The ambulance screeched around a corner and plowed through the gates of the dragonkin compound, blasting past the two unsuspecting kin before they could do anything. Ian's hands were supporting Rhia's head to the side to keep her from choking. His head was hung low, stuck in a trance-like state, and muttering in a low whisper, using every ounce of power he had to keep her from seizing again.

Maddox held Rhia's limp hand in a crushing grip. He was shaking uncontrollably, but that could have been the wild ambulance ride. "Come on, kid." He tried to shut out the memory of that horrible moment he found her on the kitchen floor of the house she used to share with Church. Crying, broken, bruised, and bloody... it had been lucky Church wasn't there. Maddox would have shot him. It had been the worst drive of his life. Until now at least. "Don't you do this to me again." He begged.

"She's going to be fine." The dragonkin, Dáithí, said with a conviction Maddox just couldn't comprehend.

"How do you know?" Maddox narrowed his eyes at the male's hand on her hip. That was an awfully intimate gesture for a guy she'd never mentioned before.

"Her powers are awakening." His mouth curled up in a smile.

"What does that mean?!"

"She's half-blood kin."

"She's human! There are no half-blood dragonkin."

"The dragons would love for the world to think that."

Rhia jerked and a strangled, guttural sound came from her throat. Ian's muttering intensified. Dáithí's hand slipped up her waist and he leaned forward, inching closer to her. Maddox grabbed Dáithí by the collar of his shirt and forced him back in the seat, then grabbed his index finger off Rhia's waist and wrenched it back until he felt bones crack. Sand-colored snake eyes met his in a silent threat.

The doors opened suddenly, and two dragonkin looked skeptically at the group. "This is a private health facility." The male said coolly. "There is nothing we can do for a-"

"Dáithí?" the female gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Dáithí shoved Maddox off him and hopped out of the ambulance. "Help her." he snapped shortly.

"No." the male snarled back. "Take her to a human hospital."

He grabbed the healer and shoved him against the wall, snarling as if he were in his dragon skin. "Help her." his voice was darker, hoarser.

"What are you doing?" the healer hissed back. "How are you... you shouldn't be able to-"

Dáithí cut off his air and moved his face within millimeters of the other male. "I am not one of your dragons' pets." He growled. "Help. Her."

The female stepped into the ambulance and scooted around the side opposite of Maddox. Gently she pushed Ian back. The faeling sucked in a gasp as his hold on the magic snapped. Maddox grabbed his shoulders to keep him from slumping to the floor. Rhia's eyes flew open and a sudden pulse of magic tore from her body. The ambulance shut down and the female's movements turned urgent. "Mithras!" she called to the male as she tilted Rhia's head back to get a better look at her eyes. The eyes of a dragonkin. "Mithras, we need to get her inside now!"

Mithras slowly edged around the snarling Dáithí until he could look into the vehicle. His own eyes widened in shock. "She's yfeerie." Dáithí hissed.

Mithras gripped the railing of the stretcher and dragged it out with the female's help. Without another word, they pushed her towards the doors of the facility. Dáithí held the door open for them and jerked his head for Ian and Maddox to follow. The healers were shouting for help and several kin joined them. At a pair of heavy double doors, the female that recognized Dáithí turned and stopped the three males. "You can't go in with her." She said quickly.

"That's my sister!" Maddox tried to push past.

"I can help." Ian slurred and wobbled on his feet.

Dáithí didn't say anything. He grabbed the female by her shoulders and shoved her out of the way. They all but ran into the room. Another kin rounded on him, snarling.

"Leave them be." The female snapped.

"Sophie-" Mithras tried to speak.

Sophie glared at the male. A silent moment passed between them as the others pushed the gurney into the center of the room and locked the wheels. Rhia's convulsions were getting worse. Wild magic was pulsing from her in unpredictable spurts. "I can help." Ian said again and pulled at what remained of his magic.

Mithras shoved Ian back effortlessly and moved to stand at her head. Maddox caught him before he fell and sneered at the healer. "What the hell, man?"

"We don't need your paltry fae magic." Mithras said in the most condescending way possible.

An inhuman snarl tore from Rhia's throat. Another wave of magic threw every dragonkin, including Dáithí, back and slamming them hard enough against the wall to crack the concrete walls. The air itself caught fire and the flames ripped around her, Ian, and Maddox in a protective cyclone of red, gold, green, and white flames. The heat was incredible. The dragonkin were getting the worst of it, but Maddox could feel his own skin begin to burn. Ian grabbed her hand, but his magic was too weak against the raw power of her own. They needed to do something before she killed all of them.

Maddox reached of his sister and gathered her in his arms. The tears in his eyes evaporated before they had a chance to fall. Ian gritted his teeth and forced the last drop of magic he could summon into her. The flames slowed and her body relaxed. "Maddy?" she choked. "Ian?

"We're here, kid," Maddox didn't recognize his own voice. He lay her back down, keeping his hands on her face to keep her focus on him. "We're here. You're okay." He could feel her racing pulse under his fingers. The kin moved slowly around them, wary of her power. "Focus on us, Rhia. Stay with us."

Mithras took his place her head and lowered his hands to her temples. Her eyes fluttered as dragon magic began to flow into her. The flames began to flicker out. Her whole body went limp. He couldn't feel her pulse anymore. Her heart stopped.

~

"That one kind of looks like you!" Rhia laughed.

"Better the nameless E.M.T. than prop model number five." Ian snorted and threw popcorn at her. "She looks way more like you than he does to me."

"I look nothing like her! They way over did the contrast on the hair and eyes. She looks like she belongs in a Disney movie!"

"Yeah, you're right. That can't be you," Maddox smirked. "Disney princesses can sing."

She threw a pillow at him. "Eat my ass, Maddy."

He snickered and turned back to the T.V. Nolan leaned in behind her, his words hot in her ear. "I would be more than happy to eat your ass, pet." he breathed making her shiver and flush.

"Dude!" Maddox gagged.

A new character appeared on the screen. Lightning flickered between his fingertips and he slammed his palms against the patient's chest, shocking her. Lightning flashed outside the window. "What are they doing!?" Ian grabbed his hair. "You don't shock a patient when their heart has already stopped!"

"Chest compressions, chest compressions, chest compressions!" Rhia laughed and then started singing Stayin' Alive, ignoring the complaints of everyone around her.

Someone shouted for a hundred milligrams of adrenaline. "A hundred milligrams?" It was Nolan's turn to be outraged. "What are they trying to do, jumpstart a freight train?!"

"Hollywood." Nova shook her head disapprovingly. "They never get anything right."

They shocked the patient again. More lightning exploded outside. "Jesus," Rhia muttered. "What's with that storm outside?"

She crossed the room to push the curtains aside. "What storm?"

"That-" She turned again. Nolan was relaxed back into the couch in his room, a photo album open on his lap and two wine glasses on the table. "Storm..."

He raised an eyebrow. "You alright?"

She looked back at the window frowning. "Yeah, I just thought..." she trailed off. A second later she shook her head and returned to the couch, curling up at his side. "It doesn't matter."

He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair. She looked down at the album and smiled. "You were adorable." he chuckled, flipping the page.

Lightning continued to flicker outside, but she ignored it this time.

"My tenth birthday."

She beamed and pointed at the image of her younger self in front of a giant cake, a crooked, toothy grin lighting her whole face. Madeline and a lanky, teenage Maddox stood on either side, her brother making bunny ears with his fingers behind her head. Tears pricked at her eyes and her chest started to ache. Nolan rubbed her arm gently. "I know you're going to miss them." he whispered.

Miss them? Why...? Right... France. They were going to France. She blinked rapidly to dry her eyes and rubbed the spot on her chest to soothe the pain. She frowned and flipped another page. "My dad isn't in any of these." she muttered.

"Why would he be?" He raised an eyebrow as she got up and crossed the room where dozens of books lined the shelves.

"He was my father, Nolan. Whatever his flaws..."

She looked over her shoulder. No one was there.

Who had she been talking to?

Lightning flashed over her head and the pain in her chest flared. A rumble of thunder seemed to shake the very air. No... that wasn't thunder. Fear sank into her very soul as she turned very slowly. Heavy green mist curled around her feet. It seemed to be coming out of the darkness that stretched out before her. There was something in that darkness. She couldn't see it... but she knew it was huge. A deep, warm, primal voice curled around her like the softest blanket. "Rhiannon."

She had never heard her name said in such a beautiful voice. It drew her forward, towards the black beast. The mist got thicker. So thick she couldn't see anything else. She stopped before a glass wall. Something huge moved, causing the mist to shift in strange patterns. A low clicking sound came from behind the wall. The sound was familiar and comforting.

Suddenly the mist surged into the darkness, as if the very large something had just as suddenly disappeared. A hand slammed against the glass, making Rhia jump back. A man stepped out of the darkness to look at her. Green eyes. Slits for pupils. There was something broken in those eyes. A sadness she had never believed possible. "Rhiannon," he said in a deep, soothing voice. "Hear me. See me."

She reached out to rest her palm on the glass over his. "You know my name?" she asked in barely a whisper.

His eyes glimmered in emotion. Elation. Sorrow. Triumph. There was a faint clink as the glass between their hands cracked a little. "Rhiannon." He said again.

"Who are you?"

"You know me."

She did know him. But how? Where? His eyes were so familiar. His voice calmed her very soul. The cracks in the glass began to spread, resembling a spiderweb. Hot tears pricked at her eyes. "Are you... my father?"

He smiled and the cracking intensified. "I am coming. I will find you."

"I'm scared."

"I know. It's almost over." A new determination flickered across his face. "But it's time to wake up now."

The outline of his body shimmered, and he expanded into a massive black and green beast. He roared, a terrifying yet comforting sound that filled her very soul. The glass shattering into dust.

Air rushed into her lungs in a gasp.

"She's back." someone said over her.

Her eyes fluttered open. Maddox's tear-stained faces appeared in front of hers. He was speaking. She couldn't understand his words. Someone's hands were on the sides of her head. Warm magic that was strangely familiar flowed into her.

She tried to speak. There was something wrong with her voice. She needed to tell him. She knew... she knew who... she knew what she was. She needed to tell him or anyone before... before she forgot...

Maddox rested his hand on her cheek and managed a shaky smile. "It's alright, Rhia." he said through harsh sobs. "We're here. You're alright. Just rest now."

No! She tried speaking again, this time more fervently. The information was already beginning to slip away with her consciousness. She was just... so tired. The magic seemed to reach the deepest corners of her mind. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she saw only darkness.

~