Devereux turned back toward the females, who were now tangled together and fighting on the ground. Apparently, there had been a werewolf right under his nose, but one who seemed more interested in protecting the boy than in harming him. "Can you do me a favor" Go back inside, find someplace to hide, and don't come out, until someone you trust calls you. Okay?" he asked the boy as he set him back on his feet. He could hear sirens approaching and knew his backup would be here any minute. "I'll make sure nothing happens to Amaris. Go on, now. Hurry!"

Micah looked scared, his eyes worriedly following the ferocious fight for a moment before scurrying back into the daycare center. He was good at hiding; it was one of the games Amaris had played with him a lot.

Meanwhile, the fight between the females had become bloody, teeth and claws viciously tearing into the other - one in an attempt to kill and the other to escape. The rogue female tore into Amaris, claws slashing and teeth snapping, desperate to get free, rather than be caught. She reared her head back, snarling in hatred and rage and baring her teeth to close her jaws on Amaris' throat, before a shot rang out again. Perfect aim once again sent the bullet straight though the female's temple, exiting out the other side, her eyes rolling back in her head as she collapsed lifeless on the ground. It had been a split second opportunity and one he didn't waste. He paused for as long as a heartbeat, as if to make sure the female was truly dead, before he rushed forward to check on Amaris.

Blood was pouring from the bite that had come close to severing a rather important tendon between Amaris' neck and shoulder. She swore, rolling away from the corpse, her hand rising to press down on the injury, eliciting a quietly canine whimper of pain from her throat as she did so. Her eyes focused on Devereux, blazing amber for a brief moment before returning to the dark brown he was more used to.

"Micah," she rasped, trying to push herself up.

He reached to help her to her feet, his arm going around her waist. "Easy, you've lost a lot of blood," he told her. "Micah is safe. I sent him inside and told him to hide." He winced as he turned her head to take a better look at the worst of her wounds. "I don't think it's fatal, but it's pretty serious. Need an ambulance here. And a clean-up crew," he said again to whoever was listening. He had already holstered his sidearm and reached into his pocket for a handkerchief to press against the wound.

"No ambulance," she hissed, shaking her head. "They'll take me to a hospital, hospital will take blood. Not my risk to take. I'll heal, it just doesn't look pretty right now." She drew her hand away to let him take a look at the bite. It was relatively clean, albeit deep, the blood flow slowing now. "Micah shouldn't be alone."

Dev scowled, but didn't argue. "No ambulance," he corrected himself. "Still gonna need a cleanup crew. Can you hold that there?" he asked, regarding the cloth he was holding against her neck. "It probably looks nastier than it is. You're already starting to heal." It seemed she wasn't the first werewolf to ever cross his path. "I'm gonna get you inside, find Micah, and then I gotta clean up this mess, okay?"

Pressing her hand down over the cloth, she started to nod and then thought better of it. "I can get myself inside," she assured him, surprised that he was so calm in the presence of a wolf. "I need to clean up so I don't scare my little dude."

"You gonna be okay?" he asked, obviously concerned. Whatever her motives, she'd risked her own life to protect the boy. That had to count for something, even if she was lycan. He didn't bother to explain who he really was or what his interest was here. It was enough for now that they were both on the same side in protecting the boy.

Amaris let out a huff of breath. "In time," was her answer. It was honest, if not reassuring. "Will you? That was no puppy play fight you witnessed today."

A brief smile flickered across his face at her question. "Not my first dog fight," he told her. "No offense intended. Go on inside. I need to clean up this mess before the coroner arrives."

"I'll find Micah, too," she promised, knowing the boy must be terrified. She'd wait until the spoken of back up arrived before deciding whether or not she was the one who had to call his parents.

It was probably obvious by this point that he wasn't just an ordinary security guard, any more than she was just a daycare worker, but any explanation either might offer the other would have to wait. He let her go, waiting until she was safely inside before turning back to the task at hand.

It was only a matter of minutes for Amaris to clean herself up, slap a bandage on her neck, and change her clothes, after which she found Micah, dutifully hiding in a cupboard in the kitchen, hugging his knees and quietly whimpering in fear. When Devereux's promised back up arrived, she was sitting behind the desk with the boy on her lap - the most defensible place in the center.

Backup arrived in the form of a Federal task force, headed by a tall, dark-haired man who looked like he might have a kind face, if he wasn't so worried. Like a swarm of bees, the Feds found their way to the back of the building, several remaining inside to direct the cops and firefighters who arrived shortly afterward.

"Hey, Micah, my man!" the dark-haired Fed said, his smile sincere but strained with worry. "You okay there, little guy?" he asked, reaching to take the boy from the woman's lap. "It's okay. I'm his uncle. You must be Amaris."

She might have asked for proof, were it not for the way Micah lit up and swarmed happily into the man's arms. Rising to her feet, she was careful not to nod, not wanting to make that wound bleed again, aware that her face and hands were covered in enough scratches to alarm anyone anyway.

"I am, yeah," she agreed. "Do I need to call his parents?"

"They're on their way," he replied. "I'm Adam, by the way. Un'ca Adam to you," he said, tickling the boy's tummy. He didn't want to draw too much attention to what had happened there, knowing how traumatic it might be for the boy. Children were resilient, but trauma was trauma.

Micah giggled, hugging just that little bit tighter to Adam's neck than he might usually have done. "Mumma an' Papa comin'?"

Amaris smiled faintly, hoping her sudden flash of anxiety didn't show too obviously. She had no doubt that the Bristols were about to find out that a werewolf had been helping to care for both their children as they passed through daycare.

Ana giggled. "You know, Papa," the little girl insisted. "Amaris says "munch bunch", and you have to bite the nearest person hard as you can and run away!"

Nat's eyebrows made a creditable attempt to disappear into her hairline as she blinked, putting two and two together surprisingly fast. "That ....is actually rather helpful for a small child to know," she admitted, glancing at Rhys. She smiled at Adam. "You know he isn't going to do that, Adam. I will take them home, through the mists."

From the look on Rhys' face, he was still trying to process all this, but it wasn't all going to fit together until he had a conversation with Amaris. "I appreciate the offer," Rhys told his friend, Nat filling in the blanks. His shoulders relaxed for a moment, as Nat seemed to read his mind, but then, that was why they were such a perfect match - she knew his mind without having to ask. He needed to talk to Amaris himself, hear what had happened from her own lips. "Thanks, baby," he told Nat, wrapping his little family in his arms once again. "I'll be there soon." He looked to Ana and Micah. "You be good for your mama, okay' I'll be home in a little while," he promised them both, touching a kiss to each beloved little cheek before pressing his lips to Nat's. "Be careful."

Adam cleared his throat to gently interrupt. "I'll make sure they get there safely," he assured his friend, knowing Nat intended to take the children not home to Brooklyn but to Avalon.

It helped that the majority of the staff and children had already left, since the daycare had been at the center of an attempted kidnapping. What few remained seemed to all be in on the secret of what had actually happened. Nat kissed Rhys gently, leaning into him for a moment as Ana slithered down onto her feet and embraced her mother's backside out of sheer mischief.

"Be careful yourself, milaya," she murmured, not sure quite what to think at this point.

"I will, don't worry," Rhys assured her. So far, he was handling all this very well. Was it the calm before the storm' Probably. He was going to hunt down the pack responsible for trying to hurt his son and tear each one of them limb from limb. "Love you," he said, not just to Nat, but to his son and daughter, too. Two little words that meant so much.

"Lub you, Papa," Micah mumbled, echoed by his sister's rather more enthusiastic response.

Nat smiled, knowing he didn't need to hear her say it to know it was true. "We will see you soon, dusha moya," she promised him fondly. "Well, now, Adam, shall we show you what the inside of the ladies' toilets look like?"

Adam smirked back at her. "Please, do! I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure," he said, his voice trailing off as he led the little family toward the bathrooms.

Rhys only stood there a moment, watching as Adam led them away. In just a few minutes, they'd be safely through the mists, where no one could touch them. He found himself curling his hands into fists and wanting to punch something, someone, but not Amaris. No, it seemed she'd done her best to protect his son, even to the point of getting hurt for it. But why"

The only way to find out was to talk to her. She had gone into the break room, and when he followed, it was to find her standing in front of one of the mirrors, the first aid kit open beside her, carefully disinfecting the obvious bite wound before it closed entirely. The last thing she wanted was to have an infected shoulder. Saliva could be absolutely awful. She caught his eye as the door opened behind her, through the reflection of the mirror.

"If you want to kill me, I wouldn't suggest doing it here. Security cameras are a nightmare to wipe without being caught."

Rhys stood in the doorway a moment, just watching her. "I'm not going to kill you," he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "Here, let me," he said, moving over and holding out a hand for the cloth and the disinfectant. "How long will it take for this to heal?" he asked, either making small talk or merely curious; it was hard to tell.

She studied him for a moment, the familiar face he was more used to seeing wreathed in smiles and teasing his children solemn. Then she handed him the kit, pulling her hair out of his way. Trusting him to help her. "The wound will be closed by morning," she said quietly. "Maybe two days for the bruise to fade completely' We're faster than humans, but we don't have cheats like the blood suckers do."

"But it can still get infected?" he asked, though that much seemed obvious. He assumed that even though a wound might heal, whatever got into the wound could still cause an infection. That was probably how it worked with silver. He dipped the cloth in disinfectant, warning, "This is gonna sting," before gently dabbing the wound clean.

"Yeah, and it takes longer to heal when it's infected," she explained. "You have to break the wound open again to let the pus escape. It's not pretty. And wolves generally don't react well to being feverish, either." She shrugged her good shoulder at his warning, forcing herself not to flinch away from the sting. "I'm not that different from you. I just ....have moments when I feel like I should be wearing three bras at once."

"Hmph," he grunted as he carefully cleaned the wound and then went about just as carefully bandaging it. "I was bitten once. A long time ago. I was just a kid at the time. Hurt like hell. I was feverish for days. My dad locked me up first full moon. He was worried I was going to turn, but nothing happened. It wouldn't have been my fault if I had. I never asked to get bit. I should have turned, but I never did. I don't think they were hoping to turn me though. I was just prey." He frowned as he taped the bandage in place. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. I assume you already know as much. Seems word's gotten out that I'm immune. Not sure about Ana or Micah, but it seems logical they are, too. That's what this is all about, in case you want to know."

Like any canine, her surprise was obvious, tells that included a tilt of her head, a blink of her eyes, a soft whine of sound from her throat. It seemed as though being a werewolf brought more canine traits to the human form than might be expected.

"You're immune?" With the bandage in place, she let her top tuck about it once again, turning to face him. "I had no idea. The Grandmaster just told us to keep an eye on your children; to be ready to protect them. An immunity to the bite does make sense, though."

"The Grandmaster?" Rhys echoed, his turn to blink in surprise. Avalon had placed her there to protect his children" A werewolf" "I think maybe you should start at the beginning," he said, closing the med kit and moving to wash his hands in the sink. No, it wasn't about him being a hunter. Not anymore anyway. It was about those who wanted a cure and those who didn't.

Rhys took that in, too, and made a quick assumption. "This is your day job, then," he said, knowing she had to pay the bills somehow, even if she was a Guardian of Avalon. "I don't really believe in coincidences though. Someone either led us or led you to this daycare center. My guess is Avalon, but that's beside the point. I'm also guessing the threat is still out there." He paused a moment to take a sip of his coffee, letting the caffeine somehow calm his jangled nerves. "Would you be willing to help us track them down?"

"I suppose you could call it my day job," she conceded, offering a surprisingly cheeky smile as she added, "I own this place. But sure, call it my day job." The smile faded as she considered his words. "I have their scent, I can track them easily now. But they had a number of scents mixed with their own - they're a rogue pack. There's no knowing how many you're up against."

"You own ..." Rhys echoed, his voice trailing off. That was definitely not what he'd expected to hear. He let that go as he focused his attention on what else she was telling him. "I don't care how many," he said, eyes narrowed, letting her see a hint of the rage that was just beneath the surface for those who'd dared try and hurt his son.

He'd call in every favor he'd ever been owed for this one. Hunters, Guardians, Feds, vampires, wolves - he didn't care who. He wouldn't rest until the threat to his family was wiped from the face of the Earth.

"You should care," she countered firmly. "Have you ever seen wolves fight' Really fight' It's ferocious and it's deadly, and you are going to need back up if there are more than three wolves to take down. Will you let me scout it a bit first?"

"Have you ever fought a horde of demons?" Rhys countered, with a straight face. "I have. Besides, I don't plan on doing this alone." Wolves, it seemed, were nothing compared to demons, as far as Rhys was concerned. It wasn't that he was taking the threat lightly - just the opposite, in fact - but he wouldn't rest until it was finished. "But I'm willing to do it your way," he added, with just a hint of a smile.

"You need to know what you're walking into," Amaris told him seriously. "You need numbers, at the very least. I can find them, but if you want, I'll take someone else along with me, someone you trust. And if you need me to, I can tap my pack. I have two brothers and my mother in the city - wider out, we can call in upwards of twenty wolves if you want."

"You'd do that for us?" Rhys asked, more than a little surprised to find wolves who were willing to help hunt down their own kind. His thoughts turned to Tobias and his offer to help with the rogue vampires, and he couldn't help but wonder.

"Just so we understand each other, I'm gonna be completely honest with you," he told her. "It's not just wolves I'm after. It's vampires, too. Another group of rogues. I know your kind hates each other, but we have a common enemy here. Fact is, until a few days ago, I wouldn't have believed your kind could be trusted. Either of you, but it seems I was wrong. I've learned that most of us just want to live in peace, raise our families in peace. We might be different. Under other circumstances, we might even be enemies, but in this we're the same. We want the same things. Maybe, just maybe, we can share this world together; work together; live in peace together. We owe it to our children to try. Because if we can't, what kind of future are we leaving them' What do you say, Umreese" Are you willing to try?"

She held his gaze for a long moment. "I can't speak for my pack without speaking with them first," she warned him. "I can only speak for me. I've never had a bad experience with a vampire, but I do know wolves that have. The first step would be meeting your vampire friends. I can't make any promises beyond that. There is a lot of bad blood between our kind, but for Ana and Micah, I can set it aside."

"Friends?" Rhys asked, reaching across the small distance to offer her his hand. Even if she was a wolf, she was a Guardian of Avalon - a friend and an ally. She had saved his son from only the Gods knew what. Friendship was the least he could offer her.

Her lips twitched, trying not to smile as she felt her tail wagging. In her human form, she didn't have a physical tail, but the reaction of it wagging happily when things were going well was still a very palpable sensation. She reached forward to take his hand.

"Friends," she agreed. "I'll pass the word on to my pack, and I'll scout out your rogues for you. Give me a couple of days. Your wife has my phone number."

"She's in Avalon, but one of us will be in touch," he promised, giving her hand a squeeze. Instead of anger and hatred, he felt a strange sensation well up inside him - hope, gratitude, and maybe just a touch of fondness. For a werewolf, no less. Miracles never ceased to exist. "My son adores you, by the way. Just so you know," he added with a smirk.

Amaris laughed, shrugging innocently. "What can I say' I'm good with pups," she told him cheerfully. "Why else would I open a daycare center?" She chuckled.

"Thank you again," he repeated, a smile on his face - one of warmth and gratitude and friendship, but the moment didn't last long. There was a lot that needed doing, but first, he needed to make sure his family was safe. "I have to be going, but one of us will be in touch." He had a lot to tell Nat, and he knew she wasn't going to like any of it.

"I'm easy to find," she assured him. "I would advise against trying to punch the Grandmaster, though. He's very quick on his feet for a man his age and size."

Rhys chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind," he said as he rose to his feet. Years ago, he recalled suddenly, the Lady had warned him of a threat, but he'd never expected it to be this. "Be careful, Amaris," he told her, just before he ducked out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She sat in silence for a minute after he'd left, going back over the conversation. Her grandfather would not be happy about her agreeing to any of this, but he wasn't here. She was pretty sure her brothers and her mother would be fine with it, so long as they weren't expected to become best friends with a vampire. Everything had become very complicated in a matter of hours, but they could handle it. Hopefully.

A knock on the door drew her out of her thoughts. "May I come in?" It was a man's voice, one she might recognize as the supposed security guard who'd helped her take the female wolf down.

And then there was that problem. Amaris rose to her feet, turning toward the door warily. She knew he was armed, and that he was armed with weapons that could kill her. "Sure," was her answer, along with a nod. "Friend or foe?"

"Good. You can count me in," he said, turning back and claiming a seat, his cup of coffee resting on the table in front of him. She wasn't going to be able to talk him out of it either. It wasn't just because of his connection to Adam either. He was part of this now, whatever this was, and he was going to see it through to the end.

"Without even knowing what you're volunteering for?" she asked, half-bemused and half-impressed. She sat down opposite him, watching him curiously. "What do you think is going on here?"

"What do I think or what do I know?" he countered, unsure which she wanted from him or how much she herself was aware of.

"What you know," she said. "Let's start with that, anyway." They might only know as much as each other, but she had a feeling she knew a little more about the wolf side of the equation here.

Everyone, it seemed, had their secrets. They were no different. He was willing to share some of them, but perhaps not all. He knew Adam wasn't telling him everything, and that was okay. He only needed to know where to find those responsible for trying to hurt Micah. Silver bullets would take care of the rest. "I know there's a pack of wolves who want to take out the Bristols. I don't know why. I don't need to know why. It's my job to protect the public at large. I took an oath to do just that, and I take that oath seriously," he told her.

The word she used was definitely not a word that should be spoken around small children. "I ....did not know that they were in direct danger," she said, rolling her eyes as she shook her head, inwardly cursing Avalon's habit of playing things entirely too close to the chest. "I can't tell you why, it's not my secret to tell you. What I can tell you is that I'm going to be scouting out that pack and finding out how many they are."

"Alone?" he asked, the only thing he said for a long moment, brows arched upwards. She was a daycare worker, and yet, she was also a wolf. "I'm willing to help, if you'll let me," he said, though he wasn't sure how much help he could be. She was lycan; he was just a man, but a man who wasn't afraid to do whatever needed to be done.

"Hmm ..." She considered this thoroughly. "You know, that might actually work. They'd know me for a wolf the second they smelled me, but most humans carry the scent of wolves they've met without knowing it. You could probably get pretty close without alerting them."

"That sounds like a plan," he said, grinning back at her, pleased she was letting him help. He had no delusions about that; he knew she could just as easily have refused him. "We'll work out the details later. Not over dinner," he added, still grinning.

She laughed, leaning back in her seat. "Oh, so you have a plan for this dinner, huh?" Brown eyes danced with amusement as she looked over at him. "You do know I'm supposed to be paying you back for saving my life, right' I don't see how you taking me to dinner does that."

"Maybe I'm paying you back for saving the boy's life," Dev countered, though he didn't think it was his place to really do that. He exhaled a sigh. "Look, it's just dinner, okay' We'll see where it goes from there." If it went anywhere.

She sobered, her smile fading. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Glancing toward the window, she chewed on her lip for a moment. "I guess I should make a start on those phone calls."

"You didn't offend me," he reassured her, narrowing his eyes at her a moment, as if wishing he could read her thoughts. "Is it so hard to believe that a man - a human - wants to take you to dinner" It's not forbidden or anything, is it?" he asked, curiously.

"No, it's just ..." It was her turn to sigh, softening the sound with a smile in his direction. "You saw me turn feral. You saw me part-shifted, and you still want to take me to dinner" It's a lot to take in. Most men wouldn't react half so calmly to a woman who can grow claws and fangs on demand."

Dev shrugged again, a small smirk on his face. "And you saw me kill one of your own kind with a silver bullet. I'd say that makes us even." The smirk faded, as he turned serious. "Do you know how hard it is to find someone who won't freak out to know all of this isn't just a load of B.S.?" he asked, with a wave of his hand to indicate what had just gone down there.

"Oh, I'm freaked out by the bullets," she assured him, "but I get it. Just ....it's a scary thing to meet a human who knows what would kill me and has it on hand. Most humans with that knowledge would not hesitate to shoot me, because that's what they do."

"I'm not most humans," he reminded her, but he knew she had a lot to do yet, and so did he, so he moved to his feet, taking his cup of coffee with him. "I'm going to be a few hours yet. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"I will," she agreed. "I'm not going anywhere." Rising to her feet herself, she moved to pour a fresh cup of coffee before heading for the door in his wake. "You let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, a charming, almost roguish smile on his face. Why wasn't he spoken for already? She'd have to ask him if she wanted to know. He joined her at the door, parting ways until later, both of them with work of their own that needed doing. It was going to be a long day.