Chas nodded and as much as he hated to admit it, it did seem to be looking more and more like a set up to try and get Kay. "Alright, myself and Serena can double check the house for security, as long as Kay in the eyesight of at least one of us, which she is with you, she should be fine. It's not like anyone can get in here without your permission or one of the magic traps gets set off so at least we have that on our side" he replied, thinking maybe as much as he hated the idea of Manny arriving, if John thought that was his best shot then they'd have no choice but invite an angel back into house.

Serena nodded and said “I’ll send my shadows. I won’t have to leave and I’ll stay with John…” she looked him over and said “how do we summon this Angel? Hopefully it’s not the same one I stabbed…”

John flinched and muttered “it’s…nothing hard…normally I just curse at the heavens…”

Chas nodded and started going round the house to do some more manual checks of the security. He may not know what to do as much but he would be able to tell just about if something wasn't quite right. He was going to make sure that he check every single nook an dcrannh that had security measures put into place and would stop until he was certain to very thing was alright. He just hoped that the other two would be able to conjure Manny and Manny wouldn't take over his body to do so.

Serena knelt by John and check his pulse, frowning. “I’m not liking this...I think we need back up” she stood and closed her eyes. “I call upon the angel of heaven to grace us with his wisdom and strength...manny we need your guidance”

John looked up and said “he might not thinking it’s not me...very polite Serena.” Serena smirked and said “I know better then to piss off angels”

At the sound of a new voice asking for him, Manny appeared in the main room where he saw Kay fast asleep and John looking weak with another woman by his side. "I didn't expect to be called so politely" he remarked, making a sly dig about how John never asks politely when he does actually call for him. "Why am I here JOhn?" he asked.

In her sleep Kay shuffled on the couch and managed to get completely under the blanket, only her hair poking out and draped over the arm rest to show any sign of her even being there still.

Serena turned to him and said “I called, John isn’t strong enough to.” John flinched and looked up at the angel. “Manny...the charm you use when you visit me...it’s never been this bad...did you change it for some reason?” Serena moved in front Kay out of instinct and said “since you left his been getting weaker by the hour. His not recovering and we can’t find the cause. All my shadows have found are remains of a darker magic up aura but nothing to aid in finding answers...Chas is looking for anything else but...we need your help. The protection of Kay is at stake here as well. He might have been hexed to make it easier to get to Kay”

Manny looked at Serena when she made abundantly clear she could see him, just like John always could. He had only ever one other person see him who wasn't John and that was Zed, so it was a surprise in some ways to have someone else see him. "John knows I can't directly interfere with anything on this plain, but I do feel a sense of dark magic around him" he began saying, noticing how Serena stepped in front of Kay which made him smirk slightly. "child, if I were to get to Kay I would have done it when I last visited. I mean her no harm" he clarified. "but it definitely feels like the aura of a hex. It's darker magic than even John's. I can't help to remove it, only the caster can as its the caster that knows the fine details of the hex. But if I were able to help? It seems to me that you're only option is using the phoenix as bait to draw out the mage who hexed you"he suggested before disappearing again.

Serena cursed and looked at John who lowered his head and was looking worse. “That was not helpful...I could have said that...well, I know where to start looking. Chas? Where are you?” She looked around, not wanting to leave the pair alone. John was shaking slightly now, looking like he had a fever or something.

Chas heard Serena call out after Manny was less than helpful, which if he was around and he could see the angel, he would say that was pretty standard for him. "Down the back, upstairs!" He called back to her, his voice echoing through the mill house. He hated knowing his mate was being effected by this whole situation and it was frustrating him that he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary and wished he knew more about magic like John so he would be more useful.

Serena sighed and waved her hand. Her fox shadow appeared and she said “Guard” the fox nodded and Serena ran after Chas. She found him and said “it’s a hex…the only way to help him is to find the caster…but his getting worse by the minute…do you have any ideas?”

John groaned and leaned forward, sweat pouring down his face. He muttered weakly “Kay…”

Chas paused what he was doing when he heard Serena make it upstairs to him and explain what was going on. "bloody hell.... Uhh okay. Give me a moment" he said to her as he tried to wrack his brain for some kind of idea. He just didn't know at first what to come up with, he didn't want to lose his best mate as he knew if John died, it was straight to Hell for him, but he didn't particularly like the idea of just offering up Kay either. Yet out of the two options, the latter was the least compromising. "I have an idea, but you're not gonna like it and neither is he" he warned. "if we can find a way to draw out the mage who hexed John, and I'm guessing they have to be somewhere near, we give them Kay. On the premise he removed the hex from John, then we grab Kay" he suggested. He knew it could go wrong, it was a risky plan but it was the only thing he could honestly think of. Something just told him that the only reason John was hexed was to make it easier to grab Kay. Which if that as the case, means the hex will be lifted (if they're lucky) when the mage has Kay.

Kay let out a sleepy hum as she began stirring awake, even though she didn't want to be awake as she still felt tired. "... What is it?" she grumbled sleepily.sloely opening her eyes then seeing John, instantly getting wide awake.

Serena sighed and cursed softly, hating it but knowing it might be the only way. “Alright...but I will have back up plans...a lot of them. We can’t let anyone run off with her...it’s crazy. But if we do nothing, I don’t think John is going to make it...”

John was leaning in the corner of the chair, pale and cold sweat running. He looked at her and said weakly “hey...sorry...didn’t mean...to wake you...”

Chas nodded, "trust me I hate being the one to say it but I can't see any other way and like you say, John ain't gonna last for any other plan" he replied to her and accepted the idea of having backup plans. That wa sone thing he would never ever protest to having. "agreed that we can't let anyone run off with her" he added.

Kay looked at John and saw the state he was in, becoming wide awake in seconds and sitting up. "don't be, you look like shit John" she said in her own little way of showing concern.

Serena nodded and took a few steps. “I have a trick I can use…it’s crazy but I’ve done it a few times…never used it as a defender but I think it could work…”

John smiled weakly at her and said “ah it’s nothing…just under the weather is all…how are you feeling love?” He was shaking badly, his eyes bloodshot now.

Chas nodded and hoped it would work, if they lose Kay then they're work is going to double in trying to get her back. "let's hope it works" he agreed, "we should get back to the other two" he then said, knowing it was pointless trying to do anything else up here.

Kay smirked slightly but it didn't take away the worry for John's state in the slightest. "I'm okay, I'm more worried about you. Your eyes are bloodshot and you're sweating like crazy" she told him, not even paying attention to the fact that Serena had left one of her shadows to look after them. She went to get up and got a sharp pain in her head with a flashing images, making her sit back down again. "dammit!" she cursed. Then she heard a voice that wasn't Fee come through as the pains in her head and of imagery came back. A silhouetted figure, male for certain Kay thought standing outside the mill house amongst the trees that go into the woods. "you wanna save John? Then meet me outside Phoenix, I can help you save him" the voice said to her, shoving her into a obedient trance like state, where she got up and headed outside without a word being spoken.

"yes that's right Phoenix, come to me. Waste no time now John doesn't have long" the voice continued to lure her outside, which she got to and low and behold there was a mage standing right in front of her. An older gentleman, greying hair and dishevelled looking. He was gesturing for her to come to him closer, swirls of black light emerging from his hands and reaching out for Kay, where it grabbed her and pulled her to the mage.

John cursed and jumped up, yelling “Kay stop!” Serena bolted down stairs and ran after John, moving her hands in motions quickly “oh no you don’t, dirt bags...”

They made it outside and John ran towards Kay to stop her as Serena waved her hands and said “the deep darkness that lies in the wood. Come forth and guard my ally. Release!” She clapped her hands and two huge shadows jumped up the size of bears. One wrapped around Kay and kept her from moving, the other got in front of the pair and Serena said “release her right now or I’ll do it myself by letting my shadows eat you...”

John got to Kay and held her face, muttered under his breath a trance breaking spell he always had at the ready.

Kay couldn't hear John shouting after her, or if she could it was such a muffled voice it just didn't get through to her at all. All she could focus on was the mage drawing her closer to get her under the premise of saving John. She was competely oblivious that Serena was making her shadows wrap around her to stop moving, only that she was making the actions of moving but not actually going anywhere. With John reaching her and placing his hands on her face, her eyes just seemed completely glazed over like they were looking through John and not at him.

The mage stepped out from what seemed to be a cloaking spell, showing he was right there when Kay was walking to him. "But if I release her then John withers away and dies. You release the phoenix and John will have that hex I put on him removed. It's really that simple" he spoke in a cocky tone and smirk. "So it's time to pick who you save. the flamebird or the mage" he added.

As John's trance breaking spell was being used, Kay was starting to show signs of it working by her eyes showing the fact she was fighting it as she stopped the action of walking on the spot. "J-J-John help m-" she managed to stammer out as she tried to break free of the trance the other mage put on her.

Serena smirked and said “you really have no idea who your screwing with do you? Fine…you want to play dirty…I’ll play dirty…” she moved forward and a seal appeared around her and she said “I call upon the guardian of the night…the right hand of the Goddess Nyx…come forth and face my enemies! Bane!” From her own shadow a huge shape started to form, bigger then the other shadows. After a few minutes a huge wolf was stepping out of the shadows, his fur black with sparkles like the stars in the night sky. He growled and chuckled darkly.

“Well my friend…you finally are letting me have some fun…I dislike greedy humans…” he walked towards the pair, Serena holding the seal and glaring at the mage. “Like I said…I can play very dirty…you brought cheap magic tricks to a fight with a vessel of a goddess…”

John smiled weakly at Kay and said “it will be alright…” he then pulled her to him and kissed her, his magic bursting they her and smashing the trance. He pulled back snd said “Kay look at me…I think it’s time for Fee and you to get some pay back…this guy you can go all out on…”

Chas held back to let the two more powerful members of their growing group to take charge, but that wasn't to say he couldn't fight if it was required. He just hoped that this mage wouldn't have something up his sleeve to completely throw them off guard. He knew some of the past mages that John had dealt with or voodoo specialists, Papa Midnite always coming to mind in these situations and knew just how slimy and tricky they could truly be. He found it risky for John to have his back to the mage and hoped his friend wasn't making a rookie mistake. It was surprising enough when he saw John kiss Kay, thinking it couldn't have been part of the spell to bring her back to reality but then what did he know? He wasn't the expert.

When Kay felt John's lips on hers, she kissed him back and suddenly felt a break in the hold that took ahold of her. As John pulled away it made her feel the need to gasp for air via a large inhale and exhale as she felt more with it and focused. She looked at him as he instructed and nodded, finally seeing the mage that was silouetted in her mind behind him. "Gladly" she replied, closing her eyes she spoke to Fee "Fee it's time to protect me and the others" "as you wish Kay" Fee responded back in her head, taking over Kay's consciousness, making her open her eyes to which they burned their golden orange colour instead of her grey blue hue, her wings appearing quickly, breaking any hold any shadows or magic had on her. "It's time you left this place!" she demanded, noticing Bane by her side.

"There she is! The one that burns bright and is rarer than the rarest crystal in all of the world" the mage spoke smirking. Everything was falling into his hands and just as he planned it would. Only thing he didn't expect was seeing John kissing the phoenix to break his trance spell. It was nothing he couldn't work with however and worked for him even more. He used his magic and threw John far from Kay and Bane, letting him just drop to the ground in a scuffle before quickly speaking an incantation and in a blink of an eye, Kay was gone from sight. Before Bane or any of the others could attack him he too was gone.

John stared, stunned. Serena cursed loudly and said “dang it john! That’s the last thing you should have told her! I had it handled!” She moved over and picked John up; slamming him into a tree. “I had him! You just needed to break the spell that’s all!”

She turned and said to the bane. “Hunt them down! I tagged her with one of my reapers. Use it to find her. That mage won’t know it’s there. Find them now Bane” bane nodded and said “your wish my darling” he vanished.

Serena turned back to John and wanted to slug him in the face. She couldn’t understand her rage right now. All she wanted was Kay back. John couldn’t believe he had failed Kay. He almost welcomed Serena beating the crap out of him. He was shaking and drained. The hex was still going. “Kay…” Serena cursed and moved to slug him, tears in her eyes.