"Gavriel, if you're in there, look at your belt. Look down! Elizabeth is in trouble, we have to get home!" Aiden yelled, pointing.

He looked down and saw a bright blue flashing light.

Keystone. Beth. Mate. My mate. Beth! Beth in trouble!

He turned towards the direction where his mate waited for him and unable to wait for the others, he began to run. The ground flew under his feet and the trees became a blur.

"Fuck! How fast is he now?"

"Get to the vehicles!" he heard the men shout.

BethBethBeth

The litany of her name drove him forward.

*****

Elizabeth checked the safety on the gun. She slid it off and held it facing up. All around the house ferals snarled and growled.

"Where are they?" Meryn asked sitting on the sofa clutching hands with Noah, both were pale as a sheet. Jaxon sat in his chair in the doorway facing the foyer. The taunts outside grew louder and Meryn covered her ears.

We're coming!

We're coming to rip your baby from your stomach, you human whore!

"Fuck off, assholes!" she yelled.

Elizabeth knew that it was just bravado; Meryn was scared to death. So was she. She looked over to where Ryuu sat back in the recliner speaking the same phrases in his language over and over again under his breath. Sweat ran down his temples and saturated his shirt.

Outside the ferals were being kept back from the house by a faint blue glow. Whatever Ryuu was doing was working but it was exacting a terrible price. The squire looked like he was in agony.

She held up her pendant that was glowing a bright blue. She'd activated it the second Ryuu detected the ferals approaching. That was five minutes ago.

"Please hurry," she whispered.

Ryuu groaned and Elizabeth heard a loud crash in the foyer. Ryuu's eyes opened.

"I can't hold this one back," he choked out fighting for breath.

Meryn stood as if to go check out the noise.

Elizabeth pushed her back down to Noah. "Stay here! Think of the baby!" Elizabeth yelled and ran past her.

She ran into the foyer where Jaxon was staring at the opened front door in horror. Without hesitation Elizabeth leveled the small revolver and began shooting. When the gun was empty the feral was bent over clutching at its chest.

Grinning, he staggered to a standing position. Jaxon wheeled forward placing himself between the bleeding feral and where she stood.

"Jaxon, no!" she cried.

"What are you going to do you little crippled shit?" Blood and drool dripped from the feral's chin.

"This!" Jaxon extended his left arm and moved the small brass charm inside the spell circle. Elizabeth had to shield her eyes as a huge fireball shot forward, engulfing the feral in white hot flames.

His screams filled the air as the stench of burnt hair and flesh permeated the foyer. Jaxon rolled backwards, coughing on the smoke. Elizabeth pulled his chair backwards away from the screeching blaze, back to the family room.

"Who told you that you couldn't be a warrior?" she asked gasping for air.

Jaxon grinned as he coughed. "Good thing Ryuu showed Noah and I the alarm spells yesterday.

Suddenly the ferals disappeared from view. They were no longer trying to get in through the windows and couldn't be seen anywhere. The silence was eerie and unsettling. In the distance she heard the sound of a car screeching to a halt and a deep bellow.

"That sounds like a bear," Elizabeth said moving back to the opened front door.

"Aiden?" Meryn asked, coming to her side.

"Nope. Byron. Oh dear. Did you know that was physically possible?" she asked, unable to look away from Byron's carnage.

"No, but fuck if that isn't the coolest thing I've seen in a while." Meryn watched unblinking.

The sound of an inhuman cry sent chills down her spine.

Meryn looked up at her, terrified. "What was that?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't know. I've never heard that sound before."

Outside Byron stopped, his eyes widened. He threw down the body parts in his hands before he and two other men leapt for the porch. Elizabeth darted forward and disarmed the front door spell. The men ran inside the house looking spooked.

"What the fuck is that, Byron? A new monster the ferals created?" a tall man with a greying, shaggy beard asked.

"No idea, John, but I'm staying out of its way." Byron wrapped an arm around Meryn and kissed the top of her head. "Thank all the Gods you're safe. When we pulled up and saw them swarming the house I thought the worst."

"Ryuu kept them away," Meryn said, pointing to the family room.

"And it was not easy," Ryuu joked. Noah helped him forward, holding him up on one side with Jaxon steadying him on the other.

Elizabeth edged toward the door and caught a glimpse of the savage monster that was stalking the ferals outside.

"Oh sweet Gods above, Gavriel. Oh my poor mate," she whispered, tears in her eyes. He had hit his apex during the battle and was now drowning in bloodlust.

"That's Gavriel?" Byron whispered.

Two SUVs pulled up, keeping a distance from Gavriel. The unit warriors poured out of the vehicles and trained their guns on her mate.

"No they don't!" she yelled.

She jumped from the porch and ran over and placed herself between her mate and the men, her arms outstretched.

"Leave him alone! How could you?" she screamed.

"Get out of the way Elizabeth!" Aiden yelled.