She sighed.I'll stay here. Don't take long, okay?She wound her arms around him and tried not to cry. She almost couldn't bear being separate from him. Her hands brushed back the hair over his left eye. She reached up and brushed her lips lightly over the scars there and then over his lips, and she was gone. She disappeared into another room, she didn't know if she could hold herself together for Rome so that he wouldn't worry.

Rome managed to give her a quick hug and gasped in shock when she disappeared. He rubbed his forehead where she had touched his scar, shaking his head. He was worried about her, but he knew better than to go search for her. 'The faster I leave the faster I can get back.' he reminded himself. He glanced over at her brother before muttering a quick transportation spell that allowed him to go back to any place he had visited before. He sighed in relief when he appeared in the hideout. He had never tested many of the spells he used, he had only read them from a large book he had. He yelped in shock when he was picked up in a huge hug and started to struggle until he realized it was Senshi in his human form. He looked around and noticed Silva stop pacing and look towards him, while Thistle glared at him as she sat on his bed, also in her human form. "Where have you been?! I thought your father had shown up and dragged you away to kill you." Silva shouted, his worry turning into anger when he saw that Rome was fine. "China and I went to visit her brother." Rome said hurriedly as he went over to where a saddle and bridle were set against a wall. "We have four days until our daughter is born and I need to check out that old ranch to see if it is still up and running." he told them over his shoulder. When he turned back around Senshi was in his horse form. Rome quickly saddled the large horse and put his bridle on. "It's up and running. That's were Thistle and I have been staying for the past year." Silva told him, still stunned by the idea that his best friend was about to be a father. "Then stay here. I'm going to go get China and then we can leave." he told Silva and suddenly disappeared, reappearing at Lucah's home.

China was sitting in her bedroom. She had her arms crossed and she was still holding back tears. She almost stopped Rome from going but she needed to think of her daughter. She patted her stomach subconsiously and was about to go and find Lucah when she heard a sound in the next room. She saw Rome and ran towards him, nearly knocking him over with the force of her hug. Her stomach was now the size of a six month pregnancy. She buried her face in his shoulder and let out a breath she had been holding. Lucah appeared behind Rome and sighed. Where are you taking my sister?

Rome stumbled backwards when China hugged him, but managed to keep his balance. He chuckled as he returned the hug. "I was only gone for a few minutes." he laughed quietly in her ear before kissing her on the cheek. Even though he acted like the short time away from her didn't bother him, it made him worried to be away. Rome jerked and his entire body stiffened when Lucah's voice came from behind him, but he forced himself to relax. "I'm taking her to one of my hideouts. It's a ranch not far from my usual hideout. I haven't been there for several years, but Silva has so it's up and running. No one knows about it, so it should be safe..." he trailed off, a protective look crossing his face as he pulled China closer to him.

Lucah walked up to China, kissed her cheek and disappeared into the shadows. China was trying to get her breathing under control.Never do that again.She shivered as she recollected the last time that Rome had left. Her head raised up to look at Rome.WI'll we go? I want to see this ranch. She grinned at him. A sudden thought made her drop the grin. Going back meant she would see Silva. She didn't know how to act around him yet.

Rome held China gently in his arms and watched Lucah disappear before looking back to China. He was about to answer her when he saw her grin fade. He squeezed her carefully and kissed her forehead. "Nothing will harm our daughter as long as I'm alive." he whispered against her hair. He muttered a quick spell and his eyes and tattoos barely flashed before they were both standing in the hideout.

Senshi snorted before trotting to Rome's side, stretching his neck to nuzzle China's arm. His black bridle and saddle didn't make a sound even as he moved. He nudged Rome with his head and looked at the hideout's entrance where Silva and Thistle were both waiting, both of them in their wolf forms. The huge stallion knew where they were headed and was eager to go.

China began to walk out of the hideout when she suddenly got the feeling that something was wrong. She always go that feeling when somebody in her family died. She looked at Rome uncertainly and then began walking with them again. She got the feeling again and groaned, frustrated. She hated it when she didn't know what was wrong with her family.

Worry crossed Rome's face when China looked at him, and he reached forward for her hand when he heard her groan. He was worried that China was in pain because of their daughter. Thistle and Silva had already disappeared into the trees ahead. Senshi came up alongside them. Rome pulled China to a gentle halt and clicked his tongue at Senshi. The large stallion lowered himself to his knees. "It'll be easier if you ride Senshi. The ranch isn't far from here, but it is quite a distance to walk. I can run as a panther with Thistle and Silva. Senshi knows the way." he told her quietly.

She shook her head and heard her cellphone ring. She took a deep breath and answered it. Who is it this time? The other voice said just one terrible word. China's face changed. Her skin paled several shades and Her eyes went wide. There was a soft crack as her fingers started to crush her phone. She stood as still as stone.

Senshi scrambled to his hooves and side stepped away from China, her reaction startling him. Rome gently grabbed China's hand that was crushing the phone. "China? What's wrong?" he asked her worriedly.

A dry sob ripped it's way from her throat.Lucah. He's dead. He died. She whispered, in a horrible, weak, scratchy voice that wasn't hers. Lucah meant everything to her. He was her only real friend, her protecter and teacher. He had led her through life, tolerated her in her wild srates and welcomed her back with open arms. He had accepted Rome and helped with their child. She was so heartbroken that no tears would come. She dropped her phone, where on the other line somebody was saying Hello? Hello, anybody? Her legs buckled out from under her and as she fell to the ground everything went black. Ayra came bursting out of the bushes and stood near China, her head hung in sadness and soft growling noises escaping her throat.

Rome managed to catch China before she hit the ground. He knelt on the ground, holding China in his arms. He saw the phone and snatched it up. "Hello? Who is this?" he asked, his voice panicked. Senshi let out a frantic whinny as Ayra suddenly appeared. He shied away from the tiger, but he didn't retreat from Rome's side.

Thistle and Silva had turned back when they heard the commotion, both of them staying in their wolf form. Silva approached Rome and let out a worried whine.

The other voice sounded worried.Not important. All that matters is that China is okay. Is she okay? Because we just received news of her brother, Lucah, dying.

"She's collapsed. She's unconscious." Rome told the person on the other side of the phone, his voice filled with panic. "Is there anything that can be done? Can he be saved?" he asked. Silva had changed back and was kneeling beside Rome. "What's going on?" he asked. Thistle had taken up a protective stance beside Silva, glaring at Ayra.

The most you can do for him right now is to get her safe. We are doing all we can. China was still out cold, not even dreaming.

Rome looked at China. He knew that if Lucah died it could stress China out to the point she could loose their daughter. "Can magic save him?" he asked, desperate.

The other voice sighed.Nothing to do but try. Where can I meet you?

"Lucah's home." Rome said as he looked down at China before glancing at Silva. Just by the look on Rome's face his friend knew what to do. Silva jumped up into Senshi's saddle and lifted China up when Rome handed her to him. "Take her to the ranch. I'll be there as soon as I can." Rome told Silva. He suddenly vanished and the next moment he was in Lucah's home, standing where he had only that morning.

The room was a gruesome sight.
Blood splattered The wall wherever there was light to show it. Glass was smashed, pillows were ripped and paper was torn. Pools of blood lay on the floor and painted the furniture. The couch lay turned over and a huge, blood splattered hole was broken into The concrete wall. A smell of burnt meat hung around the room. A slight man as dark as Lucah was fair walked in.Are you the magic one?

Rome took in the room around him with wide eyes. He managed a small nod at the question. "Yes...I'm a spellcastor. My name is Rome." he told the man, sickened by the blood everywhere and the smell.

He nodded to a small room.He's in there. Try not to throw up on my floor. I'll warn you now, it's bad.

Rome nodded and cast a small spell to keep away any smells. He cast another and his large spell book appeared in his hand. He took a deep breath before he entered the small room.

Lucah lay on the floor, on his back. The other man had tried not to move him as much as possible. But Lucah was hardly identifiable. His whole body had been ripped, broken and torn. His arm was broken. The lump of bone trying to escape the skin. All the flesh around his hands had been torn and left to dangle around his hands, like fleshy cloth. One side of his face was burned, the other wore five, long, deep scratches. Each one of his toes were broken and his feet were bending the wrong way. There was a massive hole ripped in his stomach, and organs along with white bone were visible. His eyes were open but not focused, he was missing one of his ears, and his whole body was covered in stab wounds and he was painted all over with his own dark blood. The only sound in the room was a constant drip drip drip of blood hitting the floor and the sound of Lucah's laboured, wheezy breathing.

China was in agony. She knew almost immediately what was going on when she opened her eyes. Yes, she knew Silva didn't like her. But Rome was nowhere in sight and she needed comfort. She wound her arms around Silva and let her head hit his chest before she blacked out again.

Rome fought back the feeling of retching and moved to kneel down beside Lucah. He closed his eyes to keep from looking down at the blood he was kneeling in and Lucah's body. When he opened his eyes they were bright green and his tattoos were glowing. He quickly opened his spell book and almost immeadiatly found the spell he would need. The spell flowed easily from his lips and soon a hazy green light covered Lucah's body. The spell started with the worst of injuries. Mending major organs and veins, then fixing broken bones. Despite the spell's ability to save lives, it had a major problem. The castor of the spell felt all of the pain the rapid healing caused. Rome's voice was becoming strained as he fought to hold off the pain long enough to finish the spell. All that was left was mending Lucah's skin and a few more bones. His entire body trembled with the effort to keep from crying out.

Silva's eyes widened when China wrapped her arms around him and looked down to see that she had passed out again. He shook his head. They had just arrived at the ranch and Silva carefully dismounted with China in his arms. He took China into the two-story ranch home and put her in the master bedroom on the second floor. He laid her in the bed and pulled the blankets up over her before going back out to Senshi and Thistle. He took Senshi to the large barn and put him in one of the stalls that opened out to a large padock. He put the bridle and saddle in the tack room before returning to the house. Senshi stayed in the barn because even though there weren't many people who lived around the ranch, but the ones that did knew Rome as Mr. Joe Starling and they all knew of his large black horse. If Senshi were in his human form it would raise questions if he wasn't there as a horse. Thistle had already disappeared into the woods that bordered the ranch.