CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Waves crashed against the shore as Bonnie watched the water. The storm that was building inside of her was overwhelming, but as she focused on the sea, she was able to ground herself a bit.

It had been exactly four years. Life hadn't exactly been a picnic for Bonnie, but on that day, things had gotten much worse. She couldn't stop the flashback from hitting.

She'd been walking on Beach Street with her mother and uncles while Giovanni rode around on his bicycle. The eight-year-old was remarkably innocent despite growing up in the Pierce family, and as much as Connie tried to push her children to be nothing but perfectly evil little warlocks, Giovanni was too light for that. His purity was usually enough to keep Bonnie from falling too far into the darkness, too. She adored her baby brother with her entire heart.

The car came speeding out of nowhere while the twins were busy annoying Connie. Only Bonnie noticed it.

"Gio!" She screamed, but it was too late.

The car slammed into Giovanni at twenty miles over the speed limit. His small body was flung through the air along with his bicycle. He landed with a sickening thud several feet away from where he'd been.

There was too much blood, and he was too still, but Bonnie refused to believe the truth. She ran to his side, reaching him before anyone else and trying to heal him with magick. She didn't care that there was a crowd of witnesses. She didn't care that the tourist who'd hit him was both mortal and visibly intoxicated. She only cared about saving her baby brother's life.

Connie tried to hex the driver, not even attempting to see if Giovanni was still alive. Ronnie grabbed onto her and refused to let her go, stopping her from killing the woman in front of so many witnesses. Donnie knelt beside Bonnie and checked Giovanni's pulse.

He had tears in his eyes as he looked at Bonnie. "Sweetheart, he's-" He began.

"No he isn't! Don't say it! We can save him!" Bonnie insisted. She was powerful, but she was only thirteen. Her training wasn't advanced enough for her to resurrect someone, but she was a strong healer. If Giovanni was still alive, she could help him. "You'll be okay, Gio... Just hold on. I'll heal you... I'll save you..."

"Bonnie, listen to me," Donnie said gently. "Gio's gone, honey. He's dead. You can't heal him. You're only going to hurt yourself trying."

"No! He's going to be fine! He-"

Donnie pulled her into a tight hug, forcing her just far enough away from Giovanni that she couldn't keep trying to heal him. Bonnie struggled to free herself from his embrace, but quickly began to sob in his arms as reality sank in. Donnie continued to hold her, whispering soothing words as he gently stroked her back.

"You look like a girl with a lot on your mind," a voice said gently.

Bonnie jumped as she snapped out of the flashback. Camelot Bryce stood beside her. "What are you doing here?" She asked suspiciously.

"Walking," he replied casually. "I like to watch the water sometimes."

"You don't associate with the warlocks anymore... Or anyone, really."

"I don't judge people based on their heritage. It's choices that count, and those choices can change."

"I think you know what I choose, Camelot."

"Look, my mom was a card-carrying E.V.S. member for almost two decades, but guess what... She's a witch now."

"The only reason she's not dead is because she was under the explicit protection of Cierra Denton, the Vitti descendant, and Chad Ko chooses to continue to enforce that despite Cierra's death. And the only reason you aren't is because your wife would slaughter anyone who tried to hurt you."

"That's all true... But I approached you because you seemed pretty upset, and quite honestly, you were vulnerable. Warlocks frown upon that and might have attacked you. I figured I should check on you."

"Why?"

"Because, evil or not, you're still a kid, Bonnie."

"I'm almost eighteen."

"Almost. Not quite... And I have this bad habit of never leaving a damsel in distress. I blame it on my parents naming me Camelot."

"I'm no damsel in distress."

"Normally, you're right, but at the moment, you're not okay. If you happen to want to talk, I'm an excellent listener."

"I don't talk to traitors."

"Really? But you're running a chapter of the E.V.S! Warlocks are all traitors... How do you communicate with your underlings?" He looked at her with an overdramatic expression of shock. She couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess you've got me there," she admitted. He was so goofy, yet so charming. He kind of reminded her of her uncles.

Donnie's being held hostage by my ally, she thought. Judas is probably torturing him... And when he's through with that, he's going to kill him.

"Bonnie..." Camelot said softly. "You went away again."

She looked at him and couldn't keep the tears from her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

"Look, Bonnie... Even as an active warlock, I was neutral in the politics. I never judged anyone just by their title... And I've kept a lot of secrets. I'm a vault. You can talk to me," Camelot said.

"I can't. He'll know. He always knows," she replied.

"Who are you afraid of?" Camelot asked softly.

"No one," Bonnie replied quickly.

"Okay... What has you so upset, then?"

"My little brother died four years ago today," Bonnie replied, not sure why she was still talking to him.

"I'm sorry. That's rough..."

"He was eight, but not the evil, obnoxious sort of eight that most boys are... He was the sweetest kid... And some idiot tourist who had too much to drink at lunch mowed him down with her car right in front of me."

Camelot whistled. "That's horrible, Bonnie! How old were you?"

"Thirteen. I tried to save him, but he was already dead... I couldn't heal him. I couldn't do anything." She shook her head.

"What happened?"

"The police came. The tourist was arrested for vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. My mom vowed revenge. The tourist died three days later. Her body slowly rotted from the inside out. The mortal doctors claimed it was necrosis, but it wasn't caused naturally. My mother's spell killed her slowly and painfully... While she focused on that, my uncles were the ones who comforted me and made sure I ate and slept and wasn't alone..." Guilt suddenly overwhelmed her.

"Bonnie... What is it?" Camelot asked.

"One of my uncles is missing," she replied. "I've hated them for years... My mother blamed them for Gio's death. They distracted her and she wasn't paying attention... And they murdered my grandfather."

"I know your uncles. They're good guys. I'm sorry about Donnie, but he's tough. If anyone can survive this, it's him."

"I think he's going to kill him..."

"Who is?"

"Judas," Bonnie replied. "Judas is going to kill my uncle. And I don't know how I feel about that."

Camelot tensed for a moment. "How well do you know Judas?" He asked.

"That doesn't matter. I should go now. I have work to do." She knew she'd said too much, but she couldn't take it back. Bonnie walked away as quickly as she could and hoped that Judas hadn't been eavesdropping on her conversation. She didn't want to know what he'd do if he realized that she was questioning his actions.

~*~

It was hard to sleep in the place dubbed Purgatory. Mostly, the captives just lost consciousness and enjoyed the brief respite from torture that the blackouts provided. That was why Cedric was so surprised to realize that he was dreaming.

At first, he was confused by the bright light surrounding him. It was even stronger than the light of Purgatory. "It's alright, Sugar," a voice said soothingly. Cedric wasn't sure why he found her voice so comforting, but he did. "Listen to me, Cedric... You have to wake up."

"I'm dreaming?" Cedric asked softly.

"Yes, but that's not what I meant, Sugar. You have to remember. You can help the others. He can't block you the same way he can block them."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Lou Anne. I delivered your soul into the Universe, Cedric. You are a very special soul."

"I don't understand."

"I know, Sugar... You need to unlock your soul. It's the only way you can fight him."

"Who is he, Lou Anne?"

"I wish I knew. He's one of three people, but I can't figure out which one. He knows the truth about your soul, Sugar. I think he's afraid of you. I sense it."

"We're sealed away from everyone... Why can I hear you?"

"Because you come directly from the Light and the Darkness, Sugar. He can't fully block you from me."

"I'm a little confused... Where, exactly, do I come from?"

"Your mama isn't the maternal sort, but she cares about you... She incarnated you to hide you and keep you safe. And your daddy, well... He's been dead for a long time."

"Can you tell me more?"

"Your mama's a Demon of Darkness. Her name is Carolyn. She's my best friend in the Universe. Your daddy's name was Justice. He was a Demon of Light. You were conceived completely by accident. Carolyn was injured, and Justice used a spell to heal her. His energy merged into hers and created your soul. No one knew you existed except for me and Carolyn. She never told Justice. Unfortunately, whoever killed him figured out where you come from. He must have read your energy."

She came toward him then, finally showing herself. Lou Anne kissed his forehead. Suddenly, flashes of his soul's family filled his mind. He saw his parents through Lou Anne's eyes.

"Were they in love?" He asked.

Lou Anne laughed so hard she snorted. "Oh, good Lord, no!" She said. "Carolyn doesn't really do romantic relationships... And Justice, well..." She hesitated.

"What is it?" Cedric asked.

"Your daddy was a pretty private guy when it came to that sort of thing, but honestly, we all suspected that he was in love with James... Neither ever admitted it to the rest of us, and after your daddy died, James never really spoke of him again."

Cedric took all of that in before saying, "You mentioned I can help the others... How?"

"Your magick isn't blocked, Cedric. It's dulled, but with some work, you can unlock it fully. I need you to be strong. The others are in bad shape. You can help them heal, and when the time is right, you'll be able to escape together... You need to protect them. Only you can fend off the one who kidnapped y'all."

"What do I need to do?"

"Heal yourself. Once you do that, you can help set everyone back on their destined paths... That was your daddy's strongest gift. That, and Chaos magick. He was a master of Divine Chaos and Order. He was also a powerful healer, which is where you get it from. The necromancy and dark magick come from your mama." She hugged him tightly, and once again, he was comforted. "Wake up now, Sugar. You've got work to do."

Suddenly, Cedric opened his eyes. He sighed as he felt how much pain his body was in. He'd always been able to heal others, but he'd never tried to heal himself before. He focused on the light within his energy and tried to direct it to his injuries. At first nothing happened, but soon, he began to radiate with pure Light. It burst out of his injuries and immediately began to heal him.

"Holy crap! How are you doing that?" Donnie demanded.

"I think I just unlocked a dormant gift," Cedric replied.

"You're a flashlight?"

"Not exactly. How hurt are you?"

"I'll be fine. Reid's the one knocking on Death's door."

"And the ladies?"

"Juniper's alright... She's exhausted, but not too injured currently. Jez is still basically catatonic. She stopped crying, but probably only because she ran out of tears. Mary's in rough shape. Judas had another session with her while you were out cold. He shattered her cheekbones and her eyes are swollen shut."

Cedric got a good look at Donnie then. "Your head is bleeding," he said in concern.

"It's nothing. I tried to pull him off of Mary, so he cracked my head open and knocked me out. I've had worse injuries."

"Let me heal you."

"Heal the others first. Reid and Mary need you more."

Cedric focused. The chain that kept him from wandering too far loosened before falling off of him.

"Cedric... How did you do that?" Donnie asked in shock.

"I can't really explain it... But now I can move freely, which means I can reach anyone who needs my help," Cedric replied.

He went to Reid first. His instinct was to help Mary, whose pain was extreme, but her injuries wouldn't kill her. Reid's might. Cedric began to cast the strongest healing spell he could. As he connected to the Light inside of him, he was able to rapidly heal the younger warlock.

Reid groaned in pain as he regained consciousness. "I guess Judas didn't like me insulting his manhood," he mumbled.

Cedric wasn't even surprised that Reid had gone there. "You just don't know how to filter yourself, do you?" He asked.

"My filter broke ages ago, Cedric," Reid replied. "Thanks for healing me. Now Judas can torture me all over again."

"I'm going to get us out of here... I just need to figure out how."

"Good luck with that."

"Mary needs me. Just try to rest. You need your strength."

Cedric moved closer to Mary. She was whimpering in pain and fear as he knelt beside her. His heart broke. He and Mary had been in the E.V.S. together in high school and college. They'd dated briefly while they were students in Bishop High School, but they had decided they were better off as friends early into their relationship. He was still very close to her.

"Shhh, Mary," he said soothingly. "It's Cedric. I won't hurt you."

"Ceddie... It hurts," she said softly.

"I know, Mare. It's going to be okay."

He gently touched her hand and began to heal her. It took a bit of effort, but she recovered quickly.

"Are you alright, Mary?" He asked. "Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt now," Mary replied. "My vision's pretty blurry, but I think that will adjust soon." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Cedric."

"Anytime," he replied. He turned toward Donnie. "Your turn," he said firmly.

"Alright, heal me, heal me with your glorious light, Ceddiekins," Donnie replied sarcastically.

"Ugh! If you ever call me that again, we're not going to get along, Donald," he informed him.

Donnie laughed. "Maybe I'm a little bit concussed," he admitted.

"Just a little," Cedric agreed with a laugh. He started healing Donnie's head. It was the easiest of the injuries, and only took about a minute.

"Alright, that's better," Donnie said. "Rest up. You just used a lot of energy."

"Okay," Cedric agreed. He looked at Jezebel and paused. "Maybe I can help her, too."

"It's not physical," Donnie pointed out. "Jez is catatonic, but Judas hasn't touched her since I've been here. The injuries she has are old. They're healing on their own."

"I think I can help her process her trauma. I just need a little bit of time to figure out how."

"If you do, great. For now, relax. You've earned it."

"Or he could unchain us so we can fight back," Reid countered. "Judas won't expect us to get free."

"Not yet," Mary said softly. "He has to wait until the right time..."

"This seems like a great time," Reid protested.

"Mary's clairvoyant," Cedric said. "She's picking something up."

"Magick doesn't work here. Except yours, for some reason."

"Clairvoyance isn't magick. It's a sixth sense. It can't be completely blocked."

"So when can he free us?" Donnie asked.

"Soon... I think I'll sense it," Mary replied.

"Until then, I'll chain myself back up," Cedric decided. "This way, Judas won't suspect anything."

"And what do we do if he tries to murder one of us while we wait for the right time?" Reid demanded.

"If I have to, I'll free myself and intervene," Cedric promised. "Everyone, try to rest. Save your strength. The time to fight is coming."

~*~

Roxy was casually walking through the Howard Street Cemetery when she spotted the last person she wanted to see. She had a gun in her hands in seconds.

"Whoa! Can't a guy say hello to his favorite corrupt slayer without getting shot?" Quinton Peretz asked.

"Not if that guy is you," she snapped, not bothering to correct him. She hadn't officially stated that she was switching to the non-corrupt slayers, but considering Solstice was giving her assignments now, that pretty much sealed it.

"Come on, Rox... Don't I get a kiss for old time's sake?"

"You don't get to kiss me anymore. By the way, it's still illegal."

"That never stopped you before."

"Yeah, well, my taste in guys is questionable at best, but I broke up with you, Old Man."

"I'm only thirty-nine," he reminded her.

"You've been thirty-nine for three centuries, Quinton. And I'm only fifteen... I was thirteen when I thought it was a good idea to start hooking up with you. Clearly, I was concussed or something."

"Don't be like that, baby..." He reached for her. She fired a warning shot into his leg.

Quinton cried out in pain. "Jesus Christ, Roxy!" He protested.

"Call me baby again and I'll shoot something else," she said firmly.

Quinton moved to touch her. Her body reacted to his touch like it always did, but her mind was screaming at her to put another bullet in him.

As he moved his lips close to her neck, someone else intervened. Roxy was very surprised when Quinton was violently blasted away from her with magick.

"I believe the lady told you to back off," Tristan said firmly.

Quinton laughed. "Do you have warlocks protecting you now, Rox? That used to be my job," he said.

"I protect myself and always have, Quinton," Roxy snapped. "Now get out of here before I kill you."

With the type of unexpected speed only an undead vampire could possess, Quinton was back at her side. He held her body against his and tilted her neck violently to the side before sinking his fangs into her flesh.

Roxy was momentarily stunned. Quinton was an especially strong vampire, and even though she was a Reaper, the undead tended to be a lot more intense than other vampires. Part of her wanted to give in to him. The stronger part refused. She struggled, but she couldn't free herself. She tried to maneuver the gun, knowing the wooden bullets would do damage to him.

As soon as she pressed the gun to his chest, she fired, hitting him in the heart. A daywalker would have been killed. Quinton, however, screamed in pain and released her, but didn't die.

Tristan looked at Roxy and asked, "Do you need help?"

"I've got this," Roxy replied. She manifested fire in her hands and threw it straight at Quinton. He screamed as his body was engulfed in flames.

"You don't happen to have a sword, do you?" Roxy asked Tristan.

He smiled and manifested a sword in his hands. "Ask and you shall receive," he replied.

Roxy grinned as she took the sword from his hands and decapitated the burning vampire. Quinton turned to ash quickly.

Roxy exhaled deeply, allowing her body to relax. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked.

"I'm good," Roxy replied. She handed the bloody sword back to him. "Thanks for lending this to me. It's a cool sword."

"It's one of many Saunders family heirlooms. I'm good at summoning them when I need them." He paused. "That guy took a lot of blood from you... You need to feed."

"I'll be fine."

Tristan studied her and frowned before sighing. "You're paler than usual, and your breathing is shallow and rapid. You can't wait." With that, he tilted his head and exposed his neck to her before he said, "Go ahead."

"What's your agenda?" She demanded.

"I don't have one." He paused, straightening his head so he could look at her. "The guy was a jerk, Roxy. You shouldn't suffer and risk collapsing because he fed on you."

"Warlocks don't let vampires bite them, especially not Saunders warlocks."

"Call me a rebel... Just let me help you, Roxy."

"And if I drink you dry?"

"You won't."

"I could."

"You could," he agreed, "but you won't. I'm trusting you, and you won't betray that."

"Says who?"

"Says the fact that you haven't already attacked me. You need blood, but you didn't just steal it from me."

Roxy sighed. "You're a peculiar warlock."

"Sometimes. Go on, Roxy... Feed on me. I'll be fine."

He moved closer to her and put her hand on the vein in his neck. She could his pulse. That did it. She sank her fangs into his flesh, drinking furiously at first. She kept going, unable to stop herself as raw need took over. Before she even realized what she was doing, she marked him.

Stop it, she scolded herself. You can't go claiming a warlock as yours.

She marked him again. She couldn't stop. There was something about Tristan's blood that she couldn't resist claiming. She'd only put marks on one other person, and that had been Izzy. She'd done it to protect her from Quinton, who had looked at her one day like he thought she'd make a great snack. That was the day Roxy broke up with him. She might have had trouble resisting him, but she'd never let anyone hurt Izzy.

With a third mark, she knew that no one else would be able to feed on Tristan. She should have stopped. She was trying to when Tristan let out a soft moan of, "Rox..."

Roxy lost control. She marked Tristan a fourth time. She had two choices with that mark... She could turn him into a vampire, which would basically sentence him to death at the hands of the warlocks, or she could make him her human servant.

That's a big commitment and a serious bond, she reminded herself. Do you trust him enough?

Oddly, she did. The day she'd met Sir Ignatius had started them on this path. Tristan had willingly given up his blood when she demanded it... And now, he'd helped her when he didn't have to with a man who had preyed on her when she was too young to fully understand that he was abusing her. Tristan could have walked away and left her to fend for herself, but he'd chosen to protect her.

Tristan was trustworthy. She was certain of it.

She pulled back, licking his wounds to help them heal. The holes in his neck sealed up quickly. Roxy focused on catching her breath as Tristan seemed to come down from a euphoric state.

"Rox..." He mumbled as he tried to focus. "I... What was that?"

"You felt it?" She asked.

"I felt you... Almost like your soul merged into mine for a minute. It was intense... I've never felt anything like that before."

"I made you my human servant... I wasn't planning to, but it just sort of happened..." She hesitated before adding, "Sorry. You barely know me, and now you're stuck with me."

Tristan looked into her eyes. "Don't apologize," he said. "It felt right... I mean, my family will flip out if they realize it, but I don't care. I think I'm supposed to be whatever this is."

"You'll feel loyal to me... And you'll have to let me feed on you if I'm weak or need to heal myself or even if I'm just super hangry..."

"So I'm a chew toy?"

"I mean... Sort of, yeah," she replied with a laugh.

He started laughing, too. "I can live with that. It actually felt really good... Maybe a little too good. I didn't think I had a vampire kink, but apparently, I like being bitten."

"I'm a Reaper. Most people react strongly to my bite... But it was more intense with you."

"Because I'm meant to be your human servant. I don't love the term, but the meaning... If I understand right, a servant protects their master. They share a bond unlike any other... And I want to protect you, Roxy. It feels natural to me. It has since I saw you in the basement the day you met Iggy."

She couldn't explain what she was feeling, but she knew that she trusted him. Roxy wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder for a moment. He held her, his embrace oddly comforting as she memorized his scent.

Safe, she thought. This is what safe feels like. It's strange, but I like it.

Their peace was short-lived as someone cleared their throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt," Alaric said.

"Alaric? You're home," Tristan said in surprise.

"Shouldn't you be hiding at the Unit?" Roxy asked. "I know Solstice brought you there. You look a lot less near death today."

"I had to warn you, Tristan... There's a territory war coming. The Blackrains already sent one person to make an appearance and test the waters."

"She's dead," Roxy said. "Crashing Jade's funeral wasn't smart."

"It's not over," Alaric insisted. "Others will come. They have been plotting this for a long time... Judas is working with them."

"Wait, why is the guy who's kidnapping warlocks trying to start a territory war?" Tristan asked.

"He's not just interested in gaining power from people, Tristan," Alaric replied. "Judas is after something much bigger."

"Which is what?" Roxy asked.

"Chaos," Alaric replied. "He intends to watch the whole world burn, starting with Salem."