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Louisa and Li sat in the fragrant shade of an ancient, jasmine wreathed pagoda. Their children scrambled around on the grass outside it, playing some kind of chase game in the late afternoon sunlight.
"The genetic hybridity seems to have made them immune to the effects of the sun." Li said, wiping his face with a soft cloth.
"They certainly don't have our need to remain in the shade, that's for certain." His wife said softly, "I suppose that I could have the Techs look into their DNA and see if it's something that we could use somehow."
Li shook his head, "No, that would be wrong. Hybrids happen and have all sorts of consequences in our world, I wouldn't want to be accused of using my children as lab experiments." He sounded bitter.
"Li, are you, all right? I know it's the anniversary of Her Death, but you seem more upset than normal." Louisa looked at him.
"I've been looking at the history of the Dark Cities; not the sanctified one that is taught in the underworld schools, but the factual one in the Archives." he stared into her eyes intently, "Do you know why the Vampires and Werewolves were forbidden to procreate together?"
"Ah, you found out about the true 'Abomination'." she shrugged, "It's not likely to ever happen in this day and age - we can sift the DNA and remove that which causes it."
"How can you be so blasé about it? A creature that hunts in daylight and sees every living and eternal thing as its food? That, if it so chooses, can spread a germ so potent that it can wipe out anything vaguely related to humanity?" Li shuddered.
"Darling, its creation 'would require that a hybrid of a Dragon and a Human be mated to that of a Werewolf and Vampire, the resulting progeny would then have to be mated to a Fae and bring forth a Mixie. The Mixie would then need to be turned Ghoul via the bite.' " she said, clearly quoting.
"I know that the chances of it happening are slim, but the very fact that it is considered possible and that it's also considered a danger to the planet should give us pause."
"We'll have to vet our children's mates very carefully." Louisa sighed.
He grimaced, "They certainly aren't going to like us interfering in their love lives."
"Li, the cubs are barely old enough to shift forms reliably; we have plenty of time to educate them. And we will start with the truth of their creation and how they will have to be careful in whom they love."
He grunted and turned back to watching the children play again.
They rolled and chased each other in and out of the bushes and trees, the sunlight and shade changing their colouring as quickly as shifting could have.
"Master, Mistress, you have a visitor." The soft voice of one of their servants cut into the peace of the garden.
Li stood and turned round to face them, “I will... erk!" He stared down at the exquisitely carved dagger in his chest, the knife handle silver with a long winding stem weaving around the wood and obsidian blade. Black blood ran down his white silk shirt.
"Li?" Louisa stood, turning swiftly and avoiding a similar blade as it was thrust at her, "Children, RUN!"
The cubs had gathered under one of the trees and were watching. At the sound of her voice, they scattered, dashing out of the garden through the hedges.
"Who are you?" Louisa growled as she half changed into werewolf form and avoided another strike.
"We are merely well-wishers of the Banríona, my Lord Black Dragon." The woman wielding the blade said, "She said for us to make sure that you understood the gravity of your Abomination-hood and that you needed to seek penance from a Higher Authority than that the Triang."
The sneer in her voice was unmistakably human.
Li pulled the dagger out of his chest, tossing it at the other intruder. "What has the Queen of the Fae against us? She has many of her own hybrids after all, from all countries and all races." He shook himself into half werewolf and advanced, his claws outstretched.
The man he walked toward seemed to not understand the danger he was in, he caught the dagger out of mid-air and stood still, allowing Li to get quite close.
"The Banríona has had your names on my kill sheet for quite some time, White Tiger. We are merely carrying out our duty to her. " He looked thoughtful as Li began to circle him, "I have to admit, that my darling wife's idea to pose as your servants got me closer to you than ever before and also allowed me to hear some incredibly delicious truths... it gives me many ideas for furthering my Mistress’s aims and for that, I thank you." he turned to face Li as the White Tiger came to a halt behind him.
Li stepped backward as the dagger swung toward him again, "You shall not harm my children, bastard."
"Oh please, as if I would ever harm children. You may rest assured that even animal children are safe from my wife and I." He swung and sliced as if dancing.
"Scant assurance." Li grunted slashing toward the masked face with his claws, "I know your voice and I know what you are, Ghoul."
Louisa gasped as the woman closed with her in a rush that took her by surprise. The woman held her negligently by the neck and shook her like a rag doll.
"My Honey, what can I do with this one? I am so incredibly hungry." the woman said.
"We shall feast soon enough, Melanie, but these deaths must be as unmarred as possible." The man said, "The blade and your toxin shall do its job swiftly, spit upon the knife and slice her throat."
The woman grinned, her mask slipping slightly, "As you and our Mistresses wish, my darling."
Li didn't dare look away from his own fight. He heard a hawk and spit, followed by a barely discernible cry. The sound of a body hitting the wooden floor of the pagoda shook his resolve and in the moment that he turned away, the man pierced the back of his neck with the dagger.
Li hit the floor on his stomach and the man dropped onto his back, pushing all the air out of Li's lungs in a rush.
"This has been a truly exciting encounter for me, the others were so very boring, no chance for a discussion or even a little chat. The other werewolf was a hulk of a brute that needed all my considerable strength to pull him apart. The Dragon was probably my most gentle kill; blade into the ear accompanied by a touch of toxin." Li felt, rather than heard the man hawk, then spit and the gooey splash on the back of his neck and head. "I have to say that I really enjoyed killing the Horse - he was such a horribly arrogant man and the way he died was rather fun." Li felt the man lean down on him to get close to his ear, "Don't tell Kai Riordan that I said this, but I am looking forward to killing her too; she has such a luscious body, and I will be doing that one alone... I wish to sample the wares before destroying her body."
The whisper tickled the long hair that always grew in his ears and Li shuddered at the sensation, growling slightly. Ignoring him, the man sat back up and turned slightly, "Darling Mel, how has your little fight gone?"
That gave Li the moment he needed. Thank Amira that I am still immune to ghoul toxin and the dagger has done a little damage, but I can survive that, I just need to play dead, I think. With a last rush of breath, Li shifted just slightly toward vampire state. His heart stopped beating.
"I think she's dead, sweetheart. Can you come and check for me? I don't want to disappoint our betters."
The man stood up, pulled the dagger out of Li's nape and strode across the pagoda, the steps bouncing Li a little. Li shifted all the way into vampire form and lay still on the floor, his face hidden by the furniture's shadow.
"That's perfectly done, my darling. I couldn't have done it better myself. Such a sweet, clean slice, you've almost decapitated her." There was a rustle, a thud and he sighed, “Now she will never rise again.”
She didn’t manage to shift to Vampire then. Li closed his eyes to stop the human tears seeping out, as well as to calm the Werewolf blood rage that rose and demanded that he avenge his mate. Am I allowed to have any happiness at all? Must all my Loves die at the hand of another?
An alarm bell rang out.
"Ah, time for us to go, Melanie. We must report back to our mistress before we are allowed to feed." The man said, "Leave the cleaning up to the true servants."
Li felt their footfalls disappear as they slipped out into the gardens. He waited a few moments longer, then pushed himself up to kneeling and crawled over to Louisa. The space between her head and the ragged ruin of her slender neck and told him all he needed to know.
Without thought, he changed to full wolf form and howled out his anguish before falling unconscious across her body.