The upstairs was empty, quiet , the music stopped, leaving the noises of guns and screams instead.
She heard furniture break, glass fall. She sped up and looked in the first room , nothing, the second
room, nope, but she opened the door with a silent caution.
She took a steady breath and opened the third, she saw somebody laying unconscious on the floor,
their head against the bed. She walked closer, it was Kalbreal, she pulled his hair, talking in small
whispers,
“Kalbreal, wake up, Kalbreal wake up,”
She heard a noise coming from the passage, she spoke to him again kicking lightly on his legs, “Angel-
boy, get up.” Nothing was happening to him, the voices got nearer and so did the sound of quick steps.
Clare got scared and started kicking him harder, still, he didn’t respond, “Dammit!”
She kicked him aggressively, and in a blur he was up, nearly knocking her over in the process. Her
eyes filled with fear, she wasn’t sure whether it was because of him or them, “We have to go.”
He looked incredulously at her, “Go where? What's happening?”
She uttered incredulously, “You’re an Angel, find out dip shit.”
He closed his eyes, and she saw a light flash behind his eyelids, he opened them seconds later.
Pushing her aside and grabbing her sword at the same time, he rolled over and struck the sword in a
person, just as they got there.
Clare’s nerves were shot, “That was just scary, really, really creepy and scary.”
“Where the others?” They got out in the passage. There were more people, who started coming up,
they were Shapeshifter’s, blue hair, and white leathers on.
“Oh shit, Kalbreal, what do we do?”
Her heartfelt like it might stop, as her breath clouded, “KALBREAL.”
“I fight, and you stay here.”
A Shapeshifter grabbed Kalbreal, and they jumped down into the crowd, leaving Clare alone with four
other Shapeshifter’s, one of them grabbed her, and another injected her with something, “What the hell
did you give me?”
Nikolai appeared from thin air, in between the other Shapeshifter’s and the one holding Clare, he sliced
their bodies in seconds. They barely screamed before they morphed into tigers, all three of them.
He quickly threw a knife at the guy who held Clare, hitting him aimlessly in his shoulder. The
Shapeshifter moved back.
Clare ran to Nikolai and held the back of his t-shirt. He looked at her, she looked at him, really looked at
him. The reflections of light, showing the wetness of his skin, and the sense of surety in his eyes that
she was safe. He spun fiercely, looking at her face to face. He grabbed her waist and pulled her close
to his body leaving no space between them. Besides their lips, he smirked ravishingly, “Hold on Love.”
She saw something in a flash, it was dark, and she felt a sudden light-headed feeling. Within seconds
they were somewhere else, at first she didn’t know where she was, but then it occurred to her, she was
in her room in the realm.
Nikolai was breathing disorderly, “Nikolai, Nikolai , your heart, it is beating too fast, you need to sit
down.” She touched his chest, trying to find out what’s wrong.
He started pushing her away from him, taking in and out-breaths. “Go.. go, back.”
He sat on the floor in her darkroom, she could hear him gasping harshly for breath, “Quiet, someone is
here, shoo,” he whispered.
She stopped talking and took his sword out of his hand gently, it was almost completely in her hand,
when he grabbed the tip of the sword and said,
“Narba”
The sword went flying through the wall, and Nikolai sat back. A glass mirror with light appeared where
the sword was, and through it came people approaching from the inside of the mirror.
Clare scared started jittering, sitting next to him. Nikolai held her hand, “They’re allies.” And he was out,
unconscious. She slapped him a few times, “Not again, Aaah fuck.”
A lady from the mirror emerged, leg coming out first. It was a high army boot, heelless. The woman
came fully out.
Clare stunned, the woman looked like the girl from a PS game. She had on a light grey leathered full-
body suit, carried a bow and arrow in her hand, ready to attack. Her shoulders up, breasts out, well-
toned. Brown heavy hair which curled slightly at the bottom, not as long as Clare’s, hers back length.
Clare shouted as loud as she could, “Who are you,?” the girl walked quickly to her. Clare could see her
features clearly from the lights that shone through the room from the mirror. Her eyes a light green,
similar to Clare’s, but she had bigger eyes, rounder.
“Help, where are the others?” She asked touching Clare and turned back to the mirror. Two adults
emerged, a tall man and a lady, who looked like the woman.
The older one had blue eyes, like Clare's mother, and straight black hair, she spoke quickly, to the
younger woman. The older lady was quite tall, very thin for an older woman. There was something
about her that reminded Clare of her mother. “Go help the others, I’ll see to Clare.” she walked briskly
to Clare, “Clarebella, oh baby your arm.”
Clare looked at the lady confused, before observing her right arm.
She clapped her hands for the light in her room to come on, taking a proper glimpse of herself. Her
dress was ripped in places, showing midsections of her torso, and pieces of her legs. Her hands
stained with dried blood. The dress strap ripped out, showing a black bra. And the sight of her arm, her
veins stood out, purple marks marred her skin, her hand and wrist stained in color, like it was turning
black. She jumped up, “What is happening to me?”
The ladies eyes widened, “Clare it’s just a drug, don’t panic.”
“How can you say that Nikolai, he’s,..he’s,” she turned to look at him, he was gone.
“He was right here,” Clare said, pointing to the floor, her mind wrecked like she was going insane.
“CLARE, he’s alright,” The lady tried to calm her down.
Clare’s rushed out, “Nathan, Kalbreal, they were attacked, and- and Alonso he was tryna kill me,” she
spoke quickly, the words poured out of her mouth like gasoline.
Clare felt a hot hand slap her across her face, it was the lady, “Snap out of it, you’ve been drugged by a
Soren plant, I need you to calm down, if the liquid reaches your heart, you’ll be in a coma for two days.”
Clare shook her head, the lady smiled at a man’s voice which came from the back of them. Clare
focused on him, a tall muscular man, short brown hair, fit and young-looking forty years old, “The others
are on their way,”
He stared at Clare like he wanted to just grab her and hug her, but she just couldn’t make out his face.
Was it someone she knew, no it couldn’t be, she'd gotten some of her memory back, she would have
remembered, or maybe not? “Clare” was all he said and nodded before he walked to her room door.
The lady held Clare up, putting Clare’s hands around her shoulders, “Clare, you need to go through the
portal.”
Clare jerked and started raising her voice, “No, no, I...I don’t even know you.” She staggered at her
words, slurring, “M…mm..my friends, my.. my brother, Nathan, and Kalbreal , they need my hhh..elp,”
The lady grabbed her arm, “Clare they fine, we need to leave, now,”
“No, I’m not leaving them.”
He stared at Clare like he wanted to just grab her and hug her, but she just couldn't make out his face.
Was it someone she knew, no it couldn't be, she'd gotten some of her memory back, she would have
remembered, or maybe not? “Clare” was all he said and nodded before he walked to her room door.
The lady held Clare up, putting Clare’s hands around her shoulders, “Clare, you need to go through the
portal.”
Clare jerked and started raising her voice, “No, no, I...! don’t even know you.” She staggered at her
words, slurring, “M...mm..my friends, my.. my brother, Nathan, and Kalbreal , they need my hhh..elp,”
The lady grabbed her arm, “Clare they fine, we need to leave, now,”
“No, I’m not leaving them.”
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