A/N: I'm emotional right now, Jaz and Darius are too much, they're too cute. That vow....was everything... 😭 Not gonna lie, I'm still concerned they're not bonded, but even in the face of impending doom our girl Jaz is still stubborn....🙄 

Thank you so much for reading!

Language Key:

Ma'kaeta [Mah' Kay-tah] - big sister

Asarak Rotelinja [Ah-zah-rahk Roh- tel-leen-ha ] Demon Annihilator (female)

Ja'diem [Zhah-dee-ehm] Holy shit

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Darius and I walked slowly through a vast meadow, the sun was shining so bright against the mountains that surrounded surrounded us. I know we're still in Scotland and the compound is just on the other side of the mountains. No more than a days walk away, but why are we so far away from the compound?

"I don't know, Jaz. Something doesn't feel right." Darius said squeezing my hand as he looked around us in alarm.

"Mm so you're the Mercatija Gaia chose for my daughter. The Asarak Rotelinjo." Sol's voice rumbled as he appeared from the trees at the edge of the meadow. De'mujos inching out of the trees behind him.

"Sol." Darius growled pulling me behind him, his lips curled into a snarl as his incisors lengthened, rage burning in his stone grey eyes.

Sol grinned his fangs dripping with fresh blood. He held his hand up, keeping the bloodthirsty de'mujos at bay, keeping his deadly crimson eyes on Darius.

"My de'mujos are eager to feast on the blood of the ancients. Will you sacrifice them all for her?" He asked walking slowly towards us. The massive ten deep hoard of de'mujos creeping behind him, snarling and biting each other eager to taste our blood. I dug my nails into Darius' arm, this has to be a dream we are not here. This can't be real!

It's not, litani. Sol is taunting us. He growled, keeping his eyes on him.

"I can't believe you haven't even bound her to you, that ridiculous mark you've put on her won't stop me. I will have my daughter, Asarak." Sol laughed darkly and I growled behind Darius rage and heat coursing through me as fire ignited at my fingertips.

"I don't belong to you, Sol." I growled darkly, the ground quaking beneath him stopping his pursuit towards us as thick roots erupted from the ground twisting and choking the de'mujos behind him. The roots wrapped themselves around him twisting his limbs behind his back. He chuckled looking down at me a proud grin on his face.

"You do, m've sesti. We will infect the world together, you'll see." He smiled as I roared in anger. A ball of fire burst from my fist and hurtled towards Sol's laughing face.

I jumped awake just as Darius gasped and looked at me his eyes dark, a slight snarl on his face.

"We need to get back to the compound, Jaz. Sol is close." He growled as I nodded, my rage still coursing through my veins.

Sol thinks he is just going to waltz on this compound, say he's my father and turn me. I smirked shrugging on my clothes, he has no idea the vastness of his daughter's power. He won't take me with out a damn good fight. I growled clenching my fists.

"That's my girl." Darius grinned sliding his hands over my cheeks.

"Show him why you're the Asarak's dejaina." He growled his eyes deadly and dark. I smiled sliding my hands around his waist.

"And why he shouldn't underestimate us." I growled as he chuckled kissing me softly.

"Too right. Let's go, we need to warn everyone." He said taking my hand. We opted for the quicker root home and flew back to the compound.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as we opened the door to the main house. I followed Darius into a small room just inside the main foyer. The room was full of different levers and buttons as if this is some sort of control room.

"It is a control room, we've booby trapped the compound for scenarios just like this. It's also the alarm system." He said pulling a black lever and bells and sirens began to fill the house, echoing across the compound.

He pushed the lever back up after a few minutes, chuckling slightly.

"That should wake everyone up." He smiled as I uncovered my ears.

"You fucking think? Ja'diem! Sol probably heard that." I hissed and he shook his head.

"Nah, the sound is contained in the barrier." He said as we heard the rumble of footsteps and the flood of Rekeseaus bursting into the main hall running with purpose down the hall.

"Let's go, Jaz." He said taking my hand as we followed behind the rest of the group.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we jogged behind everyone hustling down a set of stairs which looked like a dungeon.

"The command room." He said as we followed behind the kues into a massive hall at least a hundred feet below the main floor and there was still another level below this one.

I looked over the stone railing to see the steel vault below us, the door was open and it looked as though the lab was fully set up. I breathed a sigh of relief, at least there is hope for a cure now.

"Come on, we have to tell them why I pulled the alarm." Darius said taking my hand as we moved through the crowd towards Jack and his brothers who were standing in front of everyone, looking at us in confusion.

"What's going on, Darius? That better not have been a false alarm." Jack grumbled.

"It wasn't, Sol is close." He said as he nodded.

"Tells us what you know." He said. I squeezed his hand looking at all of his nieces and nephews waiting for us to explain what's happened. Oh God, they're all are putting their lives in jeopardy because of me.

We all know the risk, Jaz. This isn't our first rodeo. He said squeezing my hand.

"Sol is no more than a day away, he could be closer now. In any event he and his army of de'mujos will be here by nightfall. We need to do final preparations today." Darius explained.

"How do you know? That's some pretty accurate timing." One of his nephews called out.

"Well Sol, being my father, he has a way of reaching me in my dreams. Last night he taunted Darius and I, he let us see his army and how close he is. Our timing could be wrong, he's tricked me before. The important thing is, he isn't here now. We have time to secure everyone we need to." I said as the crowd nodded.

"Jaz is right, we need to fine tune our defenses. This is our land and we will stop at nothing to protect one of our own." Jack said as the Rekeseaus erupted in a loud cheer of 'Whey!' as they dispersed up to the main hall to prepare.

Vienne and Shane! My heart is beating so fast, I need to get them and the twins here right now. I have to make sure they are protected from everything, I can't lose them too.

Let's go get them, litani. He said squeezing my hand as we made our way out of the command room.

"They're probably freaking out, dear God my mind is on so many things right now." I sighed shaking my head.

"It's alright, you saw the vault, they're going to be fine. Nothing will penetrate that. We'll seal off the vault and that entire floor when the fighting starts. Don't worry." He smiled kissing my hand, I nodded, taking a deep breath. At least I know they'll be safe no matter what happens.

We walked in our house just as Shane and Vienne were walking quickly to the door the twins strapped to their chests, bags and blankets over their shoulders and I smiled.

"How can you smile at a time like this! Didn't you hear the alarms?" Shane huffed as his Hazel eyes wide with panic.

"Yes, we're the ones who set them off and I'm smiling because you don't need all of that." I laughed as Darius and I took the bags and blankets from their shoulders.

"What do you mean? We need our clothes and the babies' bottles and formal." Vienne said looking at us in confusion.

"Everything is in the main house, you don't need to bring anything with you, but Knox and Jaden's blankets." Darius smiled plucking an orange tiger and green dragon blanket from the baby bags.

"Come on, let's get the twins settled in the main house and we'll show you the vault where you'll be staying." I said slipping my arm through Vienne's guiding her out of the door.

"Why did you ring the alarm? Sol must be close." Vienne sighed as she kissed Jaden's head.

"He is, we think he'll be here tonight." I sighed watching the busy compound. Kues were setting various traps in the ground and trees. The time for playing was over, the deadly warrior Rekeseaus everyone knows them to be was written all over their faces as they worked together to prepare the compound for war.

"Dear lord, this-this is unreal." Shane breathed behind us as he watched a group of kues secure a catapult in the ground and fill it with black tar.

"This is war, Shane." Darius sighed and I can hear the slight worry in his words.

I'm not worried, sesti. I'm anxious, I have never liked war and I definitely don't like that you're fighting with me. I wish I could lock you up in the vault too. He said and I chuckled shaking my head.

*Now* you're going to get all primitive dejaino? What happened to 'Sol will never take you from me, he'll never win, litani'. I mocked looking back at him to roll my eyes. He smirked shaking his head.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't rather lock you up to guarantee he won't take you from me. He grumbled.

Like I'd ever let you lock me up anywhere. I scoffed and he chuckled looping his finger around my belt loop pulling me back against his chest.

You'd let me lock you to a bed, though. I might do that when this is over. He growled against my neck. I blushed hard at the raised eyebrows Vienne and Shane were giving us.

"Well, you two are pretty, um, calm about all of this." Shane chuckled.

"We're not, Darius is just being completely inappropriate at a time like this." I glared up at him but couldn't help the grin that spread across my face at the playfulness in his eyes.

I hope that's a promise, because I'm going to hold you to it, dejaino. I smiled looking back at Shane and Vienne as we walked into the bustling house.

You know damn well it is. He grinned behind me as Lana came rushing down the hall towards us.

"Oh good you're here, come with me and we'll get the babies settled, then I'll show you the vault." She smiled taking Vienne and Shane's hands as she looked at Darius and I.

"You two need to get suited and help secure the barrier. I'll take care of them." She smiled and I looked at Vienne who's eyes were brimming with tears.

"It's alright, Vienne. I'll see you before you go into the vault." I said hugging her and Jaden.

"O-ok, promise me?" She said holding her hands against my cheeks.

"I promise, Vienne. I love you, ma'kaeta." I whispered kissing her forehead.

"I love you too, Jaz." She sniffed as she let me go to follow after Lana and Shane.

I sighed watching as they disappeared down the corridor. Darius squeezed my hand turning me to look at him.

"They're going to be fine." He smiled and I nodded.

"I know, come on kue let's get suited." I grinned a bubble of excitement washing over me. I know I should be freaking out a bit more, but I really love being in my armor. It makes me feel powerful.

"Alright, you deadly little minx, let's go." He laughed as we walked down the hall to the training room.

We met up with his father and brothers who were huddled around a makeshift table at the edge of the training fields. A massive blueprint of the compound was sprawled across the table with various points pinpointed on the page.

"Good, you two are here. We're discussing vantage points. We need to take out as many de'mujos as possible to isolate Sol." Damon said pointing at the various traps they set around the compound.

"Then we need to bait him with you Jaz." Byron said as Darius growled next to me.

"No."

"Yes." I said as he looked at me in shock.

Jazmine, we're not using you as bait. He growled his eyes dark and smoldering. I sighed looking back at his father and brothers.

"Where do you need me to be?" I asked and I can feel Darius seething next to me.

"We're not using her as bait." He snarled at them and they looked at him and looked at me unsure of what to do. I sighed, shaking my head.

"Will you excuse us for one moment." I said gritting my teeth as I pushed Darius hard away from the table towards the field.

"What the fuck is your problem all of a sudden?" I asked clenching my fists glaring at his angry eyes.

"I don't have a problem, we're just not using you as fucking bait, Jazmine! This is Sol we're talking about. I'm not going to hand you to him on a silver fucking platter!" He roared throwing his hands in the air.

"How the fuck else are we going to get him to show himself? Have you forgotten that I'm what the fuck he wants? Don't be stupid Darius you know damn well I have to be bait. You also know I'm capable of handling my fucking self." I seethed grabbing his collar pulling his face to me.

"I'm the Goddamn Asarak Rotelinja and I won't let my father touch me, dejaino." I growled the truth in my glowing eyes burning a hole straight into his soul.

He let out a breath his eyes wide, the anger in them fading away.

"Sesan, litani. I-I know that, I didn't think I'd get this protective of you like this. I know you're capable of this, but everything in me wants to put you in that fucking vault." He sighed, pressing his forehead against mine and my eyes softened as I pressed my hand to his cheek.

"I know and I understand, but you have to let me do this." I whispered as he nodded, taking a deep breath, sliding his hand over mine.

"Okay."

"Good." I smiled giving him a quick kiss before walking back to the table.

"Are you two okay now? Do we need to alter the plan?" Jack asked looking worriedly at both of us, Darius blushed shaking his head.

"No, we're good. There's no need to alter the plans." He sighed.

"Honestly we didn't think so, you were never going to win that fight." Byron laughed slapping his hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

"Yeah, but he had to try right?" I laughed at his blushing face.

"Too right, alright let's explain the plan then." Jack said rubbing his hands together as he pointed on the blueprint where I need to be.

The plan was pretty simple, once we've taken out at least a third of his army I am supposed to be as clear of any kues as possible to give the illusion I'm unprotected. The rest of the kues will cloak themselves around me. When Sol is close enough to me, we will enclose him in a multifold weave of our combined energy to trap him.

Once we've captured and subdued him we'll enclose him in the vault to extract an antidote from his blood. At that point, Gaia will know what else to do with him.

After agreeing to the battle plans, I helped the other kues and healers secure the barrier. I made sure I knew exactly where I need to be in the field, I walked around the compound memorising where every hidden trap and vantage point were.

Are you alright? Darius asked sliding his arm around my waist as I watched a few of his nephews settle into their positions in a tree, securing their bow and arrows against their backs.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded up at him but tears pooled in my eyes betraying my lie. Fuck.

"We're going to be alright," he whispered kissing the tear on my cheek, "let's go spend some time with your family." He said rubbing my back as I nodded.

"Yeah I think I need that." I sighed, letting him lead me towards the main house. Everything was so quiet around us, the energy in the earth was calm as if there wasn't an impending battle coming.

"It's just the calm before the storm, sesti. It's always like this." He smiled but I can see the bit of worry and guilt creeping in his eyes. I squeezed his hand and smiled.

"I want to fight, Darius. Stop feeling guilty as if you're betraying me. I can protect myself." I said and he sighed.

"I know you can, but the 'domineering' dejaino in me is still struggling with this. I'm supposed to protect you from all of this. Your hands should never have blood on them." He said kissing my palm and shook my head at him.

"I wasn't born to be sheltered from this. I'm not like other dejainas, litano. I'm a warrior just like you, my hands were always going to have blood on them." I said and he smiled.

"I know and I love the warrior in you, but I'll always be a dejaino and want to protect you."

"So protect me, Darius. Let's kill the parasite." I smiled and he nodded kissing my forehead.

"You're right." He smiled.