Purple String {EDITING}

Rusty

"Oww..."

"Easy." Finar muttered, holding her elbow as she climbed to her feet, concern written across his face as she stumbled from side to side. "You've been out of action for a while, Juniper."

"How long?"

"Well..."

"How long?!" She demanded, scowling as she staggered to the end of her bed, having finally been declared well enough to leave the bed she'd been bound to for an unknown amount of time – to her, at least.

"Nine days." Finar closed his eyes. "That's how long your recovery took."

"Dammit." Juniper scowled. "That bloody Rust... He got the drop on me... I really am getting rusty." She paused. "Rust. Rusty... Ha! Get it?"

"Rust?" Brown eyebrows knotted together, confused green eyes meeting hers.

"Light God's Chosen." She said by way of explanation. "I'll pulverise his bones to dust when I see him next..." She exhaled loudly. "After I've got my strength back, of course."

"There's a treadmill in that office." Finar said, pointing towards a different room.

Juniper's shoulders sunk. "I'd rather go outside." She grumbled. "I've been cooped up inside for too long."

"Too right you have." The Elder sighed. "But you probably ought to wait for Black or Thorn to get back... They won't like you wandering in the gardens by yourself."

"And?"

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy..."

"Don't worry about it." A certain red-eyed blonde appeared behind her. "Black's outside, so I'll take you to him."

"Kay." Finar raised a hand in acknowledgement. "I'll leave her to you."

Thorn strode towards the door, pausing in the doorframe. "You coming?"

"Duh." Juniper said, striding after him as he led her through the corridors, freezing when she heard a door click open beside her. Two hands emerged, closing around Juniper's waist, yanking her into the room.

Thorn spun around. "You've got to be kidding?!" He muttered, charging into the room after her, freezing when he spotted the scene in front of him. His hand went to his head. "How did I know it'd be you?!"

The black-haired Elder simply smiled, his grey eyes twinkling as he fondled a lock of long silvery grey hair of the woman sprawled across his lap.

"Elder Riley." Juniper stared at the guy in front of her, glancing down at the frilly dark blue dress she was now wearing. She lifted the teacup in front of her, her pinkie elevated as she sipped from the cup exactly like how she'd been taught. "I presume you and your mate are the reason for my abrupt wardrobe change..."

"Of course." Riley grinned, glancing down briefly at his mate who was dressed in a rather flattering barmaid outfit. "I've been wanting to have afternoon tea with you for quite a while..."

"Oho." Juniper tilted her head. "And what would the previous Alpha of Punishment want with me...?"

"Riley..." Thorn interrupted them, pulling at the tux he was suddenly wearing. "I was taking her to see her mate. She hasn't set eyes on him in nine days, so I'm sure she'd anxious to see him."

"Surely that can wait." He smiled, offering out a tray. "Scone?"

"Yes please." Juniper muttered, quickly shoving scone after scone into her mouth. "What?! I'm hungry!" She grumbled between mouthfuls, smiling slightly as she felt some strength returning to her.

That didn't stop her from dropping the teacup.

"Gloves..." She mumbled, staring at the frilly gloves, remembering the exact same gloves she'd been wearing in the vision she'd had.

The vision of her death.

"It was supposed to be at Blagmoor..." She mumbled, her eyes wide. "Unless that was just symbolic... or he might be planning to parade around with my dead body... I suppose everyone has their tastes..." She shook her head, her eyes glowing as she activated one of her detection Gifts.

"Juniper?" Thorn stared down at her shattered teacup.

Her eyes locked on her target, her head swivelling to face the presence she could sense. "You really think you can hide from me?"

Rust appeared, having removed his invisibility. "I suppose not."

"Whoa..." Elder Riley jumped back, his mate tucked under one arm, his eyes fixed on the blonde man standing behind the sofa he'd been sitting on only moments before.

"I'm guessing you're the Light God's Chosen." Thorn had a sword in hand within seconds.

"Oh." Riley smiled, all traces of confusion gone from his face as he pulled out a set of handcuffs. "I guess these handcuffs have your name on them, then..."

Juniper gritted her teeth. "Is this your real body, or are you hiding behind another clone...?"

"This is my real body, of course." Rust said, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't come and crush you in anything else."

"I see." She muttered. "Well..." She froze, realisation striking through her. "I remember..." Juniper whispered, turning to stare at the spot she saw everything unfold from. "I saw it all happen, from there..."

"Are you trying to trick me or something...?" Rust, the Light God's Chosen asked, a big smile on his face.

"No." She shook her head. "Dammit!"

"Remembering that you're about to die, are we?"

"The future can be changed."

"Oh really." He was in front of her in an instant.

Her hand met his chest. "I suppose it's time to release everything I've bottled up over the years..." She smiled, her eyes alight with laughter as she sent Rust flying with a gigantic gust of wind which shook the very foundations of Stonewall Castle. Her eyes met the three curious pairs staring back at her. "I'd appreciate if you could keep Black away." She said, her face turning serious. "I don't want him to see me like this."

"Like what?" Riley asked, still staring at the gigantic hole in the side of Stonewall Castle.

Rust broke through the ceiling, a stream of ice soaring down from his outstretched hand.

Juniper's hands twitched. "You think I could kill people over the years without a single trace of guilt..." She mumbled, her teeth sparkling as the grin remained fixed on her face. "No. I buried it... under logical reasoning..." Fire burst out from one hand raised over her head, melting through the ice, turning it into vapour, and when the flames subsided her opponent was nowhere to be seen. "Guilt has been gnawing away at me for years..." Juniper sighed, grabbing a hold of an invisible Rust's throat, sending him soaring back through the hole that had already been created in the wall. "Over the years it's made me a bit... how was it my dear brother put it...?" She tilted her head, leaping backwards as icy shards rained down where she'd just been standing. "Unhinged! That was it... A very polite way of calling me insane..." She smiled, but it was chilling to the bone. "I suppose the facts don't lie, though..."

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ILLENIS HERE

Finally... The action.

Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter.

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