Everyone stares at me with wide eyes, as though I'm a ticking bomb that's about to go off at any second, almost as though they're expecting me to explode into a million pieces right there on the worn, threadbare sofa. Well, not any more. I'm done falling to pieces, and I'm done waiting around. I'm taking action, finally. And they won't be able to stop me, no matter what they say.

"You don't mean that," Eclipse gapes at me in disbelief.

"Yes," I say firmly. "I do."

Coby looks up at me from his seat on the floor with wide, terrified hazel eyes and clambers silently into my lap. My heart melts a little as I wrap my arms around him, but I keep my face as hard as stone.

"You're crazy," Jude says flatly. "Completely crazy."

"I know."

"Maya, you can't!" Maisie says in a hushed whisper, as though she's worried that if she talks too loudly she'll set off an avalanche.

Pixie's voice is as scared as her twin's, but more confident. "It's dangerous- they'll hurt you!"

"I have to do it!" I fire back. "It's simple. They're watching the house, we know that. I just need to go out alone and wait for them to find me. We know they will. And then... Well, at least I'll be in the castle. That's one step further than we've been since we arrived."

"Until they kill you," scowls Jordan. He's fidgeting absently with a pencil, tapping it distractedly against his knee.

"I'll figure it out," I insist. "I might be able to get them out, they way we went the first time-"

"That way won't be there any more," Jude points out. "The castle is constantly changing shape, remember? Any entrance or exit that's there today will be gone tomorrow."

My heart sinks, but I set my jaw. "Guys, I'm doing this. It's the only possible way. So either you're with me, or you're not."

I'm surprised by the power in my voice as I say it. I sound like someone completely different than I am. My voice is stable, strong, clear, controlled, certain. It doesn't waver like I expect it to. I sound like someone who actually knows what the hell they're doing. Someone unstoppable.

In a shocking flash, it hits me hard, who I sound like. I sound like Marty, Marty when he's made his mind up about something and isn't in a million years going to change it, like when he's trying to make me take some of our short supply of money to school for my lunch and stop skipping meals. Whenever Marty spoke like this, I knew to shut my mouth and stop arguing, because there was just no point to it. Maybe my own words have the same effect, because my friends just looks at me in apprehensive silence for a few seconds.

"We're with you," Eclipse says at last.

"Of course we're with you!" cries Teddy. "It's just- Maya, Pixie is right. This is dangerous."

"They could kill you on sight," adds AJ grimly. "One little wrist movement and it'll all be over."

"Unless we're there with her," Ash speaks up from his lonely corner.

Almost a dozen pairs of eyes turn to stare at him, some of them curious, most of them hostile.

"What are you talking about?" Jude says eventually, his voice prickly with suspicion, but he's looking at Ash thoughtfully as though wondering if he has a point. "If we're with her, they won't come. Or at least, they won't try to attack."

"Wait..." Eclipse says slowly. "That invisibility serum we brought to the Nero fortress the other day... Do we still have it? Is there any left?"

AJ sucks in a sharp breath. "That... That could work."

"Yeah, it'll work!" Teddy looks excited, but he still flinches when he jerks too quickly.

I stare round the room, my eyes passing from one determined face to the next. "You don't have to-"

"Shut up, we know we don't have to," Jude rolls his eyes. "We're not doing it because we have to."

"You're insane if you think we're letting you do this by yourself," Eclipse declares, leaning forwards to nudge my shoulder. "You're one of us, now. Besides, we've done this a million times before. We can help."

"We'll protect you," Teddy agrees.

I open my mouth, trying to find the words to thank them, but Jude has already launched into a plan. "Okay, we'll need a few of us there so we can hold our own against the demons, but not too many otherwise they'll see us. Okay. I'll go."

"I'm going," Eclipse says, dark eyes glinting. "No doubt about that."

Teddy nods. "I'll go, too."

He notices everyone looking at him nervously. It's the same look everyone was giving me just a few minutes ago: apprehensive stares, like he's a fragile glass ornament that's two millimetres away from crashing onto the floor and breaking into a million pieces.

"What?" he asks, a defensive note creeping into his tone.

"Don't be dumb," Jude says curtly. "You've barely recovered from what happened at the Nero castle."

"Don't worry about it, Ted," AJ says dismissively. "I'll go."

"Or I could," argues Jordan.

"Guys, I can do it!" Teddy's voice is definitely frustrated now. "I'm the only one who'll be able to heal anyone who gets injured, remember?"

"But you can't heal yourself," Eclipse says darkly.

"So?"

"What do you mean, so?"

"You're all forgetting that I've been doing this since I was a kid," Teddy glares round with un-Teddy-like ferocity. "I'm not completely helpless, you know!"

"Nobody's saying that!" argues Eclipse, clearly fighting to keep her voice calm. She takes a breath and continues. "We're not saying that, Ted, we just..."

"We're trying to stop you from getting yourself killed," finishes Jude bluntly.

"Well, stop," Teddy says crossly. "I've been lying around for hours now, and I'm done. I'm fine."

"Guys, let him come!" I say loudly.

Teddy beams at me.

"You're not serious," Jude says incredulously.

"He's stronger than you think he is, Jude," I tell him.

"I'm not saying he isn't strong!" Jude snaps. "I'm saying that he needs to wait until he's better before he rushes into anything!"

"Jude..." Teddy says softly.

"If he thinks he can handle it, we should trust him!" I argue. "Anyway, he's doing so well, he'll probably be back to normal in no time-"

"Guys!" Teddy speaks louder, but when our attention finally turns on him, he blushes and seems to shrink into himself. "I think... I don't think... I mean, I'm pretty sure-"

"Just spit it out, Ted," Jude says.

Teddy swallows. "You said... You said you wanted to wait until I got better. Well... I think... I-I think this is the closest I'm going to get."

Silence.

"What are you talking about?" Jude's voice is suddenly hushed. He's watching Teddy with annoyance still, but there's a hint of apprehension in his grey eyes.

Teddy fidgets. "I-I know how this works. Nero magic, I mean. After a pretty bad attack, it's... It's hard to recover from, y'know? I mean- I'm actually pretty lucky. So many more people have it worse... But, I don't think... I d-don't think I'm going to get better then I already am."

It feels like I've been punched in the stomach. My mind is reeling. He's been trying to hide it, but I've noticed Teddy's slightly stilted movements, how he winces every now and again. Still, I hadn't worried too much- it wasn't like I'd expected any different after what he just went through, and besides, all injuries get better, right? But now... That's it? Nothing is going to change?

"How..." whispers Eclipse, then she clears her throat. "How do you know?"

Teddy smiles weakly. "My power is healing. I know about these things. And I know about... About Nero magic too. And I can just... Just feel it, somehow. Sorry, that... That probably doesn't make much sense, but... I-I woke up this morning and I could feel the power inside me. And I just... I just knew that it would never go. I mean... N-Not completely."

"Ted..." I gulp. Coby curls up tighter in my arms.

"So... So you'll be like this forever?" I've never heard Pixie's voice sound so small. "It'll never go away? Ever?"

Mai, sitting next to Teddy, grabs his hand soundlessly. I can tell she's trying to blink back tears.

There's the sound of a pencil snapping as Jordan's fists whiten with the force of his grip.

"That can't be right," growls AJ. "You... There must be something. We can go to the Venari after all of this is over... There has to be something!"

"It doesn't make sense!" Eclipse agrees, tugging at her black hair with the appearance of somebody clutching at straws. "I mean... You were fine before, and... And this isn't the first time this has happened to you. You'll be okay. If you've been through this before..."

"It..." Teddy rakes a hand nervously through his rumpled hair. "It's never been this bad before. I-I mean... I've never felt proper Nero magic before. I always thought it was impossible for it to affect me, b-but... Well, I've been holding it back for so long that... Anyway. They never used Nero magic on me when I was a kid. They always... Well, you know. Used... Weapons, and things. But that wasn't often. Not really. No, it was more... Most of the time, it was me hurting other people... Y-You know. Like... L-Like I told you-" He breaks off, swallowing hard again.

Jude is silent. His fists are clenched tightly, but they're shaking.

"I can still walk," Teddy says quickly, his voice smooth like he's trying to calm everyone down. "Obviously. I can still do... Well, pretty much everything I could do before. It just... It just hurts sometimes. That's all."

"That's all...?" I echo dubiously.

Teddy Mallay has been to Hell and back a million times in a life that's been too long, too short, too empty, too full. Hated by his parents, tortured and rejected by his kind. I've only known him for a few weeks, but I've heard him scream, watched his face twist with horror and guilt as his own father used him to hurt my brother. He's relived his most sickening childhood memories in the past few days, the ones he thought he'd left behind forever. And now they're never going to leave him? Isn't it about time he caught a break?

"This is all my fault..." Ash says slowly. He's somehow become even paler, and he rubs his hand across his face. "I'm the reason you got tortured. If it wasn't for me..." He squeezes his eyes shut and, without warning, punches the wall hard. I catch a glimpse of bloodied knuckles before they vanish into his pockets, his fingernails piercing little crescents into his palms.

"Ash, this isn't-" Teddy begins, but he's cut off by a yelp from Coby. It makes me jump. The kid is suddenly shivering hard, staring out of the window with huge eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I ask him, craning my neck to see what's frightened him, but he's already struggling away from me and backing away from the window, looking terrified.

Ash peers through the glass and curses. "Oh, God... Look."

I hurry forwards and kneel against the window seat. What I see makes my heart sink right through the ground. The cruel face of Marco Mallay is visible through the trees, sneering. He steps right to the edge of the painted force field line. He seems to be beckoning us outside.

I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Jude stalking out of the room, his jaw still clenched tight, his face like thunder. Wordlessly, he grabs a short, plain looking dagger that's hanging from the brightly painted wall. I realize with a chill that the weapon he's picked isn't clear like the other's. This is no stunning-weapon. Just an ordinary, deadly knife.

"Jude, no!" Teddy squeaks. "His power-"

Jude ignores him. I lock eyes with Eclipse, and in an instant we're both following him out of the room, into the kitchen, and through the back door. My fingers slide over my own weapon. A stunning-knife. I'm definitely not ready for a real weapon yet.

Eclipse and I catch up with Jude, and then the rest of the family joins us. All ten of us standing shoulder-to-shoulder, walking together. Marco's lip curls as he watches us come closer, half in amusement, half in disgust. We stop a few feet away from the force field.

Marco's eyes land on Teddy, and he laughs. He doesn't say anything. Just a cold, cruel laugh that says so much more than words ever could.

Jude's face contorts. He holds out the knife and moves towards the line. If his hands weren't still shaking, he would have been a terrifying sight. The wind drags his golden fringe over his eyes, which are dark and furious. Rage crackles in his irises like lightning. His teeth are gritted, and the dagger shines menacingly in his hand.

Marco, however, doesn't seem intimidated. He regards the dagger with interest, as though this little exchange was slightly exciting than he thought it would be. His nasty smile widens. "Excellent. Are you going to kill me, Jude Leyden? It would be so simple, wouldn't it? One step across the line. That's all it would take."

Jude steps closer. I'm torn between encouraging him and yanking him away, where the demon can't reach him. Watching the anger glitter in his eyes... He's going to do it. I can tell.

"Pixie, Maisie," I whisper. "Take Coby back up to the house. Don't watch."

They don't need telling twice. Pale and fearful, the three of them hurry back to the house. Good. I don't want them to have to watch their brother figure become a killer.

"Jude, please!" Teddy grabs Jude's hand tightly. "You know what he can do! I understand you wanting to kill him, I do, but this isn't worth it!"

Marco leans against a tree. "Well, seeing as you're all listening, I might as well give you the message now. Saleos is sick of waiting. He's tired of playing games. He's going to kill your brothers soon. If you want the chance to say goodbye before he kills you too, you should come along and visit."

I'm vaguely aware of Eclipse shifting next to me, but I'm focusing too hard on Marco's words to pay much attention. A whine of panic in my head is keeping me from thinking straight at all. Jamie. Marty. They don't have much time left. They need me, now. They need me to save them. If anything happens to either of them... I'm lost. I wouldn't know what to do. All I know is that I can't lose my brothers. I can't lose anybody else.

AJ calls Marco something that I'm glad the kids aren't around to hear. The demon laughs again, then turns his attention back to Jude. His dagger is still held aloft, but he's frozen like a statue, his face stony with both hatred and doubt. He's still holding Teddy's hand tight.

"Well?" Marco sounds almost bored now. "Are you going to do it, Leyden? If not, then I'll be on my way. I've done what I came here to do, although-" He throws a contemptuous look at Teddy. "Believe me, I'd love to finish what I started the other day."

Jude's eyes darken even more. He steps forwards. He's barely an inch away from the painted line. His hands slips out of Teddy's a little, so only their fingertips are touching.

"Jude," Teddy pleads.

"Jude," I step forwards too. "That isn't a stunning-knife. This isn't just going to knock him unconscious for a while. If you use that, there's no going back. It's forever."

Jude speaks for the first time since Teddy told us about his condition. "Maya... Stunning-knives can't help us any more. I don't want to kill anyone, I really don't, but... The longer he lives, the more people are lost. Maybe it's better to just... Finish it."

His words wash over me, and I pause to let them sink in. I can't imagine killing anyone, never... But he's right. We're not talking about some innocent child here. Standing before us is someone ruthless, merciless, someone who tortured both my brother and one of my best friends without the slightest hint of remorse. The world isn't completely black and white, it's true, but there's no way that Marco Mallay is a good person. He's a villain. And in the charity shop books I used to read, in the movies I watched with my brothers when we were feeling brave enough to use Richie's DVD player without permission, the villains die all the time. It's just part of the story. Nobody mourns at all as their eyes close and they drift away. In fact, most of the time the heroes celebrate their fall.

If you kill a killer, the amount of killers in the world stays the same. But... This is more complicated than that. Isn't it? If Marco Mallay dies today, does that make us bad people?

Jude is still hesitating. The dagger trembles in the air.

I suddenly realize that Eclipse isn't next to me any more. I glance around, expecting to see her a little way off or something, but Marco's voice pulls my eyes back towards him.

"What a shame," he says mockingly to Jude. "Still, I didn't think you'd have the guts anyway."

He turns to leave, to disappear into the trees the way he came.

Then, everything happens so quickly.

There's a flash of bushy black hair and the glint of metal that's clear as glass. Eclipse bursts from the trees behind Marco, her eyes wild. Before anyone can react, stunning-knife is piercing the demon's skin. She must have crept past the force field while we were all distracted and walked in a circle so she could take Marco by surprise. I breathe a sigh of relief, expecting to see the Nero crumple to the ground, but nothing happens.

"What...?" murmurs Eclipse. She jabs the knife into Marco's chest again, but he still stays infuriatingly conscious.

"That doesn't work on me," he grins helpfully. Then he grabs Eclipse by her bare arms and slams her against the trunk of the nearest tree, his smile turning maniacal. At his touch, Eclipse screams and writhes in pain, her eyes squeezing shut. The stunning-dagger slips through her fingers.

Ash yells her name, his voice terrified. He wastes no time. His wings stretch above him and he flies towards Marco, reaching out to pull him away from Eclipse. As soon as he touches him, he yelps in pain, but he doesn't let go. He only grips on tighter.

"Stop it, stop it!" Teddy is shouting, his voice panicked. "Father, it isn't her you want, it's me! Let her go!"

I leap forward and snatch Eclipse's knife from the ground. I shove the blade against Marco over and over, but I may as well be prodding at him with a twig. It has absolutely no effect at all.

Until suddenly, Jude's dagger appears out of nowhere.

Marco's hands slacken. His arms fall hopelessly to his sides. Eclipse slumps to the ground, breathing heavily, her face damp with tears.

Jude twists the knife, making the death quick. Marco doesn't suffer any more than he has to. His eyes roll upwards, and his heart has stopped before he even hits the ground. Blood paints the forest floor the colour of death. I have to look away to fight the nausea that wells up inside me, but I can't feel any grief. Why would I, anyway? All I feel is relief. Marco Mallay is dead. He can never hurt my family again.

Jude looks at the figure on the ground. "Never," he snarls. "Touch my family. Or my boyfriend."

Ash and I help Eclipse to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Ash asks her frantically. She nods breathlessly, brushing away the remains of tears from her face and gently trying to push our hands away so she can stand on her own. I move away a little to give her space, but Ash's hands still hover near her, ready to catch her if she falls.

"Are you?" she asks him. She's staring at him as if he's suddenly taken off a mask he's been wearing, and she's not quite used to seeing what's under it. "He touched you too."

"Me? I'm good, I'm... Are you sure you're-?"

"I'm fine," Eclipse says firmly. "It was only for a few seconds."

"Right... Good." Ash forces his face into his old, indifferent facade, but not before I see the flicker of relief.

"Ted?" Jude's voice is scared. Almost as scared as it was at the Nero castle.

Teddy is standing motionless. Staring. Just staring at the body that's collapsed in the leaves. Normally, Teddy's emotions are written across his face like an open book, but it's impossible to tell what he's thinking this time. His face is blank, expressionless. He doesn't blink.

"Teddy?" Jordan repeats, looking concerned. "Hey, you okay?"

"God." Jude drops the bloodstained dagger, a dagger that's suddenly poisoned with red. It lands just outside the force field, and Jude backs away from it as though he expects it to come to life and stab him too. He's shaking suddenly, his chest heaving, looking suddenly sick. "God. Teddy... That was your father... Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry-"

Teddy finally tears his gaze from the ground, shaking his head as though he's been jerked out of a daze. "Hm? No, Jude, honestly... It's okay. I'm okay."

Jude swallows. "You... You are?"

Teddy nods. "He was my father, I know, but... He never felt like one." He looks back at the figure on the ground. "I should be sorry that he's gone, I know I should... But I just can't be. I can't."

"He was a monster, Ted," I say softly. "You don't owe him anything. Not even pity."

Teddy's green eyes raise to the sky and he breathes slowly, staring up into the heavens. "All I can feel... Is relief. It feels like... I've been having the same old nightmare for the past fifty years, and now it's gone. It's gone and it's never coming back. I can't... I can't feel sad about that." A tiny smile. "He's gone. I'm free."

He looks so calm that it's a shock when, next to him, Jude breaks down.

One moment he's standing tall, his chin jutting upwards, the next he's curling inwards on himself. He's shaking, shivering, and he slides to the ground, a curtain of blonde falling forwards to shield his face. I can hear him breathing hard, his gasps for breath uneven and laboured. I've never seen anybody have a panic attack before, but I think that this might be it.

Teddy's eyes widen. "Jude?"

He doesn't reply. Teddy doesn't ask any questions. He falls to his knees next to him on the ground and wraps his arms around him tightly. Jude leans into him, his face pressed against Teddy's thin chest. I move forwards hesitantly and rest my hand on Jude's shoulder. I can feel it trembling in my grip.

We wait in silence. Eventually, his breathing slows. His tight, rigid limbs relax. He sags against Teddy, his eyes still shut, panting.

"Hey," Teddy rests his chin in Jude's hair, rubbing his back. "You're all right. You're okay."

AJ hesitates, looking unsure what to do, then moves towards the house. "I'll get him some water."

"Sorry..." Jude mumbles, opening his eyes. "I just... That was my first... My first kill. I've never..." He breaks off, shuddering. Teddy kisses his forehead, his arms tightening, and Jude rests his head on his shoulder. Soon, his breathing has returned to normal.

It startled me. Watching Jude fall to pieces. The same way it startled me when I first saw Marty cry. Jude and Marty, both so tough, so unshakable. It's hard to believe that people like them can fall apart like the rest of us can. Jude seems like the sort of person who can stand through anything without turning a hair.

It's strange, realizing that these kids that I'm staying with... They're just kids. Kids like me. They may fight monsters and save lives for a living, but they get hurt just as often as the rest of us. They may be strong and independent and braver than any bunch of kids I've ever met, but they're not unbreakable. They're kids, not killers.

We wait in silence for the shock and panic and adrenaline to fade away.