"So I'm going to go and be all like, what are you doing here and-" Apollo shakes his head, cutting me off.

"That is not the plan."

"Why not?" I shrug. "It's the best thing we've come up with so far."

"We haven't come up with anything so far. All we know is there are at least ten, not so friendly looking vampires out there, plus three of our kind that aren't on our side and who knows what else in that building. They could literally have taken anything inside in those boxes," bHe warns. "How are you just going out there like that a plan?"

"Because I can get out of there in like 2 seconds if I have to or just blast them with my magic hands?"

"She has a point. It's not how it used to be, you're both different now." V helpfully reminds him.

"I thought we were going to keep things simple and not make a scene?" Apollo sighs. "Just check it out without them knowing?"

"We already stole their dead friend, pretty sure that's going to make a scene at some point."

"Still don't know why you did that, but whatever. Fine. Let's do it your way and see how that goes down. Vampire, be careful." He warns V who smirks.

"I'm not getting involved. I'll be back up from over here. You two may be different, but I am not."

"Chicken." I make a few cluck cluck noises as I stand and keeping close to the shipping containers in the yard, get closer to where Andrew, Asha and Nicki are talking to the group of vampires.

"If they are onto us, this all stops!" Nicki snapped at the tall female in front of her who didn't look impressed.

"We don't care. We are just sick of being at the bottom of the god damn food chain. As a vampire, you should stand with us, not them!"

Andrew shifted nervously, and Asha folded her arms defensively.

"There won't be an us and them soon. The days of the treaty are numbered. A new age is coming, the prophets foretold an epic-" Nicki sounded like she'd said all of that many times before; Her tone was literally an eye roll.

"Prophets generally get it wrong or misinterpret the message," I add helpfully, saving her from clearly repeating herself again.

"Elise?" Andrew asks, not the brightest candle on the cake as he looks completely dumbfounded to see me there.

"Hi, Andrew!" I smile, and Asha has a gun pointing my way quicker than I can blink. "You must be Asha?"

"Babe, this is Elise Bunting." Andrew not so helpfully adds, sounding like he just saw Santa Claus.

"I am well aware of who she is, idiot," She isn't impressed.

"What is going on?" The vampire interrupts, a few behind her start to back away. "Is she with you?"

"No, this is the bitch snooping around our apartment today." Nicki snaps.

"It's not called snooping if I was invited in."

"You weren't invited in." She says at the same time as Asha.

"You were asleep, and you weren't even there so, how do you know? I'd say it was actually John or even Kale that opened the door for me, but we all know that's unlikely."

Both women glared at Andrew who looks away quickly, finding his shoes more interesting than all of us.

"I don't have time for this. Do we kill her?" The vampire asks while baring fangs.

I try not to roll my eyes now.

"No. Not yet anyway. Andrew, make yourself useful and tie her up. " Nicki orders.

"Oh no!" I gasp, putting up little fight as Asha keeps the gun on me and Andrew gets some plastic ties from the bag at Nicki's feet. As soon as the first band is clicked into place around my wrists, I smirk at him. "Kinky."

He blushes, and Asha shakes her head. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" He asks naively.

"Get your group to empty the warehouse. If they're onto us, we're running out of time. We will sort this one out. For now, our deal stands." Nicki ordered, turning to the three of us. "She's coming with us."

I decide to go along with it. "What are you doing? Where are you taking me?"

"Try not to sound too happy about it," Asha growls, pushing me with her shoulder as she passes.

Around the corner, hidden by shipping containers is their van and opening the side door, she hurries us up. Unexpectedly I'm over Andrews' shoulder, and his hand on my ass has me biting my tongue before I say something that could blow our budding relationship. Once this is over, I am going to break every finger on his damn hand. Looking up, I see V watching, and I shake my head for him not to interrupt.

Nicki is driving, and once Andrew dumps me down, he climbs in with Asha following. She makes a point of sitting between us, which with Mr Grabby Hands, I'm not upset about. No one speaks as the car starts moving.

"So," I start, eager to find out more about these prophets. "How about we talk about-"

"How much my boyfriend wants to fuck you?" Well, that was not where I saw this going.

Andrew hides his face in his hands. "Asha!"

"What? It's true. She's your free pass isn't she?"

"Free pass?" I'm not sure I want to know what that means.

"You know, your free pass? The other person you're allowed to hook up with if you're in a relationship because really, the chances of ever meeting them are low and-"

"Never going to happen?" I finish for her while looking at Andrew and hoping he gets that I mean that it's literally, never going to happen.

"Pretty much." She sighs. "So why is the infamous Elise Bunting suddenly visiting our apartment and working on our case?"

"Not because you're clearly up to something and for a team specially chosen for it, you're not doing a shit job of getting to the bottom of who the vampires were you were sent to investigate." I don't hide my sarcasm.

"The Council has had it coming. You can't keep a whole other world secret to the general public. The vampires involved are the new-" She rants.

"Pretty sure the Council can because that's the whole reason for them existing in the first place. For us to exist." I point out.

"She's right," Andrew adds quietly.

"Shut up! You're supposed to be on our side, my side remember?" Asha snaps at him. "What else did you tell her?"

"Nothing, I swear."

"He hasn't told me anything, except about what a great job you did with your kitchen renovation," I tell her.

"Yeah right." Asha huffs. "I should have known better."

"Babe-" Andrew starts weakly, and I feel almost sorry for him. Asha really has his balls in her purse. "I didn't tell them anything. I pretended I didn't know who she was and everything!"

"Well, what do you think about the great Elise Bunting now Andrew? We have her as our prisoner, doesn't seem that impressive to me." Asha glares at me, and I shrug.

"This is probably the most unexpected situation I have ever found myself in, and if you actually knew me, you'd know how impressive that is for you guys," I tell them. "So, ah, I'm just going to have to ask you Andrew, why me?"

He comes closer, shifting around slightly. The light from the window makes his face clearer before the shadows hide him again. Asha groans and leans back against the side of the van, her phone lighting up a second later as she starts to tap away on it.

"I was there when the Warlocks attacked. I'd been visiting my brother at the Academy and decided to stick around, help out where I could. The students already talked about you, about your brother and the portal with the Lord Alpha. Plus your snake. You're were a bit of legend already."

"You were there?" I ask, not sure how I feel about that.

"Yeah. It was fucking tough, and then, you saved the day!" He said excitedly. "You saved us all."

I feel my stomach churn. That feeling of anxiety, of fear, of well, everything, that I'd been living with and thought I had managed to free myself from returned. Asha could have shot me, and it would have been a welcome relief from, this.

"I saw you that night. And afterwards a couple of times. You were always busy, or with someone, so I never got the courage to actually talk to you. Your bodyguards are pretty intimidating. I actually met Asha at the pub near that Academy, hey babe?" He nudges her with his foot, and she gives a little nod. "I was hoping to meet you there, but it worked out well for me anyway!"

"So, ah, what," I force myself to swallow, freeing my hands to push back my hair and after taking a deep breath, tried to focus on finding out what was actually happening, now, not what happened in the past. "What's going on now? With the vampires? Seems a bit different from our cause and what we fight for, what you had been fighting for?"

"Kind of. Asha got me into it. She and a few others thought it was time we reveal ourselves to everyone and after all that, I guess I agree? I mean, the world could have ended, and no one would have been expecting it. Not fair on them." Andrew said quickly. "So, when the prophet told us of a way to remove the magic that binds all of us to the Treaty, Asha told me about how good it could be. We wouldn't have to be what we are anymore, no more fighting. The vampires were the first to get started with the help of Dracula, they are willing to-"

"Dracula?" I frown. "Who is this, prophet?"

"She says she is from the future. If we get the portal ready and finish what he started when the Warlocks were awakened, we can destroy the Treaty and start a new world where we all live as one." He shares. "No more us and them, everyone is just, equal and free. We think vampires have the right idea."

"And the ones responsible for broadcasting their massacre?" I ask, trying not to sound too bitter.

"It was a test. A way to get everyone's attention." His tone changes slightly, less excited puppy sharing his toy and more big dog with a bone that he doesn't want to share. "The Council covered that up too. We were so close to getting started."

"Oh." I manage to say, choosing to leave out the whole, mass murder, public hysteria, bad idea part of their plan being started. "So, have you met the prophet?"

"No. None of us have." Asha slaps the back of Andrews' head. "Want to tell her anything else while you're at it?"

"As you said, she's our prisoner now!" Andrew snaps back, his face once again in the light showing him glaring at her. "I don't want to have to kill you, Elise, I really am a big fan, so if you do what we want and maybe even try and see things from our perspective, maybe you'll survive this. Maybe even join us?"

That was wishful thinking at it's finest, and before I can respond in such a way that doesn't make him want to kill me right now, Asha sits up and looks around the van, before proceeding to shine her torch around the otherwise empty space.

"Andrew, where is John? Where is he? We need-" She pauses, glaring at me before she says what I really wished she finished. It then she notices my hands that sit in my lap. "You tied her up, I saw you do it. How is she-"

"This has been, great, but I really need to go," I tell them, giving a tiny wave before I'm now sitting outside by the shipping containers where I left V.

Looking around, I don't see them straight away, but I hear them. Anyone probably could as I get up, following their argument a few rows over. V smiles as he sees me, while Apollo looks like I arrived at the right time before V got turned to dust.

"Nice trip?" V asks smoothly, not even missing a beat as the shouting ends.

"What were you thinking?" Apollo carries on, not as calm about everything as V.

"I just wanted to see what would happen. I came straight back once I was done, all good!" I tell him, trying to stop myself from shouting back.

I knew what I was doing and didn't we all just agree it isn't like how it used to be? If this were two years ago, then yeah, maybe he'd have something to shout about when they found me later, or I called them after escaping, or you know, got used as bait - whatever they may have actually had planned for me. I wasn't that Elise anymore. I wasn't a child or anything fragile that needed his constant protection.

"All good? Elise, powers or not, you are not invincible. We have no idea what we are dealing with. It was reckless and-" He ranted.

"Enough! I get it. I am not a child and you-"

"Then stop acting like one! I can't believe I even let you just go out there and," He started.

"You let me? You let me, did you? You are turning something that is nothing, into something!" I warn, forcing myself to move on before we really did turn this into something. "Thanks for asking, but yes I did find out some people useful stuff thanks to Chatty Cathy. "They're trying to make a new portal. Some, idiot believes some chick no one has met has the answers I guess, and they're planning on doing more than Drac, and the Warlocks did. V, your bloodsucking friends essentially plan on releasing something from this portal they're trying to set up, to destroy the treaty."

They both just stare at me.

"John seems to hold some kind of sentimental value to them as well. Asha got pretty freaked when she realised he wasn't in the van anymore, so my idea to notify the Council of his death was probably the best idea anyone has had all night." I add.

Neither of them says anything, Apollo's face blank and impossible to read. Before I can say anything else, V speaks up and pulling out his phone, he looks between us uncomfortably.

"Maybe another visit to Kale would be a good idea then?" V says, stepping away slightly. "I'll tell Ailin to get the body somewhere secure just in case."

He walks away, and I look at Apollo who is way too deep in thought for me to feel better about anything.

"Want to keep yelling at me?" I huff, crossing my arms.

"Sorry. It's just, this is the first, real stuff we've got involved in since, well, everything. Your hunches have always paid off, and these apparently was no different, I just need to get used to the fact you're not like you were before. I bet they're still trying to work out what the hell happened to you if you just vanished one them." He smiles, that stupid half smile, half smirk that normally gets my heart racing only right now, it doesn't have the same effect as it usually does. "The boxes in the warehouse are pieces of rock. I could sense something coming from them, leftover magic mostly. They don't generate their own which is good, I think."

"Rocks?" I ask.

"Pieces of a foundation for a portal if you wanted to get specific." Apollo sighs. "I set up some tracking devices so at least we can keep an eye on their movements. If we're lucky, they'll lead us to whoever is behind it."

"Great."

If we're not lucky, then what?

"It's going to be fine. We are already miles ahead of them anyway because we know what they don't."

"What's that?" I force myself to ask.

"They will never destroy the Treaty or the power behind it. They will face an army, unlike anything this world has ever seen before if they even try. Not so much as a single hair on your head will be touched, I promise this."

His arms go around me and the confidence radiating from every pore of Apollos being, makes me want to believe him. Instead, I come up with a few other outcomes that don't follow his promises. My heart starts to race now, and I unwrap myself from his embrace, choosing to close my eyes instead. Breathing deep and slow, focusing only on the air that goes in and what comes out as my throat gets tighter.

"This will be the war our world prepares for. It has nothing to do with your home." I manage to get out. "All these, distractions. I should have been focusing on the problems here. It's just like before."

"It's nothing like before," Apollo says firmly.

"Only because I won't let it be."

"We, won't let it be." He repeated.

For a moment I think back to when I sat in the throne created for Hecate. The power and satisfaction I felt taking control of that night, of killing Ivy. I read the reports, half of those taken in by the Council for processing hold some belief that I am in fact the goddess they wanted me to be. Hunters don't do what I did. I take a deep breath.

"You are going to be fine," He assures me again, glancing towards where V stands on the phone to Ailin.

"I know. Old habits." I force a smile.

He buys it.

We regroup and decide to go see Kale before all else. He knew they were up to something, but not sure what. Maybe there was something he could tell us, now we knew what we did and arriving back at his house, I let V and Apollo go first. Looking around the street, there are no lights on in any of the homes, but at this time of night, I wouldn't think many would be up; this Slayer being the exemption.

I step over the gate and notice an old Jeep at the side of the house I hadn't seen before. Ignoring it, I go towards the house already able to hear that there is no TV on this time. Only silence greets us as we stand on the porch and hesitantly V knocks - once, twice. I tell myself he is asleep. He's getting old, sleep starts to become more of a priority as you get older. The place is void of life. I can feel it and keep telling myself, he's just asleep. Apollo goes first, the door isn't locked and creaks as he opens it. All the same smells as before rush out to greet us, but V grabs Apollo's arm as he takes a step in to stop him.

"There's blood, I smell a lot of blood." He whispers.

My heart already aches for what we are about to find, and with V now leading the way, I linger behind on purpose, pausing by the entry into the kitchen to see the empty beer bottles lined up by the sink. Going in, a pot sits on the stovetop and looking in, spaghetti sits in a pasty pile inside. The small table near the fridge is set for one, a half-drunk beer left near the unused plate.

We are too late.

Leaving the kitchen I can hear the other two talking, V has his phone in his hand, and Apollo shakes his head at me. Did they find him, or did we lead them here?

Who even are they?

I stand in the corridor, and from Apollo's torch, I can see a bedroom at the end of the hall, an arm hanging over the edge; there's a gun still firmly in his grip. Against my better judgment, I go past them and peer in. Kale has a wardrobe full of weaponry. A bloody machete sits on the floor in front of the bed he was left on; red covers the pale blue bedspread, and it's hard to tell how he would have finally died.

The cut on his thigh?

The awkward angle his head sits at?

The large opening of his stomach.

"What did they do to him?" I ask, going into the room. I turn the light on, swallowing down my nausea at the sight. "They gutted him."

Able to clearly, I ignore the pile of, something, at his side and look into the cavity of his chest. V is at my side, a hand on my shoulder. He looks as well, bending in a bit closer with a torch shining into the bloody pool, before looking at the parts of Kale beside his corpse.

"I don't think his organs are missing?" He finally concludes. "But this isn't normal."

"There's magic in here," Apollo adds, holding a hand out, he hovers over Kale and nods. "It's the same kind that was all over Johns body."

"Had they done this to him as well?"

"No, well, not yet." He tells me.

I nod and walk out, stopping at the broken door of the room we had gone in on our last visit. The fold out bed has its mattress shredded, the frame buckled and the desk was in worse shape the door. Cracked down the centre, there were paper and mattress stuffing everywhere. The doors had been ripped off the cabinet, and whatever had been here, was just in pieces. Picking up a part of a photograph from the floor, the edge of Asha's face was only identifiable and looking through the rest, it was like trying to put a puzzle back together without knowing the overall image.

"He must have been doing some surveillance on his old team," I tell Apollo as he comes in, finding more bits I could tell were Andrew and even some of a still alive John.

Moving to sit up, as I pushed with my hand I felt the floor dip slightly. Turning to look down, I pushed again, testing the spot to the rest of the floor. Running my hand along the carpet, there wasn't anything different until I looked towards the skirting board by the door. The carpet there was a little frayed on the edges and didn't sit under it how it did in other places. Picking at the corner, and pulling, I pushed Apollo's legs back, so he had to step out of the room and pulled a whole wedge of carpet up. The floorboards underneath were as old as the rest of the house, and before I could, Apollo reached over to a few that looked mould ridden and black.

"Oh. Thought I was onto something when-" I shut up as he leans down with his pocket knife to scratch at a part near them, removing some of the black to reveal a hole.

"That's not mould. It's paint or something. If it were, we would have smelt it as you lifted the carpet." He says, lifting up the wooden panels.

The hidden door revealed a camera, a pile of USB's, some envelopes and files as well as an antique looking silver pocket watch. Apollo goes for the folders, and I pick up the watch. It's heavier than I expected it to be. There's something engraved on one side; an infinity symbol with a flame shape around it. Opening it up, the inside is gold with a pearl watch face. The strangest thing is there are no numbers or hands.

"I don't think this tells the time?" I show Apollo, who barely glances at it.

"He should have told us about this," he says instead, flicking through the pages. "I was right. They are foundation rocks for a portal, and it has been used hence the magic I sensed on them."

My stomach sunk and I slipped the weird watch into my pocket as I stood. "What portal?"

He says nothing, holding up a photo that I recognised instantly. It was supposed to have been destroyed and looking over the pages of notes and sketches, I don't even have to close my eyes to imagine Reese standing at the opening before disappearing inside.

"These aren't Kale's files. Maybe Nicki or someone's, he must have stolen them. Whoever did this, put a lot of effort into learning what Selene had done," pages and pages of all kinds of diagrams were in the files. Moon cycles, dates, points of the earth orbit, a lot of things I couldn't understand even if I wanted to - there was a lot here.

"The Lord Alpha, Dracula, they're dead. There is no bringing them back. Even the Warlocks are no more. So why would they want to open it again? What is left to come out?" I wonder.

"Not sure, but this is different. They don't want to open the one she did." He frowns.

"There are many things in that place that could come out," V says quietly. I'd forgotten he had come from there too. "But nothing you couldn't defeat. You proved that last time."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Glad you think so. You wouldn't be behind any of this, would you? Playing the long game, hiding in plain sight?"

"You're not serious?" He asks, his wide in shock.

"I don't know. Am I?" I secretly prayed he wasn't involved.

"No! I am not involved in this!"

"Elise," Apollo started, saying my name like he thought I had lost my mind. "After everything are you actually going to accuse him of being involved in whatever this all is?"

"I'm not accusing. I was simply asking." I look at V. "Sorry, but you can't blame me for considering it can you?"

He looked a little shaken. "No, not at all darling girl. Perhaps I would have even thought it had I had been in your place."

It's then a car pulls up outside, and Apollo makes quick work of emptying everything out of the hiding place and putting them into the satchel V had on him. We get the carpet back in place as the door opens and greeting the team sent to handle this on a more professional level, I recognise the leader immediately.

"Julio!" I hug him tightly, thankful for a familiar face and that a competent Hunter had been sent. "I haven't seen in you in so long!"

"And I wish we weren't crossing paths this way." He tells me a little regretfully. "The victim?"

"In the end bedroom." He looks at Apollo curiously and nods at V before going down.

Two Hunters with him follow obediently, and the light fae with them gives us a tiny, sad smile as she passes. We stay back as they go in, another Hunter soon arriving; she takes photos, sends the others out, asks us if we touched anything and is left to do whatever it is she does.

"We've got it from here if you needed to go?" Julio sighs an hour later. "Sad to see someone close to finding retirement or at least, a less stressful position taken down."

Our last president's son looks as though this has hit him hard. I wonder if he's thinking of Ronaldo, who was in a similar stage of life when he was taken from us too. The Warlocks took a lot from everyone and forcing down my emotions, I nod to agree with him.

"Hows Robyn?" I ask, trying to change the subject. Thankfully the Slayer isn't here as I really couldn't care too much about her and didn't want to have to face the small talk.

"Good. She's taken a position teaching at the new Academy, with the year one Slayers. After everything, we are happy to take a step back, you know? We're even hoping to start our own family this year. " He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"That's great!" I don't know what else to say about that. "But ah, why are you here then?"

"Ailin asked me. I can't say no, and I know she wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important. When we finish here, I'll be getting briefed on the current status of things." He sighs. "If you're here, it's not going to be anything simple is it?"

"It's part of her charm," V adds, joining us. "I'll be going back with these guys. If you two wanted to go?"

Apollo hovers just behind him, the front door open and ready for us to make our escape. I look at the bag over his shoulder and feel the thing in my pocket.

"Good seeing you again Julio. Be safe, all of you." I tell them. "I'm sure we'll be crossing paths sooner rather than later."

"Look forward to it." Julio smiles and the resemblance to his father hurt.

Ronaldo had been a great president. He had given me freedom when I needed it the most. He had fought beside, listened and trusted me. In doing that, he had also gotten himself killed. Lost in thought, I stopped by the Jeep. Peeking inside, a packet of cigarettes sits on the passenger seat with a lighter, a small dagger and a copy of Time Magazine. It's unlocked as I try the door and picking up the magazine, the cover is bold and almost ironic considering how much he smoked.

"How To Cure Cancer." I read out loud.

"What's that?" Apollo asks, coming over.

"Nothing. The irony of it all you know?" I hold up the cigarette packet and the magazine.

It takes him a second to get it, only putting the magazine down, I keep hold of the packet and open it up. It made a noise, and they don't usually do that from what I know about them.

"What are you doing?" He frowns. "You don't smoke."

I'm not sure what I've found as I hold out my hand and empty the contents, mindful of the tiny piece of paper that falls with them. The cigarettes get picked out and thrown into the car, I keep the paper hidden between my fingers while I keep the small glass tubes visible.

"These aren't cigarettes."

He picks one up, turning it over in his hand as he inspects them before saying. "I'm not sure what's in there."

"Looks like sand?"

"Maybe. We'll have to get someone to check them out." Apollo decides. "Nothing else?"

"No, "I easily lie, and he nods. I tip it upside again to make a point and then toss it inside the car.

"I'll take these inside, give them to V or Julio to get analysed." He tells me.

"Good idea."

I wait by the broken gate, wondering if anyone was watching us now and as Apollo joins me, I follow him to his car.

"Hey, with everything that's happened tonight, I'm just going to go for a ride. Clear my head. Can I meet you all back at the Council for the debrief?" I'm not sure why I ask, but he thinks it over as though if he does say no, I'm going to obey.

"Are you sure being alone is a good idea right now?" He asks cautiously.

"I'll be fine. And like before, if anything happens, I'll just channel my inner Houdini and get myself out of there." I shrug. "I'll probably just go for a ride, and head home for some Alfie chill time. There's just so much that's happened, I just, I need to be alone for a bit. Please?"

Apollo closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "The debrief is scheduled for eight tomorrow morning. If you are even so much as a minute late-"

"You'll ground me?"

"This isn't a game!" He snaps.

"I never said it was. I'm asking for some alone time to process everything my own way, actually, I don't even know why I'm asking!" I climb onto my bike as it appears. "I want some time alone. See you tomorrow."

"Don't be like that." He groans. "Sometimes you can really be-"

"A child?" I finish for him.

"No! I was just, I don't mean, fine. Go. I'll see you tomorrow." Apollo plants a kiss on more forehead and then disappears.

I set off and make a few stops before going to my parent's house where I finally read the note, confident I'm not being followed - by anyone. The address is across the country, and enjoying the solo ride, I take my time in getting there. I only plan on going past; just someone casually passing by.

As I get closer, and the wall of trees that line the highway break for a driveway, I can't stop myself from taking a quiet, leisurely walk down the path. As I come across the car park and the building that looks a lot like the Last Drop only different, I can't stop myself from going closer, especially when I see the lineup of motorcycles outside with great big, Valkyrie badges on the side of them.

If that wasn't a sign, I don't what is.