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Leo's wand crackled with intense amounts of energy, fueling a frosty blizzard that poured forth from the magical object, withering trees and upturning roots as the wave of magic blasted through the forest. Leaves shattered and age old oaks burst open as Leo stepped backwards, raising his left hand as an icy mist coalesced around his outward facing palm, forming a magical barrier of ice and energy that would fend off any other creature. A piercing howl filled the air, but the instant it hit the Warlock's ears, an intense feeling of dread overpowered him. He knew that howl. That howl was familiar. He knew that howl.

Leo's eyes widened as his ward slowly dissipated, revealing the sight white fur stained crimson by his spells. The beautiful snow colored fur of the Alpha was tarnished, speckled with tiny flecks of frozen blood. Icicles protruded from the side of the wolf, disappearing deep into her side. The spell had blasted her backwards, forced her body against the side of an ancient tree trunk.

"No..." Leo stumbled forward, his feet quickly making their way to the side of the fallen Alpha. He knew all too well the power of the spell he had cast, as he had only used it once before. It was a spell saved for the most dire of situations, as it summoned power directly from leylines, solar or lunar energy, and the life force of the caster itself. It had but one purpose: Decimate everything in its path.

"Zoë...!" As best the Warlock could tell, she hadn't taken the full brunt of the spell, but it had certainly done some real damage. If he had fueled the spell himself, it would have been fine, but it wasn't his spell. It was the spell of a far more powerful Witch that had bound the wand's power to herself. A Warlock couldn't hope to come close to casting a spell of that power, even if Leo was on the brink of Witchhood.

Falling by her side, Leo set the wand next to himself on the ground, looking her over as best he could. With the color of her fur camouflaging the icicles and snow, it was difficult to discern exactly where she was injured if she wasn't already bleeding from the wound. "Zoë, can you hear me? Zoë, hey, wake up, you with me? Where are you hurt?"

For the third time in twenty four hours, Leo cast a blood slowing spell, stemming the gushing red liquid by lowering its temperature to an aqueous substance that had more difficulty exiting the body. "Zoë!"

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“Tell me something… are you happy?”

The question was simple enough… so why was it so hard to answer..? Her soft lips parting ever so slightly, Sombra turned her head, her dark eyes meeting with that of her brother as she listened to what he had to say, her mind already trying to piece together an answer while he continued to speak.

“You and James together, working for the FBI, living out wherever you live… are you happy?”

Remaining silent, she dropped her head, staring down at her lap for a few moments as she attempted to collect her thoughts. Was she happy..? When they were younger the answer would have come naturally- no. it was as simple as that. She hadn’t been happy; at least… not a lot of the time anyway. But things were different now; they were older… more mature… Things weren’t like they were back when they had been kids.

Lifting her head up, a soft sigh falling out through her lips, she frowned, her brows both furrowing lightly as she took hesitated, thinking over her words carefully before finally, she spoke, her voice soft, “..I am… but… it’s not the same, Alex…”

Turning her attention back over to where he was sitting, Sombra once more let her gaze meet with his, once more seeming to fall into a rather uncertain and nervous silence as he spoke up, letting her into his mind, and telling her exactly how he felt for the first time in five years- the mere thought of it had her heart swelling slightly. Gods, she’d missed him so damn much…

Maybe-… maybe James had been right when he had brought them back…

Hesitating, she lifted her hand, a tentative flicker crossing over her soft features before she reached out, gently taking hold of his hand, giving it a small though encouraging squeeze, doing her best, though knowing she was probably failing, to comfort him in some way, “..we won’t leave yet… we’ll stay- things have changed for the both of us, and-... and I don’t want to hurt you again… I can’t...”

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She wasn't answering him. Why wasn't she answering him? He thought for a moment about trying on his phone, but then suddenly, his mind made a connection. She was struggling against it, but then finally opened up.

The doctor slammed down on his breaks as a floodgate of paranoia and hysteria met with his mind. It knocked the wind out of him, forcing Xerxes to bend over the steering wheel a slight ways, gasping for breath. He was only subconsciously aware of the honking behind him; hell he wasn't even sure if they had hit his rear bumper or not.

Xerxes swallowed hard, trying to make sense of Seraphina's intense emotions. Nothing seemed to make sense - it was all a jumble. But then one thing shone out to him suddenly, like a beacon. She was at her work, just as he had suspected.

Having caught his breath, Xerxes severed the bond between them, knowing that it could very well affect his driving if something else had happened. He just had to make sure and hurry before it did. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, having to clear his mind enough to press back down on the gas pedal and head to the clinic. Whatever he found there, he had to be ready for it.

Please, please be okay.

---

Pulling into the vet clinic, Xerxes quickly parked his car and threw the car door open, clawing at the seat belt to free his body. He practically jumped out of the car, slamming the door shut and not bothering to lock it, ran as fast as he could into the animal hospital, the tail ends of his white doctors coat floating behind him as he wrenched the door open and rushed inside.

"Seraphina!" he called out, cupping his hands over his mouth to make his voice carry further. There were only so many room within the hospital, but he didn't want to waste any more time than necessary in searching them all. Answer me..!

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Zoé had taken off down the hallway, naked, and shifted into her wolf form. Damien stared after her in awe for a few moments. White. He wouldn't have guessed white. And although he knew her to be a wolf, it struck a certain sort of solidity within him seeing it with his own eyes. He couldn't lose her, though. So he snatched her motorcycle keys off of the small table and passed the boys by, giving them both a curt nod. They had heard what Zoé had said - to stay inside and not leave. So, as he shut the door behind him, Damien waved his hand back behind him as he jogged to her motorcycle, putting a sealing spell upon the house. The boys couldn't leave even if they wanted to. Better to ask permission than forgiveness, anyway.

He jumped onto Zoé's bike and gunned it to life before lifting his feet up and onto the bike's footholds and peeled out after her. If he lost her now, he'd just lose time trying to find her again. Time that they might not have had.

The two of them must have looked a sight. Firstly, a large, white wolf running the streets of a small city, and then a large, bald guy on a motorcycle chasing after it.

It got better once they hit a dirt road and the trees began to get thicker around them. There really wasn't any scent that could beat the smell of Oregon pine trees. He had forgotten how much he had missed it until then.

And that's when he lost her to the trees. She was there one moment, and then gone the next.

Shit...

He turned the bike quickly, spraying dirt as the wheels dug into the Earth as the bike changed directions. He'd have to find a way into the forest. So finding the first opening he could, Damien took to the trees, getting a little air off of a rock ledge that dropped him a few feet and into more trees.

Slowing the bike, Damien simply listened for anything that might give his sister's location away. What he heard next made him wish he hadn't asked for such a thing.

A sickening howl pierced his flesh right to the bone. He gunned the bike back to life and sped towards the location he knew it to be coming from.

He didn't even wait for the bike to come to a stop before Damien was jumping off of it, running to Zoé's side. There was a sudden presence of ice and snow, which made absolutely no damn sense, but the Druid continued rushing towards the blood-stained white matted fur belonging to his younger sister.

"ZO!"

Someone else was calling her name just as he did. The Druid turned his head, watching as an Asian man raced towards Zoé as well. His teeth clenched. He didn't need any explanation. He had done this.

Finally reaching them, Damien gripped the male by the shoulder of his shirt and forced him up so that Damien could look him dead in the eyes, a snap underneath his foot indicating that he had broken the wand that had been set to the side with his final step.

With his free arm, he drew it back and let a punch fly through the air, connecting with the man's jaw just as he let him go with his other hand to let him have the full brunt of the impact.

"Don't you dare touch her, you filthy Chink!" Damien roared, his eyes flashing a dull, pale blue for half of a second.

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“Everything… everything is going to change, isn’t it..?”

It was a simple enough question… though she wasn’t sure if she was ready to answer it or not. It had been a long night; and not just for her, but for everyone that had been involved in the horror that had befallen them at the camp site. Wincing slightly as Miranda chose to make herself comfortable by leaning against her body, Syleste dropped her head down in the direction of her lap where she could still feel the cool touch of the aluminium brushing against her soft skin. She hadn’t opened it yet… she still wasn’t quite sure whether or not she actually wanted it; though the gesture had been a thoughtful one.

Her mind was racing- lingering on everything that had gone down; that had been said over the past two days so far. It was a lot to take in… and it was still rather early. A soft and almost inaudible sigh falling out past her lips, she tilted her head lightly to the side, her bright though ever unseeing eyes closing as she brought it to a rest against Miranda’s, cuddling up against the girl as best as she could without aggravating her injuries.

It didn’t matter if Miranda thought she was being a diva… she was right. Things felt… strained between her and Gage; like there was something there, stopping him from opening up to her like he had not even a few day prior…

Had-... Had things really changed that much over night..? The very thought scared her...

That was when she felt it… the warmth of another’s hand playing with her own; and while at first thought she believed it to be Gage returning to the room, the familiar scent of salty sea air washing over her proved her to be wrong, “..Sebbie..?”

“I’ll swing by your house tonight to check on you tonight, Syleste, assuming that’s okay with you. I wanna talk to you about some things. I’ll bring ice cream.”

“..do-... do you have to go..?”

Her fingers curling lightly, as though trying to keep her hold over the guy holding her full attention, Syleste lifted her head back up; her voice, already quite soft, barely more than a whisper, though she knew that he would be able to hear what she was saying… what she was asking… He could always hear her; even if he was the only one listening.

..and sometimes; it felt like that was the case…

Shifting slightly over the bed, and doing her best to not jostle Miranda from her relaxed position, she dropped her head down on an angle. She didn’t want him to leave… she didn’t want to be left alone. The others were there for her… all of them- she knew that, but… there was just this… connection she had always seemed to have with Sebastian that she didn’t have with any of the others... and if what Xerxes said was true, then…

“..I-I’m not-... I’m not allowed to leave yet… Dr. Arvanitis wants to keep me here a few more nights…”

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The sound of the woman’s pained yells were more than she could bare; each and every one causing her stomach to churn violently, threatening to have the one quick piece of toast she’d had for breakfast come back up. It had been a long time since she had last worked on actual human- she didn’t like it; she never had. How Xerxes could do this sort of thing every day of his life was beyond her…

“Seraphina!”

Her eyes shutting tightly, Seraphina lifted her arm, her bloodied hand bent away from her as she buried her face against her inner elbow. It didn’t matter what anyone had to say about her… there was always a difference between when operating on a human, and when operating on an animal.

“..h-here..! W-We’re in here…” Her voice strained, though strong enough that she knew he would find him; she took another moment, doing her best to settle her stomach before she turned her attention back down to the witch laying in front of her…

..animals were easy… humans were hard… supernaturals..?

..this was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do...

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“..maldita sea, Alex…”

A rather pained, though obviously put on expression flickering over her beautiful features, Sombra lifted her dark gaze up to once more meet with her brother’s, holding it for a few moments before she looked away, her eyes rolling, “..you know… gone five years and already replaced. I see how it is.”

Turning back so that she was able to catch his attention from out the corner of her eye, she relaxed, her body resting lightly against his as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze; her smile softening as she dropped her head, gazing down at the puppy who seemed more than a little curious with sniffing at the scent he caught coming from her direction, “..I’ve missed you… Alex… really… You know; I never stopped watching over you… I just-... I’m sorry it took me so long…”

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She tried. She really did, for the other woman’s sake, not to scream, not to yell, not to let her pain show, but she couldn’t help it. Yet as the disinfectant was placed, no matter how gently, onto her wounds… it stung. It burned, the cleansing fire of the chemicals seeking to do their work, fighting against god knows what had been on the werewolves claws, teeth, and for a brief moment, Callie imagined them chasing away the microscopic bacteria and microorganisms being banished by the painful liquid.

A cleansing of sorts.

It couldn’t cleanse the guilt, the pain, the fear she felt at Alexis’s death- for Callie knew that no matter how fast Leo was, no matter how skilled he was, he would be too late. The girl was dead. Callie had seen that, she’d seen death before. She knew it was too late, and that pain was a million times worse than her injuries ever could be. She wanted to curl up around the ache in her heart, the black hole in her stomach that seemed to suck everything, all her joy, happiness, warmth away, leaving only a black sucking hole that seemed to ebb pain, even as her body echoed with pain.

”I’m sorry… “ she whispered to Seraphina, even as someone else’s voice pierced through the fog of pain and grief in her mind, her heart, her soul, shouting out to Seraphina… Callie barely paid any attention to it. She shouldn’t be here, bringing even more complications with her on the woman helping her, but she couldn’t go to the hospital- that much she knew. Another attack? So close to the teens? Someone was bound to ask more questions, and a police chief protection probably wouldn’t be enough to stay off the radar.

”I’m making things hard for you… “ her voice was cracked, probably from the screaming, and thick despite that- from the emotions she was feeling. Emotions were bad, if she was going to use more magic…

If she ever used magic again.

That thought sent a jolt through her, and she nearly did curl around herself, only resisting when she realised it would make things that much harder for Seraphina. Magic had gotten her into this mess… magic had seen Alexis killed… what had magic ever done for her? Tears trickling down her cheeks once more, leaving tracks down the grim there, Callie closed her mouth tightly. She would try, and try hard, to not make another sound. She didn’t want to be causing someone else suffering.

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Alone in the house as Zoé and Damien left, Cody turned to Aron, trying to keep himself calm, but… it was hard, knowing something was going on, something almost deadly serious. Who had died? Did they know who it was? If it had been Syleste or Sebastian, someone would have told them by now, of that Cody was certain. Gage, or Cassie, or Miri, or maybe all through would have texted or called… and there was nothing on his phone. Sighing softly, he tried to calm himself by focusing on Aron… but...

He turned away, walking down the hallway, shaking slightly. He went through the motions of locking the place up, although he suspected a locked door wouldn’t do much against anyone, let alone the wolf that had attacked them. He just had to hope that they were safe enough… it gave him something to do as he checked the doors, and windows, a rhythmic task that let him focus, if only slightly.

He stopped out the window, waiting a moment or two, to see if maybe Zoé was coming back, knowing he was being childish, but… he was worried, more than a little scared, and freaked out. He looked to Aron silently, wanting to comfort him… he’d loved … or thought he’d loved Aron for years… and he didn’t want him to be, well, feeling like Cody was now. Yet it seemed wrong to try and give him comfort, when someone was hurt… when their friends were hurt… it seemed wrong to be okay, when others weren’t, because of the same thing…

”I’m sorry… “ he said softly to Aron, who didn’t seem to see that anything was truly amiss with him. Which only served to make things worse. Turning away from Aron, he retreated to the living room, sighing and sitting on the couch, checking his phone again. When Aron joined him, he looked up, and managed a smile, reaching out for him. If their friends had been hurt, or harmed, Cody was sure that by now someone would have contacted them. So… things were okay with their friends…

He pulled Aron into his arms, and leaned against him, still worried… but letting himself enjoy Aron’s warmth, and his soothing scent as it washed over him. Whatever was going on, they were sure to know soon enough, wouldn’t they? There was no use trying to figure out what had happened… Cody was sure that if it had had anything to do with any of their friends, then Zoé would have said something, if only to ease their minds. He lay his head on Aron’s shoulder, trying to still his rapidly thinking mind, finally sighing, he rose once more, searching the house until he returned with a notepad and pencil, settling back down beside Aron, using him to lean against, tilting his head to look at him for a moment, and smiling.

If he acted like he was at ease, then…. Maybe he could stop from freak out. Settled, or at least as close to it as seemed possible right then, Cody stared at the blank lined page in front of him a moment, thinking, before he started to write.

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Myra stared out the window for a few moments, utterly frustrated. Why did children have to be so… utterly unreasonable? Did they seriously expect her to know everything, off the top of her head? Magically? Everyone else around her might be Supernatural, but she was just plain old vanilla human. Kick ass plain old vanilla human, but still human. She couldn’t pull information out of thin air- it took her ten minutes just to deal with setting her own damn alarm when she got a new phone. And James expected her to pull up information at the snap of a finger? Where Sombra got her talent with computers, Myra would never know. What the hell was she meant to do? Trace the girls phone? Not only was it illegal, Myra couldn’t do it from where she was, and she certainly wasn’t going to ask someone at the station to do it.

Fucking Hell! She’d done a shitload just to make sure no one would look too closely at the attack! How was she illegally meant to keep track of the kids, when Zoé could do that easily enough? What the hell did he expect of her?! Her hands curled into fists, anger burning through every cell of her body, it seemed, or at least to her. She almost wanted to go hunt him down and punch him again- there was something about the fact that she could just keep on hitting him and knowing that he would heal that was oddly satisfying.

She knew that that would get her no where, however and she sighed bitterly to herself. She didn’t even have Arlo there. Right then, it seemed like the pup was the only one who wasn’t angry at her. She turned away from the window, sitting down on the bed, she took out her phone, glaring at the thing as if daring it to play up and make things harder than they had to be. The little worm wanted her to do something, to help out “Family”, then she’d bloody well do it to shove it up his ass, despite the fact it would take her three times as long, if not more, to do it. The little shit thought he was better then her, well if he cared about his sister so much, he’d fucking well call her himself- grow some damn balls and face his baby sister, or go to the damn hospital himself. So quick to judge about her, but what the hell was he doing?

He talked about “helping family” but what the hell had he done the last five years but make his, and her own family, suffer and wonder where they were, for five fucking years? Disappearing off the face of the earth, no trace, no sign, just running the first chance they got, running away, not given them any sign they were alive, over the five years, he didn’t seem to care about family then! “Thought we were doing the right thing!” Bullshit! Letting them know that they were alive, that would have been the right thing, and Myra wouldn’t have had to worry every single day that her daughter was dead somewhere, unclaimed, a “Jane Doe”. Wouldn’t have had to worry that her baby girl was hurt, or in trouble somewhere, for five years… he could talk big about being helpful to family, but what had he done, these last five years, but hurt family?

She dropped her head into her hands, one hand holding the phone. She missed her. She missed her baby girl, and to have her be so close, yet still so far away… it was a constant ache in her heart, and to be reminded of everything she’d missed… everything she would miss by that… by that fucking worm… it was too much. Tears she hadn’t wanted to fall fell unbidden, stinging her eyes, even as she tried to stifle the sobs that wanted to come out, pushing them back, trying to get control of herself once more.

She didn’t want to lose Sombra again, but knew that one way or another, she would. Sombra had a life, and it was quite clear that Myra wasn’t going to have a say in whether or not she’d have a part in it.

That was up to Sombra, and Sombra had always had a mind of her own, a strong will that rivaled even hers. She wanted Sombra to stay more than life itself, wanted to be apart of her life, of her grandchild’s life… more than anything in the world. She wondered briefly, fleetingly if maybe Sombra would consider naming the child after Damien, if it was a boy. The thought of her lost brother caused her to sigh, even as she wiped her eyes. He’d just disappeared into the wind, and nothing had found him. She was supposed to be the oldest, be the responsible one, and make sure her siblings were both okay, and what happened? Zoé got attacked by a werewolf, turned, and Damien went missing.

She seemed doomed to be good at protecting others, and poor at protecting her family. And even the protecting others wasn’t that great, letting a whole group of kids be attacked right under her nose…

She wiped any evidence of the tears away, not fussed about her jacket, looking to her phone once more, before she dialed the familiar number for the station. As one of her staff answered, Myra said ”Pull up information on the Burke Girl” She made her tone as no nonsense as she could, “Ping her phone, find out where it was last used, or as close to it as possible. She might have something she can tell us. If anyone says anything, tell them I’ve ordered it”

She could damn well lose her job over this, so the little shit better be happy about it. And if he wasn’t, well, fuck him. -As she waited for the information, confirming that yes, his sister was a better person then he’d ever be, and was at the hospital with, she assumed, her injured friends, she ended the call. She threw her phone on the bed, dropping her head into her hands once more.

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Selena wasn’t sure at all what to make of this hunter… she was bold and sure of herself, but then, most hunters were. Yet she seemed… kind in her own way, and understanding. It threw her off balance- most hunters when they found out what she was generally tried to kill her or distrusted her too much to even give her a little bit of help. Karena seemed different.., Oh, Selena was sure that Karena didn’t trust her as far as she could throw her, the feeling was mutual, but at least she was tolerating her. That was more then she got from most people. ”Well. I understand that the Alpha is busy, and I don’t want to disturb her, yet. But I clearly have to speak with her, and will do so tonight. I’d rather she not be warned about me- Just so she doesn’t think I’ve been going about things behind her back.

I can also understand that you wish to keep an eye on me. I would, if I were you” Selena said with mild amusement, ”So, I’ll just hang around the gym a bit then, shall I? If you see a white cat with bi-colour eyes, she’s mine. She always manages to find me, no matter where I go” Selena said, as she showed herself out the office, a little glad to be away from there.

Bemused, Karena listened to the young woman, and watched her go. Not much older than her girls, and yet, this girl had all the confidence of them and more, yet it was wrapped around a shattered frame. Shifting, Karena pulled herself closer to her desk, opening her computer once more, she began to type. It was time she took a closer look at dear ol’ Abe, and his wayward adopted daughter. There was more to the girl then meets the eye.

Selena stepped out into the gym, walking down the stairs and towards some of the gym equipment. She smiled to herself, and began to work out on some of the machines. It was always amusing to see the humans impressed by how much she could lift. She never over did it- no point making them think she was a monster.

If only they knew.

She let her thoughts wonder. There was so much going on… and so much she needed to do. But only a few things she wanted. And one of them was to stay as far away from the girl as possible. Even if she knew that it would backfire in the end. She just wouldn’t go to the hospital. Surely the alpha wouldn’t go there, wouldn’t be there all day?

Selena sighed, resigning herself to her fate. Maybe the girl wouldn’t want anything romantic or such… maybe they’d just be friends, and then Selena could kind of be free. Yeah, right. She’d always be lured back to the girl, and never have any other pursuits. That was the way of imprinting.

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"..h-here..! W-We’re in here…”

He could hear her. Not just in his head, but physically. His head turned towards the sound, dark eyes landing on a door he probably would have completely passed by if he had started to just run through the clinic to try and find her.

He became vaguely aware that his palms had become sweaty. Was he ready for what was behind that door? Seraphina; though he hadn't known her for very long she had become a good friend. From the way he was picking up on her emotions, whatever was behind that door was not good. He closed his eyes, only to open them again to see that his glasses had started to fog from the heat of his unshed tears teasing at his ducts.

He balled his hand into a fist. No. He had to do this. Whatever met him on the other side, he had to deal with it. She called him for a reason. She had faith in him. Even... even when sometimes he didn't exactly have faith in himself.

Taking a deep breath, Xerxes took a moment to steel his emotions before he headed towards the door. Reaching a hand out, he turned the cold, brass knob and allowed himself entry.

The stench of blood was unmistakable, and had almost gone unnoticed by his senses at first from being around it so often. But the sight that he came across refused to let his other senses remain adaptable.

"Fucking shit..."

At first, it was hard to tell who it was that was bleeding, and then the doctor realized that it wasn't just Seraphina in the room. A young woman lay sprawled out on an operating table, crying out in pain and tears and apologizing while Seraphina seemed to be doing the same. But as soon as Xerxes realized that it wasn't Seraphina who needed the medical attention, something in his brain clicked, and the doctor rushed to her side to try and assess the situation.

"What's happened?"

“..I-I-...” Unsure of where to even begin, Seraphina lifted her head, her bright blue tear stained eyes glistening slightly as she met with his gaze, holding it for only a fraction of a second before the quick jerk of the woman’s body under her touch once more gained her attention, causing her to once more attempt to focus back on what she was doing… on what she had to do…

“..h-he brought one of them h-here… Magnus; he-... he brought a w-witch here… he used magic on one of the d-dogs… I… I did not like it; he was not happy… but the witch left; i-it was when I c-called you… someone was w-watching me…” Her each and every action hesitant, she did her best, not wanting to bring the woman anymore pain than what she was feeling at this moment- witch or not… she didn’t deserve this… no one did, “..t-then he c-came back… he-... he brought h-her with him… she’s a witch too… h-he said-... he said a wolf did this to her… if that’s true then… then we have to l-leave, I-... I have to get Layla out of this place…”

Callie wanted to curl up, wanted to just be away from it all, but she took it as her punishment for letting Alexis die. She knew the girl was dead, even if Leo wanted to believe otherwise. She let out a small whimper, wanting to shy away from what the vet was doing, but forcing herself to stay as still as she could. ”Wolf… attacked… Alexis, Alexis, Alexis” she barely held back a sob as she spoke the girl’s name, ”Why… “

"Shhh..." Xerxes opened up his hand and hovered it over the young woman's chest. Seraphina he could deal with in a moment. It was the young girl, the Witch, that needed his immediate attention. He would piece together everything that Seraphina had tried to tell him later. His years of medical training and sheer intuition told him that now was not the time. Now... he needed to save a life.

He had never worked on a Witch before - they tended to steer clear of medical hospitals. Probably for very good reason. Probably for the same reasons weres and other supernatural creatures did. Their own damn safety in this world.

Cassandra... She would never be able to see a real doctor again. He would have to be it. Either him or Seraphina. She was really the only other medical doctor he knew within their world.

Bringing himself back to the present, knowing fully well that he couldn't be worrying about his daughter right then, Xerxes watched as the magic he held continued to pool into the young woman. Already her hysteria levels were diminishing, which in turn seemed to relax Seraphina, if just a bit.

"It's going to be alright. Sleep. All will be better when you wake."

It was a technique he used often. Some patients often had hard times taking to the drugs that were supposed to put them to sleep. He'd let his assistants ready the patient and put them on the operating table while he assembled his tools, and when the drug wouldn't take by the time he was ready to operate, he would simply talk to them as a father would to a child who was having a hard time sleeping. Or at least that's what he imagined it looked like to the outside world. Either way, he had a lot of success with using his power of empathy to his advantage.

Callie didn’t like the feel of another’s magic being used on her- especially one that felt alien and different to a witch’s magic, but she found that as it went on, she didn’t care. She didn’t want to go to sleep, and she struggled against it for a moment or two, before letting go, defeated. What did she have to fight, right then?

She let her eyes close, the horrible scene flashing past her eyes a moment, before it was gone. Blessed blackness washing over her, even if she didn’t think she deserved it.

With the girl finally asleep, Xerxes had but a moment of reprieve. Finally, his senses weren't going haywire and he could simply focus now on the reason that drew him away from work in the first place.

"Seraphina, I need you to focus right now, okay? I don't know who this girl is, or who the other people you mentioned are or why anyone would be watching you. What I do know... is that Cassie was also attacked by a wolf just last night-" he quickly held up a hand to quell anything she might have said to interrupt him at the news. "-she's fine. I saw to her myself. But there's more going on here than I think either of us realize. I don't know if it was the same wolf that attacked this girl, here, or not. But if it was... this Witch will have more information on what happened to Cassie than I had before. And she could have information that could keep you and Layla safe. But we have to work together first to save her life. Understand?"

Her heart sank within the confines of her chest. Cassie… Cassie had been attacked..? Layla, she-... she’d wanted to go with them- to go camping with her friends; but the thought of her being out in the open… and with a siren nonetheless had her restless, so she had asked her not to go. If that was the case; the attack everyone seemed to be speaking about-...

“..n-no…” Taking a couple of steps backwards, Seraphina’s back hit the cages, causing a gentle though obvious clang to sound, and for the animals within them to stir a little restlessly, “..n-no, I-... I have to go… I-I have to go- I have to get Layla away from h-here…”

Xerxes exhaled softly through his nose. He could understand her emotional pain. Had he not said to himself the exact same thing once he discovered that Cassandra had been turned? Hell... he still wasn't entirely sure that's not what he wanted to still do once things settled down. But he also knew that people needed him. People he cared about. It was why he was here with Seraphina.

"Hey... hey... it's okay. Seraphina, it's okay. Just look at me, okay? Focus on me." She was panicked. He couldn't let her reach that point of absolute hysteria. There was only one of him. He couldn't look after both of them under these circumstances.

Xerxes took a tentative step towards Seraphina and placed his warm hands gently on her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze, all the while keeping his dark eyes anchored to hers.

"I'm here now, alright? I'm here to help. I'm not going to let anything happen to Layla, okay? Layla is just fine. But I need your help. Help me help you."

Her attention forced onto him as she felt the weight of his hands resting upon her shoulders, his touch helping to comfort her, even just a little, Seraphina brought her gaze to meet with his, the sheer intensity making it near impossible for her to look away again. He wanted to help… it was why he had come- why he had answered her call… he’d come all that way just for her…

Hesitant, knowing that she might be making a mistake, she nodded her head slowly, her gaze never once able to part with his own as she spoke softly, “..o-okay…”

Good. He got her to understand. And... to his knowledge... he didn't even have to use any of his empathy on her. But that was the strange connection between Angels - they seemed to simply... draw off of one another, ability-wise. So perhaps he had calmed her down through magic. Either way, she was willing to help him.

He gave her a curt nod, followed by a flickering, appreciative smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. Releasing his hold on her arms, he returned to the operating table and put on a pair of rubber gloves from Seraphina's station.

"Now, help me get her undressed. I need to examine these wounds."