No one added any more information as she waited only a moment for Mori to finish whatever he was doing. Devin nodded to Andrew, who'd quietly slipped away and had returned with a bag packed for Arianna.

"Ready to go, princess?" Andrew asked. Obviously everyone knew what plan six was and were all doing their part now, forgetting about Arianna's obvious lack of knowledge.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know exactly what's going on," Arianna demanded, and thankfully she had the strength to back up her demands. Andrew hesitated and deferred to Devin for an explanation. Devin had an endless amount of additional plans but none of them included Arianna refusing.

"Let her stay until I make the call. As long as she's not in the picture, they won't know the difference. Then she needs to leave immediately. Go to the second option and keep her hidden. I'll tell Gabriel, and we will go back to the Randolph estate," Devin replied.

"Wait, what's going on, where are we going?" Arianna was thoroughly confused by now.

"We need to get you out of here before they find you. We are going to inform them that you've decided to take a vacation and will be returning soon, so all inquiries need to be in a written format. That way we can continue to stall them," Turner replied, quickly understanding that she wasn't happy without knowing what was going on. "You hide for the time being, and we stall them as we prepare for war. They will not attack if they don't know where you are."

"No, I can't run. Who will lead the clans?" Arianna was worried, not just about the dearg-dul but also Gabriel. More people had challenged him before she took over. His authority was basically cemented with her presence. Without her around, he would be back to having to defend his position and thus hers.

"Yes, you will run, and you will stay safe. Andrew will make sure of it. Now that you're healed, you should be able to keep up with him. Hopefully he can keep up with you. We will stall the clans and keep them in order. No one but us will know that you're hiding." Devin moved back to the computer.

"And we will be leaving you guys here?" Arianna asked, looking around the room. These guys, and the ones in the other room guarding the hostages, were her family.

"Yes, the more of us that go, the easier it will be to find you. For now it will just be you two," Turner added again as Devin was typing into the computer. Arianna worried for the people she would have to leave behind. She was the strength of the group, whether she knew how to use it or not.

'They can take care of themselves,' Andrew added for Arianna's benefit.

"Connection is up," Mori replied from the computer. Across the screen flashed multiple faces.

"Minimize them all so we can see them all at once," Devin directed Mori. Mori followed his orders.

Several men stared back at the screen. Their own connection showed a blank screen. The men ranged in ages from not much older than Arianna to her great uncle Gabriel's age.

"Who are they?" Arianna asked.

"Sidhe, vrykolakas, brujeria, draugur, gangshi, uruku, lamia, loogaroo, and obayifo." Devin pointed to each man as he named which night human they were. None of it made sense to Arianna, but she nodded anyway.

Devin reached over and pulled Arianna closer to him. She felt the surge of needing his touch just like Andrew once she was close enough. A bit of his love was seeping through the closed doors in his mind. Devin kissed her forehead before pushing her out of the picture.

'I'm doing this for you,' he said before hitting the b.u.t.ton to turn on the connection. 'You leave when I click off. I need you to stay safe.'

"I thought this would be the easiest format rather than having everyone running around causing trouble on our grounds. We've had two recent incidents and over a dozen in the past year of clans coming, uninvited, on the grounds of either the Grace or Randolph clans," Devin said to the men staring back. "Miss Arianna has decided to take a vacation and will be away for several months. Since I know you all are seeking an audience with her, we wanted to ask you to formally present your case in written format so that we can a.s.sess them all in good time. Personal invitations will only be made to those we deem worthy of meeting her in person."

"Impossible," an older grey-haired man replied. "You will never give us the time of day. After avoiding us for the past year, are we to believe you will actually read our letters? Since you contacted us, I will gladly formally issue the right to challenge."

Devin smiled at the older man. "If you check the records, a challenge can only be issued during a person to person meeting. This doesn't count."

'This isn't going to work,' Arianna complained to Andrew. 'I'm past my birthday. They will follow me and try to issue a challenge.'

'And we will keep them away from you,' Andrew replied, pulling her close into his arms, hoping that his strength alone would take care of her.

'And I'll have to spend my life hidden,' Arianna added. Andrew's arms brought comfort, but she still felt the dread of life running away. And the moment I return, there will be war, she added to herself.

The men all started arguing over each other and none of the conversations could be made out. Several men could be seen as lifelong enemies; others were acting like old friends. Some were more guarded in their dislike, but what Arianna could tell, there wasn't a single clan in power of more than their own group right now. None even held two clans, let alone four. As the old man Arianna only met weeks ago raised his hand, everyone stopped talking.

"I believe you have a guest right now," the man said to the group. They all immediately quieted down, eager to hear his words. "I think my grandson Polo would like to say something."

"Oh, I'm sorry. We found him in a bad condition from fighting with someone on our grounds, which he illegally entered. We needed to give him time to heal, and we thought it was best to do that asleep, so he cannot speak at the moment." Devin looked over the screen to Andrew, and Andrew nodded with a smile. "He will probably be out for at least another half an hour or so. We might need to keep him under longer. He was outside during the midday sun. You know how taxing that can be." Devin faked his concern and pleasantries for the men on the screen.

"That can't be correct. Polo contacted me and said that he was with you guys," the man retaliated.

"You must have heard him wrong. He was only slightly conscious when we rescued him. He pa.s.sed out before he even made it back to the house here where Lady Arianna was," Devin replied. No one on the screen was satisfied. Arguments began to grow as several of the men agreed. Slowly the arguments simmered down for someone else to talk now.

"Speaking for the chosen one, if you disregard our ways, it will mean war. We will not stand to be put aside or have our traditions ignored," a younger, thirty-something man with golden hair replied. Several of the younger men all nodded with him. The older men were slower to follow. They had lived through wars that the younger men had not.

"There's no disregard, Lord McKinny. We will thoroughly read each offer. If we deem no one suitable, we will call for a challenge ourselves," Devin replied.

'Is he serious?' Arianna asked Andrew. Devin would never call for a challenge.

'No, he's trying to buy time for us to train you better. If I can get you up to the top form we expect, there will be no dispute. They will all listen, and fear your power,' Andrew replied. He was actually enjoying the show. Devin was a master of his emotions, and nothing that was said ruffled his feathers or deterred him from his plan. For a baku, who fed on emotion, Devin was amazing.

"This isn't a discussion. You either honor our ways or not," the grandfather of the group scolded Devin sternly. "Not one of us will stand by and let a non-head dictate to us. We are issuing the challenge. Disrespect that, and it means war."

"I'm in," said the younger blond haired man, starting a chorus of agreement. Before long the whole group agreed.

Devin shrugged, not replying to the insinuation that war was starting. He moved over to the computer to turn it off without even giving the men a reply. Instantly thoughts of war and innocent people crowded Arianna's mind. Even though each man was far away, she could feel their emotions and hear their thoughts jumble into her head. They meant it. They would start a war for her, and the people who would suffer were those around her. It would not be a war between everyone, but a war against the people she loved. They would attack both the Randolph and Grace lands where she had grown up and where all the people she loved lived. They would attack the night human Tricity where Turner was from. The only place Arianna had ever found that accepted night humans alongside day humans, a place of peace. Arianna pictured face after face of friends back home she had grown up with. They would all suffer to keep her from marriage. The men were planning destruction. Each man thought he could win a tournament, and they were willing to do anything to get ahold of Arianna. Before either Devin or Andrew could stop her, Arianna appeared before the nine men.

"I issue the challenge," she said, taking her future into her own hands. "Those that wish to partic.i.p.ate must talk now and promise to never again attack dearg-dul, lycan, tengu, or baku held lands."

The men, old and young alike, eyed her like a steak dinner. She was the prize they all had waited a lifetime for. Eagerly they all agreed, one by one, confirming what Arianna already knew. This was the only way to help her people.

"We will do this the way I want it done," Arianna continued after they agreed.

'Ari,' Devin said, sounding desperate. 'You don't have to do this. We can keep you safe.'

'For how long? A day? A week? Months? And what about war?' Arianna didn't look at Devin, knowing that she was disappointing him.

'They will not act. This is all show. Please, let's at least try.' Desperation was beginning to seep out of his cool exterior.

'This is my future and these are my people,' Arianna replied, not looking away from the screen. 'This is my choice.'

"The contest will be held in one month. Wherever I make my appearance on the eighteenth of May will be the location. Your compet.i.tor will have to be in the main room by midnight to be considered entered. They may only bring two personal guards with them. Until we meet on the eighteenth, I'll demand that none of the contestants enter Randolph or Grace territories. Anyone that tries to meet me beforehand will be disqualified." Everyone nodded. Not a soul would disagree with her at this point.

"Each must state your contestant now." She looked over at Thomas who began writing things down quickly. Thomas was the one who was best at forming plans. Every plan that Devin had made in the last year, Thomas had looked over before they set it in motion. It was nice to have someone so smart on her side, and with her rash decision, it was necessary if she were to stand a chance.

"But that's not how we do this," the oldest of the group, the vrykolakas, complained. "Tradition dictates..."

"This is how I do things. I rule over four clans. I do what I please, how I please," Arianna tried to sound as haughty as her position required as she interrupted him, but deep down she was nervous that they would all see through the illusion. "If you wish to play my game, you play by my rules. I do believe the family of the one being fought over gets to dictate the rules, do they not?"

"But," the man continued to complain. "The head of the family will set everything up."

"And that is what we are doing." Arianna stared at the man, daring him to say more. He did not.

She waited and found that no one else wanted to add to the conversation. She was breaking tradition, but what they didn't know was that she didn't actually know the tradition. So little had been explained. Arianna was doing her best to fake it and get along without anyone turning to war.

Finally the younger blond man spoke. "Rhys McKinny, Sidhe."

Slowly, the men around the screen realized that it was going to happen in the way that Arianna chose. Each added their name or their son's name to Thomas' list. Devin watched it all unfold. He already knew who each man was, and who was likely to be entered. Devin had been dreading this scenario since the first day he met her. Even if Lord Randolph had been around, it would be the same. While Lord Randolph talked about how he would make her marry, he never meant it. His insistence at tradition had driven Arianna's mother away, and he would have never done the same thing again.

As the last man added his name to the list, Devin stepped out from behind Arianna.

"Devin Alexander," he said.

'What are you doing?' Arianna demanded.

'Saving you from having to marry someone you don't even know. If I can survive and beat everyone, you'd be free to marry Andrew,' Devin explained while staring down the men on the screen.

'No, you can't do this. I can't lose you in this fight,' Arianna tried to desperately get him to understand her feelings still muddled between him and Andrew. The men all stared in horror at Devin.

'This is my choice, not yours.' Devin kissed the top of her head. 'Let me be your champion.'

'And if he doesn't enter, I will,' Andrew jumped into the conversation.

'Not yet,' Devin replied to Andrew. 'She won't survive without us for blood. Not yet.' Andrew nodded in agreement.

"Impossible," the older vrykolakas said. "None from her own clan can enter."

"Devin isn't from my clan," Arianna replied, fighting back tears. She wouldn't be dissuading him.

"He's Randolph's left hand man, of course he's of the dearg-dul clan," another man added in agreement with the vrykolakas.

"I'm not a dearg-dul, nor will I ever be. I'm a day human and belong only to the day humans," Devin said to the men.

The second man began laughing. "A day human wants to enter the compet.i.tion. By all means, be our guest then."

"Brenton Winter," Turner added his formal name also to the list so that they would all know exactly who he was. He wouldn't let Devin take all the glory of protecting her. Turner challenged the men on the screen. He had been dealing with political men like them his whole life. "I'm not a dearg-dul, so there shouldn't be a problem there."

THIRTY-ONE.

Arianna stared out the window. The sun was peeking out behind the rain clouds that had finally pa.s.sed. The train had been moving for over two hours now non-stop. After a day of constant travel to lose the night humans trying to follow her, they ended up on a train. Soon Andrew would take her hand and ask her to jump off the moving train with him. Over a year ago, she would have thought him crazy. Now it seemed like the best plan. Only a few could actually survive such a jump, but for her and Andrew it would be simple. Devin and Turner stayed behind at the cabin to greet Nik when he arrived for his younger brother. Gabriel would be bringing Thomas and Molina to their new location to help train her, Molina for fighting and Thomas for all the rules. While Arianna wanted to do her own thing, she would have to follow the rules. Traditions could be ignored, but the rules could not.

Andrew picked up her hand and laced his fingers between hers. She wanted to lean into him and pull someone of his strength into her, but she could not. A part of her heart broke when Devin chose to enter the challenge rather than help take care of her. He made his choice clear. He gave up. It was no longer a choice between Devin and Andrew because Devin quit. Now Devin and Turner would be away from her for a month. Andrew saw the difference in her.

"He's doing this for you," Andrew said quietly, stroking her head and pulling it to his shoulder.

"Running away to be the savior is for me, not for his hero complex?" Arianna was bitter.

"Don't we all get a bit of hero complex when around you?" Andrew admitted. Arianna finally smiled at him. "You're the future, and we can all see that."

How could she explain to Andrew that part of her felt for Devin the way she felt for him?

"If you don't want me to stay, I can always go and trade places with him," Andrew honestly offered. "I'm not of your clan either."

Arianna looked over at him. Andrew was offering to step away. What was it with these men? Why would they walk away rather than stay by her side? Andrew waited, and she could see through his calm exterior. He didn't want to let her go. In fact, his words were the exact opposite of what he was feeling. Arianna smiled at him. He wasn't ever going to let her go. Arianna hated to admit it. Devin was right all along. Andrew was what she needed. While she needed to be strong and protect her own clan, she needed someone beside her that would always fight to be there. Andrew would always fight. She could see that now.

"I think Thomas already is calculating that into everything. And no, I want you to stay," Arianna replied. She already knew that was the truth, but it was the first time admitting it to Andrew. There wasn't much of a choice. She could've asked to stay with Devin, but he would always be closed up; even Devin couldn't change that. Andrew would always be open with his love. That was the life Arianna wanted. It just hurt to leave Devin behind.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Andrew trapped her against the wall with his arms on either side of her so that he could kiss her.

"And what if I had said switch with Devin?" Arianna asked, mocking him but actually wondering at the same time.

"What? You'd say no to all of this?" he teased, gesturing to himself. "You couldn't say switch," Andrew whispered, leaning in close so that they were now cheek to cheek. Arianna felt his breath on her ear and shivered. He kissed gently down her neck. "I know you love Devin, but you've always loved me more." His smugness filled in around them as he pulled back and smiled at her.

She huffed at his reply and tried to push him away. It was true, but she didn't want to admit it. Andrew leaned back down and this time found her lips.

Gabriel opened the cabin door. "Your stop is coming up."

Arianna ducked under Andrew's arms quickly at Gabriel's entrance, though the old baku didn't seem to notice them. She nodded and followed her uncle into the hallway. Andrew trailed close behind. Gabriel opened the door of the moving train.

'Three miles northeast.' Gabriel directed her with mental pictures of the run. It was still daytime, and the night humans that were sensitive to sun wouldn't be out yet. 'Stay along the border of the lands. Just inside the border is the estate. The Wurdulac are very much like you and have a strong compa.s.sion for what you're going through. They will keep you safe.'

'Wurdulac?' Arianna asked of the new term. She hadn't heard that name the day before. They were not one of the thirteen clans coming to greet her in a month.

'A night human race that's going extinct due to feeding habits like yours,' Andrew replied, standing beside her, never letting go of her. 'They can only feed on those who love them.'

'So there are more beyond the thirteen?' Arianna asked both Andrew and Gabriel.

'Many more, but only the thirteen own land in the Americas,' Andrew replied.

'Now, be on your way at the next bend in the tracks,' Gabriel ordered, giving her one last, brief hug. It was time for her to take over. There was nothing left he could teach her. All he could do was stand back and support her in the role she would have to take. Arianna was the future, just as Andrew had said. It was time for her to realize that. Gabriel was pa.s.sing the torch to Andrew and hoped the young man would prepare her for the fight of her life, mentally and physically. This wasn't going to be an easy game to play.

The tracks approached the turn. Arianna didn't look back. She only looked at Andrew's hand clasped firmly in her own. He was willing to fight to be beside her. He trusted her. He was her rock. With him, maybe this night human world would be more bearable. Now it was time for her to fight to be free to live her own life. Arianna had one month to prepare to meet her fate. She would either save the night human world or destroy it.

Arianna jumped.

SNEAK PEAK Coming Soon-Book 3: Winning the Legend by B. Kristin McMichael Arianna Grace looked up from the floor where she lay sprawled on the training mat. Her dark blond, sweat-soaked ponytail was hanging limp. It had been twenty-nine days of endless training, and she still couldn't fight back well enough to defeat Andrew Lucan, even though he wasn't even fighting at full power in his baku night human form. She had gained ground in fighting him in day human form, but once they were night humans it was hopeless. Andrew had too much training. Arianna brushed back a chunk of soggy bangs and pushed herself off the floor. Her muscles ached, but she wouldn't quit. She couldn't quit. The fate of everyone Arianna knew hung on her ability to win. Strength was the only ally she had at this point, and the only one that would save everyone. She had to get stronger.

"I think it is time to go over everything else one last time with Thomas," Andrew replied. He was the picture of perfection. His wavy, almost black, shoulder-length hair wasn't even messed up as he gazed at her with steel gray eyes. He didn't take any pleasure in beating Arianna. He was probably one of the strongest opponents she would ever face, but even that did not deter her.

"One more time," Arianna begged. Andrew reluctantly stood back in his starting spot across the room from her. He hadn't yet even broken a sweat, but Arianna was relentless. Arianna already knew she'd won that argument before he even moved. Little did she know, but her persuasiveness was actually her strongest trait. Andrew could never really say no to her.

"Fine, but after, you promise to go straight to Thomas? No begging Molina next." Unfortunately, Andrew was already two steps ahead of her.

Arianna grumbled at his suggestion. It was her plan to beg Molina next, but she wasn't going to admit that. After a month of hapkido, jiu jitsu, jeet kune do, keysi, and street fighting training for eight hours a day between Molina and Andrew, Arianna was getting better. She could now fight in both night and day human form toe-to-toe with Molina. Arianna preferred to fight with Molina, who didn't have to hold back. Andrew was still much stronger and every fight showed how unequal their abilities still were.

Andrew mockingly bowed to Arianna and waited for her to make the first move. He was anxious to stop her overexertion, but he knew it was best to use her skills against herself rather than attack first. Arianna moved first, and Andrew countered the punch, deflecting her momentum. Arianna regained her footing momentarily, only to find Andrew had a lock on her arm. Instantly he twisted her arms while swiping her feet. Arianna flipped to counter his move but found she exerted too much spin on her flip causing her to grab Andrew's arm for support. Arianna let him flip her around to lessen the damage as she hit the floor, knowing that in that moment of grabbing Andrew's arm he gained the upper hand. Andrew rested, pinning her on the floor beneath him.

"Fine," she mumbled, tapping the floor. The full-grown baku pressing her to the floor made her belly flip, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of not only beating her in less than two minutes, but also making her go weak in her the knees just by his presence. Arianna closed her eyes to not have to look at him as she admitted her defeat.