Lillian was brought awake by freezing water.

Blazius' face filled her blurry vision. "Where are the twins?" He asked..

She was sitting on a chair, chained by silver chains. Blazius crouched in front of her, inside the now open cage. She shivered, the chill of the water seeping into her bones. She was only wearing a t-shirt. She must have shifted in her sleep. Well, at least they had the decency to partially cover her.

"Where are they?" He hissed, his face a mask of fury.

Lillian smiled. Blazius' nostrils flared, his chest expanded with a deep breath, and he backhanded her. The slap echoed in the room, whipping her head around until her neck hurt and her brain jolted. Lillian tasted her blood.

Blazius stood up and straightened his sleeves. No one was around except for him. "Call them here, right now," he said. "I know you can link them."

Lillian laughed. She couldn't help herself. If he actually believed she would call them back here, he must be delusional. "I'm not calling them anywhere."

"Ezra?" Lillian called through the link. She could feel him, but the link was stretched so tight, her words were lost before they traveled across the distance. They were alive but far from her. And the link felt peaceful.

Lillian's heart settled. For the first time since she was kidnapped, she felt like she could breathe. Whatever happened to her now, she didn't care. The twins were safe.

"Call them here, right now," Blazius said again, pointing his finger in her face. "Or I will make you do it, and you won't like it."

Lillian leaned forward as much as her chains allowed her and fixed Blazius with a look. "Nothing will make me call them back."

A vein pulsed in his temple, and Lillian could almost smell his anger.

He drew his hand back, it glowed a pale yellow, and slapped her. His hand was hot against her face. Lillian's cheek felt on fire, and she smelled burning skin. Blazius' hand glowed a pale yellow. The color faded as he reached forward and gripped her hair, pulling her head back until Lillian was sure her neck would snap.

"You will regret it," he said in a low voice. "I will make you live every single nightmare you ever had."

Lillian bared her teeth in a feral grin. "You can do whatever you want. As long as the twins are safe, you have no power over me, you pathetic excuse of a person. You might think you're all that, but look at you, cornered into hiding and chased by immortals all over the world."

Blazius' face turned a bright red. His grip tightened on her head. "You-"

A loud knock interrupted him, then the door was shoved open. It banged against the wall, and a wide-eyed witch stood there, gasping for breath.

"What?" Blazius snarled at the witch.

"Sir, there is- there is-"

"Speak, man!" Blazius said.

"Arthur!" The man sputtered. "Arthur is on the island."

Blazius froze, and Lillian smelled his fear. He dropped her head as if it burned him and pointed at the witch. His face snapped into a cold mask. He held out his hand. "Give me your daggers."

"What-"

"Your daggers!" Blazius cried.

The witch unstrapped two daggers from his thigh sheaths. He gave them to Blazius. Blazius turned toward her, his cold eyes on her thighs. Dread tightened Lillian's stomach. He pulled his hands back, raising the daggers. Lillian struggled, but she could not move an inch in her chains.

He brought the daggers down on her thighs.

Lillian screamed.

She felt the bones break and the blades stick to the chair beneath her. Blood poured out of her thighs. Her vision blurred. She heard Blazius give out orders as if from under water.

"Keep her silvered and alive," he barked out. Then he was out of the door.

*** **** ***

Noah's POV

The jet landed in a port city on the west coast of British Columbia. Noah, Arthur, Elle and the troll, Mato, found Harvey waiting for them in a boat shortly before nightfall.

The vampire had ditched his signature three-piece suit in favor of a black t-shirt, jeans and combat boots. His hair was still brushed back in an expensive looking hairstyle.

"Any news?" Arthur asked after the boat was sailing through the water. A vampire, one of Arthur's people, manned the cockpit.

The continuous motion made Noah wish he was on firm ground. The sky had darkened to the colors of dusk, and stars dotted the sky, unable to wait for nightfall to sparkle.

Salty wind whizzed by, ruffling Noah's hair as he gripped the rails on the side of the boat, looking at the dark shadows in the distance. Haida Gwaii.

"Our men are scouring the islands," Harvey replied, raising his voice over the wind. "We're getting more men up here. Alpha Benjamin's tracker is trying to pinpoint the latest immortal scent. From what we found so far, they have big numbers."

Elle stood quietly next to Noah. Mato had taken a spot in the back of the boat. He looked at ease with the rocking of the boat.

"Nice style, Harvey," Elle called out.

Harvey gave her a wink from the other side of the boat next to Arthur. "I look good in everything, my dear."

Elle rolled her eyes.

They reached the archipelago after the night had claimed the world. They left the boat and its captain anchored in a small, old dock tucked in the wilderness.

Noah jumped out of the boat, eager to be on the way, and they all went into the thick woods.

A gust of wind blew, rustling the plants and tree canopy overhead. Mato, who had taken the lead, raised his head and sniffed the air. He shrugged off the cloak, and the ground opened and swallowed it. Elle whistled.

"They are waiting. Let's go," Mato said before he started running.

They kept a ruthless pace. Mato sailed over the ground, loose limbed and boneless.

Noah felt his bond to Lillian stretch and pulse. She was alive and nearby, but still out of reach. He felt the twins as well. But their link was covered by a blanket of warm, earthy energy. It must have something to do with the trolls. No matter how much he reached for them, the energy warded off his links.

But they were alive. The confirmation spurred him and refueled his energy. The wind grew colder as they traveled to higher grounds. They ran for what felt like hours, the moon glowing through the trees.

When they stopped, it was on a small clearing near a cliff. Noah breathed in deeply, the scenery below the cliff stretched for miles, and far in the distance he could see lights twinkling. Some kind of village or small human settlement, perhaps?

Mato, the troll, seemed to have gotten taller, surrounded by the wooded mountains.

"What are we waiting for?" Elle asked, looking around, her breath fogged in the air.

"They're coming," Mato said, turning to face the woods behind them, looking up the mountain.

Noah wanted to shift to his wolf and run to scour the islands for Lillian and the twins. He shifted on his feet, impatient.

Then he smelled the twins in the air, and he ran.

"Noah?!" Elle called after him.

The twins grew closer as he ran up the wooded landscape. His eyes looked through the trees and the rocks and the darkness of the night, zeroing in on three distant figures striding down towards him.

The two brown wolf pups paused, and then they, too, were sprinting towards him, their little barks echoing, warming the cold air of the night. Their fur rippled in the wind, catching the stubborn moonlight beams that managed to find their way through the trees. Wolfish grins showed sharp little teeth, their tongues lolling to the side.

A grin stretched across Noah's face, his chest expanding with such relief it was a wonder his heart didn't implode.

He crouched down and braced for the impact of those little bodies. They crashed into him, barking and licking his face, crushed between his arms and his chest but not seeming to mind.

Noah kissed their heads and breathed in their scents. The magic that was blanketing them slid away with a whoosh. Then their voices filled his head.

"Noah! Noah, you're here!"

"We should go get mommy!"

"She's still there!"

"Alright, alright," Noah said, pulling away with great reluctance.

Harvey, Elle and Arthur were beside them, and Mato and the troll who accompanied the twins stood to the side, speaking in low voices.

The twins sat down, their wagging tails brushing the ground. Noah scanned them for injuries. There was a hint of old blood in their smell, but he could see no bleeding wound, and the scent of lingering silver was very faint.

"You're okay?" He asked, patting their necks. They nodded as one. Elle stooped down and tickled behind their ears.

"Yes, but mommy," Ezra linked him, a whine escaping his wolf's throat.

"We'll get your mom," Noah said. "Why don't you shift and tell us what happened."

The twins shifted to their skin. The sight of dried blood and dirt covering their bodies made him growl. He checked them again. They were uninjured. He shrugged off his t-shirt and watched as Arthur did the same, then the twins were wearing them. They slipped off one shoulder and hung off their bodies, almost brushing the ground. Noah hugged them tightly, his throat tight. They were safe.

Ezra's shoulders were tight, and his face was screwed into a determined scowl with pursed lips and furrowed brows, his throat bobbing repeatedly. He was trying not to cry.

Noah sat down and Elijah settled down in his lap, leaning his head against Noah's chest. "Mommy..."

"We should-" Ezra sniffed and swallowed. "We should go back to mommy."

Noah pulled him against his chest and rubbed his back. After a second, he smelled the salty tang of Ezra's tears. He cried quietly, his tears dampening Noah's skin and his little shoulders jerking. Elijah clung to Noah's neck tightly, as if afraid if he let go he would be taken again.

Noah swore he would make Blazius regret the day he set his sights on his family.

Arthur was watching the twins with an impassive face, but a dark fury lingered in his eyes. After a few minutes, the twins calmed down.

"Okay, boys," Harvey said, sitting on his haunches. "Do you think you can tell us what happened?"

Elijah's arms tightened around Noah's neck, not letting go. Ezra wiped his face with his forearm, sniffed, and turned to face Harvey, still sitting on Noah's lap.

"Blake," Ezra said. "Blake helped them take us. I remember him a little. But then we fell asleep again and we woke up in cages."

"Cages?" Elle asked, her eye a glowing green in the darkness of the woods.

"Yeah," Ezra swallowed. "Silver cages. We linked mommy and she told us to escape, so we did."

Elle raised her brows. "You escaped the cages?"

"Uh-huh," Elijah said, his face still pressed against Noah. "We stole the keys from the witch."

"We opened our cages, and climbed through the air vent."

Pride flared in Noah's chest. He smiled. "And then?"

"We found mommy," Ezra said. "But she couldn't fit it into the vent, so she told us to go."

"And we escaped. Then we found Kaad."

"Who's Kaad?" Noah asked.

"A human," Ezra said.

"One of the native Haida people," the troll who accompanied the twins said. Noah almost forgot he was there.

"Yeah, he's a native," Ezra said. "He called Hoya then left."

Hoya must be the troll.

"Oh, we should also help the other kids," Elijah said.

Noah froze. "There are other kids?"

"There's a big boy and a little girl," Ezra said. "They're also in cages. The big boy also didn't fit into the vent, and the little girl was asleep. That's why they didn't come with us."

Noah met Arthur's eyes over the twins' heads.

"Do you remember the way there?" Arthur asked.

It was Hoya who answered, his voice deep. "I know the location. Immortals have claimed an old hospital for the past several years."

Noah's heart clenched, his breath turning to lead in his lungs. A hospital. The last time Lillian had been kidnapped into a hospital had been a horror for her. He truly hoped she wouldn't go through something similar again. Just the thought filled him with rage and terror.

"A few immortals have been coming and going over the years, but only recently did they come in large numbers and intensified their magic practices." Hoya continued, curling his nose in disgust. "Whatever they are doing there is not natural."

"No, it isn't," Arthur said. "We'll take care of it if you show us the location. We appreciate your help."

Mato and Hoya exchanged a look. Then Hoya stepped forward. "I will come along. This is our home."

Arthur arched a brow. "Having a troll in our ranks is a gift. I am, however, surprised that you would choose to get involved."

Hoya made a noise close to growling. "The world has changed, it is still changing. The old ways must be broken if the Mountain Folk are to survive in this new world."

"Our young are more open to change than our elders," Mato added, standing tall next to his brethren. "But even the old ones realize the need to adjust."

Arthur stepped close to the trolls and held out his hand. "It will be an honor to fight alongside one of your kind again," he said. "To a better future."

Hoya stepped forward and clasped Arthur's forearm, as Arthur did the same. "To a fairer world."

Hoya pointed out the location of the old hospital in a map on Harvey's phone. Arthur sent word to his men already on the islands to head there and scout the area.

Elijah hung on Noah's back, and Ezra on Harvey's, and they all ran down the mountain, the trolls sailing over the ground next to them. Harvey received an update from his men.

"Blazius knows the twins have escaped," he said, pocketing his phone as he ran. "He sent out several search parties all over the island. We intercepted one nearby."

"Good," Arthur said. "Let's go meet them, then. They will be able to give us an idea on what is waiting for us in the location."

"Will the human who helped the twins be okay?" Elle asked, jumping over a thin creek running across their path.

"The natives will be safe," Hoya said, his voice clear to Noah's ears despite the current whooshing past his ears, as if the wind itself carried the troll's words.

The trees grew sparser as the ground leveled out. The sound of a nearby village, roads and people reached Noah's ears. The scent of immortals rode the wind to his nose.

"This way," Harvey said, veering to the side. They went down a steep hill. Noah reached behind him to steady Elijah on his back, his feet skidding on the ground as pebbles and dirt rolled downward.

They found Arthur's people, two vampires and a witch, in a clearing at the bottom of the hill. The moon sent silvery beams, illuminating the two witches kneeling on the ground in the middle of Arthur's men. Blood dried on their faces, and their hands were clasped up behind their head. They must be Blazius'.

Noah recognized one of Arthur's vampires. She was the one they'd met at Senator Brady's house. Salma.

Elijah's arms tightened on Noah's neck as he peered over his shoulder at the witches.

"Do you recognize them?" Noah asked. The witches looked up, their breaths freezing before their hearts raced, their wide eyes settling on Arthur. Arthur put Ezra down, his hand resting on the pup's head for an instant, before he stepped forward.

"Yes," Elijah whispered. "He's the one who had the keys to the cages."

Noah's wolf perked up, scenting prey nearby. "I see," he said, putting Elijah down next to Ezra. Elle stood over them, a flame of blue flared in the dark pupil of her eye. Noah stepped forward next to Arthur and Harvey, his eyes on the witches.

"How many people do they have?" Harvey asked.

"Right now, there are about five search parties dispatched to find the twins," Salma said. "Every search party has two individuals."

"I see," Arthur said, stooping down. The witches' fear stank the air. Arthur looked between the two males. "So, kidnapping children? That's a new low."

"We-we're just hired muscle, my lord," one of them said, sweat gleamed on his forehead like water under the moonlight. "We didn't know what he was up to."

"A person should have principles," Arthur murmured. "Just because someone offers you money, doesn't mean you should do their bidding. Children are a red line in our world."

"M-mercy, my lord," the other said, swallowing thickly.

"How many people does he have?" Arthur asked.

The two witches looked at each other. Noah growled. The witches jumped. "How many?"

"A-about thirty five contracted immortals," one of the witches said.

"Witches? Vampires?" Noah asked.

"Twenty witches," the witch replied. "Seven vampires, and three shapeshifters."

"That's thirty, you genius," Harvey said, crossing his arms. "You said thirty five."

The witch frowned, his pulse skittering. The other witch simply said, "I-I think... there are more vampires then?"

Noah growled. They just had to capture the idiots of the bunch.

"What else?" Noah asked.

"His own men and women are about... I think twenty witches and fifteen vampires?"

Harvey sighed, shaking his head. "I don't trust these numbers."

"Let's just round it up to a hundred and be safe," Noah said, glancing back at the trolls who'd disappeared into the shadows of the trees. Hoya nodded. "That sounds correct."

The witches startled. They hadn't noticed the trolls. Noah himself would've found it difficult to smell them. Their scent was just too similar to the essence of the mountains and woods around, it almost blended in.

"Now, the layout of the place," Noah said, digging his claws in the witch's shoulder. "Speak."

The witches were more or less helpful. The hospital was in the middle of the woods. Blazius had not made any great modifications, so the windows were unbarred and there was a back door and a front door. There were several security perimeters around the location. But with the twins gone, Blazius would increase security.

Arthur stood up. "Let's move in. Now that the twins are gone, Blazius is a flight risk. He might choose to change locations if he feels this one is compromised."

"He has Lillian," Noah said. "He might try to use her as a shield or a hostage to get out of the island."

Harvey nodded his agreement. "Arthur and Elle should move in on the front," Harvey said. "Blazius would be wary of Arthur. He'll focus all his men and powers on them. Noah should sneak in through the back and try to get to Lillian."

"Will mommy be okay?" Ezra whispered.

Noah faced the twins, lowering himself to their level. "Your mother will be fine. I'll bring her back."

Ezra nodded reluctantly.

Harvey called for more backup. The people he had on the island were around fifty immortals. More were coming in from nearby territories, but they couldn't afford to wait. Blazius could choose to flee any moment.

All of a sudden, Noah felt his bond with Lillian twist painfully. He grunted, closing his eyes against the pain and the abrupt loss of the link. She must have been silvered.

"We need to move," he said, feeling his wolf shove to the surface.

"Silver?" Arthur asked. Noah nodded.

Harvey pursed his lips. "They must know something is up, then."

Noah didn't want to be apart from the twins. He wanted to open his ribcage and tuck them inside right next to his heart where they'd be safe. But he needed to move forward and get their mother back.

While Arthur and his people discussed the particulars of their plan, Noah stepped aside with Mato. Surprisingly, he was the only one with whom his wolf felt the twins would be safe.

"I would like you to look after the twins," Noah said.

The troll's black eyes caught the light as he shifted his head. After a long pause, he held out his forearm. Noah clasped it. "Understood," Mato said. "They will be safe."

The twins seemed to take a liking to the trolls, because they didn't seem too heartbroken to be apart from Noah.

"You like the trolls?" He asked them, holding them both in his arms before he had to be apart from them again.

"Yeah, they're like the woods," Elijah said.

"Our wolves like them," Ezra added.

"You'll bring back mommy, right?" Elijah asked, his blue eyes shimmering with faith and hope.

Noah nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will."

Hoya led them to a high spot in the woods surrounding the old hospital.

"Can you climb?" The troll asked Elle, putting his white hand on the bark of an old tree. Elle was responsible for providing the first distraction so Noah could sneak in.

Elle rolled back her shoulders and launched herself at the tree, then climbed it like a little monkey, her feet and arms blurring. Noah raised his brows.

Hoya choked on his breath. "She... can climb," the troll said, his eyes following Elle as she scurried upward.

Arthur smiled a little. "She grew up in the woods," he said, glancing at the troll. "You may find you two share many similarities."

Noah looked up. Elle had climbed all the way up the tall fir. She settled on a branch, it swayed under her weight but she didn't seem to care. She gave Noah a thumbs up. "Good luck," she said, her voice carrying to his sensitive ears.

Noah, Harvey and Salma set off to the old building. The trees blurred past him, dark shadows melting into the night.

They met the first line of the enemy's security a few minutes later. Noah stopped and held up his hand, his two companions froze.

Two witches. The majority of Blazius' forces seemed composed of witches in a big part, then vampires.

Noah crouched behind a tree, his legs coiled. Salma and Harvey blending in the shadows nearby. The two witches were around a hundred feet away. He tracked them with his eyes as they moved through the trees, his wolf pushing to the surface, eager for a hunt.

Then he sneaked, sprinting on quiet feet towards them. Once he was within distance, he sprang.

The witch didn't have the chance to scream. Noah's claws swiped through his neck, spraying blood and severing arteries. He made a gurgling sound and staggered. In the same instant, the other witch raised his arms, his mouth open to call for help or to warn others. Noah grabbed the man's hair and pulled his head down to his knee, breaking his nose and teeth.

The witch's hands grabbed Noah's thigh and magic flared. Pain bit Noah's leg. He twisted the witch' head, breaking his neck, and threw him aside.

The first witch raised one hand, the other busy holding his bleeding neck. A snake of shadows crawled out of his sleeve and struck at Noah. Noah dodged and lunged, punching the bleeding witch with enough force to twist his head and crack his neck. He dropped next to his friend.

Harvey and Salma appeared beside him. Salma looked at the two fallen witches. "Remind never to get in a fist fight with a werewolf," she said, taking a dagger out of the thigh sheath strapped to her jeans. She slid the blade into the witch's chest. Finishing him, then did the same to the other.

"Let's go," Harvey said.

They found one more round of security patrol. Harvey took care of them with the help of his illusion magic.

Noah watched from the distance as a black fog clouded the witch and the vampire. The two froze, looking around but unable to see Harvey coming for them. The fog thickened as Harvey entered it, obscuring Noah's view. When the fog dispersed, Harvey was standing over the unmoving corpses of the two.

"Is the fog real or not?" Salma asked when they joined Harvey. "I can't tell."

"Would it have blocked their sight if it was just an illusion?" Noah asked, genuinely curious as well.

Harvey gave them a sly smile. "My gift is called an illusion because I want it to be called so," he said. "Who said anything about it actually being a simple illusion?"

Cunning vampire.

They reached the old hospital seconds after that. There were more patrols surrounding the clear area immediately around the building. A few trucks parked nearby, and people were moving about, as if readying to leave, some of them were transporting large crates from the hospital to the trucks.

Noah and the two vampires rounded the building, keeping out of sight, until they reached the back door. There was less activity there, probably because the door was blocked shut by thick wooden bars, and there were no windows on the ground floor.

"Now?" Harvey asked. Noah nodded, waiting for him to take out his phone in order to signal to Arthur and Elle that they were ready for the distraction. Instead, Harvey's eyes glazed over, after a few moments, he blinked and nodded at Noah. So Arthur was able to communicate telepathically with people other than his mate.

Noah focused on the task at hand. The second floor windows were too high. They would have to go through the door.

Blue fireworks filled the sky. He heard an explosion and saw the blue glow of fire coming from around the building, screams and calls for help. The few immortals lingering around the back door went around the building to offer assistance.

Noah took off. He reached the door, gripped the first bar and pulled. It cracked outward with a loud noise that was drowned by Elle's fireworks. Harvey and Salma took care of a couple of more bars.

In a minute, the door was clear. He took a running start and hit it with his shoulder. It exploded inward and they slipped inside to a long hallway. The doors lining the hallway were closed. They checked them, but they were either empty or filled with broken furniture. The door on the other end of the hallway had two glass panels. Noah pressed against the door and peeked through the glass.

Another hallway. This one seemed more alive. People were rushing from some of the rooms down the curving hallway. But there was one room whose guards didn't move. Two vampires stood on either side of it, their attention on the hallway's other exit. No doubt, they were curious about what was happening.

Noah drew in a breath. Lillian's smell. He barely held himself from barging through.

After a few minutes, the hallway emptied except for the two vampire guards. The sound of explosions outside was still overpowering. Elle was truly going at it.

Harvey, who was peeking through the other panel across from him, pointed at Salma. The woman, crouching between them, twirled two small throwing daggers in her hands.

Harvey held up three fingers. Two. One.

They pushed open the door. The two vampires whirled towards them. Then each of them had a dagger sticking out of his throat.

"You might be as fast a draw as Elle," Harvey said, striding forward.

Noah was already at the door. Lillian's smell intensified. He broke open the door with his shoulder, and his heart stopped.

Lillian.