Angel of Fire (con't)

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PART 21:

10:06 PM

"And that’s when I realized I loved him. So, you see, I just have to get him back, wherever he is. We may not be soulmates but he’d still a part of me."

"If there’s anything I can do to help, I would do it gladly," Dion offered sincerely after hearing Leandra’s story. He had stayed for dinner (disregarding what his father’s reaction would be later), and now he and Leandra were sitting on the living room couch, just talking. Destiny and Delano were taking care of Daybreak issues and who knew about Marcellus.

Leandra answered with a small, rueful smile, "I might take you up on that one day." Unconsciously, she snuggled closer to Dion and laid her head on his shoulder. From her manner, it was clear she thought of vampire/werewolf in a brotherly kind of way; though Dion’s arm was draped over her shoulder, Leandra’s feelings seemed mutual.

*Still,* Marcellus thought from his bedroom desk, where he could plainly see the whole exchange, *they’ve definitely got something going on.* He could use that to his advantage. The made vampire was still brainstorming ways to exact his revenge.

Continuing to stare at the couple on the couch, Marcellus let his mind drift.

"Last assignment, I was the one who disappeared and Destiny tells me Nick was going crazy with worry," he remembered Leandra telling Dion this earlier. An idea was forming inside his mind.

Marcellus refocused his sight on the Dark Angel again and saw the unmistakable expression of brotherly love on Dion’s handsome face.

And Destiny, she was close friends with Leandra. Delano was, too.

Oh, this was too perfect! He couldn’t wait to tell Keiara.

@~~>~~>~~~

"Hey, Dion," Destiny smiled at her friend when she and Delano came into the living room.

In reply, the vampire/werewolf put his finger to his lips. He pointed at the sleeping Leandra lying on his shoulder. She had fallen asleep only moments before.

"Oh." A knowing look passed between Destiny and Delano without just a bit of worry.

"About Iliana--" Delano stated hesitantly before Dion stopped him.

"I haven’t forgotten, Delano. How could I? Besides, I’m not interested in Leandra like that and she’s infatuated with Nick."

Seeing he was sincere, the 2 Daybreak agents relaxed in relief. "It’s getting late," Delano pointed out. "You’re parents aren’t going to be upset, are they?"

Dion answered bitterly, "My dad doesn’t care what I do, as long as he has his booze." It wasn’t a complete lie, but immediately, he regretted his self-pitying tone. "Before I go, I should probably get Leandra to her room," he added quickly.

Destiny nodded after a short pause. "Come on," she said, turning back down the hall. She stopped in front a yellow painted room.

Since the safehouse was only a temporary home, Leandra had not personalized her room much. But there were still traces of her here and there. Two stuffed animals, a lioness and blue macaw, perched on her pillow and Dion moved them aside to place Leandra on the bed.

The nightstand held a smiling picture of a gorgeous blond boy Dion could only guess was Nicholas Corona. A tall, leaning stack of CD’s accompanied the photo. Copies of Searching for Dragons, Heart of Valor and Vittorio the Vampire were strewn across the desk along with a red notebook.

After setting Leandra down, Dion turned back to the other 2 Daybreakers. "I better be going."

"I’ll give you a ride," Delano offered.

Most of the trip home was accompanied by silence. After Dion had given the Lamia the directions, they didn’t know what else to say. Finally, when they were almost at 1379 Halberstadt Court, Delano said, "I don’t believe we’ve asked you to join Circle Daybreak yet. I guess now’s as good a time as any."

Dion would eagerly have said yes, but something stopped him as he was opening his mouth. A feeling, telling him not to be hasty. "I’ll think about it," was all he committed to Delano.

The Italian shrugged. "It’s your choice, but we would truly appreciate you being one of us."

Dion just nodded.

"Well, here we are," Delano announced as he pulled into the driveway of a brown and white townhouse that was by no means in the best part of town.

Just as Dion reached for the car door, however, Delano called him back. "Dion, you and Leandra, really ARE just friends, right? I mean, you guys did look awfully close..." he let the question drift off as his passenger burst into laughter.

"Don’t worry, Delano," he assured, "We both just needed someone to listen. I mean, we understand each other. When I was with her, I forgot my problems, but there’s nothing there other than friendship. You don’t need to worry."

"All right. Good night."

"’Night," Dion said as he stepped out of the car. Watching the headlights of the Mercedes diminish, all his worries came back to him. For a few hours, his problems might have been disregarded, but Iliana was definitely real and there was no doubt that he loved her. But how could he be with her when she made him feel guilty about everything he was? She was perfect, pure and here he was, a half-breed that killed innocent people for food. What did you DO about that?

And more immediately, there was the subject of his father. Rafe Vitani was not going to be happy about Dion staying out so long without letting him know.

When Dion entered the house, everything was dark and quiet. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign. Probably not.

As quietly as possible, he made his way up the stairs. When he was almost to the top, a stair creaked and Dion winced, waiting for the shout of anger. It never came.

Daring to breathe, he made the way to his room in total silence. Flipping on the light, he threw his backpack on the floor and froze in horror.

"Helllow, ssson," his father drawled from his seat on the bed. Rafe was thoroughly drunk and insanely angry as he rose from the bed and advanced towards Dion. He might have been a bit unsteady, but the older man’s eyes glowed with a demonic light that terrified his son. Dion might have been taller and younger, but he wouldn’t attack his father, not after what had happened today at lunch. Besides, Rafe was much stronger by far.

Without warning, the short, stocky man lunged at Dion.

Instinctively, he scuttled back into the hallway, away from his father and almost pitched over the top of the stairs. Trying desperately to regain his balance, Dion saw the older man running towards him the moment before he was hurtled down the stairs. There was sickening CRACK as Dion landed on his arm at the foot of the staircase and the world exploded in pain. But the attack was not over.

Before Dion could look past the pain, he heard a low, thundering growl and then a furry body landed on him, knocking all breath out of his body. He had just succeeded in pulling his arm out from under his body and now the wolf on top of him bore down on him, making him cry out.

The wolf paid no heed to his son’s screams. At the moment, he didn’t even realize this was his son. All he knew was anger and the instinct to kill. Putting even more weight on the broken arm under him, the wolf clamped his jaws on the boy’s shoulder.

A shattered scream roared in the wolf’s ears as Dion’s vision blazed with fire. "Dad! Dad, please! Please, stop! Dad, listen to me! Please!" he gasped weakly. The only acknowledgment he got was a rake of claws down his chest.

No matter how he tried, Dion’s vision would not clear. Everything was going dark. He struggled to focus on the light at the top of the stairs, but soon, even that blurred. "Dad, please," he breathed almost inaudibly into the wolf’s ear before he lost the fight and surrendered to the blackness.

* * * * *
PART 22:

"Dad, please," the wolf heard the moment before he was going to tear his victim’s throat out. Something about those words and the voice struck a chord deep inside and the brown wolf froze. Licking his blood coated muzzle, the wolf slowly looked at the body under him.

It was a tall boy, almost a man. His dark chestnut hair looked black in the darkness and it was splattered with blood. The thick locks fell across a beautiful face, at the moment, pale and contorted with pain even though he was unconscious. A trickle of blood was forming on one side of lips that looked deep red conpared to the marble coloured face they belonged to and his breath came in short, ragged gasps.

The face threw the wolf such a blow that he instantly turned human.

"Dion!" Rafe Vitani gasped, taking his son into his arms and rocking him back and forth. "What have I done? Oh Goddess, what have I done?"

The boy gave no indication that he had heard. Instead, his body suddenly shuddered, terrifying the older man who held him.

For a second, Rafe just sat on the bloodstained floor, staring at his son in horror. Then, composing himself, the werewolf effortlessly picked up the boy and carried him to his room. Gently laying Dion down on the white sheets, he ran back downstairs for some water and bandages. That was all they had in the house anyway; they were pretty badly supplied.

By the time the stocky man returned to Dion’s room, the sheets were soaked with blood. There wasn’t any time to change them though, and Rafe ignored them as best he could.

2 hours later, Dion’s father had finally stauched and bandaged all of the cuts and set his broken arm. Rafe guessed that there were also a few broken ribs to be mended, but he didn’t have the skill to do the job and he couldn’t call a doctor without losing his son. Besides, what could he tell the doctor? Half of Dion’s minor cuts were almost healed and his broken arm looked like it had been set for weeks. He had his vampiric blood to thank for that. Werewolves healed fast, but not nearly as fast as vampires.

After Rafe had changed the sheets and caught a hare for Dion’s breakfast, there wasn’t much more to do for him . So he just sat watching, waiting and hoping for the best.

@~~>~~>~~~

Dion groaned as he floated into consciousness. The sunlight hurt his eyes as he struggled to see. There was a sharp pain in his shoulder and arm and it hurt just to breathe.

The first sense to fully awaken was smell. The air was filled with the stench of alcohol and blood, making Dion gag.

Immediately, there was a hand on his shoulder, comforting him as he threw up into a small bowl provided by the same person. Curious to see who this was, Dion squinted up and was jolted awake. "Stay away from me!" he cried as he tried to scramble away from his father. He didn’t get very far. His broken arm and ribs made it hard to move without crying out in pain.

"Dion, I...I’m sorry. I really am. You have to believe me," Rafe said, his red-rimmed eyes pleading.

If he didn’t know better, Dion would have sworn his father had been crying. Last night, before all this had happened, Dion would have believed him, too. But his father had tried to kill him! Any love his son had left for him was gone, replaced by fear and hatred. "Why?" Dion whispered. "Why didn’t you finish the job? Why didn’t you kill me?"

Rafe recoiled like he had been slapped. "No!" he cried vehemently, "No! I didn’t want to kill you, Dion. I was afraid. When you didn’t come home yesterday, I thought maybe you’d left for good and I was scared. I didn’t want to lose you like I lost your mother. And when you came home, I got angry. I got mad that you had made me worry...and, and it just happened. I didn’t want to kill you, Dion. Truly. I love you."

Dion couldn’t help a deeply bitter and ironic laugh as he replied, "You have a funny way of showing it. You know, dad, all my life, that’s all ever wanted to hear from you. I love you. Even 2 days ago, that’s all wanted. Now, I really can’t say I care." His emotions were giving him more strength the stronger they got. The broken ribs seemed to be mending well now and his arm was completely healed. Before Rafe could respond, Dion added, "I’m leaving, dad. I don’t care what you say, I’ve had enough. I’m going to school today and don’t expect to see me back."

His father’s eyes widened in fear. "Where will you go?"

"That’s something you don’t need to worry about. I can take care of myself."

There must of been something in Dion’s steel gray eyes that told the old man he wasn’t going to change his mind. Rafe Vitani stared at his son a moment longer, then seemed to collapse. He put his hands over his face and his back heaved with sobs.

Dion felt a twinge of guilt, but nothing more. With a groan, he sat up and swung himself out of bed. His ribs were still sore, but that would soon be taken care of. He glanced at the clock, 7:37 AM. Good, he had time to get ready. While his father cried, the vampire/werewolf got dressed and packed his belongings. He didn’t take much. Some clothes, a photo of his parents and himself taken only days before his mother's death and money.

As his son headed for the front door, Rafe followed behind in quiet resignation. "Dion," he said when the boy was at the foot of the stairs.

The bloodstains were still on the floor and Dion looked at them for a moment before glancing up at his father. "Yes?"

The older man faltered a bit, then regained his composure. "At least have some breakfast before you go," he offered. "You’re weak, you need nourishment." Before Dion could answer, his father had breezed past him and came back with a brown and white rabbit in his hands. "I caught this for you last night," he said as he pressed the rabbit into the taller boy’s hands.

Dion eyed the rabbit in his hand skeptically before deciding his father was right. He let his fangs extend, then pierced the squirming animal’s neck. There was no way he was going to do the werewolf thing and eat the rabbit’s internal organs. First, it was too messy and second, it took time that he didnt’ have.

The rabbit slowly grew still in his hands. "Here, breakfast for you, dad," Dion said tonelessly, placing the body into the older man’s hands. "Enjoy."

Without another look back, Dion shouldered his backpack and walked out the door.

Behind him, Rafe Vitani watched forlornly, knowing this was the last he would ever see of his son.

* * * * *
PART 23:

"Are you sure this is what you want, Dion?" Destiny asked with concern in her voice.

Beside her, the vampire/werewolf just nodded silently. There wasn’t much to say. He had just told Destiny what had happened between him and his father last night and Destiny had shared with him that he would probably never see Iliana again. She was leaving for Las Vegas that very night and hadn’t been at school today.

"All right, then," she said with a sigh, "You can have my room. I’ll share with Leandra."

Dion started regretfully, "Destiny, I’m sorry for causing you any trouble. I could find a hotel or-"

Destiny took a hand from the steering wheel just long enough to place a finger over his lips. "We’ll hear no more of that!" she declared decisively. "You are no trouble at all, Dion! Don’t even think that! I only said that because I got in a big fight with my parents a few yours ago and we kinda became estranged. I mean, it was a pretty bad experience and things were only cleared up after my children were born. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t regret this."

"This wasn’t just a once-in-a-lifetime fight, Destiny," Dion explained. "Things like this have been going on since my mom died, that’s 12 years, and I just can’t put up with it anymore. There’s not much I’m going to miss anyway."

Just as Destiny was about to reply, there was an odd clanking sound in the engine. Soon after, the silver Mercedes stopped moving altogether with a shudder.

For a second, Destiny and Dion just sat and stared at each other in bewilderment. Then, almost on one accord, they turned to the dashboard of the car.

"I could be wrong, but I believe we’re out of gas," Dion assessed as he laid eyes on the needle that had dropped way below the Empty line.

"That would be my guess," Destiny agreed, though she could have sworn she had filled up the tank just last night. By now, quite a few people had stopped and were coming to see what was going on.

"You need some help moving that car?" A thin, middle-aged man asked, looking through Destiny’s window. Seeing that the Mercedes was seriously blocking traffic, Dion replied, "Uh, yeah, looks like it."

In a matter of minutes, the car was by the curb and traffic was moving as usual.

"Thanks a lot," Destiny said gratefully to the people who had helped move the automobile. Soon the crowd disperesed and she started digging through her backpack for her cell phone.

"What are you looking for?"

Destiny glanced up at Dion, "My cell phone, so I can call Delano. I know he has an extra can of gas in his trunk. But I can’t seem to find the phone."

"Forget the phone," Dion answered. "Why don’t you just go to one of the houses over there and ask to use thiers?" With a sigh, Destiny gave up her search. "All right. Let’s go," she said and let Dion drag her off towards the row of houses.

@~~>~~>~~~

"All right, everything’s ready here," Keiara announced on the other line, "What about you?"

Marcellus smiled slowly. "Everything’s going great, according to plan. Delano just left. Is Brock waiting?"

"Yes, down the street in a blue Caravan."

"Okay, I should be with you in about an hour. See you then," Marcellus said and hurridly hung up when Leandra walked by his room.

"Leandra!" He called out to her.

Obviously surprised, she turned and replied, "Yes?"

"Good night," Marcellus said. Before Leandra could react, he let forth a burst of power that knocked her unconscious. Marcellus was there to catch her as she fell. Carrying her over to his bed, he laid her down, saying, "Sweet dreams, lioness. I’ll be back in sec."

Taking a pair of shears he’d found in the basement, Marcellus went around the house and cut the telephone connections. It was certainly easier than digging around in the ground until he came to the main telephone wire. Then, returning to his room, he picked up the 3 cells phones in the desk drawer-Destiny, Delano and Leandra’s-and headed out the door with the lioness over his shoulder.

Right before he left, he placed the nice little note he’d written on the kitchen table and remembered to lock the door behind him.

"Let’s go," he said with a smug, self-satisfied smile as he climbed into the blue Caravan.

@~~>~~>~~~

"Delano, have you seen my cell?"

"No, not that I can remember. Why, Destiny?" Delano replied, perplexed.

"I couldn’t find it in my bag. That’s why I called you from that lady’s house," she explained.

The Italian Lamia shrugged. "I really can’t remember seeing it, Des. But maybe Leandra has, I’ll go see." He promptly left the front hall to go find the lioness.

Resignedly, Destiny turned to Dion. "Well, I’ve no idea what happened to that phone, but I know that I’m hungry. Coming?"

With a laugh, Dion followed. "Why is it, everytime I come here, you’re hungry?" he commented.

Destiny shrugged good-naturedly. "I have this theory that my body still thinks I’m pregnant or something." She joked.

"You’re children are almost two years old," Dion started to say, until he saw the look of shock on his friend’s face. "Delano!" she cried and he came running at her urgent tone.

Destiny passed him the slip of paper in her hand. "Read it."

Destiny, Delano-

By now, I expect you’ve realized Leandra is no longer among you. And, I’m sure you can guess who has her. I know you have also been curious as to where your precious Dark Angel may be. Now, I’m offering you a chance to get them both back.

Be at Isolation Peak at 7:00 tonight. Don’t be late, they’re lives are at stake.

- D’Alimonte

* * * * *
PART 24:

Delano stared blankly at the note in his hand. It was such a shock, he seemed to have a hard time registering it. "Uh, Delano?" Destiny waved a slender hand before his face.

Still in a slight daze, he handed the note back to Destiny; who in turn, gave it to Dion.

When everyone had read the message, Dion voiced the question in their minds, "So, what do we DO?"

The query finally brought everyone out of their individual reveries. "First of all," Delano said, "we need to find a map or something. Where is this Isolation Peak?"

"In the Rockies?" Dion offered helpfully.

Delano threw up his hands in frustration. "This is Colorado, Dion. We’re surrounded by the damn Rockies! Yeah, that really helps!"

Destiny interrupted the two before they could say anything more. While they had been talking, she had found a road map of the surrounding vicinity. "According to my calculations, Isolation Peak is about 2 hours drive from here. We have to drive down to Johnston’s canyon first-that takes about an hour-then it’s all uphill from there." She checked her watch. "It’s 4:15. If we go right now, we should be there in plenty of time."

"Alright," Delano murmured as he thought this over. Then more loudly, "Great! Should we call for backup?"

Remembering the last time they had been in this kind of situation, Destiny said, "Yes, definitely. We could probably convince Keller to come. And we have to tell Thierry what’s going." By now, she was right by the kitchen phone. However, when she she picked it up, there was no dial tone.

"Uh, Destiny?" Dion said from where he sat at the kitchen table, "I think the line’s been cut. I mean, literally cut." He pointed out the spot he meant.

Turning back to the phone, Destiny saw what he meant. Part of the telephone wire had been yanked out of the wall and severed. "This screams Marcellus. He must have cut the other lines too," she commented. Nevertheless, the three checked every phone, just to be sure.

"Yup, every line’s been cut. And our cell phones are gone too," Delano reported grimly.

"Well, we can’t let that get in our way," Destiny said with determination. She composed herself and made a fast decision. "Okay, Dion, you can take Delano’s Solara and go to Iliana’s. Tell Keller what’s going on and call Thierry from there. He needs to know this. Here, take the note." She flung it into his hands with a glance at her watch.

"What about-" Dion started before she cut him off.

"Me and Delano? We’ll take the Mercedes and start for Isolation Peak. Get Keller’s team to meet us there," she ordered, already gathering things she thought they might need.

Delano had fished the keys to the Solara out of his pocket and Dion took them on his way out the door. "Alright, see you later," he called and was gone.

Looking after him, Delano sighed, "I have a bad feeling about tonight, Destiny," he admitted quietly.

A wry smile appeared on her face. "So do I. But what else can we do? We can’t just leave Nick and Leandra and there’s no doubt Marcellus means what he says. He’ll kill them for sure, if we don’t intervene."

"And that just wouldn’t do," Delano said ruefully, picking up a coil of rope Destiny had dropped.

"No, it wouldn’t," she agreed in the same tone, taking the rope from her boyfriend.

"Ready?" Destiny said at last, with one last look around the house.

Delano nodded. "Ready."

"Then let’s go."

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