Jessie decided to call it a night after Mercury and Ryver left them at the club. Apparently, Ria hadn't lived until she'd had one of Ali's famous kebabs and potato surprise, so they were traipsing through the back streets on their way to this much lauded establishment.

"I'm not really a fan of kebabs, you know," Ria said as she attempted to saunter half as well as her friend.

Jessie grinned. "Trust me, you won't regret it. Besides we can't go home just yet."

Ria supposed her friend was right. She was too excited and confused and scared to even think about sleeping. And she didn't want to be alone. Not yet. There was too much to think about.

They rounded a corner and Ria caught an errant thought. A shudder pulsed through her. She couldn't quite grasp it, like it wasn't real. She knew there was something very dark behind her. She hurried to catch up with Jessie, who had steamed ahead, but she was unable to shake the feeling someone was following them.

"Nearly there," Jessie chirped, oblivious.

Ali's Kebab House had never sounded so inviting.

“Lookie, lookie.” A guttural laugh echoed through her mind.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw two men in hoodies behind them. Linking arms with Jess and trying to speed up their progress, she concentrated on what those two were thinking.

Jessie tugged on her arm. "What's the rush? I thought you weren't that bothered about a kebab."

"I'm not," Ria hissed as she looked over her shoulder again. The two hoodies were closing on them. "Let's just hurry up, okay?"

"What's going on?"

"We're being followed," Ria whispered.

Jessie craned her neck to look behind them as Ria continued to drag her down the street.

"C'mon, let's just get out of here," Ria pleaded.

She's definitely the one.

Ria's heart skipped a beat, terror creeping into her mind. They just had to get to the kebab house. There'd be people there. They'd be okay if they just made it to Ali's.

Racing down the street, she cursed the stupid heels Jess had made her wear. She wasn't an athlete at the best of times, but running in those boots amounted to little more than fast-paced tottering. Her perfectly curled hair whipped across her face as she tried to keep tabs on their would-be attackers. The two figures behind them hadn't gained on them, but there was still an air of something terribly wrong crackling around her.

She focused on the two guys and frowned. Their voices didn't match the evil she heard snippets of. They both thought Jess was fit, but they were also slurring their words and looking forward to Ali's potato surprise.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Huh?"

We'll just have to see about that, won't we?

That voice was different. Darker. Closer.

Shaken to the core she stopped in her tracks. Turning this way and that, she desperately tried to find him. It was definitely a him. Vaguely aware of Jess calling her name, she focused her mind, listening, looking up and down the road. Nothing.

Maybe she really was going mad?

"Ria?"

She turned back towards her friend, ready to tell her she was hearing things.

It came out of nowhere. So fast she didn't see it coming.

Like a black mist whirling around her. She couldn't fight back. She couldn't breathe, couldn't catch her breath. The air thundered in her ears, so loud it blocked everything else except a maniacal laugh. Ria spun on the spot, desperate to catch a glimpse of her assailant. Her eyes watered as he flew past her—everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was impossible.

A scream formed in her throat, but still struggling to breathe, she couldn't voice it. The spectre raced past her again and this time she felt it bump against her side. That briefest of connection gave Ria a terrifying glimpse into the monster's psyche. One thought burned bright in the blackness: she was going to meet her maker.

That maniacal laugh pulsed through her mind on the back of that murderous idea. Cold, hard ice whispered through her veins. She wasn't ready. Not now. Not tonight.

The blackness swirled again, reforming into the slightest hint of a man before it came at her. Determined to fight back, this time she readied herself. It was no use. Inhumanly fast, her attacker sailed past her. She spun to face him again...or at least she tried to. Her body wouldn't obey.

She heard screaming as her world turned horizontal. The tarmac came up to greet her and there was nothing she could do about it. Agony bloomed across her ribs as her breath came in short, painful rasps. Clinging on to consciousness with everything she had, she could just make out Jessie's boots running towards her. She tried to tell her to run, but her voice had deserted her.

Move, goddamnit, Ria! Move!

It was no good. Nothing worked. Her body wouldn't do as it was told. So she just lay there, mind screaming, waiting for the darkness.

Her vision started closing from the outside in. She heard someone scream her name, and in the end, she wasn't sure if it was the darkness or a blinding flash of light that claimed her.

* * *

Lena and Soraya raced from the training centre.

"Who is it?" Soraya asked as they sailed down the corridor that led to the rest of House Blackwood. Soraya's bonds with the rest of the Order weren't as strong as Lena's. Unless it was her brother, Thorn, or Lena, the Princess wouldn't know who had been hurt or how badly.

For Lena, it was different. She was blood bonded to all her brethren, and she knew immediately when one of them was injured; she felt their pain. Her chest tightened and bile rose in her throat as she replied, "Ryver."

Soraya nodded as she turned towards the Order's medical facility. "Bring him straight to me," she said, and then she was gone.

As their only doctor, Soraya was worth her weight in gold, and Lena didn't trust anybody more with the lives of her brothers. She ran full pelt for the stairs, cursing Kaden's internal security measures as she went. The Osmium in the walls meant she couldn't dematerialise within the House, and even moving at inhuman speeds, she felt she couldn't get there quick enough.

Thorn met her in the lobby as he too ran for the front door. The driveway would be the safest place for the boys to land. Lena nearly ripped the Osmium reinforced oak door from the hinges as she pulled it open and rushed outside.

Nothing but the sound of silence and the rapid beat of her own heart greeted them.

"Where the fuck are they?" she screamed as she rounded on Thorn.

Her mate narrowed his eyes as he looked into the distance. "They're on their way."

It wasn't good enough, she thought as she kicked the gravel.

"They'll be here. Let's just stay calm," Thorn told her.

She spun to face him, blood racing. "Stay calm? Did you just tell me to stay fucking calm?"

Thorn heaved a heavy sigh. "It's going to be okay."

She could feel the hot flush of panic rising within her. Ryver was her best friend. He wasn't allowed to get injured. "I thought it was Ryver's night off."

"It was, but Kaden called them in."

She felt her eyes widen. "Them? You mean they're all out? They're all on duty?"

A simple nod was her only answer, and not one she was happy with.

"Why didn't Kaden call me? Last time I checked I was still the Steward of the Watch, you know."

"You were needed here," he replied as he stepped towards her. Her pulled on their mating bond as he reached for her. His love for her was overpowering in its intensity and, for a moment, she almost forgot what she was worried about.

She splayed her hand across his broad chest and pushed him away. "Stop distracting me!"

A lopsided grin formed on his face, golden eyes sparkling. "Now why would I want to do that?"

Despite herself she smiled back up at him. "You don't play fair."

His grin broadened. "It's never a fair fight where you're concerned, my love," he whispered as he took her hand again.

The simplest of touches and her heart skipped a beat. "Kaden still should have called me," she said, fully aware she was pouting.

"We can't leave the House completely unguarded, Lena. You know that."

"But you're here."

He just cocked a dark eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay."

Thorn was technically a Guardian since he was never meant to be King. As the King's second son, joining the Order was the obvious choice, but all that changed when Jett, his brother died. Still head of the Order, Thorn was now their King and that meant he didn't get to run around playing soldier any more. And neither he nor House Blackwood were ever left without at least one Guardian in residence. Tonight, that was her.

She was just about to argue about being left out of the loop when the air beside them started to swirl. Kaden, Mercury, Phoenix, Skylar and Ryver materialised on the driveway. Ryver had his arms slung across the shoulders of Mercury and Skylar as the two of them helped keep him upright. His head hung down so she couldn't see his face, but she could hear the state of his breathing. Or lack thereof.

She rushed towards him and took his face in her hands. Pulling his head up, she found him slipping in and out of consciousness. When his eyes did open, they were sightless, unfocused. More wheezing and struggling for breath and Lena's heart constricted. She let him go gently before turning to Kaden. "What the hell happened?"

Kaden's ice blue eyes burned with confusion and anger. "I don't know."

Lena's jaw dropped. What kind of fucking answer was that?

Thorn pulled her back. "Let's just get him to Soraya."

* * *

Kaden sat at Soraya's ridiculous bubble-gum pink desk whilst the rest of the Order paced around outside in the corridor. He'd decided to get started on his report. He needed the distraction. Given that he'd only managed to fill in the basics, it clearly wasn't working.

Mercury stopped in the doorway, his one good eye glowing ochre, the worry he felt for his brother palpable. The Guardian didn't say a word; he didn't really need to. None of them had the first clue about what had happened to Ryver. He was no medic, but Phoenix had given Ryver a brief look over back in Regent's Park. The guy hadn't shown any signs of obvious injury, but that was what worried him. Even internal injuries should start healing almost as soon as they happened. Ryver still couldn't breathe properly by the time they made it back to the House.

"Any news?" he asked.

Mercury shook his head.

Shit.

Kaden looked past Mercury and out into the hallway. Skylar and Thorn were pacing. He could just about see Lena on the floor, her head in her hands. He wondered if this was what it was like when he was on that operating table, his brethren waiting on news.

The door to the medical centre opened and he vaulted the desk, racing out into the hallway. Soraya joined the expectant crowd. Kaden felt a frown tugging at his brow. Her green scrubs were remarkably clean for someone who'd just been in the operating theatre. Maybe Ryver hadn't needed surgery after all? For a fleeting moment, his hopes soared. One look into her burning gold eyes and that flicker of hope was snuffed out.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Soraya pushed a shaking hand into her hair, a deep frown creasing her beautiful forehead. She seemed to be having trouble finding the right words. He glanced around the rest of the group. Everyone was staring at the Princess, waiting for her to deliver them from their fears about Ryver. His bond with the Guardian still burned bright, and he could still feel his pain.

"Soraya?" he pushed again.

"He's alright," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

A collective sigh of relief echoed around the small corridor. Skylar and Mercury clapped each other on the back and Lena let out a sob. Thorn pulled her up into a bear hug as everyone started to relax.

"Thank fuck for that," Mercury scoffed. "I'da killed him if he'd gone an' died on us!"

Kaden continued to stare at Soraya. Their blood bond ran deeper than anyone realised and he knew something was wrong. Behind that smile, Soraya was worried. Very worried.

He took step towards her, willing his brain to ignore the delicious scent of peaches that infused the air around her. "Soraya?"

She wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Boss?" Mercury called out from behind him? "You comin' for a drink?"

He didn't turn around. "I'll be up in a minute."

"Good enough."

He heard everyone leave and make their way up to the main House. He cocked his head, listening, making sure no one was still in earshot. For a Vampire, ear-shot was pretty far. He waited a good five minutes just to satisfy himself they'd really gone. "You've got to tell me what's going on, Soraya. I know there's something you're not saying."

"It is as I said. He's going to be alright."

"But?"

Her frown drew tighter. "I ran every test I could think of."

"Okay."

"It is the strangest thing."

"What is?"

"There's nothing wrong with him."

Kaden barked a laugh. "Well that's a good thing, isn't it? Goddess knows I can't afford to lose another Guardian!" The laugh died on his lips when he looked back at the Princess. She wasn't laughing. In fact, he could feel a hint of terror shivering through the air. Swallowing hard, he reached for her hand. "What's wrong? Why can I sense your fear?" he whispered.

"I'm afraid I might have missed something," she replied, squeezing his hand.

"I think that's highly unlikely." He meant it too. Soraya never missed anything. Of course, as a seer, she'd probably seen most of it coming, but she was a highly qualified doctor. She'd been to university twenty-four times and attended every conceivable training course she could find. There was no way in Goddess's green Faery that she'd miss anything medical.

"Come with me," she said and led him back into the medical centre, down the corridor to the two-way mirror outside Ryver's room. "You see?"

"See what?" The Guardian was out for the count, but other than that, he looked perfectly fine.

"There's nothing wrong with him."

Kaden worked hard at keeping his face stoic. "So what's the problem?"

"There never was anything wrong with him, Kaden."

* * *

A whirl of confusion still clouded her mind; the deepest black chased away by blinding light. A cruel laugh offset by shining green eyes. Murderous thoughts held back by the will to live.

"Female, approximately twenty-five years old. Multiple contusions and abrasions. Suspected flail segment around the third and fourth intercostal."

That voice didn't sound like anybody she knew. She tried to concentrate, to focus on the words, but the harder she tried, the further away they sounded. Somewhere in her mind, she knew whoever it was sounded serious, and that it was important she listen. That damned fog in her mind wouldn't shift, refused the clarity she sought.

Where was she? What the hell happened?

"Ms. Dalton, can you hear me?"

Yes.

"Ms. Dalton?"

I'm here! I can hear you!

"Still unresponsive, but her breathing has improved. Paramedics reported a suspected flail segment."

Cold hands prodded her ribs and she braced herself for the pain. It didn't come.

Even more confused, she mentally checked herself. It wasn't an illusion. The all-consuming agony really had gone. The voice was right. Her breathing was easier, but she still couldn't understand what happened. What the hell was a flail segment?

"Who brought her in?"

"Tony and Lynda. Why?"

The hands prodded some more. "I can't feel this suspected flail segment."

"It's not like Tony to get that wrong. He's been around the block far too many times to make that kind of mistake."

"There's no sign of any break at all, nor the pneumothorax he was worried about."

Goosebumps jumped to life all over her skin as she felt her top move to expose more of her torso.

"Would you look at that!"

What? What's wrong?

Papers shuffled. "Are you sure this is the right patient? These notes say multiple contusions and abrasions. There's just that bruise and that looks days, if not weeks old."

"Give me that." There was more shuffling of papers and someone lifted her wrist. "Numbers and description match." Whoever it was lowered her wrist. "Get her up to x-ray, just in case. I'm going to call Tony and see what the hell he's playing at."

Ria had never had an x-ray in her life so part of her was a little excited. The other part of her was starting to worry about why she couldn't reconnect with the world around her. She now realised she must be in a hospital. For a minute, she'd imagined she'd been abducted and taken to some weird facility where they experimented on humans, but she at least had the wherewithal to admit how ridiculous that was.

She could smell bleach, disinfectant and that slight hint of death that seemed to infuse every hospital. Whatever they were transporting her on had a squeaky wheel that played a repetitive tune as it bumped its way over the tiled floor. Lights flashed overhead as she undulated along her journey. Concern, fear, desperation, relief and hope filtered through the air in equal measure as she rolled along.

Is Dad going to make it? I wonder if her husband knows she's shagging the night porter? We need milk. Is it home time yet?

So many voices. So loud.

A flash of green. Green... Why was that comforting?

The squeaking stopped, and her body jolted as the trolley came to a halt. She heard muffled voices and then nothing. Silence. Try as she might, she couldn't hear any voices or thoughts at all.

What was that whirring? It sounded mechanical... Where was it coming from? Then that too disappeared. Darkness and silence surrounded her while panic rose in her chest. She felt her breath hitch as she willed her body to respond to her desperate need to move. She felt like she'd fallen into a vat of pitch—blind and immobile; it only served to feed her panic.

Ow! What the hell was that? She felt a sharp pain on the back of her hand. Ouch! What the hell? Was someone stabbing her? Why would someone stab her in the hand? Stop that! Now they were stabbing her in the crook of her elbow.

The sound came back in a rush. "What the hell are you doing, Nurse?"

"I can't find a vein."

"Don't be ridiculous. Her skin's so pale you can see them right there."

"I know that. I just can't get the needle to go in."

"Oh for goodness sake, give it here."

OW!

I said OW! Jesus, stop that. It bloody hurts!

"Come on, Ms. Dalton, stop playing silly buggers." The stabbing continued until the pain changed into a continual dull ache instead. "There we go. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Right, so just fluids?"

"For now. Her vitals look good so we'll just keep an eye on her and wait for her to wake up. Obs every thirty minutes."

"Okay. Any news on the x-ray?"

"I'm off to check the results now, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing going on in there that we should be worried about."

"Still can't believe Tony got this one so wrong."

"Me neither. I'll be back in a bit. You go see to that patient in bed five."

They left her alone, their inner monologues growing quieter the further away they got.

So she'd had her x-ray then. Maybe that's what the mechanical noise was, she thought, feeling a little underwhelmed. She'd hoped she'd feel something, but never having had an x-ray, she'd obviously over egged the pudding. Well that was disappointing.

She heard someone come closer, the rustle of clothing as they moved, their breathing. The hairs on her arms stood to attention, the stranger now at her bedside. Silent.

Who are you? What do you want?

She tried to listen, but all she got was the torrent of noise from the people around her. She got no feedback whatsoever from this person. A feeling of dread crept over her.

"Ria? Can you hear me?" A soft voice called to her.

Jess? Is that you? Oh thank God!

"Ria, if you can hear me, I need you to wake up."

Yes! I can hear you! I'm here.

Jessie sighed. "Ria, please..."

Something dawned in Ria's mind. Jessie's tone held more than just concern. This was more than just one friend worried for another. Real fear hummed through Jessie's mental thoughts. The realisation startled Ria. She'd never known Jessie be afraid of anything.

"I need you to hear me, Ria. It'll be dawn soon."

Dawn? What did the sunrise have to do with anything?

The tension rolled off her friend, making Ria even more nervous. Why couldn't she just wake up and answer, tell Jess that everything was fine? Even the doctor didn't seem overly concerned so it couldn't be that bad, right? Right. Maybe she was in some kind of dream? Like those nightmares people had when they couldn’t wake up but they really need to. But then everything that happened that night seemed so real. The club. The attack. Ryver.

Ryver! If only he were here. Unlike anyone she'd ever met, he heard her. It was such a relief to know she wasn't alone, that she wasn't a complete freak.

Jess laid a gentle hand on her arm, stirring her from her memories of that extraordinary man.

"I'm really sorry about this, hun, but I really don't have a choice. We need to get out of here."

Sorry about what? What choice? Why do we have to lea- JESUS MARY AND JOSEPH! A strange hum filled Ria's mind before Jessie's hand started to shake as she clamped down hard on Ria's arm. What started as the comforting warmth of another's touch soon turned to an unbearable fire. The heat spread from her arm, building in its intensity, quickly enveloping her entire body in an excruciating inferno. She tried to scream as she burned alive but she couldn't. Immersed in terror and confusion, the air she needed wouldn't reach her while white-hot acid burned through her veins. The fire rushed through every part of her, inside and out, burning so hot until she felt like her very blood was on fire. She was paralysed with all-consuming agony as her mind screamed in fear and suffering, still unable to give voice to the pain. The anguish far surpassed anything she'd ever felt. The flame burned and burned, scorching her soul.

Is this what it felt like to die? A never-ending, burning, torture from which there was no escape? Was that what was happening? There had to be an end. Please, please let me die.

The inferno refused to be extinguished. She tried to concentrate on something, anything else. She counted her own stuttering heartbeat. She counted her shallow, desperate intakes of breath as she gritted her teeth, still waiting to die. One-two, three-four, five-six.

As she counted, she became more aware. She could hear Jessie's measured but laboured breathing just to the side of her, as if the woman were exerting a great deal of physical effort, but doing her best to hide it. She could hear her friend's heartbeat, singing a strange arrhythmic song. She concentrated on that. Even found it relaxing as she waited for the end.

Something changed. As she concentrated on that curious heartbeat, the fire in her hands and feet diminished. Though not exactly cool, the relief spread slowly, inch-by-inch, up her limbs to her shoulders and hips. From there, the progress was infinitely slower. Moving across her chest, the inferno smouldered rather than burning out, but eventually just a small flame at her centre remained.

Then even that was snuffed out.

Finally able to draw breath, her eyes flew open as the air returned to her lungs in a rush. Breathing hard, she opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, she saw a blur of purple above her. Something clamped down on her mouth, stifling the scream she was about to let loose.

"Don't scream. I know it was painful, and I'm really sorry about that, but you can't scream. Do you understand?"

Ria's vision cleared and Jess's shock of purple hair came into focus as her face hovered inches from her own. Jessie's usually green eyes glowed violet as she stared down at her.

"Do you understand?" she asked again.

Ria nodded, her nostrils flaring as she fought for the air she needed.

"Do you trust me?"

Ria nodded again.

"I'm going to let go now. Promise you won't scream, okay?"

Another nod.

"Good." Jessie removed her hand.

Panting, Ria stared wide-eyed at her friend. Jessie looked different, yet the same, as if some sort of veil had been lifted. The other woman's skin had a glow about it, and her hair almost sparkled it was so shiny. And those eyes. They shone like amethysts.

"Who are you?" Ria whispered.

Jessie took a deep breath and blinked slowly. "I'll explain later, I promise." She looked at her watch. "Right now, you need to get dressed, and we need to go."