Dinner was a rather subdued affair. They already had set portions, so there were no table cloths being yanked, no elbows battling with each other to grab the food, like there normally were. That was probably why they finished earlier than they normally did, all of them quietly heading back to their carriage.

"Tired?" Rylan quirked an eyebrow at the yawning redhead.

"Shattered." She mumbled, making her way to the beds on the lower section of their carriage, getting dressed as quick as she could before she flopped onto the double bed that was calling her name.

Rylan followed close behind her, snuggling into her as he pulled the covers over them, concealing them from a set of curious green eyes.

Blaine, surprisingly enough, was the next one to call it a night – probably due to the fact that it was his turn on watch next – and that was why he turned to the pair of them as he got into bed. "If I hear any hanky-panky in the next few hours-"

A decorative pillow slammed into his face.

"Just warning you, unless you want me to fall asleep on watch."

"You stayed up for five days straight in the Alpha Trials, so shut up and get some shut eye, unless you want me to knock you out." Rylan said, pulling Lyra further into his chest, soon drifting off to sleep alongside his mate.

That was how Lyra spent her first night on a train... and the second... and the third too, surprisingly enough.

In fact, it was only on the fourth night that she broke routine by prying herself out of her mate's arms in the middle of the night, wandering up the little set of stairs that led to the leather seats of their posh carriage.

"You're up late..." Blaine mumbled, watching as she wandered towards the door. "Where are you heading?"

"The toilet."

"You stay here." Thorn stood. "I'll go with her." He mumbled, brushing the sleep out of his eyes. "Come on, Ly." He opened the door for her. "Let's go before Rylan wakes up and freaks out."

"I'm coming." Lyra said, following behind him swiftly.

"Soooooo..." Thorn fell in step beside her. "How are you getting on with Ry? He is being nice to you, right?"

"Yeah. Of course he is." Lyra smiled. "We're mates, after all."

"I can't help but wonder what my mate is gonna be like." Thorn mumbled dreamily, staring off into space as they passed through the next few carriages. He bit his lip, his eyes glinting with mischief until Lyra nudged him.

"What's that look for?"

"Oh." He blinked. "Don't worry about it, Ly." His hand ruffled her hair. "You're far too innocent."

"Huh?"

"Oh dear, would you look at that?" Thorn shoved her towards the bathroom door, speaking quickly as he did. "We've arrived."

"OK..." She murmured, quickly finishing up. It was rather chilly, and she was only in her thin pyjamas, that was why she was itching to get back to the warm bed she shared with her mate.

The hand that materialised through the ceiling, though, had other ideas.

That was also the reason she ended up on the roof of the train, her toes freezing until her old training kicked in. Red lightning sparked around her, crackled in her hands at a dangerous intensity – nothing like what she'd used in her fight with Blaze. There was a reason for that, though.

She could sense it.

It radiated through the air like a thick congealing smoke.

Bloodlust.

"Yo, Red." Pale blonde hair whipped across a pair of icy blue eyes. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Little Devil?"

"Don't call me that." Lyra's eyes narrowed. "Only my mate gets to call me that."

"Oh yeah... You've found your mate haven't you...?" He grinned. "That's why you decided to join the happy train..."

"What do you want, Frost?"

"I'm here to take you back since those other two idiots never came back." He said, his white teeth shining in the track lights as the train flew past. "I can only assume you killed them... but I don't know how."

Ice ran down the top of the train, closing over her feet, locking them in place.

"You've lost your edge, Red." Frost said, and Lyra felt a chill run through her. He was right, after all. Ever since meeting Rylan, she'd lost that edge. "There was a time where you would've dodged that... a time where you might've been a struggle for me – one of the Upper Echelon of Omega Taurus – to bring you in..." He shrugged. "Oh well. I suppose I won't get to fight properly tonight... Wait, I know who will give me a proper fight before I end his life... The Alpha King... Your beloved mate..."

Bloodlust permeated the air, but this time it came from Lyra. "Touch him, and I'll rip you limb from limb!" She hissed, crouching down as ice exploded away from her legs, freeing them from his icy grasp.

"Wow, you really are my daughter..." Her mother's voice echoed through her mind.

"Huh?" Lyra glanced around, her eyebrows knotting together when she realised her mother wasn't anywhere near her.

"Those with red eyes are bound by a special connection." Liberty explained. "Though for us, it's only possible when we're in our red-eyed state."

"LYRA!" Thorn's voice rang out through the air, reaching the pair of them as the red-eyed blonde sprinted to her side, having finally figured out where she'd disappeared to.

"So the Angel of Blagmoor has finally arrived." Frost laughed. "Brilliant." His blue eyes narrowed. "Now I might actually get a decent fight."

"Who's this guy, Ly?" His eyes slid to hers, keeping their enemy in the edge of his gaze. "Is he part of Omega Taurus?" He asked, watching as Lyra nodded in confirmation.

"He's called Frost Nova around at Omega Taurus's base... and he's a bigshot. One of the Upper Echelon, who report directly to the boss."

"Never heard of him."

"Of course you wouldn't have." Lyra sighed, closing her eyes. "Up until now, they've been leaving all their missions to us of the Lower and Middle Echelons..."

"Where did you stand?" Thorn's eyes were cold: all of their earlier warmth gone as he fired questions at her one after another.

"The top of the Middle Echelon." She scowled. "I have nothing on this guy. He's in a league of his own... Omega Taurus must really want me back, if they're sending him."

"Of course we do." Frost smirked. "You've got a Double Gift... just like me... and it's a very powerful secondary Ability..."

"You've got a second Gift?!" Thorn turned to her, watching as she stared at the ground intently.

"It's also the reason we want her back."

"Well, you aren't getting me back." Lyra said, her voice completely dead, all emotion gone from her face as she flew forwards using her lightning.

Frost danced back, his smirk widening as he was pushed back towards the end carriage, laughing as he reached the end of the train.

"LYRA!" Thorn yelled. "You idiot!"

"What?" Lyra blinked, having heard something click.

She soon found out what that click was, though, as the car she was standing on slowed down.

He'd disconnected their carriage from the train.

An ice-covered fist rammed into her stomach, pulling her wayward attention back to the man in front of her as she gasped for breath, moments before she sent her lightning into his body in retaliation.

They separated in an instant, leaping back to either end of the train car, and then they were darting towards each other, fists at the ready as they began grappling.

"Give it up, Lyra." Frost hissed.

"You first!" She growled, slamming her forehead into his.

"I always forget how much pride you take in that hard head of yours..." He wiped away a bit of blood that trickled down from his nose. "But you've still got a ways to go before you can hold your own in a proper fight against me." A sword of ice appeared in his hand, the blade gleaming in the light. "So surrender, and I won't have to chop off any of your limbs."

Lyra grinned, but there was no humour in her eyes. "I've been working on this quietly ever since I met my mother..." She said, lightning crackling viciously in her hand as it formed a sparking blade in her grip. "Congratulations." She licked her lips. "You get to be my first test dummy."

"Hmmm." Frost laughed. "This might prove to be more of a challenge than I thought..."

Lyra giggled with glee, charging towards him, slamming her blade against his, blinking when the icy sword in his hands shattered. "Well..." She swiped towards his head, watching as he whipped out another sword – metal, this time. "That worked well."

"Super high intensity lightning bolts compressed into a blade, huh?" He muttered, wincing as red lightning crackled around him, having conducted through the metal sword that had now disappeared over the side of the train. "You're just full of surprises, Little Devil."

"Don't call me that!" She snarled, swinging her blade towards him yet again, her eyes widening when he ducked under the blade, his fingers slamming into her gut. Lightning dissipated in an instant, her body freezing completely as Frost stood next to her. "What have you done?!" She hissed, glaring at him as she stood there, completely immobile.

"Ice Stitches." He said, a bright smile on his face. "I've basically stitched up the nerve endings throughout most of your body – so now you can't move." He explained, patting her on the head, chuckling to himself when she growled. "Truth to be told, I never thought I'd have to use it on you... It's my best move, after all." He said, glancing towards the train that was now just a speck in the distance, his eyes narrowing as he heard the rustling of air. "You should be flattered."

"I'm not going back!" Lyra spat. "Never!"

"I hate to break it to you, but you will be." Frost set her down on the top of the now stationary train carriage, turning as a loud thud broke through the still air.

White hair glowed in the pale moonlight, red eyes burning into the cerulean blue ones that twinkled devilishly.

Frost smiled. "So you've finally come..."

"Relax, Ly." His burning ones met her wide ones as she lay on her side, unable to do anything but gasp at the sight in front of her.

It wasn't his glowing hair, or eyes, that made her gasp though. No. It was what was arching around his body that made Lyra stare at him in shock.

After all, it wasn't every day you saw a pair of fluffy white feathered wings on the man who had been your childhood best friend.

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ILLENIS HERE

Surprise.

I'm tired, so I'll leave it at that. I've already given you a nice long chapter, so I'll leave you hanging there.

Until the next chapter.

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