Purple String {EDITING}

A Mountainous Fight

Hands clenched into fists, a grim smile appearing on Juniper's face as she stood across from him. "Black..." She glanced back at her mate, freezing when she spotted his still figure, frozen in time.

"He'll be fine... For now..." The blonde standing across from her said, smiling slightly. "The name's Rust, if you wanted to know. It's only fair, seeing as how I know yours, Princess Juniper."

"It'll be Luna Juniper soon." She said, eyeing the man warily, his brown eyes gleaming in her torchlight. White lightning crackled around her, and then both lights were out, her eyes glowing as she activated another of her copied Gifts.

Enhanced Senses.

She could see him clearly, unmoving as her foot swung towards his side, her eyes widening when her foot slowed down.

"Time Dilation..." She muttered, realising what was going on in an instant, watching as he calmly stepped back, her foot slamming through thin air as her leg sped back up to normal time. "Dammit."

"We can both copy Gifts, Juniper." He grinned, stomping his foot, watching as a trail of ice shot towards the girl. "All it comes down to is who's copied the better ones."

"Quality not quantity, I suppose." She muttered, flames roaring from her hands, melting the ice in its tracks. "We're about even, aren't we?"

"From what my master has told me, yes."

"You mean old Lekki?"

"The Light God." He scowled. "Even I'm not worthy to speak his name! You shouldn't dare!"

"Wow..." Juniper blinked. "I totally got the better end of the deal... Lekki sounds like a stuck up old-"

"Don't you dare insult my master!" Rust yelled, charging towards her, slowing her whole body down as his claws came out, reaching for her neck.

Even slowed down, she could still react in time. All it took was for her to step backwards a few centimetres and then she was home safe. Time sped back up to its normal rate a few moments later, and Juniper tilted her head, glancing over at her mate, keeping her eyes fixed on him, watching as he stuttered to life with five second gaps.

"Five seconds." She grinned, watching as Rust gritted his teeth. "That's how long your Time Dilation works for... plus you can only fully stop one thing at a time."

"Tch." He spat, perspiration trickling from his brow.

"Is that Gift really worth it...?" She taunted. "From what I've seen it's quite taxing, and you can only keep it up for five seconds."

"Guess it's time to switch." He muttered, having already spied the cogs in her brain ticking as she formulated a counterstrategy.

"Bring it!" She hissed, blinking as Black appeared at her side.

"We need to go, Juniper." He said, wrapping one arm around her waist, blinking as he was flung backwards.

"Stay back, Black." She warned, her entire body sparking with white lightning. "This guy will crush you if given the chance."

"And?" One blonde brow rose. "I can protect myself."

"I'm the only one who stands a chance against this guy. I was made to be his equal, so shut up and stay down." She said, her hands crackling with white lightning as she charged towards Rust, wondering what he'd bring to the table next.

A sword appeared in his hands out of thin air in answer to her internal question.

"Oh." A matching sword appeared in Juniper's own hands. "Would you look at that?"

Metal clashed on metal, their eyes meeting as they pushed each other back and forth. It'd become a battle of strength and Juniper was winning. Her sword battered his away, cleaving into his shoulder, freezing as the man disintegrated in a puddle of dirt. "Dammit." She muttered, spinning around, just in the nick of time to block the next sword blow aimed at her throat. "I bet you're not even here, are you?!" She scowled, slamming her head into his blonde one, roaring in frustration as another mound of dirt formed at her feet.

"Wrong." Lights shone down on Juniper, motor blades whirring as the helicopter lifted the real Rust up into the air. He waved at her from the ladder. "That's all for tonight, Juniper." He called, hanging onto the flimsy ladder with both hands. "You've given me some very useful data on your abilities already... so, I suppose I'll leave it there."

"BLACK!" A voice rang out from further down the trail as the Light God's Chosen was whisked away into the night. "BLACK?!"

"Over here!" Her mate yelled back, watching as four, five... no. Six torches appeared bobbing in the night as four Alphas, one Alpha King and one Luna Queen strode towards them quickly.

"What happened?!" Rylan demanded, taking Black off to one side, just as a ponytailed Alpha took Juniper off to one side.

"You're bleeding." The brunette said, brushing her hair away from her neck, revealing the deep cut on the side of her throat. "That missed any major arteries by millimetres." He muttered, resting one glowing hand over her injury, healing it in seconds.

Juniper wiped the blood from her neck, staring at her red fingertips. "I'm getting sloppy..." She mumbled, placing one bloody finger in her mouth. "Tch."

"Rylan!" The brunette Alpha turned to the pair who were huddled together. "We need to keep her at Blagmoor around the clock. Goddess only knows what'll happen if she and the Light God's Chosen clash for a third time..."

"Nothing good." The red-eyed blonde muttered. "That's for sure."

"I'll kill him." Juniper stated, matter-of-factly. "That's what'll happen."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly violent?" The red-eyed blonde asked. "Because you are."

"Why thank you." She smiled, blinking as she was swept up into her mate's arms.

"Come on, Pookie Bear." Black sighed. "Let's get you back home."

"Sure thing, B." She said, not complaining as she was carried back into one of the stealthy black cars waiting for them at the base of the mountain.

A free ride was a free ride.

Rylan climbed behind the wheel of their car, glancing back at the two in the backseat who were sprawled across the seats, their legs completely exhausted.

"No Lyra?" Black asked as they pulled out of the carpark.

"She's travelling with Thorn..." Rylan shrugged. "I don't mind, seeing as how she's gonna be sleeping in my bed tonight."

"She always sleeps in your bed, Ry." Brown eyes rolled. "She has ever since you found her."

"Less about me, and more about you two." He sighed, his shoulders sinking.

"Oh no." Black shook his head. "You're a far more interesting topic of conversation." He said, turning to his mate. "Did you know that Rylan here is a complete prude?" Black grinned, watching as the Alpha King's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "His mate is the same... It's like they were made for each other... They haven't even had-"

"And I think that's quite enough about me and Lyra right there." Rylan interrupted, glaring at the blonde.

Juniper laughed, leaning up against her mate, resting one hand on either of his thighs as she whispered in his ear. "You've got quite a loose tongue, you know that, right?"

Black smirked. "And?" He cocked his head. "What of it?"

Her breath brushed against his cheek. "A loose tongue can sometimes get you into the tightest of places..."

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ILLENIS HERE

And on that note...

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