I was dreaming again. From a distance, up ahead, I could hear rustling and the occasional snap of a twig as well as muffled laughter. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, I leaned forward a bit, trying to peer around the trunk in front of me.

Lucius flew out of the shadows, and I heard Aurelia's cry as they went down. The memory of what happened next hit me like a rock and I straightened abruptly, clearing my throat and looking up at the sky. "So now I get reruns?" I mumbled to myself, fanning my face. I couldn't figure out why I'd been shown this ordeal the first time, let alone a second one.

Nearby, only a few feet away, I heard the faint crunch of leaves, immediately pulling my attention away from the two of them. Was this whatever had caused the noise Lucius had heard? I narrowed my eyes, squinting in the direction the sound had come from as I attempted to locate the cause. Some fifteen feet away, I could just make out the outline of a shadowed figure, crouched low behind some brambles. They seemed to be looking in the direction of Aurelia and Lucius, watching the two.

A twig snapped as the figure edged closer and in the distance, I saw Lucius jumping to his feet, followed by Aurelia's words. "What is it? Did you hear something?"

The whole world shifted, a feeling I was becoming annoyingly used to, and I was thrown into the daylight. Lifting an arm instinctively to protect my eyes from the bright light, I blinked furiously as my eyes struggled to adjust. I stood just behind a little stone house with a thatched roof, and similar houses built on either side and all around. At the edge of the houses were small fields and a sprinkling of farm animals.

"Lucius," Aurelia breathed just a few feet away where the two stood together, something silver glinting in her hands as she looked down at it and then up at him with a happy smile. "It's beautiful."

A movement near the edge of the house, thirty feet from them, caught my eye and I glimpsed a handful of fabric as it disappeared around the corner.

Thrown into darkness once more, I was back in the forest, but this time I stood at the edge of a clearing. In the center, a well-lit fire was burning, casting a flickering light all around it. Lucius burst out of the trees just to the right of me, coming to a stop just before the fire, his attention on two figures standing on the other side. "Floriana."

"I'm so glad you're here, Lucius," Floriana greeted him with a poisonous smile. The flames of the fire danced in her eyes and I realized the other figure was Aurelia. A sick feeling came over me when I realized Floriana held a dagger to the other woman's throat. This wouldn't end well. "We've been waiting for you."

"Lucius, don't—" Aurelia's words were cut off abruptly when Floriana pushed the dagger tighter against her throat. Blood began to trickle down just below it. I tried to move forward instinctively or call out, but I was rooted to the spot and my mouth wouldn't move. It was as if my body wasn't my own. Feeling terrified and helpless, I looked toward Lucius, but it appeared as though he was facing the same struggle as me.

"I've loved you my entire life," Floriana said, hatred and bitterness lacing her words. "I would've done anything for you, yet you chose her. Why?"

"Let her go," Lucias growled, apparently gaining back the use of his mouth, though he still seemed incapable of moving the rest of his body.

She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Would you kill for her, Lucius? Would she kill for you?"

"Floriana—"

"I would," she said, interrupting whatever he'd been prepared to say. I caught a glint of something on her face and suspected they were tears. "In fact, why don't I prove it?"

"Stop!"

She began to chant, all of her words running together as I strained to hear. Lucias fell to his knees, crying out in pain. I watched helplessly as his fingers dug into the dirt, wishing I'd wake up. I didn't need to see this. Didn't want to. After an eternity, Floriana grew quiet and the only sound was Aurelia's sobs as she called out for Lucius.

"Since darkness was when you were happiest, darkness is where you'll stay," she told him softly. "This silver you've gifted your love?" Another dark laugh as she ripped the chain from Aurelia's neck, throwing it at him. He hissed when it landed on the top of his hand, sizzling, before he pulled it away and struggled to his feet. "Will forever burn to the touch."

She looked away from him, back to Aurelia for just a moment, hatred in her eyes. "You'll wish you were dead before it's all over, Lucius, but you won't be. Instead, you'll be forced to survive, for an eternity, draining the life of those able to live in the light. You'll crave it as the tree craves the sun. It will drive you.

"You forced me to live in darkness, and now, so will you. I have the perfect thing to welcome you into the night."

I watched in horror as she pushed the dagger inward against Aurelia's throat, dragging it across in one swift motion. The rest happened quickly; Floriana released her hold on the other women and stepped aside as Aurelia fell to the ground, eyes wide and mouth open, stretching out a hand toward Lucius. Lucius jumped through the flames of the fire, moving inhumanly fast toward her as the blood flowed, but he didn't hold her. I squeezed my eyes shut, unwilling to watch as he held his mouth to her severed throat, lapping at the blood like a man in the desert would a glass of water.

There was a scream and my eyes flew open in time to see Lucius lunge for Floriana's throat. I felt him rip into it as if it were my own.

"You're in danger."

I sucked in a sob, feeling control of my body once again, leaning forward and clutching my stomach as I began to vomit all over the floor in front of me. I felt my grandpa's hand rubbing gentle circles on my back as I wretched, unable to stop.

When I finally stopped, I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face. "She killed her," I said. "She killed another woman out of jealousy and cursed a man. Doomed him to eternity." Lucius was the first vampire, I realized. Punishment for not loving her.

Grandpa watched me with sympathy. "People do horrible things to one another. There is no light—"

"Without the dark," I finished. "It doesn't make it easier."

"I'm more worried about you," he told me, concern in his eyes. "You need to wake up."

"Do you think I'm having these dreams voluntarily?" I asked, annoyed. "If I could manage it, I'd never sleep again. Why do you want me to wake up?"

"Because," he replied, "they're here."

I woke up in a hallway. Standing in the center of it, facing the door to the outside just before the lights flickered and died. Feeling an ache, I place a hand on my neck, pulling it away just as the door flew open with immense force, sunlight trickling in behind a large group of people. I barely had time to take in the blood on my hand before my attention was drawn alarmingly to the guns they pointed in my direction. "Jesus!" I cried out, lifting both hands up over my head. "What the hell is going on?"

"She's human," called one, pushing his way to the front to study me and placing a hand over one of the guns, pushing it down toward the ground. "And she's wounded. Can't you smell the blood?"

"Lyla, take care of her. The rest of you, search the place. Kill them all." The order was given by a man at the front of the group, his hair shaved to a short buzz cut and a cold look in his eyes.

"Wait!" I said, rushing forward and stretching my arms out to either side of me as the realization of what they were here to do hit me. "Just wait a minute! You're talking about mass murder."

"Amya!"

I saw the group raising their guns at the sound of Cassian calling my name, something that sounded suspiciously close to fear in his voice. "No!" I lunged for the man closest to me, hands outstretched for his gun.

"You're being compelled," the red-headed man said in a voice void of sympathy as he stepped forward and yanked me away from the other man, and gave his team a nod. "Once they're gone, you'll understand."

"Compelled?" I repeated, hearing the hysteria in my voice as I looked behind me toward the growing crowd of vampires standing just outside of the sun's reach. Cassian stood at the forefront, looking as if he would happily kill the lot of them. "No one compelled me. Get your hands off me!"

Unconcerned with my words, he shoved me toward someone else as three men with some sort of— oh my God! They held flame throwers and they were aimed at the trapped vampires before me. "Get her out of here. We don't kill humans. Even the delusional ones."

"No, stop!" I screamed, struggling to break free from the woman who held me. I needed a weapon. I needed a— a cool weight was suddenly in my right hand and I looked down at it. The dagger from my dream. With no time to consider how or why, I lifted my arm, bringing it down rapidly. It slid effortlessly into her thigh and she let go of me with a cry.

"Amya stop!" Cassian called out, taking a step into the sunlight before falling back with a hiss as his body began to smoke. "Get out of here!"

I ignored him, launching myself at their leader's back and wrapping my arm around his shoulder to hold the dagger threateningly against his throat. "If you so much as light a cigarette with one of those, your boss is dead!"

No one moved. I felt the weight of everyone's eyes on me. I struggled to control my breathing as my eyes swept the room and I forced the man to turn with me to face his crew so that none of them could sneak up behind me. "You're making a mistake, little human," he said softly.

"Story of my life," I replied easily. "Have you seen where I'm living?" That earned a laugh and he turned his head to the side in an attempt to meet my gaze. The movement caused the dagger to draw blood. "Careful," I warned.

"If you haven't been compelled and you know what they are, why are you here?"

I shrugged, my focus still on the others standing in the doorway. "Let's have lunch and I can tell you all about it."

"Let my men finish here and I'll take you wherever you'd like."

"Tempting," I replied. "Tell them to put their weapons away and get the hell out."

"Your wound is still bleeding," he said instead. "You let one of them bite you and it's deep. You'll begin to feel dizzy from the blood loss soon. You won't be able to keep standing for much longer."

"You'd be surprised how far a little bit of determination will get you," I replied before calling back over my shoulder. "Hey, Cassian?"

There was a long pause before Cassian responded, his tone rife with anger. "Yes?"

"How long until nightfall?"

"Two hours."

"You're losing blood too quickly to last that long," said the man.

"Bring him out of the light," Cassian ordered. "Someone will care for your wound and I will take care of the wolf."

Of course. "You're a werewolf?"

"Don't worry little human," he assured me, amusement in his words despite the situation. "We don't feed on your kind."

"Bring him to me, Amya."

"So you can kill him?" I called back to him. "Is killing each other the only thing you all know how to do?"

"You're hurt," Cassian ground out. "You're losing too much blood. They're here to kill us; we'd simply be defending ourselves."

"My dying of blood loss would tie things up neatly for you, wouldn't it?" I returned. "Seems like a win-win."

"Amya," he growled. "Now is not the time to be difficult."

"There's never a time to be difficult as far as you're concerned."

"As adorable as listening to the two of you is; we're running on a tight schedule."

"Shut up," Cassian and I snapped at the same time. Already, I was beginning to feel weak. I didn't relish admitting it, but they were right; I wouldn't last two hours.

"Send them away," I told the man again.

"I'd die for my cause," he replied. "Would you?"

"I'm not afraid of dying," I told him honestly. "If you couldn't tell, I don't have much going for me anyway, but my death would still be on your hands."

He laughed, "Do you think so?"

"Look at it this way," I suggested, attempting to blink away my fatigue, even as I felt my knees struggling not to buckle. "Eradicating this coven isn't the end all be all. There are hundreds, if not thousands, more everywhere you turn. Would it kill you to give them another day"

"It may."

"Well," I replied. "Then we can all just sit here and wait until I don't have the strength to stand anymore. By then, I'll be dead and you'll have killed a human; delusional or otherwise."

"Stefan," called one of his men. "Your orders?"

"Saving them now won't save them later," he said softly, just for me to hear. "I will come for them."

"Not today."

"Amya," Cassian said again with an edge in his voice. "Bring him to me."

"Just shut up," I snapped at him over my shoulder, catching the raised brows of one of the women standing beside him. "I'm standing here trying to keep you alive and you still can't quit trying to order me around." I tightened my grip on the dagger, determined not to show just how weak I was beginning to feel.

"Stefan," someone called again to the man I currently held hostage. "Your orders."

"Pack it up. They can't go anywhere we won't find them."

I watched them all exchange uncertain looks, a few of them shooting me hateful glares. I offered a sweet smile in return, wiggling my fingers in good-bye. Pushing him forward, the two of us edged toward the door, following behind them. "Have them get the power back on."

"I think you're pushing your luck."

"Amya, don't—" Cassian's words were cut off when I kicked the first door shut once we were safely through.

Leaning back against it, I dropped the dagger from his throat and locked my knees to keep from sliding to the floor. Pressing my hand to the wound I didn't remember receiving, I met Stefan's gaze when he turned to face. He looked me over with an assessing eye, the dismissive expression from earlier when he'd shoved me aside replaced with a reluctant respect. I just wished he'd go. "Don't make me stab you." There was no actual venom in my words because I couldn't find the energy to mean it.

He laughed but didn't come closer. "Their bloodlust will make it difficult for them to help you. If you come with me, you stand a chance."

"But they wouldn't." And the one rarely outweighed the many. "You'll kill them if I leave."

"I'll kill them anyway," he replied with a shrug. "They're monsters. Abominations. Hundreds of thousands have died at their hands over the years."

"Hundreds of thousands have died in war too," I said, closing my eyes briefly before forcing them back open. "No one's dying today." Except maybe me. I could feel my knees beginning to buckle and my eyelids were becoming uncomfortably heavy.

The door I was leaning against was pushed forcefully open and I stumbled forward, straight into Stefan's arms. "Careful."

I tried to twist around, feeling myself slipping under even as Cassian came into view, the sunlight had withdrawn a little and he was able to stand in the shadow, but he looked murderous, stepping forward into the sun's rays. "Don't!"