The island was just as dark as everything else. Not a single light in sight apart from the fading lanterns drifting into the distance as the ferry retreated. Nev didn't seem to mind, having a better night vision than most. The vampire trotted away with determination only to look over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"

"Yes. Where are we going?" He didn't see a single house around, apart from the small hut where you could sit and wait for the boat. It looked like a miniature house in the traditional Swedish style. Red with white trim. It looked rather out of place, but only because he knew about the head quarters.

The fog was wispier out here, farther from the mainland, and he could almost imagine how the island looked during summer. At this time of the year, with dead grass and depressed pines, the place breathed a sense of dread. Or perhaps that was purely his imagination.

"Come on. It's on the other side of the island." Nev stomped around, lifting his feet after every distinct splash. "I hope you brought good shoes."

He hadn't. He'd been a city dweller for the last century and had no inclination to explore nature beyond the occasional park. "Let's just get this over with," he said and followed Nev's tracks, soaking his shoes in the cold sludge in mere seconds.

They walked along a winding trail between gnarled trees and decaying carpets of blueberry bushes, and if it hadn't been for the path itself, he would have thought they were out in the middle of nowhere. They finally slowed when the first lights twinkled behind the tree trunks.

"That's the house," Nev said, instantly growing rigid. It was not a comforting sight to see Nev hesitate. The vampire would be welcome, so if anything, Nev was nervous for him.

The house itself looked inconspicuously Swedish. Nothing about it flagged that a rebellious paranormal group had made it their own. There were plenty of windows although a few of them had been sealed from the outside. Likely, it was a dark day room where vampires could sleep comfortably when the sun was out and about. The garden signaled that they had at least one fae in the group. A couple of potted plants held flowers that shouldn't bloom at this time of the year.

Nev paused by the door, his hand on the knob. "Are you really sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Yes, why not? Are you ashamed of me?" It was a poor attempt to lighten the mood, but he had to do something. If nothing else, he couldn't wait to get out of his wet shoes

The vampire scowled. "No, I'm not ashamed of you. I'm afraid you'll end up either hurt or angry enough to melt a few brains. I'd appreciate if you stayed away from mine."

"I'm in control. Don't worry."

With a sigh, Nev opened the door to a lit hallway. The floor was a mess of muddy shoes and the coat hangers were all occupied. He swallowed down the sudden unease.

"How many are you, really?" He hadn't thought they were quite so many. There had to be at least twenty pairs of shoes, maybe more, and the sound of several voices reached them through the thin walls.

"A couple. But I think they're all here tonight."

"Just how many are 'a couple'?" He doubted the vampires ability to count. Nev had always said 'a couple', now he realized that was an understatement.

"I think we're around twenty five. I don't keep count." Nev threw his jacket on a stool and slipped out of his shoes just as a woman became visible in one of the doorways.

"Nev, you're late," she said, only to narrow her eyes when she caught sight of Adeem. "And you brought your friend." She didn't sound very happy, and judging from Nev's reaction, her aura must have been blistering beneath the surface.

"This is Adeem," Nev said, gesturing toward him.

"Yes, I know who he is. I'll let Denker know," she said and disappeared into the house.

He got a distinct feeling that the woman was a sorcerer which was a surprise. He hadn't thought there would be any sorcerers among the rebels because the Council had a soft spot for them in particular.

Nev's fingers twitched, a clear sign that the vampire wasn't all too pleased with the situation. "I think we better follow her," he said, all tense and uncertain.

He followed Nev through the house, catching glimpses of empty rooms and a neglected kitchen. The voices grew louder until they stepped into a large living room. Every voice died down to a soft whisper, and all eyes trained on him. He did a quick head count and reached the conclusion that Nev had been wrong about twenty five. There were at least thirty paranormals in the room. Werewolves, vampires, one fae and several sorcerers. There were also a few he couldn't identify. All of them looked ready to attack but too afraid to do so.

Nev waved awkwardly. "Hi guys. This is Adeem."

He wasn't sure the paranormals had heard Nev, or at least they made no move to acknowledge the vampire's greeting. The tension unsettled his core, allowing sparks of power to bluster beneath his skin. That was fine as long as they didn't reach further.

Denker wove through the crowd, all bulky frame and bad taste. How anyone could fail with a suit was beyond him, but the garish blue shirt and the tight fit around the man's shoulders painted a rather distressing picture.

"So Nev, you managed to get your friend here at last." The smile on Denker's lips looked like a full blown grimace. "Welcome, Adeem. We've waited for you to join our ranks."

The thought of joining their ranks had never crossed his mind, but here he was, unable to say much of anything. "I'm here with Nev," he said, hoping that was enough.

The whispers around them grew louder, but he barely heard them as he focused on the huge werewolf in front of him. Denker stood at least a head taller than him, but it was with a weird smugness he realized that Kyung was even taller. That must have been a sore spot for the leader of the Nighers when he visited the Archive. Bowing before the new Guardian must have been extremely uncomfortable for the bad tempered guy.

Denker clapped Nev's shoulder, a clear sign that the werewolf knew Nev was powerless within the group. Otherwise the guy wouldn't have dared. It was beyond disrespectful, and he wanted nothing more than to teach the guy a lesson. That would have been a bad start of the night, however.

"I'm glad you brought him here, Nev. Now we can finally get things moving."

He had no idea what the werewolf was talking about, but he didn't like the sound of it. Not one bit.

Denker leered, or perhaps it was an attempt at another smile. "So, Adeem. Why don't we go and have a little chat in private."

"All right." What else could he say? He shot a glance at Nev, hoping that the vampire would give him a sign if something was about to go absolutely wrong. Nev chewed on his piercing, but that could have been from the tension in the room rather than Denker's intentions.

"I'll see you in a bit," he said to Nev, hoping that would help calm his friend. He received a curt nod in reply before Nev backed away to make room for Denker.

"We have a comfortable room upstairs," Denker said, gesturing for Adeem to lead the way.

The stairs creaked beneath their weight, and the entire house seemed to come alive with sounds. The voices from the living room became a loud clamor and the wind seemed to have picked up outside, whining against the windows. Denker opened a door to an office, fitted with a large desk and a chair that had no other purpose than to allude at power.

"Pull up a chair." Denker waved to the back of the room to a stack of stools. It was a petty trick to keep guests on their toes and shamefully inferior. Denker sat behind the desk and placed a paper in front of him as if ready to take notes. The situation had a surreal quality about it.

He disentangled one of the metal stools and sat opposite the idiot like a demure little servant. He absolutely hated it but bit down the words that threatened to spill. He had to keep his composure, otherwise he would ruin everything.

"I heard you met with the Guardian. How was it?" Denker asked.

"What do you mean? I met him in the Archive just as you did."

"That's not what I heard." The idiot had the audacity to look smug.

"Then what did you hear?"

"Heard he visited your apartment."

He got the distinct feeling that the man had more than heard. Someone had seen it. Go figure that the Nighters had him under surveillance. He would have to be more careful in the future. A thousand possible answers to Denker's statement rushed through his mind, none of them very good.

"Well, it's not really a secret," he said, choosing to disarm whatever the werewolf had on him.

"So you two are friends? Or are you here to get away from the guy?" Denker asked. Perhaps the man wasn't an idiot. Adeem could sense how the werewolf tried to play this to his advantage.

"He was there to warn me. Nothing more." That was the most plausible explanation for the Guardian's visit, after all.

"Warn you of what?"

He let out a fake chuckle. "He doesn't like my resume."

"Ah, but I trust you're not happy about our new Guardian." The question was loaded, but Denker must have felt safe enough to voice it.

"No. Not particularly."

"Then you won't have any problems with my plans for you in our team." Denker leaned back and rested his arms on his considerable belly. "Since the dragon has taken such an interest in you, it would be much in our favor if you would nurture that relationship. Stay close to him and let us know what he's up to. I know you can steal memories which I hope will prove useful. An extraordinary talent you have there."

He wanted to laugh. Kyung wanted him to spy on the Nighters and the Nighters wanted him to spy on Kyung. In a way, that made things easier—if he could keep both parts from knowing what the other had asked.

Shifting on the uncomfortable stool, he tried to appear relaxed. "Perhaps, but what's in it for me?" No one would say yes to a deal like this without some kind of payment. It would be suspicious not to.

"You will be here first hand to see how we change this world. No more hiding. No more rules. We get rid of the Council and take charge of everything. The humans are doing a poor job of it, and it's time we stepped up."

The words reached his ears like poisoned honey. World dominion. That was quite an ambition. Denker had given him even less reason to side with the Nighters, but the leash was all tight and snug around his neck. Not Denker's, but Kyung's. But, it was in his best interest that both thought of him as someone nicely cuddled up in their pocket.

"Fine. I'll get cozy with the dragon," he replied, watching Denker's eyes gleam with greed for power.

A/N Maybe you've noticed that some chapters are...well, not really chapters but part of a chapter. I've changed the chapter names for that reason :)  Hope you're still intrigued even if we're entering a few chapters where I more or less set up the story rather than provide you with a lot of action. But, soon time to meet Kyung again <3