2

"You know, perhaps we're worrying too much about this baby." Zane commented as he looked at Chris, who was currently driving.

At the time, we were on a busy interstate heading south to Virginia. I wasn't even sure of what state we were in now. All I knew was that we'd been driving for hours, and I was sure that I was now glued to that back seat.

Chris didn't bother looking at Zane as he answered him, "I told you, it's not the baby that I'm particularly worried about. It's all the things that are going to be after them."

"Nothing like worrying about the Fallen and Angels now." I muttered, shifting again. I was starting to feel a bit cramped, but there wasn't much that I could do about it. There wasn't anywhere close to stop.

"I still think that you're worrying too much. Obviously, Jade is trying to overcome his instincts to help us, and perhaps Saffron will too once he's healed enough to come back out of the Abyss." Zane reasoned.

I tensed up a bit as he said that. I had forgotten about Saffron again in all of this. He was still down in the Abyss, wrapped up in a black cocoon and recovering from his injuries. He probably didn't even know about this yet.

Chris was quick to respond to Zane's comment, "Maybe Jade is trying, but you don't know for sure with Saffron. He's as unpredictable as they come. I just hope that he's still down there when this kid's born."

"As much as I hate saying it, I have to agree. Even though we could use his help, there's really no telling what he may do." Zane lamented.

"Actually, I do too. I've seen enough from him to know what he can be like, and I don't think he's going to like any of this." I spoke up.

Looking out of the window beside me, I could see the streetlights coming on as dusk began to set in. Now I was really starting to get nervous. Being out there on that open highway at night obviously would present a lot of risks to us, especially with the baby now growing inside of me. Anything that got close enough may sense their power.

Chris echoed the same thoughts, "I think we need to stop at the next hotel we can find. I don't want to take chances with those angels or anything else that might be out here and sense the kid's power." he spoke up.

Zane agreed, bring up the GPS on his phone, "It looks like there's a hotel about four miles from here. It looks rather comfortable too."

"Sounds good to me. I can't wait to get out of this car." I complained.

I shook my head as I glanced down at my belly. It seemed stupid, but I could've sworn that it was looking a little bigger.

Maybe I'm just thinking too much into it, I reasoned. Maybe I want to see that because I know there's a baby in there.

Chris glanced at me in the rearview mirror, "Hey, are you doing okay back there?" he asked.

"I'm good. Just feeling a bit cramped." I responded. I forced myself to smile. I didn't want to worry him anymore than he already was.

I knew how on edge Chris was feeling about all of this. He desperately wanted to protect us, but worried about whether he really could. After everything that had happened since we'd met, I understood why. There had been quite a few bad things that had happened to me that he couldn't prevent, even though he tried as hard as he could, and knowing that this child was really a Seraphita didn't help in easing any of the fears that he had.

"She's going to be fine Chris. You and I will make sure of it." Zane reminded him.

"For now, maybe; but I'm more concerned about what this kid's gonna end up doing. Its powers are opposite of what ours are supposed to be, so there's no telling what might happen to Ariana once it's born." Chris pointed out.

I looked down as I heard those words. I understood his fears, just as I was sure Zane did. What he'd said was true. I was carrying what could be considered a child of light while I was a child of darkness. Even then I wasn't that sure that I was feeling that great physically. I had really wanted to get out of that car in hopes that it would help my stomach with the nausea that I had been feeling off and on. Was that normal from being pregnant, or was it something more ominous?

Zane tried to assuage our fears, "We know that such a thing is a legitimate worry, but I honestly don't think that this child will do Ariana or us any harm. It must have known that it wouldn't for choosing Shadow Wings as its mother and father." he reasoned.

"It didn't have to consider that. You know what they say about those Seraphita. They have the freedom to give and take life as they please. That's the one thing that we've always heard whenever someone's mentioned them." Chris countered.

"They do, but I still don't believe that this one is out to take life with this. Wouldn't you agree Lennox?" Zane continued.

Lennox appeared in the backseat beside me, glowing slightly in the dim light, "Whole heartedly. You have valid reasons to be worried Christoff, but I can assure you I'm not getting any feelings of harm from this Seraphita. In fact, it's actually been making her stronger in this, and will probably do the same for both of you as well." he explained.

"What do you mean stronger?" I asked him.

"Just what I said. This Seraphita chose you because it wanted to, and it seems to be forming quite an attachment already to you and Chris as its parents in this coming life. It's been rather odd to be in there and feel that, but it's in your benefit too. It's got a lot of power stored up in that tiny growing body, and it will use that power as it has to." Lennox went on.

The car became quiet as he said this. I listened to the steady sound of the humming motor as his words sunk in. I could feel the tiny pulses resounding throughout my body from deep within my womb when I closed my eyes. Lennox was right. This child was powerful, even at this early stage, and they were sending that power out through me.

Chris finally spoke again, effectively breaking the silence that had settled over us, "Do they talk to you?"

Lennox shook his head, "Not too much. As it grows, it may try to speak more to Ariana through whatever means it finds. At least, that's the feeling I've been getting from it in the last day or so."

"That should be interesting. Perhaps the child will tell us what we need to know about all of this." Zane suggested.

"Maybe, but right now, I think I'd rather just get to this hotel and try to get some rest. My head's killing me." Chris admitted, rubbing his forehead.

"You've given yourself a tension headache worrying so much. Why don't you pull over and allow me to drive? Then you can rest." Zane offered.

"Yeah, that might be better." Chris agreed.

After another mile or so, we finally came to a place where we could pull over and the two got out to switch seats. Chris elected to get into the back and sit beside me. I rubbed the side of his head as he rested it against my shoulder and the car was put into drive again.

"You've been worrying so much about me, but are you gonna be okay?" I asked him, making sure to keep my voice soft. I didn't want to make his head hurt any worse.

"I'm good. I just need to let myself rest. Everything's finally catching up to me." he answered.

"You know, worry doesn't suit you Christoff. Perhaps you should just give it a rest and trust us for once. Nothing will happen to Ariana or your child. The rest of us are perfectly capable of seeing to that." Lennox promised. He then disappeared back into me.

"Smart ass." Chris muttered, although there was a small smile on his face.

I chuckled, "Maybe, but I think he's right. I know that you guys won't let anything happen to us, and to be honest with you, I don't think that this Seraphita is planning anything bad for us."

"No, I don't think that either." Chris sighed, laying a hand on my belly as he closed his eyes. I could feel a slight warmth come under it for a moment, then fade away.

Our ride to the hotel was quiet after that. Thankfully Chris was able to rest against me until we got there. But as Zane parked the car in front of the large building, I looked out at the semi darkness of the parking lot around us with some caution. My mind was going back to the hotel where I'd seen that beastly woman right after Chris and I had met. I certainly hoped that nothing like that was lurking out there now. Even with Chris and Zane around, I didn't want to see one like that again.

Zane made sure to look around before opening the car door and stepping out, "Looks nice enough, and I don't feel anything around here. We should be able to get some decent rest without having to worry too much." he noted.

Chris opened our door and helped me out. It felt good to stand and stretch. But as I did, I noticed that my belly looked a little rounder now. That wasn't good. This pregnancy definitely wouldn't be hidden very long.

"You're right. It doesn't feel like there's anything lurking around here. At least that's a plus." Chris agreed.

"Indeed so, but it seems that the timeline we've been given is being proven correct." Zane noted as he looked at me. Apparently, he'd noticed the difference in my belly too.

"Don't remind me. I don't know if I'm going to like getting big this quick. It's already making me uncomfortable." I admitted as I wrapped my arms around myself in a vain effort to hide it with my sweater.

"You're just going to have to put up with it for now. There's nothing we can do to stop that part of it." Chris reminded me.

"Wow, thanks." I muttered.

The three of us walked into the lobby of the hotel together. It was a very cozy looking place. There were nice looking beige tile floors, and the front desk was long and seemed to be made of solid oak. Golden lights extended from the ceilings, making everything seem so bright, not to mention safe.

Chris and I stood back by the chairs in the lobby as Zane walked to the front desk to get us a room. I glanced around us again, but everything still felt normal and safe.

"Don't be too nervous. There's nothing here that will cause us harm." Chris quietly assured me.

"Thanks. I guess you remember that night too, huh?" I responded.

"It's kind of hard to forget a thing like that woman, even when you've seen many of them, but I do try to remember it for afterwards. It was nice being able to talk like we did."

I smiled as he said that, "Yeah. At least we ended up making a good memory from that." I agreed. I took a moment to look around us again, noticing the small café nearby. It looked like it was open. That was good. I was starting to get very thirsty, "Hey, do you mind getting me something to drink? I'm dying of thirst."

"Alright. Just stay here where Zane can see you and I'll be right back." Chris agreed, giving me a gentle pat on my shoulder.

I let out a long breath as he walked away, standing up so that I could lean back against the white wall. I still couldn't believe that all of this was happening. I frowned as I glanced at my belly. Was this whole thing seriously going to be this quick? That made me even more nervous. I wasn't ready to be a mother yet, and on top of that, I was worried about protecting this baby from what might have been coming after it.

I heard the automatic doors from the parking lot open again while I stood there, and looked over there out of curiosity. Two guys were coming in, both around my age and very good looking. One of them was a little taller than the other, with reddish brown hair and vibrant light green eyes. He was dressed in a casual white shirt and jeans. The other guy had darker hair and green eyes that were more of an emerald hue. He was dressed casual as well, though he wore a blue shirt and navy-colored pants. They were both talking and seemed to be in fairly good moods.

"I'm telling you Carroll, it really happened. I couldn't believe it either." the guy with the red hair was saying.

"I could believe it. There have been stranger things in this world." the other responded. I took it that his name must have been Carroll.

What a strange name for a boy, I thought.

The guys didn't notice me or Zane as they walked by on their way to the nearby elevators, which were situated in the hallway beside the front desk. The dark-haired guy pushed the button to go up, and both stood there waiting and continuing to talk.

A strange feeling bubbled inside of me as I studied them. These guys... there was something different about them. Could they have not been human? It wouldn't have been unheard of. A lot of things seemed to masquerade as humans in the mortal world. But if not, then what were they and why did they feel so familiar?

I was pulled back to attention as Chris came back with a bottle of water for me.

"Thanks." I said as I took it from him.

"No problem."

Chris seemed to notice how I'd been looking at something and turned to look towards the elevator. It was dinging and the doors were opening for the guys to get in.

I decided to take my chance, "Hey, are they human?"

"I don't think so, but they didn't feel like a threat." Chris answered as the doors closed.

"What do you think they were?" I probed. I still felt a little spellbound by them, even though they were now gone.

"It's hard to tell. They had a good cloak on them, so they've obviously been around in the mortal world for a while."

Zane was coming back over to us, "I managed to get us a suite with two beds, and we can order some room service up there. I'd imagine that Ariana is starving, and we could use a bit of food ourselves. It's been quite a day." he told us.

"Sounds good to me. I am starving." I admitted, taking a drink of my water. It was finally hitting me just how hungry I was. That probably wasn't a good thing with the state I was in. Didn't pregnant women have to make sure they ate enough?

"Good. Come on. I don't think we need to be waiting around in the open like this." Chris said, taking another quick glanced around us.

Zane and I agreed, and the three of us walked over to the elevators. I knew that Chris was right to be wary here. Staying out in the open like this probably wasn't the best idea, especially considering the fact that we'd just seen two that weren't human. If the wrong thing came in and saw us, it could spell major trouble.

But as we stepped out onto the third floor, my focus shifted back to Zane. For some odd reason, I had been thinking a lot in the last hour about what had happened back in Fallsburg when we'd encountered that clan Nephilim named Michael. Namely, Zane's conversation with him about his daughter Mia. How had that happened back then? It seemed almost strange to me when I thought about what they both were. Even if Mia hadn't known what she was at the time, wouldn't Zane had been able to sense it?

I had to speak up, "Hey Zane, can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? What is it?" Zane replied, turning his head to look at me as Chris scanned the door numbers going down the hallway.

"I know this is totally out of left field, but I was wondering about that girl that you and Michael Renaldi were talking about back in Fallsburg; the one that's supposed to be his daughter and a clan Nephilim." I explained.

Chris stopped as he heard me say this, "You decided to tell her about it huh?" he noted. It sounded like he'd known about that happening back then too.

Zane let out a long sigh, "Well, it wasn't something that I had planned on speaking about, but I didn't have much of a choice given the connection. It may be better if we spoke about this in our room though. Wouldn't you agree?" he suggested.

"Fine. It should be right down here." Chris agreed.

We walked another ten steps, then finally came to the door that marked our room for the night. The room was nice enough. There were two full sized beds in there, a flat screen TV, and off to the side was a decent sized bathroom. I breathed a sigh of relief as we got in there. At least this was going to be a comfortable night's stay.

Chris put our back packs on the far bed, "At least we have a comfortable place to stay tonight." he commented.

"I told you that a Marriott would be fine. They don't earn those stars for nothing." Zane reminded him.

I smiled as I sat down on the other bed. There had always been a distinct personality clash between these two, and they enjoyed taking small, subtle shots at each other.

But I decided not to say anything to that. Instead, my mind was still on Mia, and interestingly enough, those two guys that I'd seen in the lobby. I wasn't sure of why, but I really felt like one of them may have had some kind of connection to her. It was strange and kind of silly when I thought about it, but I couldn't shake that nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

Luckily Chris seemed to be thinking along the same lines about the previous conversation we'd been having in the hallway.

"So, you want to go ahead and get this talk about Mia Renaldi out of the way now?" he asked Zane.

Zane walked between the beds and opening his backpack, looking at what was in there. He seemed kind of nervous, which was unusual for him.

"Well, I suppose that there isn't a lot to say to it that wasn't already said." he finally answered, "I knew Mia before she changed, although she never knew what I was. I left her because I was afraid of what my father might do if he found out about her."

"Did you know what she was when you first met her? Saffron seems to think that you did." I pointed out. I could recall that confrontation very well, and Saffron had been very confident in that assertion.

"You've never told us that much about it either, you know." Chris added as he stood near me with his arms crossed. He reminded me of Jade standing there like that. I suppose the term 'like father, like son' might apply to them too, whether Chris liked it or not.

"Like I said, there isn't a lot to tell." Zane went on, "I will admit that I suspected something with Mia, but I didn't know she was one of the clan Nephilim. For a time, I had even thought that she was a Shadow Wing that had been abandoned by her father and been adopted by an unsuspecting family. But then I confirmed that the woman whom she called her mother was indeed the one who gave birth to her, and it left me a bit confused for a while. I honestly didn't put two and two together until just ten years ago, considering that I'd never given much thought to the clans, and I wouldn't have thought that one would live so far away from her family like she apparently did."

He was claiming that he hadn't known at first. Thankfully I had Lennox to help me with that one, and I could hear him whispering that Zane was telling the truth.

Chris looked at him squarely, "You do realize that you may run into her again with all of this. We're practically being forced to go to those clans for help, and they probably all know each other." he informed him.

"I'm well aware of that, but it's also been a very long time, and she has moved on with a family of her own. I will not attempt to take her away from that. Those times are over for good and both of us have moved on with our lives." Zane responded with some conviction.

The subject was dropped after that, and the three of us moved on with our night. We ordered room service and enjoyed a good meal, then settled in and tried our best to relax. It was around one in the morning when we finally tried to get some sleep.

I closed my eyes as I laid in the soft bed, curled up with Chris. Zane was laid in the other bed near us, and the room became quiet in the darkness. As I drifted, I could feel the soft pulsating from deep inside of me. This had quickly become my sign that the baby inside of me was fine, giving me a level of comfort even in this uncertain situation.

I hoped that Lennox was right about me eventually being able to communicate with them too. I wanted to see if they would speak to me as the Seraphita. Maybe then they would tell me why they had chosen me and Chris for this, and what they intended.

I fell asleep with these thoughts and the feelings of warmth flowing through my soul from the Seraphita that was growing inside of me. My sleep was dreamless, which I thanked God for, but I'd found that since we'd learned of this child, my dreams had all but disappeared.

At first, I'd thought that maybe it was Chris trying to increase his power over that, but he'd admitted to me earlier that day that it wasn't him. Even he was blocked from doing anything with my subconscious. The best we could reason was that the Seraphita was doing it. It may have been another form of protecting me and them.

I awoke from this dreamless sleep to the feeling of Chris sitting up beside me. Opening my eyes, I saw that Zane was sitting up in his bed as well.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"I think we may have trouble. You sense it, don't you Christoff?" Zane whispered back.

Chris nodded, keeping his voice quiet too, "She's come here because she's sensing great power. It might be better if we just offed her."

"Is it another woman like before?" I asked him. I was listening closely to every sound but heard nothing unusual, yet I could sense a dark power somewhere near the room.

"No. It's something else. But you should stay in here while we take care of it. You'll be safer here." Chris told me as he got up.

I heard the other bed shift as Zane got up with him.

"Are you sure about this? What if it comes in here?" I asked them.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to keep a barrier up so that it can't." Zane promised.

I didn't have a choice in this. I would be safer if I remained there, not being seen by anything. I really didn't doubt that what they'd been telling me was true. If something supernatural saw me, then they would more than likely sense the Seraphita's soul in my unborn child.

However, that didn't mean that I didn't feel helpless. Now alone in the room, I looked around and listened closely as I sat on the side of the bed, but the room remained in the same silence.

I moved back against the headboard and rubbed my belly. It seemed like the bulge had gotten a little bigger in the short time that I'd been there. Not a good sign. At the rate it was going, there wouldn't be much time at all before they were ready to be born.

"You're worrying too much. This Seraphita can only speed up such a process so much, and you've already gotten fairly close to where those other Nephilim may be." I suddenly heard Lennox say.

I almost jumped as I saw him sitting across from me on the other bed. I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed him come out.

"Please don't do that! I'm nervous enough about whatever monster is out there, and you almost gave me a heart attack!" I scolded him.

"There's no reason to be so worried. It's only a hag. She's a pushover for ones like us. Her only foolishness in this is trying to get to the power she senses. Besides, you can't have a heart attack. You are a Shadow Wing." Lennox stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

I shot him a dirty look, "Haven't you ever heard of sarcasm?" I retorted, pushing myself off the bed and pacing around the room. I finally stopped at the curtained window, though I didn't dare look out. I just stood there and tapped my fingers on my crossed arms, "I still don't know about all of this Lennox. What if that clan doesn't want to help us?" I continued.

"I sincerely doubt that. At least, not if they've sided with Kinsley Martell. From what I've heard, they most certainly have. Even the clan Nephilim aren't saints by any means. Trust me on that one. I've heard some very interesting stories about them in the last twenty or so years, and those stories have come from all of the clans." Lennox told me.

"What kind of stories?" I asked.

Now I was curious. It didn't surprise me that much that Lennox would know at least some things about those clans. After all, he seemed to know everything because of his unique ability, even if he didn't want to.

Lennox floated off the bed to me. He seemed to be looking out of the window through the curtains as he allowed his feet to touch the carpet again.

"Don't open these. You don't want to attract her attention to here." he warned me.

"You're avoiding my question." I pointed out.

"I suppose I am, aren't I?" A knowing smile crossed his transparent face, "Well, I can't say too much to all of it, considering what I'd heard before was mostly rumor, but then, I have often found that rumors tend to be closer to the truth. From what I got to hear from those who have traveled around the Veil, each clan apparently has had their share of problems from the start. Personally, I don't see where you can mix blood with humans and not have them. Even Angels are far from perfect beings."

"Yeah, I definitely believe that after everything I've gotten to see." I agreed.

"Indeed so. They aren't really that different from their Fallen counterparts, although they'd never admit it out loud. But back to the clans and rumors, I've heard a lot in particular about the Sapphire clan throughout the years, and part of that is because they tend to work closely with the Sumarians. You could say that they're more of the protectors when you think of the three." Lennox went on.

"Sumarians? What are they?" I asked.

"Yes, yes. I do forget your youth at times." Lennox lamented, "Sumarians are the closest creatures to the ones like us, although they are of the light. They're born from powerful human psychics who have passed on and opted to take up that new existence when it is offered. I've heard through the grape vine of the Fallen that the first Sumarian was created by a Seraphita in order to help protect the mortal world from threats beyond the Veil, but I couldn't verify that one for you. What I do know is that they are an extremely powerful race that many creatures would rather not mess with."

"Wow." I whispered, "So, they've been working a lot with the Sapphire clan?"

"Yes. As you already know, the Nephilim you and Zane met in Fallsburg is part of that clan. They go by the family name Renaldi. I've heard that Michael is the second oldest in the clan, and probably one of them who's been in the least amount of trouble since he came into existence. They claim that the oldest one, his brother Raphael, has had troubles for much of his life, but that could be because of the Seraph's oldest boy who served as their father. It's rather complicated, so I won't go into all of what I happened to hear for now, although I will say that Raphael has cheated death at least twice, and that his grandson has cheated it once as well." Lennox went on.

"Sounds like they've really been through a lot." I noted.

Lennox shook his head, crossing his arms as he looked through the curtains, "Indeed, they have, but let me tell you, their problems are nothing unusual. The other two clans have had them here and there too. I suppose even Seraphs can't prevent everything. What's quite interesting right now for me is this clan we're currently seeking. I had heard a few months before we met that there was a traumatic incident with them few years back involving two of their members. It was so bad that they were both almost killed." he continued.

"Really? What happened?"

"Hmm, I've wondered about some of it myself. I don't know the whole story, but I did hear that it had something to do with the twins of the clan. I think their names were Carroll and Carlton, and before you say anything, I will tell you that Carroll is a boy. His name is just an old one for boys that is now rarely used." Lennox informed me.

"Thanks for warning me." I responded, trying to brush him off. But the truth was that I was glad he'd told me. I would've been very surprised if I saw that Nephilim and had thought that he was a girl just by his name.

Lennox laughed, "Trust me, I know the embarrassment when it comes to old names. I've seen it enough in my long life." he assured me, "Anyway, for an interesting side note, it seems that these clans always have a set of twins too. All three do at this time from what I've heard. As I said before, Carroll and Carlton are the twins for the Hawthorne clan, the Emerald Nephilim, as so many enjoy calling them. They don't look that much alike from what I've heard, and they certainly act nothing alike, but they were once close. Unfortunately, though, Carroll found himself in a bit of a bind several years ago when he came across a creature that he really should've just killed on the spot. But instead, he felt pity for it and befriended it, and eventually it began to control him. Long story short, this thing tried to kill him, but somehow Carlton found out beforehand and came after him. Carlton ended up badly hurt because of it too, and it was Carroll who ended up killing the thing, but the guilt remains between them, and Carroll apparently goes out of his way to avoid his twin whenever he can."

A vision suddenly flashed through my mind. I saw two young men who looked a lot alike. I was certain that they were twins. They both had emerald-colored wings, although the one looked like his right wing was badly mangled. The other was trying to help him by holding him up to get them out of the place they were in. I could see the body of a dead creature with long sharp nails and a mane of wild black hair lying near them. Black blood was pooled under and around it. Apparently, it had been the thing that had hurt the one guy so badly.

But that wasn't the biggest thing that caught my attention in this incredibly vivid vision. It was the guy helping the injured one.

He looked just like the guy I'd seen in the lobby earlier.

The vision disappeared as quickly as it came, and I was back in the room, looking at a wide-eyed Lennox. He'd seen the same thing I had through our connection.

"So, it was true. That must have been Carroll and Carlton Hawthorne. Carroll really did desire a Fallen who tried to kill them." he whispered in disbelief.

"How did I just see that?" I whispered, hearing my voice shake.

"It had to be from the Seraphita. It wanted to show us that story was true." Lennox reasoned.

I looked at the door but didn't sense Chris or Zane coming back yet. Damn it! I thought. We were staying in the same hotel as this Nephilim, and I couldn't get anywhere to find him.

But just to be sure, I decided to ask Lennox about it, "Hey, did you see those two guys in the lobby earlier?"

"Two guys in the lobby?" Lennox repeated. He shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I wasn't paying much attention to anything at the time. I was trying to sleep. It's nice to dream in this state, especially beside a Seraphita."

"I'm not even gonna question that one right now. Anyway, back in the lobby I saw two guys come in and we were sure that they weren't human. They weren't threatening, so we didn't bother with them, but now I think that we need to find them." I went on.

Lennox gave me a very disapproving look, "Find them because they aren't human? Have you lost your mind? That would be inviting even more trouble. They may have even been connected to the Hag that has shown up here." he reasoned.

"I don't think so." I insisted, glancing around us again. I felt a bit uneasy about saying what I was going to out loud, but I had to make him understand, "That one guy I saw down there was the same guy from that vision. I'm sure that he was Carroll Hawthorne."

Lennox stared at me in shock, "You're serious? You think that he was Carroll Hawthorne?" he finally managed to spit out.

"I'm sure that he was. He looked just like him, so we have to find a way to get to him. If he's here, then maybe he can get us to where we can meet his Seraph." I continued.

Lennox looked towards the door to the room, "I don't know Ariana. It may be better to wait for the others to come back. Surely if you tell them, then they'll start looking for him as well. They both know better than to ignore your visions, and I'm sure that they won't now because of the child inside of you."

"But what if we don't have time? Carroll might leave tonight because of that Hag. If he does, then it's going to take that much longer to find his clan." I insisted.

"Ariana, far be it for me to be blunt, but you are insane to even think of doing this. You are pregnant with a child that by all intents and purposes may be the most powerful since the Savior was born, and you are speaking of going out to look for a mystery guy who may or may not be a Nephilim." Lennox argued.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I have you to help me sense things. So come on and let's go."

Lennox sighed in resignation, disappearing back into me, "You realize that I'm still thinking you've lost your mind." he informed me as I held the door handle.

"Just shut up and help keep a lookout. I can handle myself, even if I am pregnant."

I steadied myself and eased the door open to peek out. The hallway was still quiet, just as it had been before. I stepped out and quietly closed the door behind me. Now was the time. Hopefully I'd be able to find Carroll quickly. With Lennox, I may have been able to pick up on his thoughts if he was still awake. I was sure that with what he was, he'd have at least some thoughts along the lines of his kind.

I made sure to keep a lookout for anything that might have been suspicious as I hurried down the hallway, but everything seemed normal. I finally came to a door that led to the stairway and slowly cracked it open, trying to make sure that it didn't creak.

As I stepped into the concrete stairwell though, my mind flashed back to that horrible woman that I'd encountered with Chris over a year before. I tried to shake it off. No, there was nothing like that here. If there was, then I was sure that I would've sensed it.

I heard familiar voices in the stairwell. They were followed by a loud shriek. Hurrying down the two stairways, I finally stopped as I saw Chris and Zane standing on the nearby landing. Chris had a strange looking woman with backwards feet pinned to the wall with his sword. She wore a tattered dark dress with wild white hair that cascaded around her wrinkled face, and eyes that were completely black. Those eyes were lifeless now, as Chris's aim had been as precise as always. His blade had been run straight through her heart. There was even black blood pooling on the floor underneath of where she hung on the concrete wall.

Zane quickly looked up as he sensed me, "It seems that she still doesn't quite listen to you." he told Chris. I could hear how exasperated he was.

Chris let out a frustrated groan, "Didn't I tell you to wait in the room while we took care of this?!" he scolded me.

"Yeah, but I had a good reason to come out, and it looks like you killed that thing before I even got down here." I argued as I made my way down to them.

"That's beside the point. I told you to wait up there. There's too much risk right now for you to be running around like this when these things are out!" Chris fumed.

I held up my hands, "Okay, okay. I get it. But please listen to me. I think that there might be one of the Emerald Nephilim staying here."

That immediately got their attention.

"An Emerald Nephilim? Why do you think that?" Zane asked me.

"I was talking to Lennox about the different clans, and when we were talking about the Hawthornes I suddenly got this vision of something that had happened with two of them, and one of those Nephilim in my vision looked just like one of the guys that Chris and I saw downstairs while we were waiting for our room." I explained.

I saw Chris's eyes widen slightly in comprehension.

Zane looked over at him, "You saw one?"

"We saw two of them come into the hotel down there, but we couldn't tell what they were. They were using one hell of a good cloaking ability." Chris explained. His bewilderment quickly turned to anger, "Damn it! How the hell are we supposed to find them now?!"

"Just calm down. Getting upset or in a rage is not going to help Ariana or this child." Zane reminded him.

Chris took a deep breath, allowing himself to regain the composure he rarely lost, "Alright. Sorry. I'm good now. But seriously, how are we supposed to find them in this hotel? It's got seven floors and on top of that we don't even know if they've decided to leave because of that Hag showing up."

"Now why would we do a thing like that with that witch running around?"

All three of us looked up as we heard the sudden voice. The red haired young man from earlier was now standing halfway up the nearby stairs, smiling at us. He was dressed the same as before, and there was an amused look in his green eyes.

Chris stepped in front of me, holding up his hand so that his sword came back out, "You were listening in on us?" he guessed, keeping his voice even.

"I heard enough. I was also looking for that Hag so that I could deal with her myself, but you all beat me to the punch. So not fair, but I guess that's life." the guy responded.

We watched as he easily jumped over the railing and landed in front of us on his feet and one hand.

Zane studied him as he stood up straight, "You were after her too? What business did you have in doing such a thing?" he asked him.

"Same thing you all did: elimination. These Hags don't belong in this world because all they ever do is cause a bunch of trouble. But more to the point, I couldn't help noticing that you both are being pretty protective of the lady here; not to mention the power that she's sporting from that belly of hers. It certainly doesn't feel like a normal pregnancy to me." the guy answered as his gaze fell on me.

"So, you can sense it. What are you?" Chris demanded, still making sure to keep his sword up.

The guy shrugged, a smile still on his face, "That's a tricky question when it comes to me. I'm what you might call a mixed breed. I like to think that I'm unique." he admitted.

"It sounds to me like you're a smart ass." Chris countered.

The guy wasn't fazed by his attitude, "I've gotten that one a lot in my life. The name's Sevee by the way."

"Sevee, huh?" Chris repeated quietly.

Lennox came out of me, appearing between us and him, "Sevee Renaldi. You are one of the Sapphire clan members." he confirmed.

All three of us stared at Sevee as he said that. This guy was part of one of the Nephilim clans? Why didn't he just say that, and what had he meant by being a mixed breed?

"Whoa, look at that. There's a fourth one, though you're only a spirit. What the heck's going on with you guys?" Sevee responded. He sounded more amused than surprised.

"Do you even know what we are?" Zane asked him. He seemed to be looking a bit harder at him now. It was like he was trying to place him from somewhere.

Sevee shrugged, "I could take a couple of guesses, but I may be wrong. It's kind of weird. You feel like you could be one of us, but then you're not somehow. Something's different about you, and you sure as hell don't look like any I've ever seen from the other clans. Trust me, they all have similar looks and smells, and you guys don't have that." he went on.

"That's because we are not. We are Shadow Wings. We don't belong to any clans. If anything, they consider us damned for the time being." Zane explained to him.

"Oh..." Sevee sounded like he'd had a revelation, "So that's why I couldn't place the looks and scents. Now this is getting interesting. I've heard a little bit about you all and I know that they say you can't have kids, so how is that girl carrying one, and why does it seem so powerful?"

Now he was being a bit more serious. That was a relief. He was going to listen to us.

Chris spoke up, "That's why we're here. We've been looking for the Hawthorne clan, and Ariana seems to think that one of them might be here, possibly with you."

"Ah, you mean Carroll, right?" Sevee confirmed.

"So one of them is here. I'll take an even bet that he was the one with you earlier." Lennox noted.

"Yeah. I came here with him because I wanted to visit with some of his family, and we were making our way back to Virginia, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting all of this." Sevee admitted.

I glanced around us as he spoke. As much as I hated admitting it, I was starting to feel a bit unnerved by the silence surrounding the stairwell; not to mention the now disappearing body of that Hag. It was turning to ash, disappearing before it hit the ground.

"Can you just take us to Carroll now?" I requested.

Sevee attention turned back to me, "You'd really want to see him now? It's very late, and you look like you should be resting." he said, sounding a bit concerned.

"We can't afford not to. Just take us to Carroll Hawthorne and we'll explain everything." Zane told him.

"Well..." Sevee seemed to hesitate.

"It's not a request. Take us to him now." Chris ordered.

"Alright, alright. Damn you're pushy." Sevee muttered. He moved back to the stairway and gestured to us, "Come on. He's up in our room."