Rhia's screams echoed and reverberated against the clear walls. The muzzle of leather and chains did little to quiet her. The crate shook with the force of her slamming her body and head against it to avoid the long poles being fed through the specialized holes in the corners of the box. She hadn't been able to avoid them all. Her skin stung where they'd thrust the needles into her and where they had inevitably snapped off.

Her head was getting fuzzy, but she wasn't sure if it was from whatever was in the syringes, or from how many times she had struck her head against the walls of her confines. Every inch of her either throbbed in a dull ache or flared in a sharp, white hot pain.

She refused to pass out. She refused to give them any advantage. She forced her eyes open and found one of the bastard scientists. He was panting and leaning heavily against his pole. Seeing his exhaustion made her stand taller and puff out her chest in defiance. She felt as big as any of the dragonkin, even though she was barely a fraction of their size. While her tail added length and her wings added bulk, her body wasn't much bigger than a Labrador.

She fought against the muzzle to roar again and the other 'scientists' flinched. "Jesus fucking Christ!" Someone yelled from the massive vault door. "Would you shut that thing up?! We're trying to work!"

"We're trying!" shouted another. "She won't go down!"

"Just gas her for crying out loud!"

"We can't. We're not allowed to take her out of the vault."

Rhia took advantage of their distraction to test her bonds again. There was some give to the ones around her jaws, confirming her suspicion that the acid in her saliva was eating away at the leather and chains. There were rust spots on the cuffs around her ankles, which meant she could melt those too once her mouth was free.

She didn't know why her fire had been replaced with acid, but she wasn't about to complain when it was working. She also didn't know if it would even help her in the long run. But if she could get out of these, it meant they had to open the door again to tie her back up, which would give her another chance to fight.

Freedom was the only thing on her mind. She couldn't focus on her fear, or being a dragon, or anything else. She had to get out. Then, and only then, could she try to come to terms with all the bullshit her life had turned into.

"Alright!" The shout brought her back to the situation at hand. The scientist that spoke was giving her an uncomfortable, hesitant look. "We have to be fast. If Zenith or the Colonel find out, we might as well put a gun to our own heads."

The Colonel. That's what they were calling Richard. He was an authority here. He was the first person Rhia was going to kill if she had the chance. He'd known about everything. Worse... he made her believe that she had been abandoned. That she hadn't been wanted. Like she didn't have a real father. She knew nothing about Nekros. Or Phoenix. Or any of the dragons other than the limited things she had been told. But she wanted to believe... she did believe that he would never have left her side if he had a choice.

The crate started to move, each of the scientists either pushing the back wall or pulling from the front. She started to fight her restraints again, flexing her jaws and using her tongue to push more of her acidic saliva out the corner of her mouth to drip onto the bonds. When she was pushed out into the main area, she froze for a moment of pure shock.

Dragonkin in their humanoid forms looked down from their suspended cages and their jaws dropped in shock and disbelief. The ones who were struggling against their own captors went very still to watch her roll past. The only ones who didn't stop were the scientists and one dragonkin still screaming. A little boy, no older than five or six. He was strapped to a table and the sight of it made Rhia see red. She slammed her body against the wall as hard as she could with the limited movement she had. The people around her shouted warnings as the container tipped dangerously onto two wheels before creaking back.

The straps around her jaws snapped open and she shrieked. Acid shot from her mouth and splattered against the glass material. A loud hissing filled the container and smoke began to rise from the liquid. Before anyone around her could react to it, she rushed into the side again, this time hard enough for pain to radiate through her shoulder and back. Her stomach flipped as the box tilted all the way over and slammed against the floor.

The whole room or lab, or whatever it was, went deadly silent as every living creature turned to look at her. She was shaking slightly as she got to her feet. With the previous acid spot now under her, she aimed at the wall that was closest to the hatchling. She opened her jaws as wide as they would go and repeated exactly what she just did. She screamed and sprayed acid against the wall again.

A high-pitched alarm rang out across the lab. Someone shouted from far away, something about an anomaly and how it got out. Rhia ignored them and rushed to hit the wall again. The glass bowed under her strength and suddenly every scientist around her scattered like ants. One more hit and she was able to rip open a hole in the melting material and shoved her head through. She roared and felt that familiar pulse of magic ripple around the room.

The tinnitus-like sound drilling against her skull suddenly stopped and she was answered by a chorus of other dragonkin. Even the hatchling on the table before her shouted in response to her call. She pulled back into the cube and rushed the wall again. She was so. fucking. close!

The wall shattered under her and she skidded across the slippery floor to the metal table. She grabbed the strap holding one arm with her teeth and ripped it from the table. The boy quickly pulled the strap off his other arm and sat up to free his feet.

"Rhia!"

She felt a familiar presence make a link, and she looked around. Dáithí came running through the room in his serpent skin, ignoring the other shifting dragonkin, scattering humans, and the weapons being fired. He seemed even bigger now that she was so much lower to the ground.

"Dáithí," she gasped. "Thank god. Are you-"

"Talk later. We need to run."

Dáithí lowered his head, allowing the boy to clamber onto his back with two other children, and closed his jaws gently around Rhia's body. He picked her up like a petulant puppy and took off at a run across the massive room.

"Wait!" she screamed at him. "We can't leave them! We have to help!"

The serpent slid to a halt in front of an elevator and practically threw her inside before shifting quickly and ushering the two humanoid children and the tiny drake inside as well. The doors slid closed, and he punched the top button until they were moving. He knelt and took the cuffs around her feet and ripped them open. "Rhia," he snapped, gripping her muzzle and dragging her eyes to look at him. "These people only want two things. You and the hatchlings. You need to get them out of here. I'll cover your escape. Run. Do not stop until you find one of the dragons."

"I can help!" she insisted.

"No!" he shouted the command instead of communicating through the link. There was fear behind his voice, and she went still. His eyes were dancing with worry. His grip on her softened and his fingers stroked her face gently. "We can't be worrying about you and the hatchlings down there." There was a tremble to his voice as well, and something cold began to grow inside her. If he was afraid... "As soon as you've escaped, I'll go back and help. But you have to get away."

He reached over her back and snapped the bonds around her wings letting her flex out the stiff muscles. "I can't leave you behind." She whimpered. "Please don't make me go alone."

Dáithí helped the children clamber onto her back, their knees tucking under her wings, and used the old strap to wrap around her chest and give them something to hold onto. They were surprisingly light, and she barely felt them. He took her chin again and met her eyes, linking back to her. "I'll come find you. As soon as I can. I promise."

She met his eyes with a determined look of her own. "If you die, I will kill you."

"I'd love to see you try, little bird." He chuckled and pressed his lips to the top of her head before standing up slowly. "When the doors open, I'm going to shift and create a distraction. Run as fast as you can and get as far away from here as possible. If you see them, do not try to fight. Go in another direction and keep running. Do you understand?"

"Yes." She looked over her shoulder at the three on her back to link with them and they winced. "You three hang on. I'm kind of new at this."

They nodded and she faced forward again. The elevator slowed and there was a quiet 'ding'. The doors slid open and Dáithí launched forward, shifting fast and destroying the office around them. Rhia ran, following the scent of fresh air and the desperate need to get away from this nightmare.

~

Maddox flattened himself against the wall, letting the group of big soldiers run past him and towards the uproar of noise in the lab. When the hall was clear again, he continued running towards the armory he and the other recruits had been shown earlier. He didn't have much of a plan before everything had gone to hell, but now he had even less of one. He just had a few things he knew he had to do.

First, get a weapon, as his gun had been confiscated when he first arrived.

Second, find Richard and put a bullet in his head.

Third... well... he'd think about that when he got there.

He rounded the corner into the armory to see Richard and Church already there. "Having fun, Maddy?" Church smirked. "I was hoping for the chance to shoot something."

"Neither of you are shooting anything." Richard snapped, grabbing the rifle from Church and slinging it over his shoulder. "You have more important things to do."

Church made a disappointed groan and followed Richard to the industrial freezer doors on the other side of the room. While their backs were turned, Maddox grabbed a pistol and shoved it in his belt and two magazines in his pockets. "Come on, Richard," Church was whining. "The captain told me all about your old missions together! I just want to bag myself a dragonkin too!"

Richard whirled around and punched Church in the jaw, catching him by the collar of his shirt before he could stumble away. "The only reason you are here, Christian, is because Mark Landon saw his mirror image in you." He snarled. "I did not vouch for you, nor will I ever if you keep the same path. I killed Landon and he was one of our best. If you think for one second that I would hesitate to put a piece of lead between your eyes, you are sorely mistaken. Now, stop acting like a spoiled child and do what you're told!"

Richard pushed him back and stepped into the refrigerator, coming back a second later with two heavy black cases. He hoisted them onto the table and looked at Maddox then Church. "Take these," he said slowly and clearly. "Go up the emergency elevator at the end of the hall. Take one of the trucks and drive east. Do not stop until you hit Fort Collins. Further instructions are under the passenger seat when you get there."

"What's in there?" Maddox stared at the black cases.

"We don't have time for that. I'll explain more in Fort Collins. Go. Now."

"What are you going to do?"

Richard unlocked another cupboard and took out a small case of black bullets big enough to take down a grizzly. He met Maddox's eyes with a steady, ice-cold look in his eyes. "I'm going to do what I should have done twenty-six years ago. I'm going to kill a dragon."

He left the room so quickly Maddox didn't have the chance to stop him. He was so shocked by everything happening... he'd lost his chance to avenge his mate. "Come on." Church growled and grabbed one of the cases.

Maddox followed mutely. A high-pitched screaming roar came from the lab, but Church kept going like it was nothing. "It's not fair." He bit out once they were in the elevator. "We have as much right to hunt the creatures as anyone. For fuck's sake, I fucked the bitch, I should be allowed to wash my hands of her too!"

"I thought you did that when you broke her ribs." Maddox couldn't hide the anger rising in his voice.

"Are you ever going to get over that?" Church shouted. "Jesus Christ, she isn't even your fucking sister. Why did you even bother coming if you were going to keep defending her like I'm the bad guy?!"

The doors slid open, and Church stormed out to the empty office, then out to the logging yard that lay directly over the entrance. Maddox followed him outside before dropping the case, pulling out and loading the gun, and shooting Church in the leg.

His scream cut through the quiet forest and Maddox felt a concerning level of calm wash over him as he approached the bleeding man. He aimed the weapon at Churchill's head. This man... this bastard nearly killed his sister. Would have killed his sister had he not gotten there in time to take her to the hospital. He drained her of her spirit and took her smile from her and locked her in a cage of lies for years. He never once admitted any wrongdoing. Even now... he tried to justify his actions behind the veil that she wasn't even human. As if that made a fucking difference.

He pressed the barrel of the gun against the back of Church's skull. He was more than justified in shooting him. Killing him. Out here in the middle of nowhere... no one would find his body for years. Maybe even decades. Or not at all. He would never see the inside of a courtroom for this. Even if he did... Nolan would back him up. A vampire like him would have access to the best lawyers in the world. Worst case scenario... he could just... turn and become immune to human law. Why not?

"What are you doing?!" Church howled. "Why the hell did you shoot me, asshole?!"

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time." Maddox hissed. "I should have done that the first time you put your hands on my sister."

"Man, she's got her claws in you good!" Church laughed hysterically. "I didn't do anything to her she didn't beg for! She was a fucking freak, even before she started sprouting feathers! She loves getting tied up and slapped around, and the harder you hit her, the harder she cums."

"Shut up." Maddox's voice shook almost as violently as the gun. "Put your hands behind your head."

"She's a real goddamn headcase when you think about it. But, god, her special brand of crazy made her the best goddamn fuck of my life. I bet she gets off on remembering being tied up on those tables down there. Maybe I should have shoved a probe up her ass!"

"Shut up!"

Church spun on his knees, showing no evidence of being in any pain, and smacked the gun away from his head. It went off with a bang, but Maddox quickly recovered and struck out with his foot. It hit only empty air. Church had moved faster than his human eyes could see. Maddox raised the weapon and slowly turned on the spot, straining his ears and searching the lumber yard for any sign of him.

How could he move that fast? He was human. There was no way he'd been turned into a vampire or a lycanthrope. So how... how...

"Hey man, I get it," Church sauntered out of the woods behind him, and Maddox spun around. He didn't even have a limp. "I drank the Kool-Aid too. I just got the better flavour. I mean... really, Maddy? You're going to side with the Counsel? You're going to side with a bunch of stuck-up ancients that will just cast you aside when they're done with you?"

He rushed forward with the same inhuman speed as before. More prepared for it, Maddox aimed where he would be and fired. Church stumbled, grabbing the bloody graze on his arm. "I don't give a shit about the Counsel! I don't care about them, or the dragons, or anyone else! I just want my sister to be left the fuck alone! I just want my mate back!" he screamed and fired again.

Church's fist suddenly made contact with his cheek. Pain erupted through his head, his ears ringing, and stars exploded in front of his eyes. The gun was gone out of his hands. His knees hit the ground. Dazed, he almost didn't' feel Church's foot nudging him onto his side and resting his foot on the curve of his ribs. "You're so obsessed with your whore of a sister," he laughed cruelly. "Let me show you exactly what I did to her!"

He lifted his foot before slamming it down onto Maddox's side. He couldn't scream. He couldn't even breathe. His chest wouldn't expand when he tried to suck in a breath. He felt paralyzed with pain and fear, staring up at the man who did this to him. Was this what Rhia felt? Had she thought she was going to die?

Church's eyes glinted with amusement as he pulled out a cellphone and opened the camera application. "I hope they catch Rhia again before Richard kills her. I want to show her this. I want to see the look on her face when she sees how pathetic you were right before I killed you."

The phone clicked and something big and silver rushed out of the trees. It didn't make a sound until it tackled Church where it let out a violent snarl followed by Church's shriek of pain that was just as suddenly replaced by a gurgling squeal. Another snarl and the sound of tearing flesh.

Maddox rolled onto his back, hoping it would help him breath, but it only made it worse. The edges of his vision were beginning to blur. Getting shot didn't hurt this much. Getting a defibrillator to the chest didn't hurt this much. God, what he would do to hear Rhia's atrocious singing right about now.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

A vaguely familiar female voice came from somewhere beside him. A pair of dainty, but strong hands lifted his head and shoulders up onto a lap and he was able to suck in a shallow breath. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision to see the person above him. Big, warm, chocolate brown eyes. "Damnit, Maddox, why?" she sobbed. "Why did you have to do something so stupid? Why couldn't you just wait for backup?"

"No... Nova?"

A ghost... she had to be a ghost. Something wet fell on his cheek from above. Was she crying? Nova never cried. Besides... ghosts couldn't cry.

"I'm here, baby," she sniffed, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "I'm here. Don't you go anywhere."

"You're... a... ali..." He coughed painfully. Blood sprayed out of his mouth and pooled at his lips.

"Shh," she hushed him soothingly. "Help is coming, just hold on. I'm here... I'm alive... Maddox, I'm so sorry. I couldn't tell you. They had to believe I was dead."

Tears streamed uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes. He reached up with a trembling hand and touched her cheek. Soft. Warm. Exactly how he remembered her. "I... I..."

"Shh, don't speak, Maddox. Save your strength. Please... We're going to get married, remember? We made a deal. I want to spend the rest of my life making this up to you and making you happy. Please..."