You're Only Fooling Yourself

Xerxes stood on top of the roof looking down at the humans and where the werewolves were darting in and out of the trees waiting. He'd come here to do something, to get control of the anger that was inside of him on Zani's behalf. He could still feel the pain, and it wasn't going to go away with time. Zani was hurting this night and all Xerxes could do was let it out on someone else. So attacking this group watching them and freeing their prisoners sounded good. He didn't expect to fly in and see this.

He'd come to destroy the place, but now he was watching. This was interesting, the werewolves were on the offensive here. As of late most had been leaving the humans alone. He recognized Kirosho's group but there were others that he didn't know. Looked like the packs were fighting back.

The truck was at the entrance and Xerxes picked a spot to watch as one werewolf stepped out and tossed something small. His smile widened as he knew what it was. A couple of seconds later, boom. The truck was tossed sideways and humans were diving for cover.

There was a hole in the side of the building as well and from here it was easy to see that there was a small group inside that had been knocked down to the ground. Though three were not human, and what the werewolves were here for. They had come to make a statement attacking the building and to get their kind back.

This was what Xerxes wanted to see, that they would no longer let the humans take what they wanted. That they would move them back to fearing other kinds. To admit that they might not be the superior race, as much as it hurt humans to say.

It was a vicious fight, several of the wolves looked like the monsters of legend. Only the oldest were able to control their moon form this way, and they went after the humans pushing them back. Xerxes wanted to know what was in the building with a hole in it. If others were being held there. So he dropped down unnoticed by the others and moved toward the building. If a human got in his way, so be it. He could help damage the place even more.

___Kendra__

Kendra got up. Her ears ringing from the blast, and saw the others moving to get up as well. The wolves were still here but Mirage had managed to get her hands in front of her and dove on Carson, grabbing the keys and kicking him in the face. It was clear she was taking the chance to escape. They had pulled back with the three wolves in handcuffs to the safety of the holding area. Though clearly, Carson had not been fast enough to respond as they were making the wolves move back so they weren't out in the open anymore with the attack.

Bryce moaned but was ignored and Kendra moved more into the shelter to get out of the line of fire or being attacked by the wolves coming at them out there. The three wolves here though were free of handcuffs. The younger one was bleeding from a bad wound on her shoulder, but that would heal shortly. Kendra just looked at them, then to Carson and honesty, she wasn't going to stop them.

"Stay where you are." Came Riley's voice and they turned to look at him. Outside gunfire and horrible sounds came to them. The weapon that Riley had was more like a crossbow. The arrows were specially designed to deliver a toxin that was deadly to the wolves. However, Kendra didn't know if they knew that.

"Move human, they are here for us," Mirage warned.

"Mirage!" A voice shouted outside and Mirage looked relieved.

"Here." Riley only glanced to his side and aimed it. Kendra saw that he meant to kill the wolves. He wouldn't let any of them go. They were a danger after all, but what would the other wolves outside do if they found these three murdered?

"Very well then," Riley said and Kendra sprang forward covering the distance between her and Riley easily. She put herself between them and though it was foolish she tried to stop him. These wolves had done nothing and killing them was only going to anger the free wolves more.

"Riley don…" She gasped and her midsection jerked back a bit. The burning pain started as the arrow slammed into her at close range. It was buried more than halfway and sticking out her back. Riley looked at her and she couldn't be sure that he was even sorry about shooting her.

"Damn it, Kendra!" He shouted at her. He had to move back and out of harm's way as he loaded another arrow. Kendra sank to her knees and put a hand on the ground coughing out blood. With that distraction the three were outside but there was still fighting. The wolves are clearly very close to escaping.

"What the hell is wrong with you? They are the enemy, not things to pity!" He shouted at her. She looked up at Riley who turned and moved off to help others. A very livid anger came to her and she used the wall to stand and could barely breathe.

He'd shot her and then yelled at her. How dare he be angry at her. She wasn't the trigger-happy one. She reached down and snapped part of the arrow and then reached behind her and pulled it out with a cry of pain. Just because this wasn't going to kill her didn't mean it was okay.

"Fuck you, Riley," Kendra said turning and moving past Bryce who sat up holding his head, and Carson was out cold. Blood running from his nose.

"Kendra," Bryce started and she ignored him moving into the building holding her midsection. It was starting to heal now but damn did it hurt. She made her way to the holding cells and she moved with determination to the one that held the phoenix. If they were going to treat her like that, she didn't owe them anything.

"Time to go," Kendra said opening the door and gesturing for it to hop on her arm. After a moment it did. She winced at the talons that dug and tore flesh, but she moved to a different door. She stepped out and the moment the phoenix saw the sky it made a joyful sound and took off. Sending a sensation of thanks. More than any of them had given her, and she felt completely justified at the moment.

She sank against the side of the building and the sound of fighting was starting to die down. Maybe it was moving farther out as her team chased the wolves. Kendra closed her eyes for a moment enduring the pain but feeling herself start to heal She opened her eyes and found someone standing there. She straightened herself up and felt the raw wound in her back pull slightly.

"Still love your humans?" She met the gaze of their mystery man. Of course, he was here.

"I never said that I loved them." Kendra snapped meeting the green eyes looking at her. She closed her eyes for a moment letting a wave of pain pass by and then her back knit together and she was whole again. Her healing ability taking hold fast. She watched him tip his head studying her and how she healed. He seemed to be thinking quite hard.

"Then you do enjoy being their lap dog. Though I see you freed a captive." Xerxes hadn't expected his either. Who was this female? Why did staring at her make him feel odd inside? What was she? It was annoying that he could not put his finger on it.

"The phoenix was needed elsewhere," Kendra stated and again felt that draw toward him. Why was he even talking to her? At least he wasn't trying to kill her she guessed. Though he seemed to like inhumans or it would appear that way.

"The humans have not stopped watching me, and they now capture others," Xerxes said annoyed.

"They have always been capturing others." She reminded him.

"Yet you help them. Humans don't deserve what has been given to them. They squander it and those that would give anything for one simple gift will never receive it."

"Then maybe you weren't meant to have it." She argued and a dark look passed through his eyes. She figured that pissing him off probably wasn't the best thing for her health. That dark look said that her words may have touched on a very sore subject. He stepped forward toward her like he was going to crowd her space and Kendra felt her heart race at his approach. It wasn't fear either, this reaction was so bizarre.

"You're right, the rest of us should bow to the weaker race and just go ahead and die out." The venom in his words was very real and she felt bad for needling him. She reached out, her need to comfort and calm taking over. He stopped seeming to realize how close he'd come to her.

"Sorry," she said pulling her hand back before it touched him, his gaze looking at it. Then to her face, he appeared to be thinking. Kendra felt this need to move forward with him, it was powerful. She didn't know why but she reacted that way. Just looking at him standing there and she needed to move closer like her body wanted to be in the energy that was around him. That she could get what she wanted by moving closer.

He really was a good-looking man, and had that savage quality to him as well. A very, "fuck off" attitude. While that attitude had never drawn her before it did now. She just didn't know how to deal with it so she didn't act on it. She kind of had a feeling that he'd take her up on her offer if she made it, that was why she didn't. This was their second interaction really and it was confusing to them both. The reaction was just what the other was. To feel this odd natural draw to the other. For Xerxes he did not get it, she wasn't a dragon she wasn't Chi. Though now he was starting to wonder and he very much crushed the hope that maybe, maybe he was looking at one that could change and he just struggled to recognize it with his state of mind. That kind of hope would hurt Zani right now. He could not allow something like that to break his brother's mind.

"What are you?" Xerxes said instead not concerned about others close by. They were hidden out this back door. Xerxes though needed to know. He needed to know why this strange woman drew his gaze.

"What are you?" She retorted and he shrugged.

"Why can't you answer my question?" He asked her. Though obviously, he wasn't answering her question either.

"What does it matter what I am?" Kendra responded. He eyed her, his gaze moving over her for a second. His gaze was studying her rather intently, a bit more in it as it moved over her. Kendra ignored it though it made her want to fidget.

"I was going to destroy this place tonight," Xerxes said glancing to where he could hear the humans moving around. Picking up the damage, the werewolves were long gone. Where they stood, it was by the forest and no one was back this way.

"Why didn't you?"

"Because another group beat me to it." He said this with a smile. "I still don't like being watched, and I will do something about it" His face fell a little. "Humans like yours are too dangerous to let live."

"They just need to feel that control, they aren't all bad." He looked down at her midsection.

"You are deluding yourself. They will take everything from you and leave you with nothing in the end. When you are the only one left looking forward to a future with no one, maybe you will believe then." Xerxes said to her. She was living in a dream if she thought any of them were good.

"Why does it matter? What do you care if I want to delude myself?"

"Because it is a waste of a species. Clearly, you are a rare one that little is known about. I will figure it out. If you want to help the humans, tell them to back off or they will find their numbers plummeting. If you stand with them, we won't have a choice but to fight you too." Xerxes felt this very odd pain in his chest saying that to her. She was a mind fuck for him, he needed to figure her out truly. He turned to leave.

"You're moving those like us to action, aren't you? Moving to get a hold on the human world. Even if you managed it, they would overrun you."

"Unlike humans, I have plenty of time to wait and see it through." He looked at her again. His gaze took her in. He surprised her by holding out a hand to her. "You could leave them, you could come fight for a side that needs those like you. One that can help give hope where there might not be any with a touch." Xerxes wasn't sure why he felt compelled to offer her his hand right then but he did. She was silent and he saw how her fingers flexed. She brought her gaze up and looked at him.

"I… I can't." Her voice sounded odd. Kendra thought of all those other captives she helped. The ones they were capturing, if she ran what would happen to them? For the first time, Kendra thought about it with this strange man. He tipped his head and lowered his hand seeming to decide she just wasn't ready but she would be.

"I'm sure we will talk again. Perhaps you can manage a rational response from the species called man." With that, he moved into the forest and was gone. Kendra stood there and felt like she had just denied something important right there. It didn't make sense, and this urge to just run into the trees after him came to her. Kendra rubbed her forehead. What was she really doing? Where was all of this going? She heard Bryce call her name and it took her a moment to finally turn and walk away from the woods and back to the humans she was losing favor with.