TWENTY-EIGHT (TERRA POV)

"Take that side of the wooden plank and help me to carry it to the stable, please," Maeve points at the ground and Ruby nods, bending down immediately. The blue jeans make her firm butt stand out and I tilt my head to one side enjoying the view while licking my lips, ignoring the chaos around me.

"Terra, we've finished covering the house windows with wooden planks. What we should do now? Terra... Terra!"

"What?" I ask blinking, coming back to reality and looking at Zara who's standing right next to me and looking back at me exasperated.

"Do you think this is the right moment to ogle your girlfriend?" the red-haired witch asks, frowning, and I shrug.

"She's a beautiful human, I can't help it..." I smirk mischievously before pointing at the garden. "More barricades... If those demons manage to cross the barrier, the magic creatures will lock themselves in the house and the centaurs in the stable as a last resort but maybe some of them won't reach those refuges in time, we need to build barricades so they can hide behind them."

"What about the cabin near the pool? We use it as a changing room sometimes... We can cover the door with wooden planks and turn it into another refuge... although the walls are weak."

"It doesn't matter, the main goal is to stop the demons for a few minutes, enough time for magical creatures to cast a spell and vanish. Ask those werewolves for help since vampires are still sleeping in the basement." Zara nods and rushes to obey my orders, dodging pixies and nymphs that are arguing next to the fountain.

The garden is still a chaos but I managed to organize some of our visitors creating work groups and they're doing something useful for a change. The noise of hammers and saws helps them to focus on the task and they almost can ignore the curses that keep hitting the protective barrier persistently and the cries and insults coming from demons on the other side. They can't see us but they know we're here, I guess they can smell the fear and anxiety, and yet all these people are determined to help us to protect the key and no one wants to leave despite we're all in danger. I can't help smiling, looking around, feeling proud of what I built here with Iselen in this small corner of a forest: not only a refuge for supernatural creatures in trouble but a home open to them all.

I won't let Marsh and his minions destroy it and will kick their evil butts if they try to hurt my girls.

I look at the sky, worried, grey clouds cover the sun and the rays demons are throwing against the barrier paint them in green and blue for a few seconds but it's obvious that it's getting dark finally and it means Iselen is waking up in our bedroom. We arrived very late yesterday, or rather, very early in the morning today, and the vampire almost fell asleep standing while Ruby helped her to get undressed. She's more experienced than me when it comes to lead an army but I decided that it was better for her to rest, we need her in good shape to protect the Wind Rose.

Georgina waves at me floating over the glass dome, the ghosts are watching our enemies from the roof but it seems to me there's no news yet, besides, my father and his wolves are out there, watching them discreetly too, and they'll call me if they get reinforcements from Los Angeles. Ruby walks across the garden with Raven and followed by Ru, the dog hasn't left her mistress' side since we had breakfast, the demon girl talks excitedly while showing the human something she carries in her hand although Ruby's looking at her raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"What's that?" I ask with curiosity.

"Tsuina," the half demon answers, smiling. "It's an old Japanese ritual to cast out demons that bring problems and natural disasters."

"Really? How do they do that?"

"They throw toasted soya beans at their faces." I lock eyes with Ruby quietly while Raven rolls her eyes. "I know, it sounds ridiculous but my father has sworn that it works... I know, my family can't be trusted usually," the brunette girl raises her hand to cut me off even before I can open my mouth. "That's why I checked the information in some books of the library here; apparently, it really works. Maeve will help me to toast more soy beans and we'll give some to everybody."

"Okay, I guess all help is welcome," I admit shrugging and taking a handful of beans that Raven gives me, putting them in my jeans pocket.

"Iselen, I know you're there! Come on, baby, let me in..." Demons stop banging the barrier with curses and Michaela's sensual voice echoes across the forest thanks to a spell. "I'll sit down on your lap and we'll have a conversation, remembering old times... we used to be good friends, you and me. We had fun."

"Go fuck yourself, bitch!" The vampire yells standing at the kitchen French door that leads to the garden, the necromancers are trying to board it up but haven't finished the task yet. Iselen is barefoot and her hair is a mess, she holds a cup of coffee like it's a lifesaver and yawns, wearily, before letting out some Spanish words that sound quite rude.

"Wow... For God's sake," Alfonso stares at her in disbelief, holding a hammer. "I'm not translating that out loud." The vampire laughs amused while our enemies start hitting the barrier again, sipping at her coffee slowly, watching us while we get closer to her. Her dark eyes rake all over our bodies, checking us out to make sure we're okay, stopping to look at the tattoo on my chest and the human's lips. Even in these circumstances, the vampire charm makes my heart race.

"Good evening, my beautiful ladies." She puts her arm around Ruby's waist, holding her tight against her body, before tilting her head to kiss me. Her lips taste sweet despite the hint of bitter coffee and I can't help sighing, relieved because I know she's awake, ready to fight next to me. "I see that everybody is very busy."

"I had to give them a task before they drove me crazy," I admit smiling, brushing a soft lock of hair away from her forehead. "Do you feel better? What did you tell Michaela?"

"The truth, that I was going to kick her pussy so hard that I'd to push it up to her throat and she'd get pregnant next time she did a blowjob to that Marsh asshole."

"Iselen!" Ruby raises her head, looking at her with her mouth wide open in shock while I try to hide a grin. "That's very... rude."

"But it's true," the vampire shrugs and the human shakes her head, exasperated, before grabbing the cup from her hands.

"I'll pour you more hot coffee, foul-mouthed bloodsucker."

"The barrier is still standing, that's great," Iselen whispers quietly so Ruby can't hear her and I nod while looking at the garden packed with magical creatures that are working hard building up barricades that I know will be useless, probably. "It's stronger than we thought, those wizards and witches did a great job centuries ago."

"It's true but, do you think it's impenetrable? Will it withstand the demons' attacks without collapsing? And even if that's the case, we can't live like this forever, we'd end up going mad with all these noise and light... I don't know what we're going to do to get rid of Marsh, Michaela and their minions, I don't have a plan... only toasted soya beans to throw at them..." I whisper desperately.

"I think we should focus on the producer... If we kill the hell-hound, it won't bite anymore. If he's not here to give orders, most of those demons will chicken out and I don't think there's one powerful enough, with the knowledge and influence to try to kidnap our girl, in order to open the hell door and free Leviathan's friend... The ritual must be difficult. If that barrier collapses, we'll kick his furry ass together."

"What if it doesn't break?" I ask looking back over my shoulder. Ruby is getting closer with the cup of coffee and a piece of bread with butter and jam on a plate, dodging her dogs because they're staring at her closely waiting for a crumb to land on the floor.

"We can try to sneak out of the perimeter discreetly and attack him from behind. Do you think your father and his wolves are ready to create a diversion?" I grimace, hesitating, before nodding.

"They'll help us as long as the pack won't get in danger," I whisper.

"Thank you for the coffee, babe," Iselen smiles and takes the cup before biting the bread. The human looks at us suspiciously, I think she can sense that we're up to no good, but remains silent while I explain the vampire everything we've been doing in the garden while she was sleeping.

*****

"Do you all know what you have to do?" The magical creatures nod nervously, looking at me worried while Ruby grabs Iselen's shirt with her clenched fists like she doesn't want to let her go. "We'll lift the veil so the demons can see the garden but remember that they can't cross the barrier and their spells can't reach you, you're safe here. The only thing you have to do is keep them busy insulting them, yelling and throwing soya beans at their faces while we do our thing. Maeve and Raven will pay attention and, if they notice that the barrier is weakening, they'll tell you so you can seek refuge in the house and stable and you'll go back to your homes dematerializing in an orderly manner. Please, keep calm, we don't want traffic jams in other dimensions..."

"Don't do this, please," I hear the human whispering. "Don't go out there..."

"Calm down, babe, we'll kick that demon's ass," Iselen smiles confidently while rubbing Ruby's cheek with her knuckles. "We can't go on like this, the situation is ridiculous. You can live locked up in the Wind Rose for the rest of your life."

"Yes, I can. I love this place... Please, Terra, don't leave me."

"We're not leaving you, babe," I answer getting closer to her, rubbing her back with my hand. "You need to trust us, we're perfectly capable of punching Marsh's face and throwing him back to hell; we're stronger than you think. My father's pack will help us creating a diversion while we get closer from behind and we jump on him. He won't notice what's happening till it's too late."

"What if he finds out about your plan?" Ruby asks worried, hugging me and digging her fingertips into my waist.

"I'll break all the bones of his body anyway," the vampire winks at her before kissing her lips gently. "You'll do what we tell you: stay on this side of the barrier close to Maeve and Raven." I nod before kissing the human too and gesturing at the druid, telling her to wait 10 minutes before lifting the veil. Ruby looks at us with concern while we walk away, I can feel her eyes fixed on my back till we vanish between the trees.

"I hope this goes well, what we're going to do is foolhardy and I understand why our girl is scared," I whisper getting undressed immediately. Iselen checks that there aren't enemies watching the barrier close to this corner of the garden while I turn into a wolf.

"Failure is not an option," I hear her growling.

We both move one step forward to get out of the secure perimeter, relying on our supernatural powers to walk quietly, hiding behind ferns and trunks. It's dark under the branches since there's no full moon tonight but it doesn't matter, we can see around thanks to our sharp eyes; unfortunately, demons can see us getting closer too, I'm sure. Only they're too busy because Maeve has lifted the veil and our guests are yelling insults, demons are also crying of pain when the toasted beans touch their skins, some of them try to get closer to Ruby but the barrier pushes them back again.

I hit the vampire's leg with my paw gently and she nods: we both have spotted Marsh standing behind his demons closer to the cars parked on the path, staring at the garden, the house and the magical creatures bewildered. I think he wasn't expecting us to get so much help. In addition to that, ghosts are making a hell of a noise, floating around the glass dome and they could drive anyone mad. Suddenly, some enemies scream angrily, rocks and crossbow bolts are raining on then coming from several spots of the forest, my old pack is doing a great job without giving away their position. The producer doesn't look so proud of himself now...

"Surprise, asshole!" Iselen growls pushing him from behind and Marsh trips over his own feet but doesn't fall on the ground because he reacts quickly out of instinct, turning into a massive dog with grey fur and red eyes. The animal stands up on his back legs, trying to look taller, and howls furiously. "That doesn't impress us, jerk!"

I chuckle in my mind, jumping over the dog, we roll on the dry leaves that cover the path although I can't bite his neck the way I wanted to because they guy is big and heavy and I don't want to get stuck under his body. Marsh tries to get up, kicking me away hard, but the vampire stops him jumping on him and punching his ribs twice. A demon notices that his boss is in trouble and tries to run closer to help him but he can't go too far because Iselen throws some beans at his face and he jumps back immediately, crying in pain.

The garden and forest are a chaos, packed with magical creatures throwing beans and yelling insults, more rocks and crossbow bolts rain over us and demons jump back, stepping on each other's feet and crying out loud, ghosts float above us crying too, Marsh growls and uses his claws and teeth to try to hurt us but we're attacking him from opposite sides and we're fast so the hellhound runs in circles, powerless, bleeding from several wounds. I can feel Iselen getting impatient and she's about to jump on the animal to tear the flesh from his neck and pierce the jugular definitely when Maeve's cry stops her.

"There's a crack in the barrier! Get behind the barricades now!"

"What the fuck?" I think scared, my heart skips a beat in my chest while I turn around abruptly. Suddenly, I realize what the problem is: we've been focusing on Marsh and forgot about that Michaela bitch. The demon is a frivolous creature, a liar and a scammer, who tries to avoid fights and prefers to swindle victims out of their money without them noticing, but she's also powerful handling magic and kept attacking the barrier while we were busy kicking his boss' ass. "Shit!"

"Iselen! Terra!"

The vampire pushes Marsh out of her way so hard that she sends him rolling several meters till he crashes against a car. I run fast towards the house taking advantage of my werewolf speed, dodging demons, Ruby is fighting the red-haired bitch and has managed to throw some beans at her face. Michaela curses when feeling the burn on her skin but holds the human's wrist hard and doesn't let her go despite my girl is kicking her hard. I jump on her growling, ready to rip my enemy apart with my sharp fangs, I can feel Iselen right behind me and the demon looks at us scared for a second before smiling wickedly... and vanishing.

"What the...?" the vampire cries angrily, stopping next to me breathing heavily while we both look around, puzzled.

"Over there!" Georgina cries from the Wind Rose roof, pointing at a spot of the forest, the night is dark but I can see Michaela's wings fluttering while she carries with my precious human, flying higher till she vanishes from view.

"Raven! Since when demons can carry the weight of a grown person while they fly?" Iselen asks, or rather, she shouts like crazy, and our friend answers while practicing some of the karate movements Maeve taught her to beat up an enemy.

"Some of them can do it but it's not easy... they have to train hard... they need very strong muscles on their backs... Take this, jerk!" The girl shoves a handful of beans inside the demon's mouth and he jumps back, gasping when feeling his throat covered with ulcers. Suddenly, most demons vanish and a handful of them jump in the cars along with Marsh, who shows us his middle finger while stepping on the gas and driving away from the Wind Rose.

"Iselen..." I sob after turning into human, not caring if I'm naked in front of all our guests. "Oh my God, Ruby... what are we going to do?" Hot tears run down my cheeks and I feel I'm running out of air, I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Terra, calm down," the vampire unbuttons her shirt with abrupt movements and puts it on my shoulders before cupping my jaw with her hand, wiping my tears away with her thumbs. "We're going to find her, we still have time and know where they're going. Marsh drives his car and it means that the hellhounds can't fly and can't appear out of the blue wherever they want, they don't have that power... It'll take hours for him to get to LA even if he has a plane waiting somewhere near. Come on, my beautiful plush toy, I need you by my side to rescue our girl."

"Yes, you're right... I'm sorry." I whisper taking a deep breath and she hugs me tight, the heat of her skin manages to soothe me although I can't help holding onto her torso for some seconds, desperately.

"I can appear out of the blue wherever I want and can carry people with me," we both turn around shocked: it's Ru in her human form again, biting her lower lip, concerned. "My bosses aren't very happy up there and want you to fix this mess, they've given me permission to help you."

"How long would it take for you to carry us to LA?" Iselen asks and the pretty girl with silver hair seems to think about the question carefully before nodding.

"Around 23 seconds... I could do it in 12 but you'll puke, probably. It's a bumpy ride, I'm afraid. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, 23 seconds is great..." Iselen sighs relieved. "We'll get there before they do and will set up a trap. You, get dressed..." The vampire points at me with her index and I nod without even thinking of arguing with her. "You, call the most powerful wizards, witches and magical creatures you know and ask them to fix the protective barrier..." Maeve nods too. "You, send back home all the guests you don't need and stay here with a handful of them that will help you to clean this mess..." Lea, Zara, Alfonso and his friends nod, looking around; the garden is a wreck and the windows and doors are still covered with wooden planks. "Georgina! Keep watching and make sure nobody sneaks into the Wind Rose till the barrier works again."

"At your orders, Commander Bloodsucker!" The ghost answers standing at attention like a soldier while the vampire rolls her eyes hard.