Something was wrong. Even in her half-sleeping state, Natalya could tell that something was very wrong. She felt groggy, as though her head were full of cotton, and her limbs were heavy, stiff with disuse. There was even a slightly sharper ache in her neck, though she could not fathom the reasons for this strangely unwell awakening. Her outstretched arm reached for Rhys, and found nothing but cool sheets. Forcing her reluctant eyes to open, she reached up to rub her temple, pushing herself to sit in the midst of the nested sheets.

"Rhys?" No reply.

A faint frown darkened her features. In the weeks since they had found one another again in Paris, he had always been there when she woke up. Her eyes wandered to the window, where the substance of the light told her that she had slept the day away. "How ...?"

Shaking her head in fuzzy confusion, she slid from the bed, padding a little unsteadily into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face and try to wake herself up. Looking into the mirror over the sink, a red mark on her neck caught her eye. She leaned closer, peering as one finger touched gently over the surprisingly tender spot. Blood" Had something bitten her as she slept, infected her with something" Was that why Rhys wasn't here, was he out looking for something to wake her with"

Rolling her eyes, she stepped back, and something else caught her eye. In the trash can, lying atop the various bits and pieces they had both accumulated over the past days, was a syringe. Nat stared at at, her hand going again to that tender blood spot on her throat. He hadn't ....had he"

She whirled to re-enter the bedroom, wild eyes looking around at the neat, unchanged room. No sign of a struggle, no scorch marks or burns ....Nat flung open the wardrobe door, and let out a low screech of furious pain. Rhys' bag was gone. She didn't need to look to know that he would have taken Joyeuse with him, too.

Scrambling to grab something to wear, she ran downstairs to the reception, frantic with the need to know what had happened, where, when he had left her. The poor girl on reception could only offer the information that Monsieur Donovan had paid and informed them that Madamoiselle Beaumont would be remaining alone until she chose to check out. He hadn't given anyone any clue as to where he was going. He hadn't even taken the hire car. Natalya ran back up to the room, throwing her belongings into her suitcase as she fought not to lose control of herself completely.

How dare he do this to her" He loved her, she knew he did, and yet at the first opportunity, he'd left her. Had he lied" Did she mean so little to him that he could say those precious words to her face and lie, knowing that when she woke to find him gone, it would tear her apart' And where had he gone" He knew nothing about France, he couldn't even speak French, where was he going to go' He couldn't go far, not with the sword. The demons he was so wary of would be using it to track his movements, lying in wait, patiently resolved to leave it until he was in no position to have any help at all before attacking him outright and making damned sure he couldn't use the thing on his demon, this Abaddon creature.

The suitcase was never going to close. Nat ground her teeth, twisting around to jump on top of the thing, trying to force it shut. She already knew she was in too much of a hurry, but she couldn't help the panicked feeling growing inside her. Rhys was gone, without a word, or a sound, and the blood spot on her neck had combined with the metallic taste in her mouth to tell her he had drugged her before he'd left. What the hell did he think he was doing" The suitcase slid under her, and she let out a yelp, dropping from on top and onto the floor with a painful thump.

Rhys had left nothing behind when he'd made his exit. Nothing but a used syringe in the trash can, his cell phone, and the memory of him imprinted on Natalya's heart. No note of apology or explanation. Not even a hint at where he was going or why he wasn't taking her with him. He'd decided on his own that it was better this way, at least as far as she was concerned. He'd dropped enough hints about his impending departure and had made no promises to the contrary, only that if he was able, he'd find her when all was said and done.

Sat on the floor, Nat felt the burgeoning panic flare up into outright distress, a sudden sob escaping her lips as she gave up. Anger wasn't going to bring him back to her, nor was it going to give her any clue as to where he had gone. And it hurt ....it hurt deeply to think that he cared so little for her. He'd said the words; he'd said he loved her, and then he'd gone. She felt used and humiliated, and utterly hopeless. Whatever he planned to do, it was clearly without her.

It was for the exact opposite reasons he left. It was not that he didn't care, but that he cared too much. But all that would become clear in time, if he lived long enough to tell her. He already had a half a day's headstart, though he was handicapped by not knowing the language or his way around. Nevertheless, he was no longer in Albi, and there were no obvious clues to tell her where he was going.

Across the ocean, someone else was gettng antsy, not having heard from Rhys in a few days, not even so much as a text message to let him know he was still alive. Adam's patience had run out, and he finally decided to break radio silence and call Rhys himself.

Adam tapped away at the keys, having to go through several security clearances before he was able to view the passenger lists for the last twenty-four hours or so. "Hm, I don't see him listed," he muttered as he went over the names. Of course, Rhys would use an alias and if Adam knew him as well as he thought he did, he should stand out like a sore thumb. If that didn't work, there were security cameras he could check to see if he'd been there and at what time he'd booked a ticket. Either way, if Rhys had purchased a train ticket, there would be proof of it somewhere. "What do you think he has planned?" The woman seemed to have pretty good insight into Rhys' brain, so he figured he'd pick it and see what turned up.

Natalya frowned, not wanting to vocalise what she thought. It was as though saying it aloud would make it true. "I think ....I think he plans to summon the demon and make an end of it," she said quietly, her voice trembling with distress. "I don't think he believes he is going to survive."

Adam snorted on the other end of the phone, not because he thought she was wrong; just the opposite. She knew Rhys better than he would have assumed, for only being with him a short period of time. "Sometimes I think he has a death wish. Going off on his own, refusing help. Stubborn a**. I know where he's coming from, but if he's not careful, his worst fears are going to become reality." More keyboarding as he sifted through more passenger lists, narrowing them down to just those passengers going from Albi to Lourdes.

"I'm not losing him, Adam," she said suddenly, her voice hard and determined. "Even if I have to stand in the way of the sword myself, I am not going to just let him die." There was a pause, and her voice went very soft. "I need him."

Another pause on the other end. He heard the determination in her voice and connected the dots on the rest. Good grief, she was in love with him. Not another one. He sighed. "So, what are you going to do' Get yourself killed, too' You sound just like him."

It was her turn to snort this time; he might almost have been able to hear her eyes roll. "What would be the point of saving him if I am not around to enjoy the fact?" she said rather pointedly. "I'm just going to ....give him a reason to live." She sighed softly. "It is a shame I am on the Pill, I think he would be more determined to live if there was a baby involved."

Adam listened to this quietly, until she mentioned mentioned a child. "A baby!" he exclaimed, a mix of shock and surprise. "You're not, are you?" There was a reason for his question and his concern.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, of course I am not," she snapped back, frowning into the phone. "I would not be so selfish as to trap anyone like that, least of all Rhys. I love him, you fool, I'd never do that to him. I was just considering that he might be more inclined to survive if I were pregnant, since apparently just I am not enough to live for."

Unlike Rhys, Adam thought a little before he engaged his brain, pushing aside his initial reaction to ask her a pointed question, not that it mattered really. The whole point of this conversation was to figure out what was going on in Rhys' head, not Natalya's. "How much has he told you about his past?"

"His past?" She frowned a little once again, thinking about this. "Not so much. He has pain in his past, I believe. Why, are you about to tell me I am being unfairly cruel" Because you are not the one who woke up after being injected with a sedative while you were sleeping over twelve hours ago."

He actually chuckled a little on the other end of the phone. "I gotta give him credit. That's a first, even for him. He isn't too fond of needles. Not sure you noticed."

"I know about heights and enclosed spaces, but no, he did not mention needles. And it is not funny." Her tone was deadly. "He is out there, alone, bearing a weapon that the demonic horde can track, and I have no way of cloaking him unless he's here with me. Will you please tell me where you think he is?"

"Keep your shirt on. I'm working on it." If he'd been about to tell her something about Rhys' past a moment ago, the moment had passed. There was a moment of silence again before a triumphant shout. "A-ha!"

She winced, jerking the phone away from her ear abruptly. "A-ha" What is a-ha?"

"I will tie his testicles into a knot if he ever tries to protect me like this ever again," she intoned with deadly promise. "Very well, Adam. I will see you in the morning. I should get started so that I am not late."

He snickered a little at her threat. "I'd hate to be him, in that case." He quickly sobered. It was not really the time for jokes or for getting acquainted on the phone. If they lived long enough, there would be time for that later. "Natalya....Be careful. This is serious stuff. Enough people have died over this already. Demons don't screw around."

There was a long pause before she responded. "I know, Adam," she said finally, her tone solemn enough to promise that she understood what he meant. "I can stay under the radar. Have a good flight."

"Drive safely, Natalya." And with a click of the phone, he hung up. Shortly after, a photograph was sent to Rhys' phone as a message so that she'd know what he looked like. Tall, dark hair, Native American, by the look of it, at least in part. Handsome in his own way, but very different from Rhys.

She stared at the photograph as she lugged her luggage down the stairs, handing in her key and apologising for the mess before slipping into the evening air. So that was Adam, was it' She could understand a little of why Rhys turned to the man so often now she had spoken to him herself. He had a calm way of presenting needed information without making too much of a fuss. A lot like Vadim, actually.

Throwing her suitcase onto the backseat of her hired car, she slid behind the wheel, hooking her phone up to the hands-free and tapping Lourdes into the GPS before engaging the engine and pulling out of the underground car park. As the beautiful medieval city of Albi flashed by her windows, she called the one person she knew could help her get what she needed in a hurry.

A rough, familiar voice answered. "Privet?"

"Vadim?" Just hearing her friend's voice was enough to bring the panicking tears back to the surface, but driving along a busy road was no place to give into that urge.

"Nelechka" What is it?" Bless the man, he knew her well enough to be able to tell even from a single word that she was close to falling apart. He sounded alert, worried, concerned - everything she had come to expect from her gruff friend.

"It isn't safe for you to know, Vaden'ka," she told him, glancing at her speedometer and reluctantly slowing down. She could open up when she was out of the city. "I need you to do something for me. Two somethings, by tomorrow morning, in complete secrecy."

The sigh she heard echo down the phoneline was the resigned patience she was used to. Vadim knew she would explain herself eventually, although it might take several weeks for her to do so. "What do you need?"

"Two-bed residence in Lourdes, fully cloaked and defensible," Natalya told him firmly. "And three new identities - myself, Rhys, and his friend Adam, who is coming to France tonight. I'll send you photographs of the men as soon as I am on the open road."

"Three new - Nelechka, what has happened?" The sudden astonishment in her friend's voice was nothing she wasn't used to hearing - his concern made him ask, even though she could hear him typing loudly down the phone line. "The residence is doable, but you will have to cloak it yourself. I'll send you details of the supplier in Tarbes - he'll open up for you, no matter what time you get there. I'll call you later with the location of the idents - you need to tell me what your disguise will be. Is it safe for me to know what is happening?"

She shook her head, eternally grateful for his prompt assurances and unquestioning arranging of what she needed whenever she needed it. "No, Vaden'ka, it is not," she told him regretfully, ignoring the avid interest of the car load of young men who had pulled to a halt beside her at the red light. "There will be no disguise. Call me at any time, I will be driving all night."

There was a heavy pause, during which she could just imagine the disapproving look of worry that had settled on her friend's face. It was nice to know that at least someone would miss her if everything went to hell. Literally. "Drive safely, Nelechka. Fortune be with you."

"She always is, my friend."

As the line went dead, the lights changed, and Natalya pulled away, breathing a softer sigh of what might have been relief. So Rhys thought he could simply slip away and do as he liked, did he" After all her promises, her assurances that he was not in this alone, he still thought she needed to be protected. She ground her teeth lightly, hoping Vadim managed to get a residence with thick walls. She doubted Adam was going to want to listen to what happened after she finished raving at her wayward angel.