CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The only response Tyson gave was another angry hiss, but Chad couldn't deny the truth. "Ty," he said softly. "My Gods, Ty... She brought you back... She's controlling you..." He shook his head as he tried to process the fact that his soulmate was standing right in front of him.

My dead soulmate, Chad reminded himself. Tyson Wilcox had died sixteen years ago at the hands of a racist redneck named Bo who generally hunted lycanthropes but saw nothing wrong with murdering a mortal boy who happened to be an African-American just to make his point.

Chad knew he should pick up his dagger and plunge it into Tyson's chest, but he couldn't do that. He couldn't even think, let alone act.

Put him down, Chad, he told himself. It's the only way to free him...

He forced himself to grab the dagger, but he couldn't attack Tyson. He might appear to simply be a hissing vessel, but Tyson was inside of that body. Tyson was technically, sort of, a little bit alive, and Chad couldn't bear the thought of killing him.

He reached toward Tyson gently, touching his cheek. It felt just like it had when they were teenagers. Of course, Tyson was still a teenager.

"Ty... It's me," Chad said softly. "It's Chad... Do you remember me? Do you remember our hidden sanctuary in Gallows Hill Park? Do you remember when it was just you and me, and nothing else mattered?"

Tyson hissed in response. Chad sighed. "I'll fix this," he said. "I'll find a way."

Before he could do anything else, Tyson grabbed Chad's hand and snapped it at the wrist. Chad let out a startled cry of pain, but it wasn't his wrist that hurt enough to cause him to react... It was his heart.

"I love you, Tyson Wilcox," he said softly. "No matter what happens here tonight, I will always love you."

Tyson tried to take Chad's dagger from his other hand. It radiated with heat until Tyson dropped it and jumped away from Chad.

As Chad tried to figure out what to do next, Tyson attacked again. This time, he pinned Chad against a tree. He tilted Chad's head at an odd angle, and Chad braced himself for the fact that he was probably about to die. Normally, he wouldn't go down without a fight, but this was Tyson. He couldn't fight back.

"Dad!" Danika suddenly shouted as she came running toward him. Killian and Genie were right behind her.

"Kill it!" Killian suggested helpfully.

"He's not an it, and don't you dare!" Chad snapped. It was irrational, especially considering that Tyson was about to murder him, but he couldn't let any harm come to him.

"Dad..." Danika said cautiously. "We can't just let him kill you."

I deserve it, Chad thought. I didn't save him. I didn't even know he was in trouble until the bullet pierced his skull.

"We could try a spell," Genie suggested. "Maybe we can block him from hurting Chad."

"Move fast," Killian said. "The guy's about to snap his neck."

Why hasn't he already done that? Chad wondered. Looking into Tyson's dead eyes, he saw something behind them... He recognizes me, he realized. He's really in there... He's hesitating because he doesn't want to hurt me.

Chad did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his hand around the dagger's blade until he drew blood. Tyson tensed as Chad's blood flowed out of his hand.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Danika asked in horror.

Chad didn't answer her. Instead, he looked into Tyson's eyes and said, "Sleep."

Tyson hit the ground immediately, taking Chad down with him. Chad stroked Tyson's beautiful dreadlocks gently for a moment before forcing himself to stand up. Danika helped him steady himself as he took a deep breath.

"Dad," she said softly. "Who is that?"

"Tyson..." Someone else replied in horror. "Oh my God."

"Do you know him, Randy?" Genie asked.

"He was my best friend outside of the Silver Society," Randy replied numbly, his eyes haunted. "Rogue lycanthrope hunters shot him dead right in front of me. I couldn't do anything to save him..."

"So save him now," Killian said. "Just make sure it's a killing blow."

Randy looked heartbroken, but he took a deep breath and summoned his silver lance.

"Randall Schwartz, if you touch him, I will slaughter you!" Chad said firmly.

"Chad, it's the right thing to do," Randy replied gently.

"Since when do I care about the right thing to do?" Chad demanded. His eyes began to glow red, a warning that he was tapping into his full power.

"Dad, stop it," Danika said nervously.

"Randy, I suggest you run away now," Killian added as he watched red magick radiate from Chad's hands.

"Listen to the boy, Schwartz," Chad said firmly. "Get out of here."

"I can't do that, Chad," Randy replied. He inched closer to Tyson slowly.

"Don't!" Chad shouted. His misfired and blew a tree to pieces.

"More weight," Randy said softly.

"Listen, you wannabe Giles Corey-"

"It's just more weight, Chad... But you don't have to carry it alone. Don't let it break you," Randy continued. He took Chad's hands in his own.

Chad wanted to pull away, but looking at the stubborn, foolish jock who remained the only person aside from Cierra who'd seen Chad openly grieve for Tyson, he couldn't bring himself to keep fighting. Instead, Chad sank onto his hands and knees beside Tyson's unconscious form.

Randy knelt beside Chad and patted his shoulder gently. "I'll take care of Tyson," he said. "I'll wait until you leave. You shouldn't have to see that."

"No," Chad said softly.

"Chad, we can't keep him here like this. Tyson wouldn't want to be some teenage warlock's puppet."

"I know," Chad replied, his voice shaking with grief. "I meant that I'll stay... I can't leave him."

"Are you sure?" Randy asked in surprise.

"I wasn't with him the first time, but I'm not abandoning him now. I'm staying," Chad said firmly.

Randy nodded. He sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Ty." He moved quickly, impaling Tyson's chest with his lance.

Tyson's eyes flew open in shock. After a few moments, his cold, empty gaze shifted. There was life in his eyes as he looked at Chad, who held him in his arms as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I love you," Chad said softly. "I will always love you, Ty..."

Tyson found the strength to raise his hand toward Chad's cheek. He let it linger there for a moment, smiling sadly before gently wiping away a few of Chad's tears. With that, he turned to ash in Chad's arms.

Overcome with grief as if this was the first time he'd lost him, Chad broke down. He pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them tightly as he couldn't stop himself from sobbing hysterically. His grief was so raw he could not even attempt to hide it.

"Dad," Danika said softly. Watching him grieve so openly had made her start to cry, too. She knelt behind him and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Dani..." Chad's voice cracked as he allowed his daughter to hold him.

"Maybe we should go," Killian said awkwardly.

"He shouldn't be alone tight now," Genie protested.

"I've got him," Danika promised.

Randy once again patted Chad's shoulder before saying, "Zichrono Livrocho..." He shook his head. "May his memory be a blessing..."

"Danika, are you sure he'll be okay?" Genie asked.

"I'll get him through this," Danika promised.

Randy sighed, looking at the place where Tyson had been, and said, "I love you, Ty. Rest easy, man..." He paused as he looked at Chad. "Take care of yourself, Chad." He turned toward Genie and Killian before adding, "Come on, kids. I'll walk you home."

Randy guided Genie and Chad away. Left with only Danika, Chad tried to pull himself together. He couldn't.

"Dad, talk to me," Danika said soothingly.

"Not tonight, Dani," he replied softly.

"How can I help?"

"I just need to go home."

Danika nodded. She helped Chad get back on his feet. They walked back to the mansion in silence.

~*~

AJ was patrolling with the James twins when a storm started to roll in. "That looks ominous," Jagger said.

"And it came out of nowhere," Lyric added.

"Brace yourselves, guys," AJ said. "Something isn't right."

A stray dog came running toward them. "Puppy!" Jagger cried in delight.

Lyric knelt down to pet the corgi as it cowered behind Jagger. "What's wrong, boy?" She asked the dog gently.

The corgi tensed, looking at something Lyric couldn't see. He growled softly at the invisible threat.

"Easy," Lyric said soothingly. "You're okay."

"Look out!" AJ shouted. A shadow creature came toward them, lunging at the twins with its claws out.

"He's a wererat," Jagger realized as he moved protectively in front of Lyric and the corgi. The shadow rat hissed at them threateningly. Channeling his royal rat blood, Jagger hissed back in warning.

The rat changed form into a human. His eyes looked dead, but his face was full of rage. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and moved to slash Jagger's throat.

"Jag!" Lyric cried, knocking her twin to safety and wrestling the knife away from the shadow rat just in time.

"Stand down, Turner," Logan said as he and Dylan arrived.

The shadow rat immediately tried to attack Logan. He dodged the strike, but Turner tried again. While Turner was distracted with battling the rat king, Jagger broke his neck. Turner's body turned to ash before it even hit the ground.

"Dad, who was that?" Jagger asked.

"Turner Quinn... When I took over the rat pack, Turner had an issue with following the lead of a teenager," Logan explained. "He challenged my authority every chance he got, and he ended up going rogue and getting himself killed... We lost a lot of good lycanthropes that day."

"Is that why he tried to attack us? Because we're your kids?" Lyric asked.

"I think so," Logan replied. He paused as he noticed her furry companion. "Lyric... Whose dog is that?"

"He's a stray," Lyric replied. "He warned us that danger was coming. Can we keep him, Dad?"

Logan sighed. "Lyric, we can't just take in a random dog. He might belong to someone."

"Please, can we keep him?" Jagger asked as he scratched the corgi behind his ears.

"Guys-"

"Please?" The twins begged in unison.

"Dyl, a little help?" Logan asked.

Dylan knelt beside the corgi. The dog wiggled his butt eagerly as Dylan pet him. Dylan looked up at Logan and widened his eyes adorably before replying, "Please can we keep him?"

Logan couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I guess we have a new dog," he surrendered.

"Yay!" The twins and Dylan cried in unison.

AJ smiled at their reaction. "What are you going to name him?" He asked.

"Freddie," Lyric decided, making Jagger smile enthusiastically.

"Freddie?" AJ repeated.

"After Freddie Mercury, obviously," Jagger clarified.

"You guys make me so proud," Dylan said with a grin.

Lightning lit up the sky as booming thunder shook the ground. "Guys... I don't think this is over yet," AJ said as Freddie barked frantically in warning.

To confirm AJ's concerns, Bonnie walked toward them. Several of her E.V.S. friends stood by her side. The storm seemed to be following right behind them.

"Did you cause this storm, warlocks?" Lyric asked as Jagger pulled out his favorite dagger.

"She can't control it," Tristan said quickly. "Mel's just upset."

Bonnie manifested a spell in her hands. It looked like thick black smoke as she stared them down. "You should get out of our way," she said.

"Fat chance," Jagger replied.

"What are you guys up to?" AJ demanded.

"Just leave us alone!" Melanie Becker replied sharply. "We're trying to find my father."

"And my brother," Blake Mikhailov added. "And Bonnie's uncle. There is nothing nefarious going on here."

"Such big words for such a small brain," Lionel White mumbled. The youngest son of Amos was almost as sarcastic as his half-brother.

"Don't start, Lionel," Bonnie said in annoyance. She looked at Jagger's dagger and glared at him. "Our enemies are pulling weapons on us and we must stand united."

"Let's all take a breath," Tristan said diplomatically. "Yes, they're slayers and we're warlocks, but our meeting was unintentional. This doesn't have to end in a battle."

"I beg to differ," AJ replied. "You guys are clearly up to something."

"Look, we're not here to cause any trouble," Heather Ko said sweetly. She smiled at them in a way that seemed genuine, and Jagger couldn't help but trust her.

"I think they're telling the truth," Jagger said.

"Warlocks don't know how to do that," Lyric protested. "Except for a couple of our friends."

"Is that a corgi?" Shea O'Brien asked in confusion as Freddie started to approach Heather while shaking his butt enthusiastically. Shea's aunt Shannon had died during the chaos unleashed at Aideen and Courtney's seventeenth birthday party, forcing Shea's mother to continue the family legacy. After all, the O'Briens were respected members of warlock society. Shea dropped their usual tough exterior, kneeling down to pet the corgi. Freddie sniffed their hand, allowed them to pet him three times, and then went back to focusing on Heather.

"He's so cute," Heather gushed. "What's his name?"

"Freddie," Jagger replied. "F-R-E-D-D-I-E."

"Like Freddie Mercury?" Heather asked with a grin.

Holy crap, I think I'm in love, Jagger thought. Stop it, Jagger! She's a warlock. She's Mr. Ko's daughter. And even if she's not evil, Chad will probably murder me if I even think about kissing her... But she's really cute, and she understood the music reference, and her lips look very kissable and-

Dude! Stop crushing on the warlock, Lyric scolded him with a smirk.

Curse our twin telepathy! Jagger replied dramatically.

"I think we'd better go now," Dylan said cautiously. "Bonnie, if you put away the spell, Jagger will put away the dagger, and we can all move on like two ships passing in the sea."

"You don't get to tell me what to do," Bonnie replied.

"Bonnie, come on," Tristan said charmingly. "That's the best solution for everyone. We'll just pretend we didn't see each other, right?"

"The second I undo the spell, they'll attack us."

"We're not corrupt slayers," AJ protested. "We won't attack you without cause."

"Alright, on three, we'll all walk away from this," Dylan said.

Jagger moved forward to collect Freddie. The corgi licked Heather's hand before allowing Jagger to reclaim him. Jagger accidentally met Heather's eyes as he scooped up the corgi. They sparkled with light as she smiled at him.

"Thanks for letting me pet him," Heather said.

"It was his choice, but you're welcome," Jagger replied. He quickly rejoined his family and AJ.

"One," Dylan began.

"Two," Tristan added.

"Three," Melanie finished. She put a hand on Bonnie's shoulder.

Bonnie reluctantly ended the spell, absorbing the magick back into herself. Jagger put away his dagger.

"Thanks, Bonnie," Melanie said. "Now, let's go find my dad."

The Conant High School E.V.S. walked past the five slayers quickly before disappearing into the night.

"Well, that was interesting," Lyric said.

Rain suddenly fell from the sky as if someone had turned on a faucet. "We'd better get inside," Logan suggested. "Let's go to Sterling's for dinner while we wait for the storm to pass. Their outdoor seating area allows dogs, and it's covered by strong awning. We should stay dry."

"I didn't bring any money," AJ said awkwardly.

"Don't be silly, AJ," Dylan replied. "You're family. We'll pay."

Dylan put an arm around AJ's shoulder as he led the way to the restaurant. AJ couldn't shake the feeling that something big was coming, and probably sooner rather than later.

Suddenly, AJ caught a glimpse of Giles Corey from the shadows. The spirit looked at AJ stoically before pointing toward the waterfront and telepathically whispering, More weight...