I walked into Rousseau's to see it was trashed, looking at Josh. "Looks like Emmett and his nightwalkers rode out the storm on your dime."

"Yeah," Josh answered. "Is it wrong that I want to boil everything in bleach? Hey, tell me, what part of 'I hate everything you stand for' do you think gave them the 'mi casa, su casa' vibe?"

"Yeah, that's the thing," I told him. "They don't care what you think. Or what anybody else thinks, for that matter."

*****

Marcel and I arrived to the penthouse suite where Emmett and his vampires were staying.

"Party's over," Marcel told them. "Emmett, you and your crew are no longer welcome in New Orleans."

"Hardly for you to decide," Emmett replied. "You walked away from this city."

"Yeah, well, I didn't," I told them. "And you don't get to banish my friends from the Quarter."

"'Banishment' is your term, Noah," Emmett told me. "Mine is 'law and order'. Peace and harmony among the species because everyone stays where they belong." He looked at Marcel. "Those were your rules, remember?"

"Oh, no, don't compare yourself to me," Marcel told him.

"I won't allow a bunch of dogs and their half-breed cousins--" Emmett started.

"Careful," Marcel told him. "You don't want to finish that sentence. Noah?"

"Hmm?" I asked.

"This place could use a little more sunshine," Marcel told me.

I opened the curtains to allow the sunlight in to make all the vampires back away into hiding and shadows. "Couldn't agree more."

"Enjoy the rest of your day, but when the sun goes down, we'll be in the Quarter," Emmett told us. "And if we see any werewolves, we'll be taking matters into our own hands."

*****

Marcel, Josh and I were in the tunnels, blocking off paths, hoping that it would keep Emmett's vampires at bay.

"Do you really think this is gonna keep them away?" Josh asked.

"No, but it'll keep them above ground, and the next time Emmett crawls out of the shadows, I will rip his face off his thick skull," Marcel answered.

"He did have a point, you know," Josh told us. "Werewolves quarantined in the bayou, witches living in fear, vampires at the top of the food chain."

"All right, go on," I told him. "Say what's really on your mind."

"These are rules that Marcel created when you built this city together, Noah," Josh answered. "Rules that this community was forced to live under for decades. All of this? It all started with you."

*****

Marcel and I were in the church after Emmett had compelled a human to bomb the place, killing three people, including Lisina.

I sighed, shaking my head. "Three innocent people, gone. I used to think what we were doing was for the best. The werewolves were dangerous, the witches unpredictable, and the vampires, well, they were our people. And every day that New Orleans didn't fall apart was proof that we were right. But these people want violence for the sake of it, and I'll be damned if I let them use our names to do that."

*****

Groups of people were gathered in the Quarter.

"It took a lot of courage for all of you to come out here tonight, especially those of you in the werewolf community," Marcel told them. "It's times like these that either strengthen or break our bonds. Tonight, we stand with you. We march together to honor Lisina. Her legacy, her strength, and her fighting spirit. And whatever happens, we will not back down."

The werewolves cheered together. "Yeah!"

I saw Ivy and Vincent talking.

"You're joining the march through the Quarter?" Ivy asked.

Vincent nodded. "Werewolves deserve our support, Ivy, and it's like you said to me, I have to choose a side."

"They're gonna attack," Ivy told him.

"Then we're gonna be ready for them," Vincent replied.

Ivy smiled slightly. "I'm headed to the City of the Dead to pray for the injured."

"Well, Ivy, I tell you what," Vincent told her. "If you got a couple prayers just laying around, feel free to send them my way, okay?"

Ivy nodded. "You're a good man, Vincent. Be careful."

"Yeah," Vincent agreed. "I'm gonna see you on the other side of this, okay?"

"I'm counting on it," Ivy answered, leaving.

Vincent walked up to the rest of us.

I smirked. "Casanova's hitting it off with another witch pretty well."

"Ah, shut up, Noah," Vincent replied. "Not the time for Noah Dumaine humor."

I chuckled, looking away. "Yeah. All right."

*****

Now, I spoke to everyone in the streets. "And I don't want a single one of you to forget that these are our streets. They belong to each and every single one of us, and each and every single one of us are welcome. No matter what they say, and no matter what they do. These are our streets."

Emmett and his vampires walked closer to me, Marcel and Vincent. "So this is where it ends."

I nodded. "Apparently so."

*****

We were still facing Emmett and his vampires.

"Come on, now, Emmett, you didn't think we weren't gonna show up, now did you?" I asked.

"So let me get this straight," Emmett told us, pointing at Marcel. "Our solution, everyone in their corners, separate, was good enough when he demanded it, but somehow I'm hateful for proposing the same?"

I shook my head. "No less hateful when it was his idea."

"That's right," Marcel agreed.

Emmett looked from me to Vincent. "Marcel can't die, but you two can. Are the werewolves really worth dying for?"

"You're damn right," I answered.

Vincent unleashed a wave of fire down the street, attacking the vampires, but they were unfazed, disappearing.

"Did you do that?" Marcel asked.

"No," Vincent answered. "Astral projection. They must have a witch."

Emmett appeared. "Poor Vincent. You picked a side, and in doing so, betrayed the witches and your sweet Ivy. You should've taken me up on my offer."

Emmett vanished.

"So, what, did he just come here to bluff?" I asked.

Vincent shook his head. "I think he wanted to s--he wanted to find out what side I was gonna choose. And he wanted to punish me if I chose wrong."

Vincent ran off to the cemetery, knowing that the witches were in danger, but he had been too late, as the witches had died.