"I don't want to go, mama,"

Long, graceful fingers combed through her hair in a gentle, soothing motion. "I know, princess," the woman said tenderly. "I don't want you to go either."

"I'm scared."

"I know, baby. But daddy and I are going to come for you. You're going to have to be strong for a little while, but we are going to find you."

Burying her face in her mother's lap, she started to sob and shake. "Daddy hates me."

"Don't talk like that."

"But-"

Her mother pulled her up into a sitting position and hit her with a stern look. "What are we?"

Kate sniffed and scrubbed at her eyes. "Family."

"And what does family do?"

"Protect each other."

"That's right. Your father does not hate you. They could never hate you. Do you understand?"

She nodded and reached out to wrap her arms around her mother's neck. Despite the sharp crack in her voice and the steadiness in her hold, Kate could feel her mother's heart racing.

At the unmistakable hiss of the door opening, their hold on each other tightened. When her mother started to speak again, her voice was low enough for only Kate to hear and filled with the promise of great pain towards the newcomers. "Remember, princess. Hold everything back. Do not let them see how strong you really are. And when they turn their backs... you tear them limb from limb."

~

Kate shrieked an inhuman, ungodly scream and ripped the remaining bracelet off her wrist. There was no controlling this half of her. There was no holding back the overwhelming rage. Fractured and still clinging to the soul Cyrille had shared with her, magic surged forward.

She could have handled the pain of touching clean iron. She would have fought through the chains eventually. But then Harper threatened Danika. Then they put their hands on her. That she couldn't handle. She would not sit back and let Danika know the same pain she had. Danika was all the family she had left. She didn't care if this set off a beacon straight to her. She was going to destroy those wolves.

"Go!" Harper shouted over her screaming. "Get the vampire out of-"

Danika took her chance and wrenched her right arm free, and tackled the wolf on the left. He went down quickly, despite being twice her size, and sunk her fangs into his throat. She had no time to enjoy his scream when his blood tasted like battery acid.

Harper appeared beside her and kicked at her again. She barely managed to get her arm up to block his foot and felt something break under the impact. She bounced off the ground and managed to flip back onto her feet. Her ears were ringing, and blood dripped into her eyes. One of her lower fangs was cracked, sending jolts of lightning-hot pain through her jaw. Her arm screamed in pain every time she moved, but she could still hold a grip.

She had the space she needed to assess the situation. Three wolves stood between her and Kate. A week ago, she wouldn't have been optimistic about her odds. Werewolves were at their strongest immediately before and after the full moon. Every other day of the month, vampires reigned supreme. Even so, they were still strong and a lot bigger than she was.

"Be a good girl now," Harper snarled, advancing with the other two. "It'll be worse for you both if you don't."

"You better come at me with all you've got," she spat and withdrew the two blades strapped to her legs. "I'm not one of your females. You're messing with the wrong fucking bitch."

They looked at the blades, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. To the untrained eye, the karambit-style knives looked no more threatening than a bee sting. The blades themselves were barely three inches long, and one of them was made from iron. She would have to get up close and personal to do any damage with the silver one, and that was precisely where they were most comfortable.

As all three of them launched towards her at the same time, she couldn't help but feel the excitement flood her veins. Powerful leg muscles pushed her forward at a much higher speed than the wolves could manage.

Every single one of them flinched. They weren't expecting that from a vampire with a size disadvantage. They certainly weren't expecting her to be so fucking fast.

The wolf with the bite on his neck struck out with a fist. He was aiming for her torso as it was the most significant target he had. Slow and stupid. She had been trained on targets far more violent, much faster, and infinitely more cunning than ordinary beta wolves. She met his fist with one of the blades, catching him between his middle and ring fingers. By the time he started screaming, she'd twisted the knife and severed the muscles and ligaments that held his massive arm in place.

Kate burst free from the chains, concrete spraying everywhere as the anchors gave way. Danika reached her faster than she thought was possible and skidded to a halt.

Two lycanthrope remained, the third one combatively useless. Now she had Kate at her side. Whether that was an advantage or a hindrance, she didn't know yet. The demoness's shape was twisting sickeningly and changing with every second.

The skin around her eyes, mouth, and hands had gone black from the corruption of her magic. Her jaw opened, stretching the skin of her cheeks until it tore, and several rows of long, needle-point teeth glinted pearly white. "Kate," Danika snapped, trying to get a hold of her own pain and fear of what was happening. "You're going into mutated-angler-fish-mode. I need you to pull it together."

Kate tilted her head towards Danika, acknowledging her words to some degree. But as she looked into those glowing gold eyes, she didn't see even a shred of her best friend. A cold, numbing dread filled her rapidly. This was the monster she'd been warned about. The thing Kate never wanted to become.

"Kate, no-" She never finished.

Kate exploded forward, ripping up the stone of the alley with the talons that had torn through her shoes. Harper and the uninjured wolf managed to get out of her way. The third was just not having a good night.

Her fingers had lengthened into sharp spears, and she impaled them into his body at several painful but non-vital points. Then, as easily as lifting a feather, she raised him into the air until his mutilated arm dangled inches from her face. The blood drained from his body straight into her opened jaws, running down her chin and drenching her body. A rattling laugh filled the air.

Danika was frozen to the ground. She'd seen Kate lose control before, but nothing like this. Her bones splintered and lengthened, muscles bulged at odd places, and the whole time she laughed. Her body radiated with too much unstable power. At this point, she wasn't sure if anything could be done.

The werewolf started to scream with new vigor. His whole body was beginning to glow. A long black tongue slithered out from Kate's mouth. An inch away from him, it split once, then twice into four different tendrils. The wolf suddenly went quiet and started to gag. A dark voice radiated through the magic she was shedding. "You have a strong soul..."

"Kate!" Danika screamed, finally pulling herself free of the silent horror. "Katie, stop!"

Someone grabbed her waist, jerking her back and stopping her from running forward. Terrified it was Harper, she whirled around, knives raised and ready to strike. It was Aarón. He pulled her back again, staring at the monster Kate had turned into. "What is that thing?" someone demanded from behind them. "Someone call Cyrille!"

"Let me go," Danika thrashed against his grip. "Let me go! I have to help her!"

"Not a fucking chance," Aarón snapped. "You're not getting anywhere near that thing! Are you insane?!"

"She's not a thing! She's my friend! She won't hurt me. Let go!"

"I'm not taking that risk!"

She twisted in his grip so he could see the desperation in her expression. "Please," she begged. "Please, Aarón, trust me! I can't let her do this! It will destroy her!"

Aarón hesitated. His decision to let her go was not made easier by the continued gagging of the lycan in the air. The glowing around his mouth intensified until a swirling ball of ethereal light appeared between his teeth. But Danika looked up at him with so much panic and determination... fuck. He loosened his grip.

Danika didn't hesitate. She rushed towards Kate and slammed into her with as much force as she could muster. Her snarling sounded like shearing metal. Pain exploded through her body as the talons on her feet found her leg and tore through the unguarded flesh. The back of her head struck either the ground or a wall, she couldn't tell, before she finally managed to get a grip and pinned her.

It wasn't easy. Kate's monster was blind with hunger and was unwilling to give up control. Danika had no time to think. She summoned magic she hadn't thought about in years and spoke her true name.

It had an immediate effect. Kate's body went rigid as the connection between them formed. Danika's mind swam with the sudden overflow of emotions coming from her friend. The fear, the hunger... the anger. She didn't know Kate had been holding onto so much rage. Images spawned from the darkest part of her heart and imagination were enough to make Danika's stomach churn.

Reaching out, she cupped Kate's warped cheek and stared into the swirling gold of her eyes. "Come back," she whispered, continuing to push power through her words. "It's okay. We're safe now."

There was a flicker of recognition in her eyes. The vortex of power slowed. A choking, rattling hiss came from her throat. "Danika?"

"That's it," she couldn't hold back the sigh of relief. "You're okay. I'm okay. Come ba-"

She never heard a shot fire. She just felt the pain as the bullet ripped through her shoulder, struck her scapula, and fragmented into pieces. She shrieked in pain as the silver, toxic to her magical body, started to burn. Aarón roared, but it was nothing to the sound that Kate made. She needed to get out of there. They all needed to get out of there.

She scrambled back, turning to race back to her wolf. Aarón was already halfway down the alley and growing bigger as he started to shift. "Stop!" she screamed desperately, and he skidded to a halt, his glowing eyes fixed on Kate. A mix of fear and desperation plaguing his features. "Aarón, don't come any closer!"

There was movement behind her, and she slowly turned. Kate slowly rose until she floated a foot off the ground. Then, with a sickening ripping sound, one hand started to tear between her fingers, splitting her arm into whip-like tentacles and growing longer and larger every second.

"Run," Danika gasped, unable to raise her voice any higher.

A piercing, triple-toned scream erupted from Kate's throat. Crippling magic crashed over them, and Danika clapped her hands over her ears. She couldn't hear her own screams. Blood oozed between her fingers, and pain racked her body. She didn't feel Kate's appendages wrap around her legs, waist, shoulders, and throat.

There was only one thing left to do. She swore to Kate she would never do this. Back then, neither of them could have imagined that this was what their world would come to.

There was a flash of movement, and she cracked her eyes open. A tall, lean male stood in front of them, eyes completely black. He lashed out with a monstrous hand of his own and wrapped entirely around Kate's jaw, silencing the scream and cutting off the spell.

Danika managed to suck in a gasp and started to struggle again. If she could get to that sewn-over pocket in her jeans, she could put a stop to all of this.

A series of harsh hissing and clicks made her look up again. The male demon was holding fast, ignoring the way Kate thrashed against his grip and seemed not to notice her claws and talons ripping into his clothes and skin. "What happened, kitten?" he asked almost gently.

Kate's eyes flared angrily, and she tried to scream past his grip. The male's eyes narrowed, and the flesh around his bicep bulged and twisted in grotesque, pulsing movements. A black, leathery appendage, almost as thick as his torso, exploded from the swelling flesh. The black talon at the end buried itself in the ground, anchoring him against her thrashing.

"That's enough now," he continued in his soft yet powerful voice. "Calm down. Let the vampire go."

The tentacles around Danika constricted suddenly, cutting off her air and crushing her bones. "Cyrille!" Aarón shouted. "Danika!"

The male, Cyrille, glanced down at Danika, then over his shoulder at Aarón. He laughed. "Difficult as usual, Katalin," he chuckled, shaking his head.

His free set of talons drove into Kate's shoulder. There was a muffled scream of pain, the sound of ripping flesh, and Danika was flung back with the tentacles still twisted around her. Aarón caught her and cut her free so she could breathe.

Danika could only stare up at the stranger. He towered over Kate's relatively tiny frame. The palm of his hand was over a foot and a half around. The size and strength allowed his fingers to wrap completely around her head to keep her from escaping.

She didn't know what kind of demon he was, but she could feel the power radiating off him, enough to totally overshadow Kate's. "Vampire," he called out, not looking away from Kate again. "If you know her true name, now would be the time to use it."

"I already tried," Danika shook as she reached for the secret pocket. "But I can still help. Lay her on the ground."

Cyrille didn't move for a second. She thought she heard him say something like 'sorry, kitten' before swinging her forward and slamming her headfirst into the concrete.

Danika broke out of Aarón's grip and raced to kneel at Kate's head. "Can you," she hesitated, looking at the other demon. "Tie her down... or something."

"Do what you're going to do," he rattled.

"What I'm about to do will hurt you too."

He didn't move. He kept his eyes on Kate, pinning her down with his body. They were out of time. Danika ripped open the pocket and pulled out the rosary. At first glance, it didn't look like anything special. But the way the male demon went rigid when he saw it told her he knew exactly what it was. The purest, cleanest iron. Christened by the pope himself. An artifact that very few people ever possessed.

Danika pressed the crucifix to Kate's forehead and summoned every ounce of strength she had left. The world went quiet. Even as Kate continued to thrash and the male demon bristled, Danika spoke the prayer spells she never thought she would have to use. They were old words without an English translation. They conjured the same kind of magic that had been used to make the bracelets.

It started to seep into Kate and the male demon. Their bodies began to shake, Kate's more than Cyrille's. She made a final attempt to escape before her mind snapped clear, and she went limp. Cyrille slumped forward and had to brace himself on both his free hand and the shrinking claw.

Danika watched Kate's eyes and continued to mutter until the color shrunk back to its usual size. When her magic finally died out, the cross had burned so far into Kate's forehead, it had to be ripped out.

Cyrille's arm wrapped around Kate's shoulders and pulled her into the protection of his body. He bowed his head, resting his cheek against hers, and started whispering to her. It was an intimate gesture that immediately had Danika on edge. Who the fuck was this guy? How did he know Kate?

Aarón suddenly appeared behind her, his massive body curling around her protectively and dragging her into his chest. "Are you alright?" he growled, wavering somewhere between relief and furious.

"I'm fine," Her whole body shook as the adrenaline drained out of her body. When she reached for Kate, her arm screamed with pain from the bullet wound. "We have to get her out of here."

Cyrille's head lifted, and pitch-black eyes bore into hers with absolute hatred. That mouth full of teeth stretched open, and he hissed. "If you touch her, I will rip you apart." Aarón snarled, and Cyrille turned his gaze on the lycan. "Out of my respect for you, Aarón, I will allow her to leave unharmed. Take your woman and leave."

"I'm not leaving her!" Danika cried out in a mix of pain and desperation.

She reached for Kate again. The air thickened with demonic magic, and the clawed appendage whipped around to slash at the vampire. Aarón pulled her back, snarling again. The two other werewolves from his spearhead pack rushed forward, and a third demon came seemingly from nowhere to meet them. Cyrille rose slowly with Kate tucked in his arms.

"Please!" Danika cried. "She lost the bracelets, they can track her now. So we have to get her to a dead zone."

"The catacombs," Aarón growled. "We'll all go."

"Are you out of your fucking mind," the new female demon hissed, glowing yellow eyes fixed on Danika with the same hatred as Cyrille's.

"I will not allow an exorcist whore into my home." Cyrille agreed.

A chorus of animalistic snarling filled the alley from the werewolves, met by the rattling of the demons hissing. "Hey," an ice-cold, calm voice cut over the two sides.

Danika looked for the new voice and felt her insides go hollow. Leaning over the railing of the fire escape was another vampire. She knew that vampire. Every vampire knew who he was, especially those in the military.

It was too much. This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen! Overwhelmed by it all, her eyes rolled to the back of her head.

Aarón barely caught her before she fell to the ground. Raphaël dropped down from the fire escape between the wolves and demons. "We aren't getting anywhere with this," his eyes met Cyrille's. "What we need is time. The catacombs will give us time and a place to tend to their injuries."

"No!" Celeste roared.

"I will take custody and responsibility of the vampire."

"Not happening!" Aarón snarled.

"Stand down," he snapped at the lycan. "None of you are capable of being objective. We do not know if she can be trusted, nor can we assume that she isn't trustworthy."

"You will not be the one bearing the consequences if it turns out that she can't," Cyrille reminded him. "My people, on the other hand, will."

"Cyrille, Celeste," Raphaël's voice was calm and sincere. "I would never put your people in danger. Not after everything you and they have done for me and mine. The entrance is deep enough. We will not cross the river. I will not allow her anywhere near the city proper. And Aarón, I will not allow her to be unnecessarily harmed."

The corner of Cyrille's mouth twitched up. "Fine," he said, sounding oddly relaxed. "We'll go to the catacombs."

Celeste rounded on Cyrille. "You cannot be considering this," she hissed. "You've been wondering what she's so afraid of since you met her. Well, there's your answer!" she pointed an accusing finger at Danika's unconscious body. "If you let that thing anywhere near the catacombs, you are going against everything we have done in the last fifteen hundred years!"

"Celeste," he met the eyes of the matriarch. "If they want to take their exorcist into a realm filled with archangels, who are we to stop them?"

~