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Okay folks here is Chapter 12! Thanks for Ruth of Pern for editing my story =) hope you guys enjoy this chapter

Chapter 12: A Sad Tale

"Xander.... My name is Xander Rose... and thank you for saving me..." he said quietly. He felt so nervous... he had been attacked and nearly killed before these three showed up and the tiny coyote girl killed several people without breaking a sweat... and this other girl seemed so nice...

"Nice to meet you Xander! I'm Erin! The Tiger is Greg Moore and the Coyote girl is Allison Monet... She prefers going by her last name for some reason though..." the girl... Erin said. "You are lucky I heard you... If I hadn't who knows what would've happened. You are you okay though? Nothing is broken right?"

"No... nothing's broken. But really thank you... I thought I was a goner..." He muttered shyly, "But why did you risk yourself to help me?" He asked the fox girl she just shrugged.

"Because it was the right thing to do... nobody would have let you just die." She said helping him up. "Come-on, our car isn't that far..." She told him taking him out of the alley. The tiger Greg and the Coyote girl Monet following behind, but not before Greg buried the rest of the bodies underneath the earth.

They walked in silence for a bit before Erin spoke again. "So where are you from Xander?" she asked him.

"I'm from New York... New York City... but I haven't been back there in years... Listen I don't want to talk about it..."

Erin frowned at that, "You sound just like Luc..." she muttered annoyed, "When you have a problem you refuse to talk about it."

"Who's Luke?" He asked Greg.

"Her brother...Lucas, her older brother. He's... well he can be difficult he hasn't had it easy in life..." The tiger said in a non-committal tone. "He's pretty reserved but he's a nice enough chap. Just not the most emotional guy."

Xander just nodded then looked back towards the tiger, "So where are we going?" he asked as they neared the Mercedes. He gasped in shock, "How did you get such an expensive car? Wow..."

"We are heading back to Vancouver... it's my employers car. He let me borrow it to take Erin and Monet to Seattle..."

"Your employer? You don't sound like you're a native of Vancouver..."

"I'm a Protector... a bodyguard essentially... My job is to protect my employer Jordan Mansfield's eldest son Ian... I've lived with them all my life... And I'm not a native, I grew up in Scotland long way away from here," the Tiger replied.

"So what's the connection to Erin's brother and this Ian?" Xander asked curious.

Greg just shrugged uncomfortably at that and sighed. Monet was the one who answered that one quickly enough, "He and Mason are dating... which complicates things... Mansfield being gay will cause major conflict back in Scotland. His family, the Mansfield clan is the head of the Scottish clans and he himself is the heir to the position of head of the family and thus head of the country which is currently held by his Grandfather Isaac Mansfield."

Greg stopped in his tracks at that, "How did you know Isaac Mansfield was the head of the Mansfield family? Let alone Ian's grandfather? Nobody has told you about Isaac..."

She just gave a small smile at that, "I know quite a lot about the Mansfield clan, like Isaac was named head when the previous head Ronald Mansfield passed over his father Arlen..."

Greg gave the girl a suspicious look and Xander became slightly nervous, "Hardly anybody outside the British and Irish clans know about that... How would a mundane girl like you know about that?" he demanded.

Monet just shrugged calmly not at all phased by Greg's questions, "Let's just say I'm a very good guesser." She stated before getting into the car.

Greg just sighed and grumbled knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of the girl. She hands down was the strangest person he had ever met. Xander himself was confused because he had no clue what anybody was talking about. Sighing he got in the car and sat next to Monet who completely ignored him while Erin and Greg sat in the front seat. It felt weird... he was so nervous that this was going to wind up just like it did with Derrick, but something about the look in Erin's eyes when she looked towards him made him relax.

"You okay Xan?" she asked him kindly he just gave her an odd look.

"What did you call me?" he asked her confused.

She just rolled her eyes and chuckled, "I called you Xan silly, your name is _Xan_der right?" She asked emphasizing the first syllable of his name. He nodded calmly in response. "So I'm calling you Xan, simple..."

Xander just shook his head and shrugged. Everything was quiet in the car. Greg was busy paying attention to the road while Erin was just relaxing. Xander tried to distract himself so he wouldn't get bored until Monet spoke up, "So Rose... that is your name correct? What were you doing in Seattle if you are originally from New York City? That is quite far for someone to travel for no reason... What exactly went down with your mother and your step-father?"

He looked towards the girl for a bit before saying anything, "Like I told Erin I don't want to talk about it... please drop it," he told her.

The look she gave him made his blood run cold but he managed to fight through it. He was sick of being intimidated and he wouldn't let this girl do that to him... even if she was totally scary and just killed five people without breaking a sweat. Shit... maybe he shouldn't piss her off! He wanted to live to turn eighteen at the very least...

"Listen, it's hard to talk about and I don't know you guys well enough to say. But I am very grateful for you guys saving me."

Erin gave him a small smile at that, "No problem, I understand I guess you had a hard go at life? But that's all over. Trust me, I won't let you go back on the streets. And I promise that we will keep you safe from those Hunters if at all possible." She turned towards Greg, "Which just asking; what is a hunter?" She asked him.

He only growled and clenched the steering-wheel tightly, "They are a group of Mundane's who despise all magic. They believe that it is evil and needs to be destroyed. My family... they were the ones responsible for their deaths." He growled... "I was only two when it happened. The day started out normal, my family lived very close to the Mansfield Manor. My mother and I lived with my grandparents. My father was home on leave, visiting us after he and Jordan had gotten back from a trip to Austria. He lived with the Mansfield's so he could guard Jordan full-time so I hardly got to see him though I spent a lot of time over at the house playing with Ian and Richard. He had always intended for me to be Ian's protector." He chuckled a bit at that.

"Really? At such a young age?" Erin asked. Xander himself was also enthralled by Greg's tale and Monet also was listening with a lot of interest.

"Yeah, Protectors are generally always around the same age of their charge and grow up together... my father and Jordan were very close growing up even before he became his protector. After his training was complete, he moved into Mansfield Manor. His own father, my grandfather had retired as Isaac's own Protector when he became the family head after his grandfather died. When they were eighteen they took a trip to India. My family, the Moore's are originally from that country, however some of my ancestors moved to Scotland and got a land grant from the current head of the Mansfield clan on terms of my family serving as body-guards for high profile members of the clan. As such my family had gladly served the Mansfield's for over two hundred years..." he said before pausing.

"Anyway... while they were exploring Calcutta, my father met and fell in love with a girl from the powerful and wealthy Patel Clan... the most powerful Clan in Eastern India and the head of the Mage Clans in West Bengal... She returned his feelings, but her father the head of the clan did not think a Servant was worthy of his daughter and forbade her to see my father... Knowing she loved him dearly my mother Aaina left her family clan and eloped with my father Ivan back to Scotland..."

"So romantic..." Erin sighed in a dreamy tone and Xander also thought it was sweet that the woman did not let her family keep her away from the man she loved.

"I would like to think so. When her father found out she had eloped he sent a message to Isaac demanding my mother be sent back to India or else the Patel clan would declare war on the Mansfield family... Isaac refused the demand and the threat. When his offer was refused, her father rallied all the clans in East India while Isaac managed to get almost all the clans on the islands to side with him... When it looked like the two factions were going to war the International Council intervened and brought out a deal between the two clans... My mother got to stay in Scotland with her husband and his family, but the Moore clan was forced to pay a hefty dowry and any child born from her would be raised Hindu instead of the Hellenic faith of the Scottish clans..."

"Hellenic?" Xander asked him confused.

Monet again was the one who answered his question, "The vast majority of Western Mage's follow the Hellenic... or Olympic faith... The Gods of the Greeks and Romans. The faith was originally limited to Greece until Rome adopted the faith and worshiped the Greek Gods by different names. The faith spread throughout the Roman Empire. Even after the state religion changed to Christianity, the mages kept to the old ways... The Faith eventually spread to Britain and quickly replaced the pagan faith of old. It eventually became the official faith of British Mages as well as many other powerful nations... It also eventually became the official religion of not only the British Empire but the Spanish Portuguese and the French Empires as well... Thus it eventually became the most powerful faith on the planet...

"There are other faiths though... The Norse Faith is very strong in Scandinavia and the Egyptian faith thrives in Africa, and the Hindu faith is the state religion in India after it became independent from the British Empire, though there is a small portion who still are Hellenic..." she then turned towards Greg, "But please continue your story Moore..."

The tiger nodded and did so, "Yes after that things calmed down... a year later my mother became pregnant with me. She and Rebecca... Ian's mother became quite close since they got pregnant around the same time... I was born first in August while Ian was born in September...so we instantly became close. A few months later Rebecca got pregnant again with Richard...Which was great but also a hard time. Jordan's grandfather Arlen's health was failing very fast. Nobody knew why... He was only about 73 or so, very young by our standards. His health continued to fail and he died only a few months after Richard was born..." He said this looking towards Allison.

"Oh... so what about your parents?" Erin encouraged him.

"That day my father was allowed to return to his parent's home for a few days... We had members of the Mansfield family as well... Rupert and Eric... Rupert was Jordan's little brother and Eric was the son of Isaac's brother William...We were having a nice dinner; Jordan and Rebecca were running late... However before they arrived the place was raided by hunters... They slaughtered everybody inside the house and torched it... Before she died my mother hid me in the bushes outside the house... After I was hidden they grabbed her... they grabbed her and threw her into the fire... I watched as my mother was burned alive. I stayed hidden afraid they would kill me as well. After they were sure everybody was dead they left... they just left proud that they wiped out a family of filthy Mages..." He started to tear up at that.

"About an hour later Jordan and Rebecca arrived... They were shocked to find the house torched... Jordan eventually found me huddled up in the bushes... I managed to tell them what happened, or as best a two year old could... I remember him picking me up and hugging me closely, telling me it would be all right... I've lived with the Mansfield's ever since... I owe them everything..." He sighed a bit after that. "That is my story..."

They all sat in silence for a bit before Xander decided to speak up, "I'm sorry man, that's awful..."

Erin just nodded silently for once not knowing what to say. Monet also eventually spoke up. "I am very sorry for your loss Moore, no child should have to watch something so horrific happen," she told him kindly.

Greg just shook it off and shrugged.

"That happened over fifteen years ago... I'm over it trust me..." He said before looking back to the road. "Oh and Xander... you should get a shower as soon as we get back. No offense, but you stink..."

Xander just blushed and sank down in his seat at that... He couldn't remember the last time he had a proper shower... maybe this would work out after all.

~~~~

Lucas sighed, he had eaten and he and Richard were currently sitting in the basement watching TV. Ian and Mr. Mansfield were still busy doing whatever, and Lucas was really starting to miss Ian... they really needed to talk. He was all too ready to continue his brooding before Richard decided to break the silence.

"So... you and Ian huh?" he asked causing the smaller fox to blush. Noticing this Richard laughed, "But Ian has always had a thing for the quiet shy ones..."

"Really?" Ian asked curious.

Richard nodded a bit, "Yeah, Ian had a few boyfriends back home, nothing really serious and pretty much all of them were Mundane's though. He dated them for a week or two before getting bored and breaking up on them... None of them really stuck really. A few of them were pretty cool and he's stayed friends with a lot of them."

Lucas didn't know why but he felt hurt that Ian seemed to have been with other boys... how long would Ian stay interested in him before growing bored?

Seeing the hurt in Lucas' face Richard quickly backtracked, "Hey, he really likes you I mean really, you are all he talks about now... He's never been that way with the other guys..."

"Has Ian ever... you know..." Lucas asked shyly.

"What? Shagged any of them? I have no clue... I have no interest on who my brother bones. I doubt it though. Ian isn't the type to have sex with someone if he doesn't truly care for them. Can we get off of this topic? It's getting awkward..."

Lucas nodded it was getting pretty awkward, but he would be sure to speak with Ian about this when they got time alone... he had to be sure he wasn't just some fling for the wolf...

"So... um... How well do you know Monet?" Richard blurted out causing Lucas to look to him in confusion.

"Well that's random... I don't know Allison to well since she's a grade lower and we've never hung out. Erin knows her well enough I guess. Why the sudden interest on her?" He could tell Richard was blushing under his fur as he refused to look the fox in the eye.

"Um... no reason at all... just curious..." he muttered quietly.

A small thought caught Lucas' mind making him smile somewhat, "You like her don't you?" he teased... 'Dear god I'm turning into Erin...' he thought to himself but he was pleased to see the look of shock on Richards face.

He looked dumfounded for a few seconds before speaking up, "I like her as a friend... she's pretty neat and strong and tough..." He rambled and glared when Lucas started to chuckle. "Listen you might be Ian's boyfriend but I will drown you if you keep this up," he threatened or at least tried to... his humiliated expression only made Lucas laugh harder. "Fine, yes I like her... she's amazing, she's smart, tough, independent and really pretty... I just doubt a girl like her would go for me," he muttered in a miserable tone.

It stopped being funny right about then. "Why wouldn't a girl like her go for a guy like you? You're a nice guy..."

Richard sighed a bit, "The girls always look at Ian... They don't see me, they see my brother and I'm just in the background. He's the oldest son, a Light Mage, and a member of the most powerful family in Scotland... I'm just the second son living in the eldest one's shadow..."

"Richard..." Was all Lucas could manage. Richard always seemed so lax and cheerful, so seeing him like this was unnerving, "Listen man, have you talked to Ian about this?"

Richard just shook his head calmly, "No why bother; it would just start problems..." He sighed and then his ears went up, "Ian and dad are coming down... Ian seems to be a good mood... That was a good talk Lucas," he said before heading off into his room.

A few minutes later he heard the door open and the sound of very loud footsteps and soon enough he was engulfed by two very large arms, "Hey man!" Ian said cheerfully, "Sorry about you waking up alone but dad and I had to set up something with the Canadian Council. They'll want to speak to you and your sister and they are going to fill an inquiry with the Canadian chapter of the Knights as to why two Tahleno mages weren't reported. Have you called your dad yet? It would be best to inform him that the knights are going to be investigating him."

Lucas' brow furrowed at that, "No I haven't called my father... I have nothing to say to that bastard. He lied to me and Erin all our lives sealed our magic and who knows what else..."

He felt Ian sigh and hold him closer to his chest, "Listen Lucas, I really think you should talk to him... I understand you have major issues but he's still your dad. Sure him lying to you and sealing your magic was horrible, but he thought it as to protect you," he said letting Lucas go and gave him his best puppy-dog look that made Lucas' heart melt. "Please for me..."

Lucas could not say no to that expression and sighed, "Sure I will..." he replied in a downcast manner. Ian quickly grabbed him and kissed him deeply... Lucas felt his mind slip away from him for a bit and he returned the kiss at least until he heard someone cough uncomfortably. They broke the kiss and noticed that Ian's father was standing a little back looking away from them.

"Ian, I told you not to be so affectionate with your... friend... Good seeing you again Lucas; how is your ankle?" The older man asked.

Lucas blushed somewhat wiggling out of Ian's grasp, "Sorry Mr Mansfield, err... my ankle is fine... How did Allison fix it so quick though? I thought she was a mundane and had no magic?"

"She's a healer... how she explained it is that mundane healers use...I think she called it chi... They use it in a way that allows a mundane to simulate magical healing restoring the person's health... She said she was being taught by Luo Huang. Though I have never met the man myself he is quite famous amongst the Canadian clans. Best healer in the entire country having one of his students as a classmate of yours is quite impressive. Oh and don't call me Mr. Mansfield please... My name is Jordan," he said kindly. "I'm going to let you two be alone..." He finished before walking up the stairs and shutting the door.

The two of them sat in silence before Lucas decided to speak up, "Ian we need to talk..." he muttered shyly leading Ian to the couch when they sat down and was comfortable enough Ian decided to ask him.

"Sure Kit, what do you want to talk about?" the wolf asked the smaller boy cheerfully.

"Am I just a cheap fling or do you really care about me?" he asked.

Ian looked stricken at that. He looks towards Lucas in shock for a few minutes before finding his voice, "What are you talking about? Of course I care about you! Silly goose..." He joked but stopped after seeing the look in Lucas' eyes.

"Richard told me about your relationships back in Scotland... How you show interest in a boy before growing bored with them... Will you lose interest in me after a while? Am I just some tool for you to get your jollies? I won't let that happen. I swear to God if you are using me I'll-!" He never got to finish that sentence because Ian grabbed him and kissed him into submission. The tenderness and feeling of the kiss rendered Lucas speechless.

After a while Ian broke the kiss and hugged Lucas close, "Yeah I've had plenty of relationships with other guys, but it never went farther than kissing and wanking each other off... nothing serious for me or them. I wasn't ready for a serious relationship or coming out of the closet and I guess they were blinded that the rich and handsome Ian Mansfield was gay. I'm still good friends with a lot of the guys I dated... but you? I've never felt so strongly about anybody before. And when I see you in pain all I want to do is take all your pain away... I love you Lucas." He stated looking right into the Fox's eyes.

"Ian..." was all he could say he quickly averted his eyes from the Wolf's green. "I've been in love before... and I got burned... I'm not ready to fall in love again yet. You deserve better than me."

"No you don't understand, I've been in love to... I know what it feels like to love someone and them not loving you in return I understand. And I can understand if you aren't ready, I will wait until the very end. You are worth that much and you are so much more than what I deserve."

Lucas felt tears fall down his face at that and he snuggled into Ian's chest before muttering, "Thank you, nobody has never said anything like that to me before... you've been so kind to me ever since we met... you are an amazing man Ian. And I'm glad I met you..."

"I'm glad I met you to mate. So are you going to call your dad?" Ian reciprocated.

Lucas groaned at that. "You are worse than Erin when it comes to ruining heart-warming moments! I'll call him now I guess," he said getting up. "Um... I don't have my cell-phone have you seen it?"

"Yeah, it's on my shelf..." Ian replied.

Thanking the wolf he went into the room and closed it after a few minutes of searching he found it exactly where Ian said it was. After mustering up the courage he dialled his father's number.

It rang for a bit before the man decided to answer it, "Yes, Evan Mason here. What do you want? It is five in the morning here for God's sake!"

"Dad, it's me..." Lucas spoke up calmly.

"Luc? What do you want? Can this wait till later?" The older fox barked at him coldly.

Lucas growled at that, "No, this can't wait! Tell me, why did you lie to me about the hidden world?"

He could've sworn he heard his father drop the phone for a bit and the man cursing up a storm. After a few minutes of silence the man picked up the phone, "Where did you hear about the hidden world?"

"One of my classmates is a Mage... Erin and I were attacked by angels and he saved our lives... Tell me, why did you lie about being a Knight? Why did you seal our magic? HOW MUCH HAVE YOU LIED ABOUT!?" The last part was shouted as Lucas let out all his hurt and anger out in that one sentence.

The older man just gave a sigh from the other end of the line before speaking, "I didn't want you two or your mother involved... the hidden world is dangerous... I lied about being a Knight because I have no love lost for them... I wanted you and Erin to have a normal life far from Mage's and Knights and everything and most of all I didn't want to lose you. They would've taken you from us if they found out what you were... I'm sorry all my deceit didn't protect you after-all. We will talk about this later but are you okay?"

"I'm fine, so is Erin... oh and you are going to face an inquiry. The Canadian Council is filing a report to the Knights about Erin and I not being reported. The house is a total and utter wreck inside as well from the attack, so you should maybe talk to mum about it before she comes home. We are staying with Mansfields for the time being," he muttered coldly.

"I guess you are okay then...And I will talk to your mother. We will speak on more of this when I get back home I promise. I am sorry for everything... Good night Lucas, and tell Erin I love her as I love you son. I will see this inquiry through as well, thank you for the warnings," Evan said before hanging up.

Lucas just looked at the phone calmly before muttering, "Sure your sorry... you always are..." He sat there for a few minutes before he heard Erin come down the stairs. She seemed excited about something... The shopping trip must have gone well.

Sighing he decided he should see his sister and went out of the room. He saw Erin talking to a filthy red fox who looked a bit uncomfortable at all the attention. The boy looked familiar to Lucas. That was when he saw the boy's eyes were a dark forest green. He dropped his phone in shock, "It's you... you are the boy from my dream..." he declared loudly as everyone turned to face him...