Looking around the office, all I can focus on is the flickering light in the corner of the room. It smells like something died in here and as I open a draw in one of the filing cabinets, the mouse corpse confirms this. I give up, and as I turn around to leave, I walk into Alfie.

"If you say brown, bubble or water one more time I will be leaving here to kill those stupid Kasha who turned coke into a dietary requirement rather than using it as a bribery treat!" I snap.

He doens't listen. His tongue flicks out and he sighs, cause that's normal for a snake and dramatically throws his head back to collapse at my feet. "Alfie is thirrrstyy."

"You're not thirsty."

He looks up at me and nods.

"Alfie, you are not thirsty."

"Yesss!" He hisses slowly, because clearly he is dying of thirst.

Stupid demons giving him what he wants all the damn time. "No. Ask again, Elise is leaving and Alfie will have to stay!"

His head shoots up to my eye level and I hope I've nailed my own mothers, No face. I'm pretty sure he is trying to do his little mind trick on me too.  "Do not even try it mister!"

 I walk out and a few rooms up, Logan is having as much luck as I am. "Alfie needs rehab."

"What?" He looks at Alfie who comes in behind me, clearly sulking. "Oh - the liquid that we do not speak of?"

I nod and take a seat on the desk and begin to draw flowers in the dust beside me. It's not like I have anything better to do.

"What happened to this place? It's still functional, but its clearly been abandoned," I ask him.

"Not sure. There isn't a phone and I can't even find a map or something. There aren't any weapons in the hold. It's like they cleaned it out, which is strange for one of these." He sighed, giving up on what ever he was currently looking at.

"Maybe it was planned for demolition?" V walks in to join our party.

"Is that a clue that we were stupid to follow you?" I ask, suddenly feeling beyond claustrophobic.

"No, I found this." He hands over a piece of paper and I don't understand a word of it.

"What language is this?" I pass it to Logan.

"French. It was uncovered by a civilian a couple of years ago, so they marked it as contaminated and it was to be destroyed. I guess they never did."

"You know french?" Can't deny I'm impressed. He knew Italian too, what else does Logan know?

"You would too and a bunch of others if you actually went to any of the Language classes!" He lectures.

"Sorry, Dad! Besides I did go to them. I just used them sleep off my hangovers and copied Penny's tests. I wonder why they never made them oral? I would have failed for sure then!" I can't help feel a little nostalgic over it. "We've eaten what food was left. I'm bored. There are no weapons. How long are we staying down here? If that's in french, is that where we are?"

"Yes." V answers, like he's known the whole time we've been trying to work out where we are.

"You knew?" Logan asks, a little in disbelief.

"Of course. How do you think I actually found the Kasha compound?"

Instantly I slap my forehead. "So you didn't think to drop us a clue when we were all, where are we?"

"No." He answers passively, looking rather smug.

Rather than get angry, I simply smile at him before turning to Alfie. "Hey Aflie, the vampire has the brown bubble liquid!"

V's face drops, and Alfie instantly looks at me. His tongue flicks out, clearly trying to work out if he does and as he goes to charge at him, V runs.

"That was mean. To Alfie anyway." Logan laughs.

"I know, I did find a can, but I don't think it can be good for him. It's like when he refused to eat chicken cause he liked beef better. I won't hold out on him for long, just long enough to piss off the vampire!"

"What do you want to do? You're right. We have no food and weapons. If a human found this place, anything looking for us can too." He comes to stand in front of me and my legs instantly go around his, as I hold him close.

"Get out of here. Find a phone, or at least a charger. Why won't any of the plugs her charge when we have lighting?"

Logan's phone worked for about 2 mins, which was long enough for Dad to tell us that the president was missing and nothing had been heard from the Kasha or anyone there; as in Julio and Robyn. They all thought the worst as one of the light fae sensed the attack and so far we were the only ones to make any kind of contact.

It wasn't good.

"Why can't they send a Tinkerbell to find us?" I groan.

"Because you call them Tinkerbell's? You know the fae are more than a pixie, it's offensive to them. Your Dad knows we're alive, so I'm sure he'll be trying to get to us. The only reason why they're not here yet could be because something else has happened stopping them?"

He had a point and if Dad wasn't, I'd like to think Jordan and Zane would be.

"What if when we go back to the surface, the end of the world has happened?"

Logan laughed, I don't know how considering anything is possible and I was asking seriously. "Well I'm sure we would have had like a tremor or had some kind of bad feeling, otherwise I guess we just fight as best we can or you stay hiding down here with a vampire and a coke addicted snake demon."

"Let's not talk about Alfie like that," letting him go, we left the room and found Alfie with V once again upside down.

"I swear, I will kill this thing if he doesn't put me down!" V called out seeing us.

"It'll be the last thing you do." I promise him, and going down stairs I went past them and into the kitchen where the single can of diet coke had been hidden away. Walking out, Alfie saw it instantly and dropped V by throwing him across the room. "You know this stuff is bad for you Alfie?"

He didn't care, opening his mouth wide for me to pour into.

"We're leaving." Logan told V, getting our bag ready.

"But it's daylight?"  He frowned, dusting himself off as he walked back towards us.

"We're not vampires." I point out.

"True."

"Alfie, if we don't come back. Kill him. If anything happens to you when we're gone, kill him. I need you to stay, and we'll be back by night!" I hug him tightly, ignoring V's protests. "Guess you better not have set us up then huh?"

"I haven't done anything of the sort!" V argues.

We're quite to leave while Alfie is still distracted by the empty can and as we climb up the ladder to our freedom, I feel his panic.

"Why leave Alfie?" Logan asks as we get to the surface.

"Last time dark magic was involved, he got put into that coma and look what happened to him when we got out? Something hurt him. I'm not taking any chances." Logan nods, understanding and we start through the forest, trying to work out if we were even going in the right direction.

It's an overcast day, and the cold instantly starts to bite at our skin. We keep close, always listening to the area around us for some sign of well, anything. A few birds chirp. Something rustles in the bushes ahead of us; a butterfly goes past.

"Hey, see that?" Logan whispers, stopping so abruptly I walk right into him from where I had been distracted by the fluttering insect. "Careful!"

"See what?"

I follow in the direction of where his finger is pointing and it's like the sun has managed to break through the clouds and the trees and all kinds of obstacles to filter down into one tiny patch in the forest.

"The sun?"

"Seems a bit strange doesn't it?" Since when did Logan get so smart?

"Yeah." I agree.

We go up higher, and around it so we can a different view. Logan steps on a branch and the crack as the light vanishing. Guess he isn't that smart after all.

 Looking back once, we keep walking, yet the feeling of being alone isn't with us anymore. We both sense it, and then that gives way to something else entirely. It's not good and looking around I start moving off the path. Magic is in the air, dark magic and as soon as I see the animal on the tree stump, I reach out to Logan.

"What are-" Logan stops as his eyes find it and cautiously we move closer to the goat who is very much dead. "Sacrifice. Explains how they got in."

We keep walking and the forest gets thicker, and closing my eyes, I can remember running through here. We're getting closer and the feeling to stay away only increases. It gets darker too, and we move slower, sticking against the trees. As I get goosebumps, there is no doubt that we're being watched.

 We both stop as the reside scent of bush smoke hits us and as we get through the clump of trees, it's as if someone put in a firebreak with a gap of burnt trees. Ash still floats in the air and with no shrubs or foliage, the barren space goes on for maybe ten meters.

"I wish we had some better weapons." I mumble, feeling ridiculously exposed with nothing other than a small dagger on me as we take the first step onto the burnt earth.

"Ssh!" Is all I get in response.

Some trees are still smouldering, tainting the air further as twirls of smoke twist out of burnt trunks. The whole scene is rather surreal and I feel as if i've walked into a dream. It's almost like a smokey fog is being released from a hidden machine and I half expect some of the trees to turn into zombies or something just as horrible to come and attack us.

The irony with that is, something does.

 Logan disappears from beside me, just as I'm slammed into a tree. Grabbing at the warm, black bark, I grab a wedge as I'm pulled away and swing around to stab what ever is there. I don't expect to see Toyo and she is clearly not expecting me. Logan screams and we both stop to look before she leaves me to stop his attacker.

The cats return to their human forms, and I don't know the other demon. I keep hold of the closest thing I have to a weapon and run to help Logan get up.

"Hunter!" Toyo holds me tightly in a hug and the other demon watches silently. 

"Where is everyone? What happened?"

"Gone. They destroyed us with a dragon who breathed blue fire. Some got away, we are here on Ailins orders in case any return we are to capture and take to her for questioning." Her eyes flashed  crimson and the venom in her tone had me holding onto Logan's hand.

Both demons suddenly looked to our left, and the unknown one shifted back into their true form. What I didn't expect was for Katya to appear, well four of her actually from various points along the tree line. She looks like she belongs in a spy movie with the one piece jumpsuit she has on.

"Katya? What are you doing here?" I gasped, while everyone looked to me for some kind of explanation.

 "I'm too late." She frowned.

"You knew?" Instantly I got defensive.

"We heard, talk, rumours, I come to help you." Katya number one looks at Toyo curiously.

"Hunter, who is this?" Toyo interrupts.

"Oh right, um Katya is some doll demon, and is the girlfriend of  a vampire I know," I can't remember what she actually is and hope she isn't offended. "Can you move between places?"

"No. I am sent here." Katya morphs back into one being.

"By who?" Logan demands.

"Your friend. The light one. Sonja."

"Sonia," Logan corrects her and it seems legit.

"We should move. Others are coming." Katya looks over shoulder, growing tense as I hear Toyo growl.

"She is right. I will tell Ailin you live. Stay safe Hunter." Toyo and her silent friend disappear.

"We should go back then." Logan decides and sure enough, all three of us start running back through the forest towards our hideout.

"Who is coming?" I fall into pace beside Kayta and she barely glances my way before answering.

"Beda," she mutters before repeating herself in english, "trouble."

So what's new?

-x-

Alfie practically mauls me when we return and after introductions, Logan naps while Katya amuses Alfie with what magic she has. Making it rain flowers, splitting herself into four and creating shadow figures without any other light has his attention and finding V, he only glares at me when I take a seat at the dining table.

"What now?" He snaps.

While Alfie didn't kill him, he did still keep trying to find out if he was hiding any cola so V ended up locking himself in the kitchen area until we got back. He wasn't impressed.

"Why did you come running after us? You saved Robyn and Jules before, I thought you would have stayed with them?"

"Ailin took them away, so I went after you. Simple."

"How did you even find them?" I hadn't thought to ask until now, "And why did Jord think it was the Kasha who did?"

"I'm the bad guy remember? Imagine my surprise when I turn up to check on Drac's prisoners to smell Winters blood?" He tells me.

"Dracs prisoners? You can't keep hinting that you know whats going on and not tell me more!"

"I can, I just told you. I'm the bad guy."

"No, you're an asshole. I don't think you're that much of a bad guy."

He laughs. "I guess at the moment that's true. What bad guy goes into hiding?"

"Why are you hiding?"

"You don't listen do you? I had a job to do, and instead, I killed eight vampires, and two witches to free the prisoners. That doesn't exactly keep me in Dracula's good graces my darling girl."

"So you are literally working for him, not with him?" He nods, "why?"

"Older vampire powers. Even if he was younger than me, he has enough ability behind him to do what he wants." 

"You don't care, and vamps don't love," I mimick him, "yet you risked your life and put yourself on his hit list to save Robyn? Sounds a little like love to me?"

He rolled his eyes, which was actually kind of amusing to see. "Only because she, well her blood, is mine. I couldn't care about her at all, just all that is under her skin."

"You didn't leave Julio to die, could've just taken her!"

I had him on that one.

"Yes, but- I." He sighed, "I have instincts, to feed, hunt, kill, survive. Yet not all the Slayer in me is gone, sometimes I have an urge to do, well the right thing. Like by making sure you don't end up dead. We have history you and I, whether it is intentional or not. I was freed from that hell, because of you and your sibling. You also got me out of that cell and-"

"And then you left me to fight zombies and chucked me on a boat?"

"I knew your little tracker friend was nearby. If Drac wasn't so distracted by you, he would've as well. Then again, maybe he did know, and it was all part of his game?" He wondered.

"So how did Drac get you working for him?"

"He found me. I was organising the deeds to some old property of mine in Venice. He just wanted to talk, knowing of my background. I don't know who else has working with him, but they're just as bad."

"Did he ever tell you what he wanted, what the plan was?" If he said no, I was going to get Alfie to do more than just hold him upside down.

"Of course. Which is when Ailin found me and I started working with them."

"Okay double agent, whats the plan?" I tried to keep out the desperation out of my voice, but I failed.

"It's simple really, and since they've got, what is his name? Ron, now, I don't think they're far off from succeeding." If there was a brick wall in front of us, I would have rammed his head through it.

"Can you just tell me already?" I snap impatiently.

"They're taking over the council. The days of the treaty are numbered Hunter. Prepare yourself."

It just rolled out of his mouth as if was talking about the weather. Sunny today, becoming overcast in the afternoon with all hell breaking loose by nightfall. 

"You're kidding?"

"I wish I were darling girl. It's why he wanted me! I know the structure of the system, the ones who represent each faction of the supernatural world, all of it."

"And you told him? You told him everything?" I was in shock. Disbelief. So much for those 'instincts' to do the right thing!

"Almost. I never told him about Cain." He smirked.

"I'm a Hunter and I don't know about Cain. No one does, so who the hell is he?"

V stood and in the blink of an eye had knocked me off my chair so he had me pinned to the floor behind it. He had me stuck and I was positive my heart stopped beating as his mouth went towards my neck, yet no bite came. Instead he whispered into my ear. "I keep telling you. The winning team!"

Turning my head slightly, I meet his gaze. "Is that why you took us down here. To try and change me again?"

"Good idea," His hand comes up to stop my scream as he dives in for the kill. Instead he chuckles to himself, "No. I'm going to let you go and you're going to punch me, scream at me, anything you want."

He removes his hand, but I don't get his plan. "Why?"

"I remember why your friend is familiar to me, and this way, I might survive!"

"You might survive? What about me?"

He doesn't answer and sure enough, he lets me go; even helping me stand. "Do it."

 "No!" I argue, I want a bit more information than that.

"Tell the snake to look after your Tracker." He tells me, and then he throws the first hit. "Do it! I haven't fed in days, do not tempt me to change that starting with you and then your boyfriend."

"But-" He hits me again, and on the third attempt I fight back. "You're insane!"

"Perhaps?"

I'm not fighting him, I couldn't even if I wanted to as I'm too busy trying to block each of his hits as he comes at me. Alfie rushes over at some point, but V isn't shy at showing what he is capable of by slamming his head into a wall. The commotion gets Logan up and as I decide V has gone too far by doing that Alfie, he dares to actually bite me this time.

It's Kayta that gets to us first, throwing V across the room. She pulls out a rock and smashes it with the heel of her boot and takes my hand. "Time to go Hunter!"

"What? No!" My free hand goes to my neck, but V barely grazed me so it explains why it didn't hurt as much as I was expecting. "Logan!"

"Later Hunter, I'll come back for them!" She promises.

Then I remember what V had told me to say to Alfie. "Alfie, protect Logan! Listen to him until we come back!"

 With that, red steam spills up from the rock shards and we leave them behind.

We end up in a living room, the TV is stuck on infomercials and looking around, it's rather modern and upperclass. 

"Come on, I know someone who will be very happy to see you!" She smiles, and for a second I know something bad is about to happen. She is a good kind of demon. They aren't evil and obediantly I follow her down a corridor.

"Is Darius here?" I ask to kill the silence.

"Darius? Oh! No Hunter. He is not," she smirks, "do you trust me? Did he tell you to?"

"Yes, your species are a good race. I read about you on the network."

"Of course!" We keep walking, "Did you read the part about just how good we are?"

I don't answer, and as we stop outside a door - classical music is blaring from inside. "About how our keeper chooses if we are to be good or if we are to be bad?" 

Opening the door, she walks in and I don't need to see the figure to know who sits behind the desk.

Dracula.

Kayta walks around the table to kiss the vampire on the cheek, before standing by his side. He barely acknowledges her as his eyes are trained on me and it's then I see the little wooden doll on the corner of the desk. Like a genie with it's lamp; it makes sense now.

"Darius?" I ask, coughing to clear what ever just got stuck in my throat.

"We are not together now," She throws her head back and laughs. 

"You killed him?"

"You could say he had a broken heart!" She answers smugly.

My jaw drops as Dracula opens the doll and she is sucked inside it, yet her laugh still hangs in the air. Turning my attention back to Dracula, I wish I hadn't as it's as if he can see right through me. I feel cold, completely detached from everything and his voice sends a shiver up my spine making me determined to kill V if I actually manage to get through this.

"Hello Hunter. How about we play a game?"