"What do you mean Cecilia is here?"

All of the blood in my body stilled as everything came to a crashing halt. There was too much going on and I had no time to process it. "It's not just that—" Kenzo panted, fear swirling around in his crestfallen eyes. "...they're also here."

Just by the look in his eyes and the way he twiddled his fingers as he said was all the more information I needed to know who exactly he was talking about. "I see," I straightened up, my heart going cold and rigid. "That's highly unfortunate."

It truly was because I never thought there would be a day where I would have to stand on the opposite side of my best friend and my girlfriend, but what do you know? Life is a fucking funny thing indeed. "Well, what's going on with the coven? What are they doing about this? What's Zander doing?"

He shrugged as I turned to look out of the glass window into the breathless night, seeing none but one star in the dark sky, silent whispers of what was to come fading away. "I get it."

And I did.

 It was clear that whatever Cecelia had done had left a negative mark on Zander's life forever, a constant nightmare replaying itself in his mind.

It was no wonder that he rarely slept, as is.

"Okay..." I trailed off, realizing how incredibly terrifying the situation at hand was. It hit me like a sack of bricks, knowing that a very powerful  vampiress was likely moments away from shattering our skulls and decorating the walls of this coven with our blood, and everyone was in such a panic.

And their leader was nowhere to be found. 

"Eli?" Kenzo peered into my face, concern etched in his eyes. I stared straight ahead, swallowing the tight knot of air that was stuck in my throat. Fear slid down my palm, gathering at the tips of my fingers, and I rubbed it away, unable to feel my hand. 

"Huh?" I whispered, not recognizing how small my voice sounded. I tried to take in a deep breath of fresh air, but my nose didn't want to work. I could hear the clamor of chaos all around me, but the sound of my heart beating drowned it all out.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"Eli, breathe!" I felt a hand grab mine, and I blinked to see Kenzo smiling at me. 

"Breathe," He whispered, squeezing my hand. I willed myself to swallow again, taking in some air. 

"Yeah," I replied, realizing how dire the situation was. "How bad is it?" I asked, and he frowned, looking away.

"I'm not sure, but we haven't heard anything back from the guards on the front lines. They're normally diligent about their replies, so I can only assume," He stated, and I knew what that meant.

She was close.

"Eli, we need you," Kenzo squeezed my hand once again, and I tilted my head. "What for?" I replied.

"Master is nowhere to be found, and we need someone to rally us up," He explained, and I nodded.

"Okay, why not one of you? Wouldn't that make much more sense?" I raised a brow. "Seriously, I'm not well liked around here, if you can't tell."

And that much was true.

Outside of Zander, Kenzo, Cam, Nathaniel, Leticia, and the kitchen staff, I couldn't tell how people felt about me here. It must have been a shock for them, having their master go so long without a fated and boom, here I am.

I wouldn't blame them for feeling apprehensive of me. After all, I was what they weren't: human.

"What do you mean?" Kenzo said. "That isn't true, at all," He murmured and I sighed, going to explain but he cut me off. "That doesn't matter anyway," He fixed me with a stern glare.

"You are Master's fated, which means he is at the top of the hierarchy," I nodded along. "But you're right after. Even if people don't like you, which I disagree with, they still have to listen to you. This is your chance to prove that you truly are his fated."

With a soft smile and a twinkle of his green eyes, Kenzo pulled me along. 

Maybe it still wasn't clicking in my head or maybe the gravity of the situation hadn't yet dawned on me, but the one thing Zander had yet to tell me in full detail, was coming to fruition before our eyes.

War.

And I had yet to know anything of it nor prepare. He didn't do too much of explaining the protocols, leaving that part of vampire life to his executives. He said there would be no need for me to fight as he would protect me.

Probably didn't expect his worst fear to bloom.

"Shit," I cursed in my mother tongue, rubbing my eyes out of frustration. "What is going on?" 

Kenzo led me to the same room where Zander had introduced me to his entire coven, only this time, it was full of clamor, fear-filled voices, and eyes that held tightly onto those terror tears, unwilling to unleash them due to the unrelenting hope that their master would come and save the day.

But alas, no one knew with certainty.

I looked to my left to see the executives gathered at the foot of the small stage, worry worming its way into their expressions. They had no idea either of what to do, especially since this situation would typically fall into their hands.

What to do?

What to do?

I chewed on my lip, trying to rack my brain for any possible suggestions. From what I remembered, a wooden stake to the heart, decapitation, and garlic to the mouth were ways to kill a vampire. Especially if you were human.

If you were a vampire, I had no idea honestly. I didn't get a chance to see that.

"Where's Master? He should be here."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"This is his problem. He needs to be dealing with it!"

"We're all going to die."

The voices among the chatter filled my ears and I grumbled, not liking that they were losing faith in their master. I knew very well why, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.

I laid my eyes on the podium before me, and with determination and ill-fated fear settling in my heart, I let go of Kenzo's hand.

"Eli what—"

I marched towards the stairs of the stage, laying my hands on the podium. The executives were still at the foot of the stage, fixing me with a curious yet annoyed gaze. They were probably wondering what I was doing, but by the look on Ruby's face, she was probably thinking that I should've been dead.

No one had noticed me up here yet, the continuous chatter getting louder and louder by the second. If no one did anything, a fight was going to break out.

You can do this, Eli. You were literally the captain of the largest football team in the state. This is nothing.

Oh, who was I trying to fool?

I couldn't do anything. A heavy weight took grip of my heart as I looked down at my feet, willing the tears to stay put. There was really nothing I could do.

"You're perfect, lubirea mea. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you."

The moment I closed my eyes, a headache swirling around my cranium, I could hear Zander's tender voice. Just like that, my heart was released.

"EVERYONE, CÁLLATE!"

My loud voice echoed from the front to the back of the room, and I breathed heavily as I watched everyone turn to me with looks of confusion. The clamor ceased to silence and under the heavy gaze of over 100 people, I could feel my courage wavering as they waited for me to speak.

"Uh well," I began, swallowing the thick knot in my throat. This was too overwhelming and terrifying, even for someone like me. 

"I know a lot of you do not think much of me, and much would rather Zander be up here, in my place, instead of me, but you all are stuck with me unfortunately. I also know that while you guys may hate the hell out of me, think that I'm a hijo de puta," I looked every single member in the eye, watching as the ranges melted from a crimson red, to a pale white, blues and greens and pinks swirling around in the middle. 

All I could think was, 'wow, they must be really be scared out of their minds right now.'

"Your master trusts me with you all, and I'll do my damn best to make sure every single one of you remains alive while he's away. I'll be damned if I lose any of you, not on my motherfucking watch." 

Even if they didn't like me, I wanted nothing more for them but to stay alive. They were important to Zander, which meant that they were important to me.

"I know all of you are scared, some of you may be confused, not knowing what to do," I sighed. "And that's okay. I'm here to tell you that you need to fight. Fight like your life depends on it because it does. There's an enemy coming, far bigger than us all, and I need you all to take your heads out of your fucking asses, and get it together!" I barked, not knowing what else to say.

"We have three enemies that I know of: Cecilia Radcliffe, a vampire," I raised a finger. "Hunter Steele and Michelle Gomez, two humans," I raised my other two fingers. "And whomever else decided to join this fucking party," I shrugged, knowing that there was probably more enemies than just these three. 

"You guys know best how to fight as vampires, whether your enemy is human or one of you. I won't tell you how to handle that because I don't know," I grimaced, but calmed down once I saw that everyone was getting their minds together collectively.

"Your goal tonight is to eliminate the threat, however you wish. My goal is to keep you all safe because you all are important to me," I meant every single word I uttered. "I may not know every single one of you, but once this night ends, that will all change. So go out there, kick some ass, and make your master proud."

With a smirk of finality, the room lit up in cheers, a newfound determined etched in their brows as they exited the room. I let out a sigh of relief, watching as Kenzo ran up to me. "You're so cool, Eli! No wonder you're Master's fated!" There was awe in his eyes and I snorted, shaking my head. "No, that could've been better, but it was all that I could think of," I said.

"Kenzo, you're with me, buddy!" I grinned and Kenzo mirrored it, obviously as pumped as I was. I grabbed his hand and started in the direction of the weaponry room. I had only been in there a handful of times, but I knew there was something in there we could use.

Entering the room, I realized I was scared out of my mind. I had never fought to kill before. I didn't think that I would be on the defense. I didn't realize that I would be the one to protect Zander.

I had no idea.

"Oh my god, oh my god, I'm so nervous but I'm excited. This is my first ever battle, Eli! What if I mess up? What if I die? I know you're gonna be there, but crap, I feel so useless," I could hear Kenzo rambling from behind me as I browsed the weapons, and I frowned deeply. 

"Here," I put a sword in Kenzo's hand, watching as he blinked at me in stupor. "Don't you ever fucking let me hear you call yourself useless again. You're going outside with me, and we'll kill every hijo de puta that's coming for us. Understand?"

He nodded enthusiastically, beaming with energy.

"Si!"

I chuckled and rubbed his fiery hair. I had only been here for a short amount of time, but I could definitely say that I felt absolutely free in his presence. I wasn't Eli Velacruz, the boy who did it all. I was just Eli.

And that felt good.

"Find us some helmets and gear, if they have any. Better any than none cuz we're humans," I smirked, watching him run off in the direction of the second weaponry room. I sighed heavily once he was gone, racking my mind for answers. I needed a solution and I needed one fast.

Times like this were when I wished Zander would have told me everything.

I reached for a bow and arrow set, analyzing it. It looked similar to the ones from archery practice, so I decided that I would use it. I was too scared to engage in close combat, especially against a powerful vampire. I had no idea how powerful Cecilia was, and I wasn't looking to find out.

"Hey."

I blinked out of my stupor to see one of the executives, Silas, standing in front of me with an expression I couldn't recognize.

"Yeah?" I mused.

"Eli, I know you're Master's fated, but I don't know how I feel about Kenzo participating in this," Silas said respectfully, but I could tell he wanted to say something else.

 I smiled gently, understanding where he was coming from. "Listen, just because he's a human doesn't mean he can't fight for himself. He's pretty damn good at it, and you'd know that if you just stopped being scared and completed the mating ritual. He'd be a lot safer out there with your mark on him," I teased and his eyes widened.

"H-How did you know that?" He asked with shock in his eyes. 

"I may not have been here for a long time, but I consider Kenzo and Cam to be my best friends. I know everything there is pertaining to you," I smirked, understanding where he was coming from. "Life is too short to be worrying about things as trivial as this. Anything can be ripped from your life at any given moment, so don't waste any time." I whispered softly, thinking about how my family revealed their true selves.

Maybe it was always there and I was just blinded.  

"I'll have his back, anywho," I nodded in affirmation. "So when this is all over, tell him everything you've been keeping on your mind. It does no one any good to withhold anything," I murmured and he nodded, seemingly content with my reply. 

He patted my shoulder, walking away from me to go outside to where everyone else was, hidden in the shadows.

I zipped up my jacket, securing the wooden arrows on my hip as I held my bow in hand. This was a first for me, but I was not going to let everyone go into a war without someone leading them.

I was never that person.

I didn't want to be put in this position so early on, but I realized we all had demons that we weren't ready to face. Zander's came so soon, and it was up to me to save him this time.

No matter who it was, even if it was my former friend and girlfriend.

I didn't even know if I had it in me to kill anyone. I never had to,  but I had to get my hands dirty because it was my life over theirs.

The thought made my stomach churn uncomfortably, but I shook my head, willing myself to stay calm. This was the life I chose.

I let out a sigh, wishing I could be in Zander's arms right now. Where was he? Was he okay? Was he worried about us just like we were worried about him?

"Zander, you fucking idiot," I groaned, trying not to cry. I had no idea how to keep everyone safe, how to avoid massive bloodshed and seeing Devil's Tombstone covered in red, but it was all that I could think of.

"That he is," I startled, relishing in a familiar presence. Why was I so jumpy today?

Ah right, death was around the corner.

"Listen to me, Eli," One of the executives, Leticia grabbed my hand to make sure I was paying attention. "This is crucial information."

Her gaze was strong and deep, rooting me to the ground. "W-what is it, Lety?" I swallowed, watching as uncertainty, fear, and regret swirled around in those expressive eyes of hers. 

"I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't think you needed to know," She sighed, shutting her eyes. "I wanted to let Zando be the one to tell you, but I guess everything happened too fast," She smiled woefully at me. 

"Zando is a very strong man, so strong that I cannot even imagine the fear his enemies must feel," She chuckled, but there was no mirth in her tone. "However, he's not so strong that he can face Cecelia and win," She grimaced, twiddling with her fingers. 

"What do you mean, how do you fare?" I questioned and she sighed.

"Every vampire in existence knows that you need blood to grow stronger and to remain stronger.  Everyone knows that the variety of blood types you consume make you more immune to certain weapons made by humans, to certain toxins emitted by other vampires, the list goes on—" I could hear the worry in the way her teeth chattered, and I realized that we were in some deep shit.

"But Zander refuses to drink blood."

My eyes widened at the revelation, realizing that he has never drunk blood from me, even the many times I offered.

"But w-why not?? Isn't that a major weakness to have?" I rubbed my head, trying to make sense of it all. 

"No one knows. Zander would have to tell you himself. He's never told any of us, and we've asked," I could see her eyes fall to the floor, and I knew she was scared for him. She was terrified, and knowing that he was facing his lifelong enemy without being at full power was enough for me to share those feelings.

"I hate to put the pressure on you because I like you Eli," She grabbed both of my hands and squeezed them. "But you have to tempt him with your blood so he can be at his strongest. Otherwise, Cecilia will have the upper hand. She's ruthless, and probably knows that about him. She will use that to her advantage, and he will die."

I swallowed, nodding. "And once you do so, you'll have to mate with him in less than 24 hours to complete the bond. Otherwise, it could kill him."

I stared at her in shock.

"Ah, mierda."