’re lucky, eight or nine if we’re not,” Selina replied solemnly. 

            “That’s a long time,” she murmured, “And with us still so close to the full moon…” her senses were still extremely sharp, which goes without saying that so would others.  “Not sure it’d be worth the risk.”

            “Agreed,” Selina replied and looked at Kristen.  They’d already discussed but wanted to run by Rainie.  “We need to restock our supplies before we leave the city, including another gas can; we can’t be out in the backwoods here and here, I want  extra reserves.  Make sure we have enough to…” she stopped when Rainie held up a hand sharply and lifted her noise, scenting the air.

            Kristen shifted her face ever so slightly to see the front entrance out the corner of her eyes and held her breath.  Her eyes went wide before she turned quickly to hide her face.  There was panic in her gaze as she turned to her sister. 

            The prickling of awareness ran up Selina’s spine and she forced herself not to turn. 

            “Wolves,” Rainie warned under her breath and lowered her head while lifting her eyes to watch them.  There was no way for her to hide her scent in the room.  “Two of them.”

            “Anyone you recognize?” Selina asked, her hand reaching into her purse for the pepper spray she had purchased earlier in the day as she eyed the fire extinguisher against the back wall.   

            Eyes sharpening to an unnaturally bright yellow, Rainie shook her head slowly.  “No.”

            “We do,” Kristen replied harshly, her back rigid.

            Rainie’s eyes went to her for a split second before she turned back to the two at the door that was subtly searching the room.  They had picked up her scent.  “Where?”

            Eyes steady on her sister, Kristen answered just loud enough she knew that two hearing-sensitive wolves by the door would hear but not the rest of the diner, “Gas station.  Last night.”

            Selina’s breath backtracked in and she twisted in her seat against her better judgment.  Dark eyes met hers without blinking, recognition flickered there a second before he turned to his companion and whispered something softly.  The tension eased only by a fraction from his shoulders before he crossed the space and took the table next to theirs. 

            “We don’t want trouble,” he said quietly, his back to their table, offering them a sliver of trust.  His companion scowled and took a seat facing them, keeping his eyes on Rainie – the threat. 

            “You’ll get none from us,” Rainie answered for their table.  “We’re just passing through.”

            “As are we,” he answered and turned his head slightly to meet Rainie’s eyes.  “This city isn’t marked; it’s a free zone.”

            Kristen and Selina traded quick looks of apprehension before Selina asked, “Is there an encroachment?”  If a roaming pack was moving in on a free territory, she did not want to be caught up in it and viewed as a rival pack after the same thing. 

            “No,” was the curt answer.  “We’re just here on business errand, nothing more.”

            “Then we’ll leave you to it.”  Rainie nodded and waved the waitress over.  “Check please.” 

            “Thanks again for the save last night,” Selina murmured softly, knowing they’d have no problem picking it up and then wonder why the hell she said anything at all.  “Stupid, stupid, stupid…”

            “You should be more careful,” the man answered before turning fully to face her, dark eyes piercing.  “You put yourself in a highly compromised position yesterday.”

            Selina swallowed, forcing her nervous heart from , very aware that he could probably hear the sudden increase of her heartbeat.  “It was a full moon; we didn’t have a choice.”

            “There are always choices,” he replied darkly.

            The tension was ominous and dark, crackling with something a little more intense and maybe even dangerous.  Rainie stood suddenly, not bothering to wait for the waitress to return.  Dropping a handful of cash on the table, she nodded to the others.  “Let’s go.”

            Kristen scrambled after her friend and Selina didn’t hesitate as she got up to leave – she desperately needed to not be there before she said anything stupid again.  She was almost past the other table when a hand caught her just above the wrist.  She turned and stared at him, her breath caught in . 

            “I’m Show,” he informed her, eyes practically drilling holes in hers.

            His companion was as stunned as she was.  “What the hell are you doing?!?”

            Rainie was there in a second, her clawed hand digging into Show’s wrist.  “Let.  Go.  Now.” She grounded out between her clinched teeth, fangs starting to show.

            Show’s companion’s hand curled on the tabletop, dark bristling fur starting to sprout across his knuckles, the yellow glow of eyes watching her with anticipation.

            “Rainie…” Kristen hissed her own warning, glancing around the crowded diner.  So far, no one has notice the tense interplay. 

            Selina’s hand shot out of its own accord and removed Rainie’s hand from Show’s arm before she twisted out of his grip – ignoring Rainie’s startled glance.  Her eyes never leaving Show’s face, “It’s Selina,” she answered with finality before hustling Rainie and Kristen out of the diner with as much dignity as she could muster.  She said not a word as she rushed them to and into the car then drove off without a backward glance, not letting out the breath she had been holding until they were well on their way.

            “What the hell was that?” Allen asked Show as he twisted around to look between the closed diner door to his crazy-, unpredictable friend. 

            Frowning with confusion, Show scratched at the healing half moon marks on his wrist where Selina’s friend had drew blood.  “I don’t know,” and wondered at it himself.  It was so unlike him to be so… distracted. 

            “We’re here on a mission, not for you to be getting involved in a…”

            “I know why we’re here,” Show answered with exasperation and rolled his eyes.  “And I have no idea why I was just…” he trailed off, unable to explain, and gestured toward the door.  “Maybe it’s the full moon or something.”

            Allen frowned at his best friend and partner, his dark eyes narrowing with concern.  The two Betas have been on the road for six days now, running from one assignment to the next depending on the emails they’ve been receiving at such rapid-fire pace that they were concerned something big was happening at the home front.  “Am I going to have to hose you down?”

            “Shut up,” and shove his friend playfully in the shoulder.  Show picked up the less than pristine menu and attempted to read it before finding his eyes wondering over to the front door again.  “Selina,” the name reverberated through his mind. 

            There was something about that girl…

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            “Breathe in… and out.  In… and out.  In….” Jing winced as Pets’ shot on the ‘out’ went wide of its mark and ended up on the ceiling.  She winced again when she caught the horrified look on the range master’s face.  Clearing uncomfortably, Jing looked at the hole in the ceiling and made a face, “Well….”

            “I don’t care what Xiu says, she’s not walking about out of here with a gun,” Leroy, the range master, pronounced conclusively.  “She’s going to end up killing one of us by accident.”

            Pets cringed and flushed with embarrassment. 

            “Now Leroy…”

            “Nope.”

            “Come on…”

            “No,” Leroy replied very firmly. 

            “It’s her first time,” Jing argued helplessly.  But this was Leroy’s turf: what he says, goes. 

            “She’s been at it for half an hour,” Leroy fired back as he took hold to Pets’ gun with both hands, flip the safety with a practiced hand, and set it back down, “And she still can’t hit the board side of a barn!”  gesturing to the lane then ceiling. 

            “She’ll get better,” she answered exasperatedly, even if she had doubts herself.

            “It would help if she opened her eyes,” Lily Chen commented as she stepped out of the shadows and walked with deadly grace on slender heeled shoes toward the arguing pair, “And wasn’t so terrified of the gun.” 

            “Mrs. Chen,” Leroy and Jing both greeted with a slight bow.  Jing elbowed Pets gently to get the stupefied girl to do the same. 

            Lily swept the room with her eyes as she usually did, assessing and judging in split seconds.  “Fear can be an ally or an enemy, depending on you,” she told Pets with a cold look.  “And if you want to be a part of this family,” she stepped pass the girl and picked up the handgun with familiar ease, “You cannot be a liability.”  She held the gun up one-handed, flicked the safety off with her thumb, and fired three rapid shots at the paper human target down the practice lane. 

            Even from a distance, it was easy to see the three perfectly round holes where the head was – kill shots. 

            Pets swallowed back the sudden cold fear that wound around her spine. 

            With the safety on again, Lily turned and unexpectedly handed the gun to Jing.  “Show me.”

            Startled but quick to respond, Jing took it and brought it up with both hands.  Lining up the target in her sight, she squeezed off three rapid shots over the heart and one more in the stomach for good measure. 

            Leroy gave a whistle of appreciation as he survey the damage.  “Perfection.”  He clapped a hand on Jing’s shoulder.  “Your brothers would be proud.”

            Jing gave him a tight smile and didn’t correct his assumption.  Her mother made sure Jing could shoot with deadly efficiency; “Never rely on someone else if you can help it.” 

            Lily nodded her approval and turned to Pets with a stern, “That’s what you need to strive for.”

            Trying not to shake from head to toe, Pets nodded her head silently and wondered what the hell kind of place they’d landed themselves in.

            Jing on the other hand was shocked silent by the backhanded compliment; unheard of given Mrs. Chen’s brand of nurturing.  If someone had told her this morning that she’d receive any form of acknowledgement by Lily Tien Chen, she’d laughed her off and asked to buy the bridge they’d be trying to sell her – it was totally surreal.  And she had no idea what to make of it. 

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            Sam stared at Matthew.  Matthew stared at Wayne.  Wayne was doing his best not to look at anyone in particular.  Fei wanted to scream and throw a fit by the time the silence had stretched to unbearable proportions. 

            “Enough!” Fei got up and paced the limited space left by the long limbed boys in front to the couch.  “What the hell happened?  What aren’t you telling me?”

            Matthew frowned and nudged Wayne.  Wayne looked at him like he was crazy and shook his head quickly, refusing to be the one to drop the bomb.

            Exasperated, Sam finally spoke up.  “There was an attack on Holy Ground last night.  The Seers held off a bunch of hyenas on their own and pissed off the head Betas in the process.  Beta Defenses are spread thin between the two sites and not enough rest so we’re being moved onto defense lines as of tonight.”

            Wide eyed and stunned stupid, Fei sat down hard and sudden on the glass-top coffee table, alarming Matthew and Wayne who both jumped up, ready to grab her in case she went right through the  fragile surface – it fortunately held.  “Oh my god… oh my god… oh my god…”

            “Breathe, Fei,” Wayne ordered quietly as he rubbed circles on her back.  “It’s okay.”

            “Seriously Sam?” Matt reprimanded with a frown.  “We really need to work on your people skills.”

            “She needed to know,” Sam replied with his usual no-nonsense way.  His eyes were dark with concern though, already regretting his too blunt admission. 

            “It’s going to okay,” Wayne reassured her.  “We’re just doing patrols, no actual fighting will happen and we’re...”

            “Your father and mine were just on patrol as well,” Fei reminded him, her eyes bright with fear. 

            Wayne looked away, unable to meet her eyes.  Their fathers had been one of the first to fall in the last territory conflict – a simple two-man patrol run that turned into the first of several battles that left the four of them orphaned. 

          “Hey, look at me,” Matthew ordered as he forced Fei’s chin toward him.  “Nothing is going to happen to us,” he said firmly, like it was a edict.  “We’re going to watch each other’s backs, come home every morning and expect breakfast on the table because no way in hell am I eating take out every day.” 

            Wayne and Sam traded quick startled looks.  “Matt…”

            It didn’t quell Fei’s fear and the first tear fell with the most heartbreaking declaration.  “I don’t think I could live if I didn’t have you guys.”

            Sam swallowed the pain in his throat and gently took Fei’s elbow.  He knew the others couldn’t do it and therefore he had to find the strength for this.  “Fei,” and wish suddenly wished Wayne hadn’t done such a good job in sheltering their little sister, “The three of us have been ordered to report in at the Beta Dorms.  We have until the end of the week to move.”

            “What?” Fei and Matt looked equally shocked. 

            Wincing in pain, Wayne confirmed it with a nod.  “All the active Betas are required to stay at the dorms and even a few non-betas; Matt must have already walked away when Nick informed us.  We get ‘til the end of the week as a condition of something else we negotiated for you.”  He looked at Sam for help.

            “Wait a minute…” Matt stood up, his face reflecting his emotions on this news.  “I didn’t agree to…”

            “You’re Betas now?” Fei asked, horrified.  Last time she asked, they were still Gammas – all three of them.  To be elevated to Betas status meant they had to go through a series of trials under the full moon, it would have taken months.  “When?” searching their faces. When none of them could look her in the eyes, “WHEN?” she snapped. 

            Wayne flinched at the fury in her voice, so unlike her, “Sam started in June.  Matt and I didn’t start until September.” 

            Fei felt her heart lurch in place.  She calculated it backwards.  “You’ve been Betas for months now and you didn’t think to tell me?  What else have you guys been keeping from me?”

            “We were on reserve,” Matt reasoned softly, “We didn’t think we would get called up; at least not this soon.”  It had never been his idea to go through the Betas Trials but Sam had been so determined to prove himself; he and Wayne couldn’t let their brother go at it alone – he hadn’t even been sure he could make it through the ordeal. 

            “We weren’t sure how to tell you,” Wayne explained quietly.  “You’ve always been so against…”

            “Can you blame me?” she asked, aghast at the thought of them…  “After everything that’s happened to us, after what happened to our parents…”

            “That why,” Sam replied sternly.  “How can I protect you and the others if I can’t fight?  If I can’t protect this family and our pack?”

            She shook her head at him.  “Being a Beta was what led to their death!”

            Sam’s eyes shuttered his emotions.  “My parents weren’t Betas.”  There was something so dark and dangerous in his tone, a banked rage that’s always there but never allowed to see the light of day.  “They weren’t even Gammas.”

            The only one to have known until now, Matthew winced silently and watched Fei’s eyes, knowing exactly when it hit her.  Sam’s parents had been Omegas, the only non-combative members of the pack.  His father had been a professor at the university and his mother a nurse – both held the belief that all life was sacred and chose a pacifist stance in the pack for themselves and their child.  They had been on their way to pick up their son at school when the fighting caught up to them on the streets and left another orphan in its wake.  And Sam’s had the last ten years to wonder if things would have been different if his parents hadn’t been Omegas. 

            Fei’s eyes went wide then her whole face just crumbles heartbreakingly as every shred of her self control comes tumbling down along with all the overwhelming emotions she was barely keeping in check.  Hiding her face in her hands, she allowed herself a full minute to cry out all her fears and pain, shrugging away the arm she felt come around her, for once not wanting to be comforted.  Then she stopped, just stopped.  Wiping her face, swallowing the last of her emotions, she looked at the three concern faces.  She didn’t doubt their love, knew how strong they’ve had to be, but it didn’t stop the fears.  But they weren’t children anymore, hiding in the dark corners, clutching each other for support after nightmares.  And life happens. 

            “What’s going to happen to me?” she wanted to know.  She knew they wouldn’t just abandon her; they would already have taken steps toward it. 

            Wayne and Matthew both looked at Sam to continue.  “We spoke with Bass at headquarters, he agrees that you need to go to the Seers to confirm your dreams.  He’ll arrange for you to go to Holy Ground for awhile; we’ll be escorting you there.  After that, he’s going to allow you to stay with us at the Betas Dorms until your mate shows up or we find another way.” 

            She was composed but couldn’t stop the tears from falling anyways.  “This is it, isn’t it?  This is the end?”

            “There’s no end to us,” Wayne held out his hand tentatively.  “We’re family.  There’s no end to that even if we aren’t living under the same roof anymore.”

            Nodding, Fei took his hand, letting his longer fingers wrap itself around hers the same way his heartfelt words warmed her heart even as she felt it breaking.  She wasn’t going to cry anymore.  She couldn’t be a burden to them.  She going to have to take the steps to move on. 

            Sam slipped his hand over hers, sandwiches it between his and Wayne’s.  “We need to do this, Fei.”  His dark eyes willed her to understand.  “Our pack is under attacked, our family is endangered.  I can’t just sit here and do nothing.  I won’t.”

            Because she did understand even if she didn’t like it, she accepted it with a nod.  The tear that fell from her eyes didn’t disturb her strangely calm face. 

            “We’ll be okay,” Matt laid his hand over Sam’s, giving it a light squeeze, lending his support.  “I can’t accept anything otherwise so that’s all there is to it.  I have spoken.”

            Fei gave a watery laugh, choking on her exasperation and appreciation.  She had known this day would come sooner or later.  But why did it have to be accompanied by such fears?

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            She felt it coming a moment before it hit her, giving her just enough time to grab the doorframe for support. 

            «She struggled to her feet, the cuts just under her ribs hindering her movement as it pulled and bleed down her side, washing her jeans in red.  Grabbing her gun with slick fingers, she stumbled again trying to cross the foyer to assess the situation. 

            “How bad is it?” Jing asked coming through the front door, looping her free arm around her waist and helping her to her feet again.  “Can you walk?”

            “Yes,” and put some weight towards her wounded side and trying not to wince.

            “Can you run?” Jing asked, half dragging, half shoving her toward the backdoor. 

            “Definitely not,” she answered, gasping for air as the pain shooting up her side left her unable to breathe.  “Damn it, adrenaline wore off.”  She pressed her hand into the wound, try to control the bleeding.  It was getting worse. Her movements were tearing the jagged wounds. 

            “Here,” Jing shoved her bow into her hand and grabbed something out of her boot, uncapping it with her teeth.  “This is going to hurt,” just before she plunged the syringe into her chest right at her heart.

            She gasped soundlessly, caught between shock and blood curling pain.  It took her several tries to speak, air unable to make its way pass the scream that never left .  “What the… what the hell was that?”

            “Adrenaline,” Jing replied and tossed the syringe away and grabbed her bow again. 

            “Where did you even get that?”

            “Nick gave it to me, for just in case I need it.”

            She panted for breath, her whole body kicking into high gear as the pain receded and her heart pumped frantically in her chest.  “You should have saved that for…”

            “I’ve got three of them,” she glanced at the window, the splintered glass obscuring her view but not enough that she couldn’t see the rapid movements outside.  “… they’re coming again.”  She checked her quiver quickly and haphazardly counted the arrows left.  “How much ammo do you have left?”

            She glanced down at her hand, “Full back up clip and probably half of this one.”  She hadn’t gotten much of a chance to use her gun before she had been overwhelmed.  “I’ve got another clip in my bug-out bag.”

            “Grab that and go through the back,” Jing answered, ing another syringe into her hand before shoving her toward the backdoor, keeping an eye on the front room windows.  “This should get you through the woods and back to the village.  I’ll try to buy you time.”

            “What?  No,” she resisted the push.  “I’m not leaving unless you are.”

            “No time to argue this,” Jing said, putting her weight behind the push.  “You have to get out of here.”

            “I’m not leaving without you,” she hissed and grabbed a discarded shirt someone had left behind and started to create a makeshift bandage.  The adrenaline shot may be keeping her going but she was going to have to stop the bleeding if she’s going to be of any use.  “We leave together or not at all.”

            “You have to…” Jing warned.

            “I’m not leaving you,” she snapped, “You’ll die.”

            Jing’s face never changed; if anything, it grew more determined.  “I’ve accepted that.”

            “Well, I haven’t,” she replied firmly, tying off the already blood soaked shirt.  “And I wouldn’t.”

            “I have a duty to see to your safety.”

            “And I have to protect this family.  And that means keeping you safe.”

            “I don’t even know what that…”

            “If you die, so does my brother.  Followed immediately by my mother so you don’t get to die because I can’t have that kind of domino effect,” she told her in no uncertain terms.  “They’re not going to kill either of us if they don’t know which one of us is the seer,” she told her as she double checked her gun.  “So that’s what we’re going to bet on.”

            Staring in disbelief, “Are you craz….” The rest of the exclamation died as the front door burst open…»

            She hit the ground with a jarring thump and forced herself to take in air.  That… that had been unexpected.  And terrifyingly clear.  It was an even longer sequence than she had seen before.  And felt like it was coming all too soon.

To be continued….

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Author’s Note:  Some answers, some questions, some storylines.  So many players up in the air right now.  I’m looking forward to writing for some more than others.  I promise that I will get to everyone sooner or later, it’s just a matter of tying to juggle a big cast.  (Totally did this to myself I realized, just don’t know what to do about it other than to start killing off people.)