7

The next two weeks would pass in the blink of an eye.

Standing out there in the clearing in the woods near Zane's house, I reflected on that as I watched Chris and Will training together. It was mid-morning, and we'd been out there for almost two hours, though I couldn't complain too much. I think I was starting to get used to all of this.

I think that I was finally starting to accept a lot of things too. Namely, where I'd come from and what I'd finally become. Maybe I wasn't completely human anymore, but that was okay. I was around others who were like me. For the first time ever in my life, I didn't feel so out of place.

But unfortunately, I knew with this knowledge of who I was and where I'd come from that I was also very much endangered.

This was why we'd started all of this training. Chris was determined that I would learn how to fight and how to defend myself. I couldn't argue against it either. I wanted to be able to do that. I didn't want to rely on him all the time, or Zane or Will for that matter.

They certainly didn't go easy on me though. I was becoming somewhat convinced that my so-called new friends were actually trying to kill me with all of this. Chris especially didn't go easy on any training with me or anyone else for that matter. Even now, as I watched him and Will, I wondered how in the world any of us were supposed to win against him.

Chris was a natural born fighting machine, able to manipulate his energy and the energy around him into any kind of weapon he chose. On top of that, he was also very, very strong, especially when he brought out those beautiful black wings.

Will on the other hand had proven time and time again that he wasn't a pushover either. I had the distinct feeling that he and Chris may have been even stronger than Zane. But then, sometimes I also had the feeling that Zane wasn't really trying that hard with them too.

I watched as Will brought up another wall of flames around him, taking in his appearance. It was odd, but there was something about Wilhelm Marcos that seemed different from Chris and Zane. I couldn't put my finger on what it was. I could feel it whenever I looked at him.

Will wasn't that different from the other two in appearance. He had the most powerful eyes, but other then that, he just looked like a really good-looking guy. He was a bit smaller in build and height than Chris, although not by much, and in the dancing shadows of the morning sunlight through the leaves, his dark hair looked as black as the darkest night. His black wings matched the color of that hair very well.

I glanced over at Chris, unconsciously comparing the two, and sighed inwardly. I didn't know when it started, but lately, I was thinking about how beautiful Chris really was. Everything about him seemed so perfect to me, at least in his looks. His attitude most of the time left a lot to be desired.

Chris was very blunt and to the point most of the time and didn't hesitate to tell us what he thought. In a way, I really didn't like that. Somehow it felt like he acted differently around Zane and Will then he did towards me. Maybe it was because I just didn't get him yet.

"Alright, I'll concede this one Chris. I'm worn down." Will finally called as he held his hand up.

Chris stood back and relaxed, the bow and arrow he'd formed disappearing in a quick flash, "Good enough. I warned you that I wasn't going easy on you." he called back.

"No kidding. You never do go easy on us." Will sighed. I watched as he ran a hand through his black hair. He looked like he'd worked up a bit of a sweat. I think we all had. It was getting hot out there.

Chris glanced at the trees, "We'll get in one more time before we head back. The heat's starting to set in."

"You really think we need to continue? I thought we'd all been through this enough this morning." Zane complained. He was sitting on a downed tree near me with his cheek against his hand. I watched as he played with the collar of his tee shirt. It seemed like he was starting to feel the heat too.

"I just want one more time with Ariana. I think I've let her off too easy today." Chris responded.

"What are you talking about? You've been just as hard on me as everyone else and I'm hot." I pouted.

"Don't start giving me excuses." Chris countered, sounding a little exasperated now.

Will shook his head, walking over to me, "I've told you before that you really have no way with women Chris." he chided him as he looked back at him.

"Don't start that shit again..." Chris started.

"Just hear me out." Will interrupted. He flashed me a quick smile, "Why don't we make it worth her while to give in to your little demand?"

Oh boy, I thought. Will's planning something again.

This was nothing unusual for Will. I'd noticed it in the last week I'd been there. He had a way with getting others to do the things he wanted, especially when it came to Chris. He always seemed to find a way to convince Chris to do just about anything. Hell, he'd even done it to me here and there. He was a very smooth talker.

Chris seemed to concede, "Fine. I'll listen."

I looked at Will as he spoke, "It's really simple if Ariana will agree to it. All you need to test her on right now is whether she'd be able to defend herself decently enough. If she does, then you have to take her out for an afternoon and treat her to dinner and whatever else she wants. If she doesn't, then I'll take her out this evening and train her until she's able to defend against you."

"Will..." I started.

Although I liked the idea of a date with Chris, I really wasn't too keen on Will training me himself. I had a bad feeling about doing something like that with him.

"Don't worry about it. I won't really make you train more. Just give him the bait." I heard him whisper in my ear. I had to wonder if all three of them were mind readers and just not telling me. They always caught on super quick to what I was thinking.

I sucked it up, "Okay. I can do that." I agreed.

Chris thought it over, "Fine. I guess we can do that. But I'm not going easy on her." he finally answered.

Will shrugged, "Wouldn't expect you to."

I think we both knew that Chris was lying. He never was as hard on me as he was on Zane and Will. I felt a little nervous as we walked out there though. I'd never liked facing Chris, and I think it was more because of how I'd come to feel about him. I wasn't stupid about all of this. I knew that I liked Chris, no matter how arrogant or strange he could be. He was the one who had found me, the one who protected me through thick and thin more than anyone else. Fighting against him didn't feel right.

I didn't have a lot of time to think about this. He'd already brought the bow and arrow back out. I reacted quickly as the first arrow came at me, throwing up my hand and raising up flames around me. Thankfully, they were enough to stop the arrows.

But I also knew that Chris was far from done. Another thing about him was that he was extremely fast. I immediately made sure to move my hand upwards. It was right in time too, because he was already there. My blast of black flame sent him flying back, although he easily landed in a back slide near me.

I didn't miss the smile on his face as he did, "Now that's more like it. You're actually starting to follow your instincts." he said as he stood up.

"Maybe you're being predictable." I countered, though I hoped I wouldn't regret those words.

"Maybe, but I doubt it. I'll gladly take that and call it a day. It's getting too hot out here for anymore." Chris relented.

"Looks like you owe our little lady here a date." Will noted, smiling at him.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take her next Friday." Chris brushed him off. He seemed like he was trying to sound put out as he walked past him, but I also detected a hint of something else in his voice. It almost sounded like he was happy over this. It made me wonder if he'd intentionally thrown that one.

I wasn't going to complain though. As the next week passed, I began to get excited. I was going on a date with Chris. I'd even gotten myself up early that Friday morning to get ready.

I debated on what I should wear as I looked through my closet. I'd gone shopping with Zane the day after I woke up from getting my wings and ended up with plenty to choose from.

It was funny for me to think back on that day. Baton Rouge was a very different place, especially when you were someone like us. As it turned out, there were a whole lot of different things living there. Yet they walked among humans as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and regular people couldn't tell them apart. It made me wonder if this was why Zane had chosen Baton Rouge for his home, because no one would notice him that much for all of the 'different' people.

I chewed my lip as I stood there. I needed something nice to wear for this date. If anything, I wanted to maybe prove myself to Chris. How, I wasn't sure. Maybe I could just look beautiful enough to knock him off his feet, unlike I was ever able to do in our training sessions.

As I thought this, I felt the pendant hanging from my neck growing warm. I had the distinct impression that Saffron was laughing at me. I sighed, walking over to the bed to sit down.

"Are you spying on me again?" I asked him.

By now, I had come to accept that Saffron was able to at least communicate with me through this Heretic Stone. He'd started doing it a lot in the past two or three days. I ended up spending late nights now talking to him through it.

We seemed to talk about everything in that time, although he tended to avoid the subjects of Jade and the hunts on the Fallen Children. We instead spoke of my day and how I would get along with Chris and the others. He'd even tell me a little bit about where he was, although it didn't seem like there was much for him to say there. Apparently, he was being kept in a type of isolation by the ruler of Hell as punishment. He admitted that it didn't really bother him that much. He always found things to do. I didn't dare ask what those things were. I really didn't want to know.

He also claimed that he was much happier now that he was able to finally speak to me. It was something he couldn't do until I'd gotten my wings. This made me seriously wonder if he'd forced that just because he'd wanted me back, at least in a sense. After all, he did come off as very selfish and possessive when we'd talk at times.

"Yes, I am. You're thinking far too much into this my darling. He's already quite attracted to you. You need not worry about that." Saffron responded.

"So you say, but I don't know that for sure. Half the time I never know what Chris is thinking." I admitted.

I frowned as I looked into the mirror of the vanity across from me. I knew I was beautiful, but somehow, I didn't quite feel it when I was around him.

"Come now. You know I gave you a very beautiful face. Any one of these boys in this house would love to have a chance with you, especially that other one." Saffron told me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I mean Wilhelm Marcos, of course. I know you notice how he looks at you at times. But this is very good too. We can use that to our advantage if things end up not working out with Christoff, or if Jade interferes too much."

I shivered slightly at his words. This was pure Saffron. He was always considering what worked best when it came to my protection and being taken care of. It wasn't the first time he'd said something like this either. While he aimed to eventually place with exclusively with Chris, he also saw no problem with me stringing along either Will or Zane.

But this was the first time that he'd really shown true interest in another being that attracted to me. I had to question him about it.

"So why Will? Him and Zane are both pretty powerful, and they seem like they can stand up to Chris really well."

"I have my reasons, and I'm certain that you've sensed things with Wilhelm. It's quite easy to do, especially when you look into those violet eyes. But there's no need for us to get into any of this right now. Why don't you put on the blue sundress? It's very beautiful on you and brings out your eyes perfectly." Saffron suggested. He'd effectively changed the subject.

I got up, walking over to the closet and pulling the dress out. I had to admit that I did like this dress. It was a beautiful shade of light blue with an open back and skirt that came down to my knees.

"Okay. I guess this is good." I agreed.

I could sense Saffron's smile through my pendant, "Very beautiful. Now get yourself ready and enjoy your time. After all, the boy did throw that match for this." With that, he was gone.

I smiled as I heard that. No, I'd never really doubted that Chris had done that. He'd come at me a lot stronger when he'd trained with me before. He'd wanted this to happen.

I ended up spending the morning getting myself ready and doing whatever. This was partly because I did want to let Chris get some sleep. For the last few nights, he'd been out very late. I didn't know what he was doing, but I hadn't really gotten up the courage to ask him about it either. Whatever it was, I had the feeling that it was important. It wasn't right for me to get in the way.

But as four in the afternoon rolled around, I got tired of waiting. Walking up the spiral staircase, I made my way to his room. The room was dark with the curtains drawn and he was still sleeping in the bed. I walked over beside him and gently shook him awake.

"Hey, are you getting up today?"

"Not sure. I haven't had a lot of sleep, so I'm exhausted." Chris replied, not opening his eyes.

This wasn't good. Suddenly my day didn't look like it was going to be that great after all. But I still tried.

"Come on Chris. You promised me a day out together. I won fair and square." I reminded him.

"I know. I'm sorry but it has to wait. I'm too tired."

"Chris..." I whined.

"It's not that big of a deal. Why don't you get Zane to take you? I'll do it another time."

"Fine." I sighed, standing up.

I didn't have it in me to argue with him anymore. Instead, I just left the room and went back downstairs. I grabbed my purse that was hanging in the foyer as I went by and opened the front door to walked out. No, I had no intentions of finding Zane and asking him to take me. I didn't want him to take me out. I wanted Chris. If he wasn't the one with me, then I'd go out on my own.

I was feeling hurt as I stepped out to the sidewalk and began walking. I couldn't believe he'd stood me up like this. Well, basically it was standing me up. Even if he was over tired, he had promised me this day; and to say that I could go with Zane for now kind of hurt. Maybe I shouldn't have let myself like him so much. Maybe Saffron was wrong about him being good for me.

I ended up going to a small outdoor café near our home, where I sat at one of the tables and ordered an iced tea. I shook my head as I stirred it with my straw, thinking about all of this. I was getting confused again. How could Chris be so hot and cold towards me? I just didn't get him, even after all of this time that we'd been spending together.

I was so lost in these thoughts that I barely noticed someone come over to me.

"I'm sorry, but do you mind if I sit down?" I suddenly heard a woman ask in a very distinct accent.

I looked up to see her standing near me. She was very pretty and a bit on the petit side, with long light brown hair and matching brown eyes. She smiled politely at me as she waited for my answer.

"No. Please sit down if you need to." I told her. I didn't see any sense in being rude.

The woman gave me a relieved smile as she sat in the chair beside me. I noticed that she was nicely dressed in a long brown skirt and matching button up top. The outfit didn't look cheap.

"Thank you so much. I've been walking all day and my feet are killing me!" she declared.

"No kidding. This is a pretty big place." I agreed.

"Yes, yes, it is," She offered me a hand, "I am Norma Valjean."

"Ariana Benson. Nice to meet you." I responded as I shook her hand.

Even though I had the sense that she wasn't human, she seemed pretty friendly, so it didn't worry me. It felt nice to talk to someone. Everyone else had kind of avoided speaking to me for whatever reason since I'd come to Baton Rouge.

"Ariana. What a pretty name. It is Italian, no?" Norma continued.

"I think so, but I'm not that sure. My dad named me, but I don't know him very well." I admitted.

It seemed like an appropriate lie. Other than my speaking to Saffron through the stone, I didn't know him that well. Most of my memories of him hadn't returned yet.

"Oh, what a shame. Fathers really should be in their children's lives, no matter what they are. It's just better for the child."

"It's okay. I kind of get that he wasn't always able to be." I decided to change the subject a little, "So, are you new around here Norma?"

Norma shook her head, "Oh, no. I've lived here for quite a while now, but I have a terrible habit of running around all day through the shops and what not, and then I get too tired and have to stop and rest before I can go home." she explained. I could definitely hear her accent as she spoke, and it was very odd, almost like a cross between Southern and French.

"I see. I just moved here. It was kind of a spur of the moment thing." I told her.

I sighed as I thought about Chris again. Seriously, I needed to find a way to make myself stop liking him so much. He was Jade's son for crying out loud.

"You have been troubled, haven't you?"

Norma's voice startled me out of those thoughts, "You can tell?" I asked as I forced myself to look at her. It was odd, but all at once I couldn't stop staring into those brown eyes. There was something hypnotic about them.

"Trust me, it is written in the eyes. All girls have it written in the eyes when someone troubles them, and I would take guesses with the way your eyes are that your troubles may have something to do with a man." Norma continued.

Nothing like hitting the nail on the head. It felt weird though. Why was I suddenly so interested in every little thing Norma said? That couldn't have been normal.

But I tried to push those concerns aside. Maybe opening up to someone would help me think straight.

"Well, it's kind of like that. I came down here to stay with a guy. He seemed like a really nice person, but lately I'm not that sure." I explained.

"Ah, so it is boy trouble." Norma nodded, "It's quite typical. Men, they don't know what they really want. They see a girl; they think they like her. But then, they're not so sure after a while. They question themselves. Am I doing what she'd like me to do? Does she still like me now that she knows me? It causes much trouble for them and for the girl."

"I don't really think he's the type to question himself like that. He's kind of arrogant." I told her.

"And more to the point, if I can be downright blunt. They don't really know how to express themselves. It's just in their nature. Trust me, I've seen many and they are all lost causes."

What she was saying might have been closer to the truth. I could imagine that Chris might have been too proud to tell me his real feelings. But I didn't think that he was a lost cause either. He did try to be nice to me, and sometimes comfort me. But most of the time, it just felt like there was this giant wall between us.

"Maybe some of that's true," I finally stated, "but I don't think he's a completely lost cause. I think he just doesn't know how to act around me sometimes. It seems like his friends are a lot better at it then he is."

Norma nodded, "That is usually the way, but you shouldn't worry too much. There are many ways to tell what they really think. If you'd like, I can show you how I can tell. Would you like to come visit with me so that I can show you?" she offered.

"I don't know. It's getting kind of late..." I tried to tell her.

But Norma wasn't listening. She stood up and took my hands in hers.

"I promise I won't keep you too long, and I think I might have something that could help you. Come, come with me."

I was suddenly powerless to refuse her. It was a strange, unnatural feeling. I tried to fight it, but it was no use. I stood up with her and let her pull me forward. Under my cardigan, I felt my pendant suddenly get warm.

Saffron?

But if anything was coming through it, I couldn't hear it. I was entranced by Norma's light brown eyes and followed her away from the café.

We walked a few blocks before we came to an old building. It looked like it had once been apartments, although from the outside it seemed rather run down. I could see where a few of the windows were cracked and broken, and even the door that led inside looked like the hinges were starting to rust.

As we walked up the old iron stairs, I wrinkled my nose at the smell coming from the place. There was a musty smell there, but also, something that I couldn't put my finger on. The scent wasn't terribly strong, but it was there, lying just under that smell of must.

We walked up several flights of those stairs, since there seemed to be no elevator. When we finally made it to the end of one of the dark hallways, Norma opened the door to what was apparently her apartment. The inside was fairly dark. I looked around as we stepped in, noting that there wasn't a lot of furniture. What was there looked old and worn. I didn't see a television. Near me was one window that was covered by an old green curtain that looked rather tattered. Even the grey carpeting on the floor was stained and worn looking. It really looked like an awful place to live.

Norma turned and smiled at me as we stood in the middle of the living room, "Give me a few minutes. I must make sure it will be ready." she told me. She then slipped through a nearby curtained doorway into another room.

I looked around me again, trying to snap my mind out of the hypnotic state it had somehow ended up in. How did I end up here? I never would've agreed to go somewhere with a complete stranger like this, let alone someone that I could now sense wasn't human. Did she somehow hypnotize me?

Since I finally felt like I was able to move, I slowly began to look around the dilapidated apartment. Everything seemed quiet, say for a few odd scratching sounds here and there. Mice maybe? It wouldn't have been surprising in a place like this.

I looked at my watch in the dim light and realized that another half an hour had passed since I'd walked in there. What in the world was I doing? I needed to get out of here.

Yet I couldn't get myself to leave. It was like that hold was still on me. I moved without any real thought, walking over to the curtained room near me. I touched the tattered white curtain, then yanked my hand back in disgust. My mind instantly snapped out of it from that sensation. As I looked at my hand, I realized now that it was covered in something sticky, almost like silk from a spider's web.

As this registered in my mind, a loud clicking sound echoed through the room. It made me jump. I spun around and realized that it had come from over my head. It was like a series of clicks against a hardwood floor.

"Norma?" I called hesitantly. I reached up and held my pendant tightly. The room was eerily silent as I stood there, "Saffron..."

I felt the pendant in my hand grow hot, "Get out of there! She means to devour you!" Saffron yelled.

I jumped, running into the webbing over the door and screaming as it tangled up in my hair and on my dress. I had to fight to get out of it. But as I did, I realized that I wasn't alone. Something very big was coming down behind me. I slowly turned my head, and to my horror, I saw large, spider like limbs reaching towards me. I somehow managed to pull all of the way out of the webbing and ran to the door, throwing it open and running out to the stairwell.

I could hear the loud clicking sounds again as I reached the stairs. My eyes widened as I looked behind me. This thing looked like a giant spider, and was bounding down the stairs after me. I brought out my wings and jumped the rest of the way, gliding to the lobby and running out of one of the side doors. I slammed it shut as hard as I could, then turned to run.

But as I did, something suddenly wrapped around my shoulders, blinding my wings against me. I fell backwards as it pulled tight, but somehow managed to land on my side to protect my wings. I had the feeling that I could've broken one if I'd fallen that hard on my back. I looked down at what had caught me and I stared in horror as I realized that it was a piece of webbing.

I struggled hard against it, looking up again as I heard the creature slowly walking towards me. It was huge, towering over me as it crept closer. I realized as I saw it closer that this wasn't exactly a spider. It was a woman with several eyes and long arms and legs like a spider's. The woman's face was all too familiar.

"Norma?" I whispered in disbelief.

"Are you surprised?" she responded. I could see what looked like a smile cross her face, revealing the fangs lining her huge mouth, "Looks as though your dear daddy couldn't block my spell on you. How lucky for me. You walked right into my lair."

That was why I'd felt the pendant get warm after I started talking to Norma. Saffron had been trying to stop her from putting that spell on me, but he wasn't strong enough to do so because he was trapped. I whimpered as she drew closer, softly singing.

"Will you walk into my parlor? Said the spider to the fly. Tis the prettiest little parlor that you ever did spy..."

I turned my head away, shaking hard, "Help me Daddy..." I heard myself cry.

Just as I thought she was going to strike; a bright light suddenly came from my chest. Norma jumped back, hissing at it. The webbing around me shredded, and I quickly got to my feet. Around my neck, the pendant continued to glow brightly.

"I won't allow you to make a meal of my precious daughter. You've underestimated me for my confinement, but I'm seeing to it now that you pay for that indiscretion. You should feel lucky, you ugly bitch. If I was free, I'd tear every limb from your filthy body." I heard Saffron say.

Norma backed up as she heard him speak. She looked frightened now. The pendant continued to glow brightly, and all at once, I saw her look over at the top of one of the buildings. Then she leapt back as something hit the ground where she'd been standing. Within seconds, someone landed between us. I could barely believe my eyes.

"Chris?"

Where in the world had he come from?

"It's about time you showed yourself. I've been keeping myself up for the past five nights hunting you. You cost me my date too, and that's really pissed me off." Chris said as he held up his sword at her.

Norma hissed at him, jumping back up onto one of the ledges and crawling away.

Chris watched her, then turned back to me, "You sure know how to attract trouble, don't you?" he commented.

"Not funny." I pouted as I pulled the remaining webs off me. It was taking a lot of effort for how sticky they were.

Chris helped me remove the remaining strands, "You're lucky too. If he hadn't stepped in and pulled some strings, I probably wouldn't have gotten here in time. You really need to watch yourself more." he chided me.

"Okay already. Seriously, I'm not in the mood for a lecture right now." I complained.

Chris patted my shoulder, "Alright, I get it, but you need to come on. We've got to find that Spider before she finds another hiding place. I'm sick of looking for her every night."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"Just what I said. I've been hunting this thing for five days, and I'm not going to lose track of her now. Beings you're here with me, you're going to help me catch her."

"Seriously? Why me? I can't even fight that well yet, and you want me to help you catch that thing?" I protested.

"Do as he says, Ariana." Saffron ordered from the pendant, "It'll do you good to face something now. You're not hiding forever, and I trust that you'll make sure she doesn't get hurt too badly, right Christoff?"

Great, so now my father was on his side. My day had just gone to hell, figuratively speaking.

Chris took my hand, "Come on. You heard him. Besides, I don't need you to fight it. I can handle that much. What I need from you is help defending against it." he told me.

I really hadn't thought about that until then. It probably would've been more logical to think of when I'd first ran from her. I was a strong defender, and probably could've repelled her webs, but I'd been so scared of her that I'd panicked. I guessed that showed my age and inexperience. I was still a baby compared to Chris.

The two of us took to the sky to go after Norma. It wasn't that hard to follow her now. She was bouncing from roof to roof, heading towards the abandoned warehouses at the edge of town.

"How in the world is no one noticing her?" I asked Chris. I should've been wondering about us too, but I was too focused on our current monster.

"It's a talent when you're like this. You can make the mortals tune you out. Norma's put that all around us now because she wants to escape. That's also why she's staying up so high, so that none will get in the way." Chris explained. He frowned as we watched her, "I want to catch her before she gets into those warehouses. It'll be ten times harder to fight her if she makes it there."

"Just how are we supposed to get her? She's huge!" I pointed out.

"Trust me, the bigger they are, the easier they are to take down. Just watch my back for me." Chris responded, forming a bow and arrow. He stopped and took aim, sending one of the arrows flying down towards the giant spider woman.

The arrow hit one of Norma's legs, and she quickly jumped down, slamming into the side of one of the warehouses. A large dent was left there as she pulled herself up. Thankfully, the place was deserted, so no one saw or could be hurt.

We landed a few feet away from her; me on a stairwell to another warehouse, and Chris on the ground. He aimed another arrow at her.

"Stop running! I know you're not this much of a coward Norma!" he yelled.

"Brave words from a damned child!" Norma hissed, now standing her ground, "You think I didn't know you'd try to come after me? Even when it's none of your concern, you try to hunt me down!"

"You've broken some pretty important rules, Norma. I know you're well aware of that. Spiders are not supposed to hunt the mortals, and you've been keeping a pretty good diet of them in the last three weeks. Shadow Wing or not, I can't stand by and let you continue doing that." Chris argued.

"I do what I have to! If it wasn't for you bringing that pretty little girl here, I would have ample food! But you brought her here and now they come and scare the food away!" Norma snarled.

Scare the food away? I thought.

I didn't have the first clue of what she meant by food. Obviously, she was a spider. Maybe she hunted smaller things other than humans; possibly ones that came from the other side. But why would I have scared those things away? Or better yet, what did I bring there that scared them away?

Chris wasn't moved, "Is that why you made her a target? You know it would kill you if you tried to feed on a Shadow Wing. Our blood would be poisonous to you, not to mention that if her father was free, he would've torn you apart for what you've already done to her."

"I had no intention of feeding on her. I simply wanted her out of the picture so that I can eat. You brought her here and them. They scare away the food. I've made too good of a home here to have to move on because of a bunch of heretic angels!" Normal declared.

"You should've just moved on with your food." Chris muttered, changing his weapon back to a sword.

I watched as a surge of electric wind blew out from where he swung it. Norma jumped away onto the side of one of the nearby walls, her legs digging in with each step she took. It left huge holes in the mortar.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing or hearing. She was angry at us for scaring her prey away. But more than that, she was angry at me for being there. When I came there, the food was driven away. Could that have been from what was trying to come after me?

I didn't get much time to think about it before I had to move again. A large piece of webbing came flying at me, and I barely got away from it. The web piece left a large crack in the wall where it hit. I leapt up, landing back on the ground and forcing my shields up. The black flames were enough to repel the next piece of webbing that was hurled at me.

Chris moved in front of me again, striking them back at her, "I said that's enough! Retreat for good or I'll have to be rid of you!" he warned her.

But Norma wasn't about to back down. She stood her ground, even though she was barely standing. She had been badly wounded from what Chris had done. One of her legs was missing, and her side of bleeding heavily. Her blood looked dark brown as it pooled around her. She still refused to give in though.

"You will not drive me out! This is my home! I live here and I will die here! If you take my life then I will take something far more precious to you, you heretic half breed!" she hissed.

I felt instant fear as she looked at me. My shield was still up, but somehow, I had the distinct feeling that it was about to do me no good. Norma let out an ear-piercing roar, and something dark shot out of her mouth.

Then all I felt was instant, searing pain as it hit my right arm.

I fell to my knees, not even able to hold my arm up for the sheer pain. It felt worse than any burn ever could. I could see smoke coming off of my skin as I managed to look at it. Whatever this was had burned right through my cardigan sleeve and deep into the flesh of my arm. It felt like it might go down to the bone.

As I sat there screaming and crying, I slowly became aware of another sound near me. I forced myself to look up and saw through my tears that Chris was now standing over Norma's body. He'd apparently killed her by ramming his sword straight through her skull.

I couldn't focus on it though. I doubled over again, feeling sick from the pain in my arm. I hoped I wasn't about to pass out.

I was so lost in this that I didn't even hear Chris run over to me.

"Hey, come on. Stay with me." he insisted.

He wrapped my arm with the white jacket he'd been wearing over his tank top, then picked me up. I leaned against him, closing my eyes as the pain overtook me. The last thing I remembered as I held onto him tightly with my good arm was looking at the dead spider woman who was disappearing into the night air in a bright burst of flames.