"Who are you, what do you want?" Jacob yelled.

  As he looked around and saw no one else in the theater, the person slowly came toward them with heavy steps.

  They could feel a dark presence in the area and felt that it was not good.

  Jacob whispered, "I don't like the way this feels," as he grabbed Sophie and Sarah and yelled, "JUMP."

  Together they jumped into the air toward the exit. The figure started to follow and was closing in fast. Jacob opened the exit door that led out the back of the theater. The mid-afternoon sun was still high, and as the light poured in, the figure slowed and covered its eyes.

  "You will not escape me," the figure yelled out in anger. "You are going to be mine."

  Jacob looked back. It was a young-looking man... devilishly handsome, with dark tousled hair streaked with crimson, pale skin, sharp cheekbones, glowing red eyes, and a twisted smirk that made Jacob's blood run cold. He was still chasing the trio but seemed to need to cover his eyes from the sunlight.

  "We need to find out who he's after," Jacob whispered. "Sophie, go left. Sarah, go right."

  As they split, the man immediately angled toward Sarah.

  Jacob clenched his fists. Not a second’s hesitation.

  He launched forward with blinding speed, cutting the distance between them in an instant. His leg swept out in a low arc, catching the man's ankles just as he lunged. The stranger’s feet lifted from the ground, and Jacob drove both fists in a hammer strike into his chest midair, slamming him to the ground with a bone-jarring impact.

  "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH SARAH?" Jacob demanded, pressing down on his collarbone.

  The man grinned through his teeth. "Ha ha ha, not a bad move, but if you must know... SHE IS GOING TO BE MY MATE!!!" he roared, his body surging with unnatural strength.

  He lashed out, punching Jacob hard in the gut with a fist that felt like iron. Jacob flew back more than thirty feet. He landed in the grass with a thud, leaving a small indent.

  "Jacob!" Sophie shouted.

  Sophie and Sarah rushed to his side, but Jacob waved them off, groaning as he pushed to his feet.

  Sarah turned, fury crackling in her voice. "Who the hell do you think you are? What makes you think I would be your mate?"

  "Oh, so you have a bit of fire in you, I see." The man smirked wider. "I am Eric, son of King Jaffon, heir to the throne of Black Fire. The Demon Prince."

  "I will never become your mate, no matter who you are," Sarah snapped.

  "She will never be yours. How could you even think you could just force her to be your mate?" Sophie stepped forward now, standing between Sarah and Eric.

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  "She is destined to be mine... to join the demon clans and restore us to our former glory!" Eric declared proudly.

  "Really!? If she was destined to be yours, when she is already bound to another?" Jacob growled as he stood tall again.

  "Huh, just because someone might be in love with her doesn't make her bonded to someone," Eric responded dismissively.

  "What about heart, soul, and body?" Sarah asked, voice steady.

  "Hahaha, as if. There is only one ritual that could do that and it was lost over 500 years ago," Eric laughed.

  "You must be talking about the Trial of Hearts," Sophie said with a look of challenge on her face.

  Eric's face dropped. There is no way they could know about that. It was a demon ceremony, not human, he thought.

  "I don't know how you know the name of the ceremony, but it doesn't change anything," Eric muddled.

  "Oh, I think it does. Because Sarah is ours. She'll never be yours," Sophie said fiercely.

  "SILENCE ANT! BEFORE I CRUSH YOU, HAND HER OVER OR DIE!" Eric bellowed, his aura flaring with heat and fury.

  Without hesitation, Sophie summoned her armor. Light flared across her form as elegant plated steel covered her from shoulders to boots, her blade forming in her hand.

  Jacob and Sarah followed in an instant... armor manifesting with radiant bursts, their swords gleaming with energy.

  They stood shoulder to shoulder, swords drawn. Three points of light facing the darkness.

  "Bring it," they said together.

  Eric screamed and charged, drawing his jagged black blade as he sprinted toward them.

  BOOM.

  The moment their swords clashed, shockwaves rippled outward. Eric’s blade met Jacob’s head-on, sparks flying, metal screaming.

  Jacob parried and sidestepped, slashing low toward Eric’s leg while Sophie came in from behind. Her strike landed across his back, sending a crack through his armor.

  He spun, catching her mid-chest with a burst of dark energy, but Sarah was already there, her sword glowing red. She ducked low, slashed across his ribs, and rolled out of the way.

  BOOM BOOM BOOM.

  Eric vanished in a flash of black smoke... then reappeared behind Jacob. His sword arced down, but Jacob turned just in time, catching it on his forearm guard with a sharp grunt.

  "You're not taking her!" Jacob shouted, twisting his blade upward.

  Sophie leapt from behind, spinning in midair, and drove her heel into Eric’s spine. He stumbled forward... right into Sarah’s blade.

  Jacob was in awe with how gracefully Sophie pulled off the maneuver. So much so, he was momentarily distracted.

  Eric recovered and again dashed at Jacob. Jacob, coming to his senses, jumped over him and the three together, charging up, struck out and hit Eric square in the chest.

  BOOOOOOMMMMMM.

  The strike sent him flying. He crashed into the far wall of the alley, stone crumbling around him. Dust rose. He pushed himself up slowly, blood dripping from his mouth.

  "How... how the hell can you be this strong?" Eric growled.

  "That's not for you to know," Sarah said. "Now surrender... or else."

  "Never," Eric sneered. He spat more blood. Then, without warning, black mist coiled around him.

  And he was gone.

  "Where did he go?" Jacob asked, scanning the area.

  "I don't know, but I can't feel that presence anymore," Sophie replied.

  "Neither can I," Sarah added.

  Sarah unsummoned her armor and pulled her phone to call her parents. The phone rang several times, then her dad answered.

  "Squirt!" Mark said with excitement. "Why do you call?"

  "Dad… we were attacked by a guy named Eric, claiming to be the demon prince, son of King Jaffon. Does this mean anything to you?" Sarah asked.

  There was a pause. A long one.

  "...Say that again," Mark said, voice low.

  "Eric. He said he’s the heir to the Black Fire clan and that I’m his ‘destined mate,’" Sarah replied.

  "Put me on speaker," Mark said sharply.

  She did. "Okay, go ahead."

  "All right, listen up... Eric is not someone to take lightly. The Black Fire clan tried to take over the demon world a generation ago. They weren’t hiding, they were conquerors. Your mother and I were part of the pushback that finally stopped them. We thought they were scattered or destroyed... but clearly, Jaffon’s line survived."

  Jacob and Sophie took this time to remove their armor as they listened. The concern in Mark's voice was evident. He was worried, and this made them a little worried as well.

  "He said he’d make Sarah his mate to ‘restore the clans,’" Jacob said.

  "Classic Black Fire crap. Restore usually means dominate. Control. Reclaim everything they lost," Mark growled.

  Classic crap, huh? So just like Henry in the Dragon world. Now Sarah has Eric, Sophie thought.

  "He also said that the Trial of Hearts was a demon ceremony. Is that true?" Jacob asked.

  "Sort of... but the demon ceremony was more of a forceful binding. Making it so one family could not kill the other without killing themselves. It was called the Tying of Hearts," Mark replied.

  "We handled ourselves this time," Jacob said. "But he’ll be back."

  "Oh, I have no doubt," Mark said. "And next time, he won’t hold back. He’ll adapt. Keep your eyes open. Stay armored when needed. And call me or your mom if anything feels off."

  "Too bad you don’t have any of his blood... we could make a charm that would let us know when he was within 10 miles," Mark added.

  "Um... there’s a decent puddle here on the ground behind the theater," Sarah said.

  "...Really? Great. I’ll be there shortly. Good job, all of you," Mark said.

  Sarah nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

  "I’ll start pulling files on Jaffon and Eric. If they’re back... we’re going to need allies."

  The call ended.

  The tension lingered for a moment... until Sophie let out a breath and looked back toward the theater.

  "...So, you think we can still catch the movie?" she said.