AARYN

Aaryn stumbled out of the portal into the human world his breath breaking in sobs, blood dripping down his side from the wound now on his inside wrist.

He fell to his knees sucking at the air and looking around through tear-blurred eyes. The house was up ahead, beyond the strange, straight trails and gardens. But over his head, the sky was just barely beginning to lighten to the west.

He had minutes. Bare minutes. How had he lost so much time?!

It had to be enough. Please.. it had to be. He had to get back.

Still praying, Aaryn shoved to his feet and sprinted for the house, his bloody arm smattering bushes as he ran.

*****

GAHRYE

They stood in the bedroom, clinging to each other. Kalle had started crying an hour earlier and hadn't really stopped. They'd prayed together, prayed for the protection of their son, for the success of what they were trying to do, for the safety of the Anima.. that they could get through this and find some good come from it.

Now they stood. They needed to enter the portal in half an hour. It was happening. It was fucking happening.

Gahrye held his mate's face in his hands, thumbing away her tears.

"Kalle," he said hoarsely. But she shook her head.

"Don't," she whispered. "Not yet. We still have a few minutes. Just.. just be here with me. Please."

With a groan of pain, he dropped his lips to hers.

But before he could think, a knock came at the door of the suit.

Gahrye swore colorfully and Kalle dropped her face into his chest. "Can you go see?" she asked through her tears. "I don't think.. I don't think I can talk to them right now."

Gahrye nodded. Letting go of her felt like he was being flayed. But he forced himself to do it, to let her go and hurry across the suite to the large door into the hallway.

When he opened it, Rake, one of the Protectors was there, his eyes wide and pleading.

Also an equine, he was easily as tall as Gahrye and slightly bigger. He'd been the first to volunteer when Kalle had started talking about what they would need.

Gahrye had been surprised and grateful. The male had always been attentive, but a quiet sort who kept to himself.

"I don't have a family," he'd said when they took him aside to make sure he understood what he was doing. "If.. if I survive, I'll make a family here. I don't miss Anima."

Gahrye forced himself to soften his face when the male looked at him, his forehead wrinkled.

"I've had an idea," he said.

"Rake, this isn't the time—"

"No, listen.. whatever she has to do.. we should do it. We should go instead. We'll do it and you guys can stay here and at least you'll be alive! I mean—"

"Gahrye put a hand to the male's shoulder and squeezed. "Thank you, Rake. I meant it. I know you're trying. But this can't be done by you, brother. I'm deadly serious. If something happens to me, please take her. Don't even try to do anything else. She's the only one."

"Are you certain? It has to be her? Not you, or me, or—"

"No, definitely her," Gahrye said, the words a struggle to push past his lips. "She's.. it has to be her." He cleared his throat and blinked back tears. "I'll get her there, but she'll do it."

Rake's face dragged towards the floor and he looked like he might cry. "Are you certain? Absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

The male dropped his chin and covered his face with one hand. "Then.. I'm really sorry," he breathed.

"Sorry for wh—" Gahrye started to ask.

But suddenly with a guttural cry, Rake leaped towards him, a bare blade flashing straight for Gahrye's heart.

Time slowed.

His training kicked in and without conscious thought, he raised a hand to deflect the coming blow—tried to brace for the male's wrist, but felt the nervy slide of the blade in the skin of his arm.

His head screamed—Kalle is here! Kalle didn't know! She was in danger!—but his head reflexively snapped in slow motion to the side as another form appeared—white-blond hair, teeth bared, and a snarl of rage.

As Gahrye and Rake began to grapple, Aaryn appeared from nowhere, throwing an arm around Rake's face and head and pulling back with a fierce twist.

There was a sickening snap and the male's eyes rolled up and he dropped to the carpet, twitching.

Then time snapped back to normal pace and Gahrye found himself standing in the doorway, facing Aaryn, both of them gaping at a dead slumped body on the floor between them.

"Aaryn? W-what the hell?"

"Where's the other one," the male snapped, looking over his shoulder.

Gahrye gaped at him, breath gasping, pain humming in his arm.historical

"WHERE'S THE OTHER ONE?" Aaryn roared.

,m "Who—"

Kalle ran out of the bedroom, crying, the door slapping back against the wall with the force of her passage. "What is going on—GAHRYE?!"

"Tell me where the other one is?! They're plants, Gahrye. They stayed to take you both out and stop you from closing the traverse. Where is the other guy?"

"I.. I don't know," Gahrye could barely speak. Kalle rushed to his side and clapped a hand to the gash on his arm.

"I'll go looking for them. You stay here." Aaryn turned on his heel, but Gahrye's heart leaped.

"No!" Gahrye snapped at him. "If they're truly trying to stop us, we have to go. Now."

Aaryn's eyes went wide. "You can't! I have to kill him and get through before you close it! I have to go back, Gahrye!"

Kalle's mouth dropped open. She looked at Gahrye, then at Aaryn, then back at Gahrye. "Is there even time?"

"Not unless he left now."

"I can't leave you here if the other one's still out there. But you can't go yet. We have to find him and kill him. He's going to get Kalle out of the way, then let the humans through. They have to be close. Waiting."

Gahrye's heart pounded so hard his head hurt with every pulse. Kalle ran to the bathroom and grabbed the kit for closing wounds. If he was going to cross, they needed to stop this bleeding so he could cut a new wound for the purpose of the portal.

He looked at Aaryn. "You've got ten minutes. That's how long it will take to stop the bleeding. And once we do, we're going. We can't risk it."