The night was dark and the room was scented heavily with herbs that made my muscles relax. My instinct was still and quiet, satisfied by the fiery haired female who lay bathed in moonlight. I watched her as those runes pulsed faintly on her skin, their colour was white but so faint if I had not been watching I would not have seen them at all.

Such a strange creature she was. She liked mouthing me off even as she enjoyed what I did to her. She was also physical, liked hitting me. It was why I had her pinned down. I knew it would bother her greatly to not be able to retaliate for my marks on her skin. I gave a low rumble of amusement at that, her pouty lips had quivered as she had struggled against my hold, her eyes begging me to let her go but she was too demanding and demanding females didn't get what they wanted.

However it didn't seem to matter to her because she enjoyed the breeding just as much as I had, even demanding another one as she murmured half asleep. I was satisfied that I had made my mark on her. She would crave me again. That suited me just fine because I knew I would crave to be buried deep within her every chance that presented itself. Until such a time that we left she would be a willing bed partner and it would provide me with enough memories to keep me company on the cold nights out in the wild.

I tilted my head as I looked at her pale skin. She was a fine female, soft and delicate in her form. Looking at her asleep could make one think that she couldn't take hard touches of hands hands or teeth but I knew just how well she took them, craved them. The remembrance of her scent in my nose and the taste of her on my tongue had my body clenching all over again.

I brushed it away as I looked around the dark room. It was the space of a pampered female. She had no male hanging around but it was clear she pampered herself regardless. Such a fine female wouldn't last out in the wilds, it was clear she loved fine silks and laces. I knew I could not fault her for that. Our own breeders were highly pampered. They were placed in lush and rich spaces, showered with anything their hearts desired if it meant allowing a male between their legs.

I was well aware we spoiled the breeders to distraction but we were simple creatures and if bestowing a female with a grand golden necklace meant we got to breed, we would do so. It was why warlocks made me curl my lip up. They had so many breeders and yet they treated them poorly, banished them for breaking rules. I was aware that I was not compatible with the female, aptly named BamBam, to produce offspring. I could smell it, the faint bitter scent that my seed would not take within her. However it did not stop me or my instinct from curling up our lips at the fact she had been banished to the outer edges of the Territory.

We knew this was no place for a breeding female, witch or otherwise. There were the worst of the species that lingered in the Outer Edges. She might have used her magick differently, been able to protect herself quicker than most but if a delinquent Fae caught her or a brutal human, there was little she could do to protect herself.

Protect her

My instinct slithered up lazily and I narrowed my eyes at that. I wished to protect her as did my instinct but my duty to Bo overrode everything else. We would sacrifice the female for Bo's safety if it came to that. With that thought I stood up quickly from the bed, grabbing my jeans from the floor and shoving my legs into them. I crept from the room, moving silently through the house before I stood in front of the little female's room.

I sniffed the air experimentally as I watched the blue runes pulse on the door softly. I wasn't sure about the magick but my instinct wasn't warning me to be wary of it. My instinct never drove me wrong so I hesitantly reached out and brushed my knuckles against the door. The magick didn't strike out against me or move from its position so I relaxed, pushing the door open into the bedroom.

I looked around, scanning the room carefully. It didn't have much but I knew Bo must have appreciated the bed. She had spent most of the past few months sleeping on my back or curled up next to me. Now she curled up in a soft bed wrapped in a warm comforter. It hurt me that I couldn't give her the spoils she deserved as we escaped those who chased us.

I walked over and chucked her underneath the chin. Her eyes snapped open, looking at me intently as I knelt on the floor beside her bed. "Where?" My voice was a low rumble and her face twisted with an unreadable expression, the shadows playing around on her face, giving her a rather sinister edge. Bo was a child of no more than six but she was something else as well. The spirit of something lingered inside of her, she held the soul of something magick. I knew what it was, it had been explained to me quite clearly. I just disagreed and took her away from the Forest. A child was a child, no matter what lingered underneath her skin.

"They near, bapa. West." Her voice was a low quaver and the shadows disappeared, leaving her that sweet little female I had raised and protected since she had been born. "We leave?" She looked at me, her eyes gleaming at me, pleading with me to say we could stay. I knew what it meant to stay but as I reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of my fingers I gave a grunt and a shake of my head. We would stay for now. I would take care of them.

"Sleep, knyaginya." I got to my feet as she snuggled down into the covers. I would take care of the threat to her as I always had. I left the room quickly, closing the door softly behind me. I didn't bother with my boots as I headed out the front door and into the dark and still night. I headed i the direction given, travelling west, seeking out the scents that would signal my prey.

The beast inside me lifted his head as a musky scent of a were invaded my senses. I bared me teeth, moving faster away from the cabin. The rain had washed away our scents by the cabin. I knew that but I also knew the weres were starting to team up with the warlocks to return Bo before the time was up. Those with magick didn't require scents to find us. It made me more and more paranoid. I just hoped BamBam's magick would drown out any attempts to find us. She put off a fair amount of it and I hoped it would confuse any seeking spells.

I shifted my direction, heading towards the were tracking through the forest. I stayed downwind, using it to my advantage as I spotted him through the trees. He had yet to change but there was the familiar angles to his face that let me know his beast was close. I barred my teeth, stilling in my spot as I watched him approach. My beast thrashed against my control, hurling himself at my will. He wanted blood and death. He wanted this scout killed because our little knyaginya asked it of us.

The tracker lifted his head, sniffing deeply at the air as he slowly turned around. I seized my chance as he back was partially turned to me and dove out of my hiding spot. I connected with him hard, sending us both crashing to the ground as I let go of control, my beast rising up and to the front to remove the threat that had been tracking us.

My bones cracked and shifted as he pulled forward as we threw hard punches at the tracker. The male let out a heavy snarl, throwing us off, gaining his bearings. My beast burst free from my form, the change painful for me but bearable as he got to his feet, his claws digging into the ground as he sized up his prey.

The male looked at us, his eyes flashing yellow as he grinned, licking at the blood that dripped from his nose. "Its good to see you, Ren. Tell me where she is and I won't have to kill you." We had known this male in the time before Bo. Had been close to him but we cut ties with everyone we had known before. They had chosen us, the strongest of the eastern Forest to watch the small female but they didn't tell me why. When I had learned of what was to happen to her I did as any protector would, I protected.

My beast launched at the male, claws digging deep into the earth to add momentum to his launch. We collided with a force of two mountains, claws ripping and tearing at flesh as teeth sunk deep into muscles and heavy forms rolled and twisted. My beast knew that the longer the fight drew on the worse the outcome was so when the male took a knee, shifting down, signalling a break between bouts we refused to relent. We stalked towards him, eager to end the threat that dared to approach.

"Have you no honour?" The male spat the question at us as he tried to scramble to his feet, tried to shift in time. We gave no quarter, grabbing his small and delicate human head in clawed hands and slamming it against a tree, driving his face in so hard the tree cracked. We didn't relent, slamming it again and again, growling and snarling as we did so before we took his stomach, digging through his flesh to the organs underneath. Our claws were drawn to his heart, tearing the organ from his body.

I shifted down, my beast entering the confines of my body. Blood cooled on my skin and I held the warm heart in my hand. I looked at it before looking at the male who used to be a friend. I couldn't remember his name now and I didn't care. "I have honour enough to obey my vow." I lightly tossed the heart at him, watching it roll on the ground, picking up dirt and leaves. "Where is yours?" There was no honour to what he and the others wanted for Bo.

I looked up at the moon hiding behind the clouds, the light called to my beast but he was sated, as was my instinct. We had done as was needed.

We had protected.