Scarlett: (GxG)

Chapter 5

When I returned to the fray, the excitement was beginning to peter out. It wouldn't be long till dawn would start creeping up. Looking around, Lee was the only person I couldn't find. Tossing what remained of my ice pack in the trash, I walked through the crowd, pretending I was mingling. Rosalynn was the first to spot me.

"Don't worry, we're about to leave," she said softly, coming up behind me.

"What do you mean? I'm having a blast."

She grinned a little and leaned in to me to give a low whisper.

"You've always hated these things. Not even the promise of new clothes could get you to pretend to enjoy yourself for more than an hour."

I was tired, and had no doubt my smile portrayed that.

"Where's Lee?"

"Out back making sure the vehicles are ready for us." Her arm gently wrapped its way around mine. "Listen.. I want to sit down and have a talk with you soon. About the... transition."

I nodded.

"Alright. There's no rush though. You're going to be insanely busy so... just let me know when you've got the time."

Again there was that look of relief and I, for a small second, felt like I was missing something. Given that I was just returning home after so long, that probably wasn't far from the truth.

The warmth of her arm slowly fell away and when that happened, a strange feeling crept into me. It reminded me of when I was younger and somehow I just knew Rian would be coming to torment me. Now I would probably describe it as dread of some kind mixed with a bit of intuition. I turned my head to look for him. Surely he wouldn't touch me in public.

It was when I turned on my heels that all hell broke loose.

I thought an explosion had happened when I saw the wood and glass spray across everyone. The front of the lounge that led to the outside was now a hole with something large and harry having barreled straight through it.

A werewolf.

The screaming was immediate. At first I was frozen while watching the behemoth leap further inside. Then its jaws found its first poor victim. The man cried out in horror while rows of razor sharp teeth clamped down on his head, tearing the vampire in two with one simple yank. The air was filled with blood of another kind now. Vampire blood.

I tripped in my heels when I finally had the sense to flee, busting my knee on the floor. If it hurt, I wasn't feeling it now. The wolf was on a rampage, clawing further and further inside, trampling anything and anyone that was close by. A dark blur shot over me.

"Dad..."

I'd wanted it to be a shout but it sounded more like a squeak.

The elder vampire stood unafraid before the wolf. A single sidestep was all it took to out maneuver a swipe of a large paw. When it tried to bring its snapping jaws down on him, Lord Astor's hands gripped its open maw. With one hand up top and one below he began to forcibly open it's mouth. The whole time the vampire hadn't been pushed back a single step.

Rian leaped onto its back without warning. A clawed hand dug into the animal's eyes, ripping and tearing. His suit was stained with blood within seconds and his frenzy showed no sign of stopping.

When a second massive wolf barreled through, I heard the wet pop of a jaw breaking as my father took the wolf's mouth to its limit, snapping it in two. I ran.

High heels lost, my bare feet took me as fast as they could. The chaos was ear shattering behind me. I dare not look over my shoulder, but my love for my father and fear of losing him compelled me to eventually look. When I did I saw a large oak table flying toward me, having been rocketed in my direction during the turmoil. I had maybe a second or two to come to terms with the fact that it would most certainly crush my body.