Blaine lay on his side and studied Kurt as he slept, pale skin in the dim light of the hotel room, lips gently parted and expression peaceful. He smiled at the beautiful sleeping man next to him, in all his life hed never actually hoped for what he had with Kurt. Hed found his soulmate, he just hoped he had plenty more time with him.

Blaine couldnt sleep but he was glad Kurt could, there really was no telling all that tomorrow would bring. He was trying to take things one moment at a time, but it was difficult. After coming back from the soothsayer – that vile traitorous snake, Blaine shivered a little at the memory of her holding Kurt up against that wall – Kurt had been shaken and injured but so loving and he didnt blame Blaine. Hed seen Blaine, magic snapping and anger roaring and still hadnt been afraid.

Blaine reached out and ran his fingers over Kurts bare shoulder and down his arm, he closed his eyes and smiled; after Blaine had healed Kurts neck earlier, Kurt had kissed him as if he couldnt get enough. Blaine replayed it in his mind, the way theyd slowly undressed each other, Blaine taking care, hoping to show Kurt how precious he was to him. Blaine relished in the memory of Kurts warm skin and gentle moans and sighs as they moved together.

Kurt had kissed his knuckles and ran a hand down his back until he was gripping Blaines ass with a little smirk on his lips. Blaine felt helpless with Kurt when they were like that, all sweaty skin and hot kisses, helpless in the best possible way. Blaine had never had sex that was full of so much love before, and when he held tightly onto Kurts firm arms and kissed him, he could hardly catch his breath.

Kurt had stretched out on to his back with Blaine over him, gripping Blaines hips and directing him. "Slow down, slow… yes, oh god Blaine." He had squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then quickly opened them again with a cry on his lips. "I want to watch you." Kurt had whispered. "Youre so perfect."

Blaine had to wipe a tear from his eyes now just thinking about it. How someone like Kurt could honestly love Blaine so much was unfathomable. All the magic hed seen in his lifetime hadnt prepared him for this. He loved Kurt. He had to keep him safe.

Blaine rolled over on to his back, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before getting out of bed and pulling on the pajamas Kurt had packed for him. He grabbed his phone and walked out to the hallway so his phone call wouldnt disturb Kurts sleep.

It was 2:00am, so it would be 9:00pm back in New York; Felix would be home enjoying a good port at this time.

"Youre still alive then?" Felix answered the phone and Blaine smiled. Hed called Felix when they first got to London and Felix hadnt been pleased that they had left the country without even telling him. "Going off to get yourself killed – or worse!" hed said when he found out. It was one of the reasons Blaine hadnt told Felix before they left actually, he knew what he had to do and he couldnt have his friend talking him out of it.

"Im still alive." Blaine answered.

"And Kurt of bold counsel is still alive?"

Blaine took in a painful breath, thinking of how close things had come at the soothsayers; above all else, he would make sure that Kurt lived through this. "He is."

"Good." Felix said, and his angry tone shifted to something softer. "Have you found your brother yet?"

"I know where he is. We go to meet him tomorrow."

"Mmmm." Felix hummed. "If you called me to say your goodbyes Im hanging up on you young man."

"Im older than you."

"My finger is on the disconnect button!"

"Im not calling to say goodbye… exactly… I need you to do something for me."

There was a pause in which Blaine couldnt even guess at what Felix was thinking.

"Anything." Felix finally said, and Blaine smiled and rubbed his tired eyes as he leaned back against the wall of the hotel hallway.

"If anything happens to me-"

"Blaine!"

"If Im killed or – or turned into one of those monsters, you have to promise to keep Kurt safe." He thought back to Kurts bright eyes and sweet smile as they laid in each others arms after their love making. "If Im dead or if they turn me, then the Dontizu shouldnt be after Kurt anymore-god I hope not, they would have no reason to be - but still… just in case."

"I dont like this conversation Blaine."

"But youll do it? Youll look after him?"

"Of course I will. You dont even have to ask."

Blaine chuckled but it was tight and painful in his chest. "There is one other thing and you arent going to like it either." Blaine licked his lips nervously.

Felix groaned on the other end of the phone. "Im going to stop picking up when you call."

Blaine ignored that obviously untrue comment and pushed on with what he had to say. "If I become a Dontizu, I need you to have me killed."

"What the hell-"

"Dont let me live that way Felix." Blaine continued right over him. "I dont want to hurt people and hunt and feed off of others misery. I dont want to always be starving for other peoples life force. I cant…" He cleared his throat. "Im not saying youd have to do it yourself – I left instructions in my safe at home, directions to get to some of my more priceless possessions, they could serve as a bounty on me. You can hire it out – but Felix, if I become a Dontizu, you have to make sure I die. Please. Youre my friend and the only person I have to ask."

"I really hate you for this son of Ander." Felix said, his voice angry.

"I know, but youll do it?"

Felix was silent for a moment before he barked out his answer. "Yes, Ill do it."

"Thank you." Blaine sighed in relief.

"How are you going to keep the boy safe?"

Blaine worried his lip, it was a good question. "I said he could stay with me until after the ritual, but then Im sending him home."

"He wont go."

Blaine leaned his head back against the wall and rubbed his forehead, he had a pounding headache. "I know that, he wont go on his own, but I can be persuasive…"

"If you use your magic to trick him into coming back home, he will never forgive you!"

Blaine shrugged, "But hell be alive."

"Youre an idiot. Im not even sure why we are friends," Felix said, but he didnt actually sound convincing.

"Thank you for being my friend Felix - the lucky one - you are the best friend I could have-"

"Nope! No. That is sounding like the words of a dying man. Stop it."

"Right. In that case, Ill see you when this is all over."

"See you," Felix said. "And Ill remember all that Ive promised."

"Thank you."

Blaine hung up, feeling nominally better, and went back to the hotel room, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim light. He crawled into bed and Kurt yawned and turned towards him. "Whaya doin?" He asked sleepily.

"Just catching Felix up on what is going on," Blaine answered.

"Mmm." Kurt wrapped his arms around him and then shivered. "God youre cold."

"Sorry."

"Doesnt matter, like being close..." Kurt yawned again and happily buried his face into Blaines neck before falling back asleep.

Blaine squeezed his eyes closed and shut out thoughts of the Dontizu, instead focusing on thoughts of Cooper whod he see tomorrow if things went as planned. He thought of when they used to be friends and brothers and family. He wondered if those memories hurt Cooper the way they hurt him, or if Cooper ever thought of those times at all anymore…

They took a train to Wales, but Kurt wasnt able to enjoy the sights or landscape or anything; he was too nervous. He just sat with Blaines hand in his own, counting seats, and passengers and seconds as they passed by. His stomach was in knots and his throat was dry. He didnt want to go to Wales. He didnt want to face Blaines brother or the Dontizu – he hated this – he just wanted Blaine safe.

Kurt was miserable, but trying not to show it. He tried to make conversation a few times, "If the soothsayer was on the side of the Dontizu, do you think there are others who might be as well?"

"Yes, Im sure there are."

"Okay – and you arent worried about that?"

"Im worried about everything," Blaine sighed.

Kurt tried to change the subject to something lighter: his summer plans and how he was going to audition for everything he could, but Blaine seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Kurt couldnt blame him, so he just kept hold of Blaines hand and attempted to focus on positive things. Like the feel of Blaines smooth skin against his own, the sound of I love you on Blaines lips, the way his eyelashes fanned on his face when he was asleep. It would be okay, they couldnt have come this far just too lose each other now, right?

Once off the train, Blaine rented a car and they drove to a small seaside city that Kurt wasnt even completely sure how to pronounce. The Welsh used too many consonants. Blaine seemed to relax a little bit, this was home to him. He hadnt needed the soothsayer to tell him where in Wales to find Cooper.

"Hell be home." Blaine had announced matter-of-factly at the hotel that morning. "He must know Im coming and he chose the place we ran from as the place to meet me again."

Kurt didnt really like the fact that Cooper would be expecting him; Blaine seemed to think there would be a confrontation between the two of them and the element of surprise would have been nice. Though he couldnt really shake a level of excitement at seeing where Blaine came from. Of course, the small town had to be completely different now, and Blaine didnt really start showing signs that maybe this was affecting him until they drove away from town down the coastline a little.

"I remember going to that beach with my parents and Cooper." Blaine said, nodding out the window, a strangely blank look on his face. "That was life times ago."

Kurt watched him for a moment: the way he kept minutely tugging on his lip with his teeth and blinking too fast. This wasnt a blank expression at all, this was Blaine trying not to cry. He wasnt just going home, Blaine was going back to the place his parents had been killed by the same creatures Blaine was planning to fight.

Kurt placed a hand on his knee as Blaine continued to drive. There wasnt anything to say really, but hed remind Blaine that he wasnt alone in this, not any more. They were silent as Blaine drove them away from the shoreline and up into the bluffs where the road went through a thick forest; then, as they rounded a corner out of the trees, Kurts mouth fell open.

"Is that where you grew up?" Kurt asked in surprise.

Blaine slowed the car and put it in park. "Im not sure living there until I was five and then not coming back for over a hundred years counts as growing up there – but yes, thats my familys home."

"Its a castle," Kurt said, taking in the imposing stone structure; it looked ancient, and parts of the roof were crumbling, but it seemed mostly intact. Huge, and desolate and lonely, but Kurt could imagine what it must have once been. It was built near the edge of the bluff so the view of the ocean had to be spectacular, it had ivy running up the brick walls, and once, it would have been filled with the happy voices of a loving family… a long time ago.

"It isnt a castle. I could show you some seaside castles. Its just a mansion." Blaine said, getting out of the car.

Kurt joined him. "Just a mansion." Kurt smiled, but Blaine was staring intently at the old house as if it would tell him something he needed to hear. "Well, its beautiful," Kurt said, hunching against the wind and taking Blaines hand.

"Its old and abandoned and gloomy."

"Youre a little gloomy right now," Kurt said, standing next to him and bumping shoulders.

Blaine looked at him. "And old and abandoned."

"Not abandoned, Blaine," Kurt said and Blaine smiled a little. "What is it called? This not-a-castle-but-a-mansion?"

"Bryn o Wyrdd," Blaine answered in a thick accent that made Kurt smile. "It means hill of green. This bluff looks dead now, but in the summer… its beautiful."

Kurt scooted closer to Blaine as wind, coming off the ocean harsh and salty, whipped around them. The sun was going down and he knew Blaine was always cold. "Do we go inside?"

Blaine nodded and they started walking up a rocky slope to the mansion. Kurt could see where the path must have been once, but years of no one caring for this place had made it little more than jagged stones with little spurts of spring green growing between them.

They walked to the big wooden doors and Blaine pushed, but they didnt budge. Kurt and Blaine had to both put their shoulders to the doors to finally get them to slowly groan open. Once in the entryway, they flipped on flashlights Blaine had thought to bring along. The entryway was made of stone and there was an old chandelier hanging on the high ceiling; Kurt couldnt believe itd lasted so long or had never been stolen. In fact, as they walked through the huge house, Kurt found that not only was it mostly intact, much of the original furniture was still there, art hung on the walls, old tattered rugs lined the floor. Like only time had touched anything since Blaines family had lived here.

Kurt glanced at Blaine who was moving forward with a grim expression. "Are you doing okay? I know it must be hard to see it this way."

"Im fine," Blaine said shortly, but he didnt seem fine. He opened the door to what must have once been a large open sitting room, giant windows facing out towards the sea.

"Wow – this is incredible."

Blaine didnt answer. Hed walked to the middle of the room and was standing there, staring over the mantel piece, where a picture was hanging unseen, covered by an old musty cloth.

Kurt looked at him and swallowed and then walked to the mantel piece grabbing a corner of the cloth and pulling it down. Kurt was immediately covered in dust, he coughed into his elbow and grimaced at the moldy smell the cloth had stirred up in the room. Then he looked up; over the mantel was a painting, a large portrait of a family in turn-of-the century finery. A woman, jet black curly hair and kind blue eyes, a tall man with a firm jaw and eyes that reminded Kurt of Blaine, a young boy, also tall and with dark hair and eyes to match his mothers and then… Kurt gasped. A small boy, with round chubby cheeks, a mess of curly hair and lovely golden eyes.

Kurt turned around to face Blaine who was staring at the portrait. "Its your family."

"Yes. I couldnt be more than four here. And my mother…" Blaine sighed. "She is gorgeous. Was. She was."

Kurt nodded, his throat feeling tight. "Your dad and Cooper look a lot alike."

Blaine clenched his jaw.

"Your fathers wearing the charm we need isnt he?" Kurt said as he noticed a round stone pendant hanging from the neck of the man in the portrait.

"He never took it off - until the day he died that is," Blaine said as he turned away from the portrait.

Kurt was about to say something about how happy they all looked when there was a creak above them; that could have just been the wind outside, but it was followed by a load crash from upstairs.

"We arent here alone."

Kurt nodded.

"Ill go look."

"Im right behind you," Kurt said quickly, and Blaine didnt argue with him as they left the drawing room and headed towards the main entryway again where there was a large wide staircase that led to the second floor. Kurt was a little dubious about its stability-the stone steps looked like they might crumble beneath their feet-but when Blaine confidently started upwards, Kurt had no choice but to follow him.

Kurt wasnt sure where the noise had come from, but Blaine seemed to know where he was going. They went down a long dark hallway, their flashlights lighting the way until Blaine stopped outside the door of a room. He narrowed his eyes and turned towards Kurt. "If this goes… poorly, I need you to stay back. Stay away from him."

Kurt swallowed and nodded. Blaine slowly opened the door and walked into the room, which took on a whole other level of darkness. Even with their flashlights, Kurt could hardly make out anything; it wasnt natural. Kurt didnt know much about magic, but he could tell it was at work in the darkness of the room. He could sense it was a large room because it was drafty and there were windows-he could see slithers of light around them-but by what he could make out of them, they seemed to be covered in thick dark drapes. The room smelled of years of mildew, it was stale and dusty. Kurt didnt like this room.

There was movement in the corner to Kurts left that made him gasp and Blaine stuck out an arm towards Kurt to keep him from moving forwards. He shined his flashlight in that direction, but the darkness was oppressive and still Kurt couldnt make anything out.

"Whos here?" Blaine called, his voice steady and calm. "Show yourself."

There was the sound of more movement and something ran across a window to the other side of the room. The hairs on the back of Kurts neck stood on end. What was in here? It moved too quickly to be a human.

"Blaine." Kurt said in warning, but Blaine just glanced at him briefly before swinging his flashlight around the room.

The was more scurrying and the drapes fluttered as whatever was here with them moved around with impressive speed staying out of the beam of light.

"I said show yourself!" Blaine called and his voice took on that kind of vibrating quality it had had at the soothsayers. Not enough to shake the room, but enough to make echoes bounce off the walls. Maybe Blaine was more nervous than his calm demeanor was letting on.

Kurt heard a low rumbling come from the other side of the room and Blaine took a step closer to him. "Stay close," Blaine whispered, and honestly Kurt didnt need the caution. His spine was prickling and his heart pounding a little too fast. Something moved to the right of them and then positioned itself in front of a window so that you could almost see its silhouette. It was big… much too big for Kurts liking.

Kurt clenched his mouth closed so he wouldnt shout and reached for Blaines hand; as the massive shape seemed to take a step forward, Blaine swung his flashlight towards it and finally, the light seemed to pierce the darkness of the room. Kurt wanted to scream at the sight in front of him, but his voice seemed to have gotten lost somewhere between his lungs and his lips.

The creature before him was something out of his worst nightmares, hed seen it before, he realized, but not like this, not in the flesh. Not real and huge and standing on its hind legs towering over them. Its dark fur was matted, almost spiked behind the creatures head and down its neck, making it look even taller, it had long front limbs with black sharp claws on its boney paws, but the worst part was its face. Snout fixed in a snarl as it bared its fangs that dripped saliva down to the floor. Its eyes were red and glowing, and as it took a step forward, it tilted its head back and let out a growl that shook the room and made Kurts skin crawl.

He didnt know when it had happened, but Blaine was standing in front of him brandishing his flashlight as if he was a knight standing in front of a dragon with a gleaming sword. Except this wasnt a fairytale, it was a nightmare, and Blaine had put himself between Kurt and a frothing monster that was glaring at them like it wanted to rip them to shreds.

"Stay back!" Blaine shouted, and this time, his voice did shake the room a little. The creature took a step forward. Kurt wanted to turn and run, but Blaine was standing his ground. Besides, before Kurt even made it to the door, that thing could probably leap forward and have its long claws embedded in his back. This was just one of the monsters Blaine had to take on? How were they going to survive this? Besides, Blaines heartstone was still a stone, he hadnt done the ritual, he didnt have his full magical powers.

They were going to die here.

The creature snarled but didnt take another step forward. Kurt stayed close to Blaine. "Do you know who I am?" Blaine asked, his voice still ricocheting over the room. "Do you know Ive come to destroy you?"

Kurt could only just hold back a whimper as the creature bared its dripping fangs. Kurt wasnt sure what Blaines plan was, but there wasnt really a chance to find out as the creature crouched down on its back legs and then sprang forward, leaping with even more force that Kurt was expecting.

"Blaine!" Kurt cried and pulled them both down to the floor as the monster jumped over them.

There was a howl and a pained whine, and Kurt turned to see that the creature had leapt over them and onto another Dontizu that had been behind them without them even knowing. Shit, how many of them where there?

To Kurts confusion, though, the two massive creatures seemed to be fighting each other right in front of the doorway. "Oh my god," Kurt whimpered. They were tearing into each other.

Blaine quickly got up and then pulled Kurt to his feet. "As soon as the door is clear, I need you to get out of here."

"What?" Kurt pulled his eyes away from the fighting, snarling creatures to look at Blaine. "No. We can get out of here, but Im not going without you."

"Kurt this isnt the time!" Blaine shouted, his eyes wide and panicked as the noise the fighting Dontizu were making escalated. Kurt felt sick to his stomach. The creatures were biting and clawing at each other and it was horrifying. One of the monsters clamped its jaws down firmly on the neck of the other, and with a whine and whimper, the creature kicked out a leg and then lay still on the ground.

Blaine put himself between Kurt and the remaining creature again, slowly backing them up to a corner; the doorway was still blocked and there was no way out of the room.

The Dontizu, satisfied that it had taken care of its foe, turned back to Kurt and Blaine; it didnt seem to be in a hurry, the threat was gone, only playthings were left.

Blaine lifted his free hand, still pointing the flashlight at the creature with the other and let out a shout that again shook the room as a silver light actually burst from Blaines palm, pushing forward like a wave until it hit the creature in the chest, making it howl and fall over; there was the smell of burning flesh and fur in the air.

"Run!" Blaine yelled, grabbing Kurts hand and sprinting forward. If Blaine was going with him, then he didnt need to be told twice. They ran around the whining burnt Dontizu on the ground and had to pass the creature in the doorway as well. It appeared to be dead, but just as they were about to pass it - it sprung up like it had been waiting, growling ferociously and swiping towards them with its bloody claws.

"Oh fuck!" Kurt yelled but Blaine just tugged him forward.

"Keep moving!"

They ran down the stairs, Kurts heart in his throat, and Blaines hand in his. The entryway was even darker now as the sun seemed to have gone down, and Kurt wasnt sure where hed lost his flashlight, but it wasnt in his hand anymore. Blaine was panting as they ran out of the house and back onto the dark moonlit bluff. Blaine seemed to be going for the car, but when they got close enough, they saw it was flipped over on its side with long claw marks all over it; it smelled of gasoline and clearly wasnt going to be driven again.

"Oh god, oh god." Kurt gasped. "What do we do?" He looked to Blaine whose face was pale as he stared at the destroyed vehicle. "Blaine?"

Blaine didnt answer, though; instead, he fell to his knees with a soft whimper, letting go of Kurts hand. "Blaine!" Kurt knelt down beside him as Blaine slipped down to his side and then groaned and rolled over to his back. Thats when Kurt saw it, deep red slashes over his chest, his coat and shirt shredded and his chest bleeding. The Dontizu must had clawed him as they passed.

"No, no no no," Kurt said in a panic, his hands hovering over the wounds, not knowing what to do. Blaine blinked up at him, his expression pained.

"Run," Blaine said.

"You cant run!" Kurt answered. "Can you even stand?" Kurt unwound the long thick scarf around his neck and used it to press down on Blaines chest, trying to slow the bleeding. There was a lot of bleeding. "Oh god, Blaine, youre hurt really badly." Kurts voice was shaking and his mind was going a mile a minute trying to think of a plan, could he carry Blaine to safety? Maybe, if he knew where safety was.

"Im immortal," Blaine said.

"Well that hasnt stopped you from getting hurt!"

Blaine shook his head and grabbed one of Kurts hands. "This… wont kill me." His face was twisted with pain as he spoke, though.

There was a howl behind them and Kurt glanced back to the house. That Dontizu was still there, both of them in fact, injured but not far away.

"Tell me what to do," Kurt said desperately, tears stinging his eyes. Blaine reached into his pocket and then lifted out his heartstone. "Take it."

"What?" Kurts heart started beating even faster.

"Take it and run."

"I am not leaving you!"

"And what good does that do?" Blaine said, trying to sit up but wincing and falling back down again. "Im hurt. I cant run. But the Dontizu cant kill me unless they get my heartstone. If you stay here, we both die. If you take my stone and run like hell… then…. Then we have a chance." Blaines voice was growing weak and Kurt felt like he was going to be sick.

"Are you really saying that leaving you is the only way to save you?"

"Yes," Blaine said quietly, looking up at him with wet eyes, his face frighteningly pale.

"I dont want to," Kurt said, tears now running down his cheeks and his chest tight and painful. "I dont want to leave you."

There was another howl, louder now, maybe closer.

"Kurt," Blaine answered, pressing the stone to his palm. "Take the heartstone, Ill be with you, but you have to go. Now."

Kurt let out a silent sob and then leaned down to press a wet kiss to Blaines lips. "You better be right about this, Blaine Anderson," he said, gripping the stone.

"Go Kurt, please."

"I love you," Kurt said as he shakily stood to his feet.

Blaine smiled weakly. "I love you too. Now run my love."

There was a howl, and when Kurt looked through the darkness back to the house, he thought he saw a dark figure emerging from it.

"Run!" Blaine shouted with all the strength he had and Kurt ran. Sobbing and stumbling and cursing himself for leaving Blaine, Kurt ran through the darkness, across the bluff to the forest that he hoped would provide some place to hide. He stuck the heartstone in the inside breast pocket of his jacket, praying that having the stone really would keep Blaine from being killed. Please Blaine, please.

Kurt was running as fast as his legs would move, his heart pumping painfully in his chest and his breath tight as he tried to swallow enough air to fill his lungs. Branches rushed past him in the dark, reaching out and tangling in his clothes and scraping at his skin like sharp bony hands trying to catch him and just barely missing. He stumbled once, but didnt look back as he pushed himself up from the damp forest ground. There wasnt time, there was a howl behind him, he didnt have time.

He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, and the echoing beat of another heart, he didnt know if that second beat was just his imagination, but it kept him going. His sweat was cold on his skin as the night air snapped at him and he couldnt move fast enough. He ducked between two tall, dark and looming trees that looked frighteningly like the forms of two giant creatures reaching down towards him, and then he came to an abrupt halt.

He flung his arms out to his side, frantically trying to catch his balance as he looked down only to find himself teetering precariously on the edge of a rocky height with a sharp drop down into blackness. He could hear the waves of the ocean beating against rocks far, far below. Kurt swallowed and took a step away from the edge. There was nowhere to go.

He closed his eyes and steadied his breath reaching into the inside pocket of his coat, feeling the warm smooth surface of the stone he had tucked near his heart. He held back a whimper and slowly turned around as he heard a low snarling sound behind him. He didnt need to open his eyes to know what was there, to know the truth. He had failed. There was nowhere to run and no way to save himself or the man he loved. It was over.

Kurt opened his tearful blue eyes ready to face his fate.

He could just made out the dark form of a Dontizu on all fours slowly stealing closer to him, its red eyes glowing in the mist of the forest. Kurt took a step back and his heel wobbled on the edge of the bluff. He was trying to decide if it would be a better death to fall backwards and be shattered against the rocks below or to let this creature rip him to shreds?

If he fell, there was a chance the heartstone would get lost in the ocean, a very small chance that Blaine could still live.

The Dontizu took another slow step forward, like it knew what Kurt was thinking. Before he could decide to throw himself off a cliff in the slight hope that it would save Blaine, there was a growling noise to his left; both he and the Dontizu in front of him turned their heads to look.

The second creature, still smelling a little of burnt fur, crouched down and then leapt forward, pouncing on the Dontizu that had Kurt pinned in place. There was a lot of loud yapping and growling as claws and teeth ripped at each other, blood running down both creatures and enough raucous sounds to make Kurt want to scream.

Both Dontizu were injured, so the fight didnt take as long this time. With a loud sickening cracking sound, one Dontizu bit down on the others neck and snapped it. There was a whine, and then the Dontizu on the bottom lay perfectly still. The other creature took its neck in its jaws and pulled it to the edge of the cliff and then flung it over.

Kurt stood frozen in place as he heard the creatures body hit the rocks below. One Dontizu down, but now the one that was left would do the same to Kurt, except with much less of a fight.

The remaining Dontizu locked eyes on Kurt. It was inches away and Kurt felt frozen in place. This was the time to leap off the cliff, but he couldnt make himself move. He was useless, too afraid to even save Blaine.

The creature was panting and bleeding and its red eyes looked Kurt over and then… then it lay down, head on its paws like a pet dog and it whined. Kurt swallowed deeply, trying to catch his breath. He watched in awe as the red eyes stopped glowing, and then in the light of the moon, he could barely make out its eyes turning into a clear blue color. And slowly, the fur on the beasts head started to recede.

Kurt took a step away from the creature as it rolled to its back and started to twist and yowl as it became furless and then… then… before Kurts eyes, with a long howl that turned into a human-sounding shout, the Dontizu transformed into a man.

He lay curled up on his side, claw marks all over his naked body. He lifted his head and looked up at Kurt with a dirty blood-smeared face that was somehow familiar, but in his panic, Kurt couldnt quite place it. "Wh-who are you?" The man asked in a gravelly voice.

"I…" Kurt took another step back. "Who are you?"

The man slowly stood, groaning the whole time, and Kurt saw a large burn on his chest from the magic Blaine had used on him. The man straightened himself up, and Kurt could hear his bones creaking; he proudly rounded his shoulders, and stood tall, apparently not caring that he didnt have a stich of clothing on.

"I am Cooper William Anderson of Bryn o Wyrdd."

Oh god, Kurt stared, thats why he was familiar, the picture in the drawing room! This was the boy all grown up. Blue eyes like his mother, strong jaw like his father and the dark hair that ran in the family.

"And the only reason you are still alive," Cooper continued, "Is that you seem to be a friend of my brothers and you carry his heartstone."

Cooper nodded towards Kurts jacket.

"You cant have it," Kurt said resolutely, hand over his heart and the stone, even as shock rippled through him. Cooper Anderson…. Was a Dontizu? This was going to kill Blaine.

"Good. I dont want the damned thing," Cooper spat, eyes steely. "I do want to go back to my brother, as he lays on the ground and bleeds out."

"He… he cant die," Kurt said in alarm.

"Yeah but it hurts like a motherfucker." Cooper nodded in the direction Kurt had come from. "Come on."

"No," Kurt said, standing his ground. "Youre one of them. Why in the world would I trust you?"

Kurt was shivering, more in fear than because of the cold, but he wasnt going to follow this man if he meant harm to Blaine. There was still jumping off the cliff as an option. Though, as he closed his eyes, he pictured his fathers face, and it made him sick to think of dying and leaving him behind. When he opened his eyes, Cooper was standing uncomfortably close.

"Youll trust me because if I wanted you dead - pieces of you would be littered all over the forest by now. Besides, I just saved your life! And I may be one of them, but Blaine is still my family. My blood!"

"Then... then why have you made everything so hard for him! Stealing his heartstone and the charm, hiding his stone from him for years!" Kurt had no idea where this boldness was coming from, probably misdirected adrenaline, but he was angry now.

"You mean stopping him from reconnecting with his heartstone when he wanted to face the Dontizu out of anger?" Cooper shouted. "A plan that surely would have gotten him killed? You mean making sure his heartstone found someplace safe with a person with a pure heart who could protect it?" Cooper stretched out his arms at his sides in frustration, "Everything Ive done Ive done to protect him!" His voice came out a little like a growl and his front teeth started growing like fangs. Kurt took another step away from him, but Cooper shook his head and lowered his arms and he was completely human looking again. "Sorry. Sorry."

"Youre still a Dontizu," Kurt said weakly, his voice shaking and the sound of his blood pumping in his ears.

"And that is something I fight against every day of my miserable life. Now, Im going back to Blaine. Stay here if you want. What do I care?" He turned and started marching off on his own.

"Wait!" Kurt called, shrugging off his jacket and taking the heartstone out. He handed the jacket to Cooper. "Youre… really naked."

Cooper stared at him for a moment and then his lips tipped up in a smile that reminded Kurt so much of Blaine his heart pounded. He grabbed the jacket from Kurt and slipped it on, Kurt was glad it was a long peacoat, it covered most everything.

Kurt didnt wait for Cooper, the need to get back to Blaine overtaking any lingering doubts, and there were plenty of them.

He strode through the trees that seemed much less intimidating now and back to Blaine. Three things were true that he had thought were impossible just moments ago: he was alive, the heartstone was safe for now, and he was going to see the man he loved again. Oh Blaine please be alright and please know what to do now because I am so out of my depths and a little terrified. He squared his shoulders though so that Cooper Anderson, a Dontizu, wouldnt see his fear and continued on back towards the mansion.