A couple hours after darkness falls over the forest around us, we all load up into two rental SUVs. I drive one with Micah, Oliver, Julian, and Dante with me, and Everett follows close behind us with Lawrence and Keith. Once again, we left Ben, River, Annie, Cal, and Lizzie behind. Cal is going on a run to try to get his hands on some donated blood, while Ben gathers first aid supplies we could possibly need if me and Julian are too worn down to heal anybody that's injured.

"How do you turn someone into a vampire, Dante?" I ask suddenly, causing everyone in the vehicle to turn to me in surprise.

"Is now really the time for this conversation?" He responds.

"Yes, it is."

He shifts around in the seat behind me, choosing his words carefully before responding.

"Okay. When we feed, we bite, poking holes in the carotid artery, but then we pull back slightly, to pull our fangs back from blocking the holes they created. That way the blood can flow. It flows out quickly enough that the small amount of venom from the bite doesn't do anything. It takes a lot of self control to turn someone because you can't pull back and drink. You have to hold the bite, allowing a sufficient amount of the venom to enter the blood stream."

"How long does it take to change?" I ask, curiously. His eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, wondering why I chose now to have this conversation, but I have my reasons.

"It varies, but usually twelve to twenty-four hours."

"Is it painful?" Micah asks, surprisingly joining this conversation.

Dante's eyes meet mine in the mirror once again, not wanting to answer Micah's seemingly innocent question. Micah doesn't know the significance of his question to me. I still haven't told any of them about that talk I had with Dante before we left for our mini vacation.

"Well, you die in the end. So, there's that," Dante finally responds after a long uncomfortable pause, not really answering the question.

"Hey, Julian. Do you think you can do that crack in the earth thing again, or is it too much?" I ask, purposely changing the subject. I'd wanted to know the logistics of the change, not all the dirty details.

He shrugs from his spot beside Dante in the backseat. "I think I can do it. It'll wear me out though. I don't know how much help I'll be afterwards."

"I want you to do it in a circle around the perimeter of the area," I mumble apologetically, remembering what it did to him last time. I need him to do it though. I could do it, but I'm not sure if I'd be able to do that, then hold the wall of fire up, and then fight for who knows how long. "I can't risk wearing myself down midway through the fight. That would put every one of us in danger."

Nodding in understanding, he goes back to playing on his phone.

"You're going to trap them in, aren't you?" Micah asks from the passenger's seat, and I nod.

"I can't risk someone getting away with Lucien while we're distracted. I'm going to trap us all inside the circle together."

Oliver grunts nervously from the backseat, but his eyes never leave his window.

"If you want to back out now, Oliver, no one will judge you. Every one here should make the choice for themselves. I can't turn back; Not as long as they have Lucien, but all of you can," I say gently, wanting him to know my words are sincere.

I wouldn't hold it against any of them. I wouldn't be surprised at all if me and Dante went into this fight alone. After all, we're the ones that Lucien matters to. Julian cares about him too because he's always been around, but not in the same way. The rest of this group barely even knows him.

"Nope. Somewhere along the way we all became a weird mixed up team, and the team should stick together. Besides that, as long as Micah is there, so am I. He was supposed to be my alpha. I also feel like I'm supposed to help you somehow."

I nod, but before I can respond I catch sight of Dante's widened eyes in my mirror. He expression tells me that he just figured something out, but as soon as his eyes meet mine in the mirror, they dart away anxiously.

Everyone falls silent for the last few minutes of the ride, before we pull over on the side of some middle of nowhere back road less than a mile from where Keith believes the coven is located. We all climb from the vehicles, closing the doors as quietly as we can.

I glance towards Lawrence, and eye him warily. "You need to focus on the fight. Don't try to protect me again. I don't need it, and you only managed to get in my way last time," I say gently, trying to ease the blow to his ego.

"It's instinct to try to protect you. I can't help it," he mumbles sounding embarrassed that he'd only got in my way.

"Fight that instinct," I say firmly, and he nods reluctantly.

"Everybody needs to be careful of explosives," I say, remembering that the coven seems to favor them.

"This coven has been running for their lives for generations. There's no doubt they'll have booby trap in the area to warn them when someone is coming," Keith says, eyes on his phone screen.

"Wouldn't that put humans in the area in danger though? I mean this is right on the edge of the national forest- where humans hike and explore the wilderness," Micah cuts in, and Keith nods.

So, the coven's hate for vampires isn't to preserve human life. It's just a centuries old vendetta that they turned into a full-on war. I sigh in disappointment. If they were going to start a war with an entire species, they could have at least had a better reason.

"I'll shift for the walk in. I should be able to smell anything out of place," Micah says, jogging behind a nearby tree to strip his clothes off. Moments later, his pure white wolf trots back out, carrying his clothes in its mouth.

I reach down and take them from him, careful to avoid his teeth since we're still unsure what werewolf venom would do to me. An accidental nick in my skin probably wouldn't pose any real danger, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

"Be careful," Everett mutters quietly, walking past me, and I nod.

We all tread through the thick underbrush of the woods slowly, allowing Micah's wolf to lead the way. It takes a while, but we finally start to near the location when Micah suddenly growls lowly. Walking up to him, I see his nose pointed at one spot in particular while he continues to growl. The spot looks just like the rest of the ground. I reach down to brush the small bit of snow and fallen leaves away, wanting to see what hides beneath, but I'm stopped when Micah's teeth clamp onto the sleeve of my shirt pulling slightly.

"Watch those teeth," I whisper quietly, and he whines, pulling at my sleeve again. "Okay, fine. We'll just go around it." His big wolf head nods, releasing my shirt.

This happens a few more times before we finally reach the clearing where we find three houses, just like at the last place the coven was staying. My curiosity on what's hiding beneath the snow grows with each of Micah's growls, but I let it go for now.

Standing on the edge of the clearing, a small victorious smile tilts my lips. The outside is deserted, but I can hear sounds of life from all three of the large two-story houses.

"Gottcha," I whisper excitedly, not worried they'll hear us with their normal human hearing.

I am surprised no one is outside keeping watch though. They're obviously confident in whatever tricks they have hidden in the snow in the surrounding woods. The fact that we have multiple species working together, gives us a clear advantage over most.

Taking a deep breath, I ready myself for what's to come, feeling that violent anger surge back into me. This time though, I don't try to suppress it. I let all of the turbulent emotions of the last few weeks run rampant, fueling my magic. That same old pulsing sensation races across my skin, excited to be let loose for the first time in a while.

"Julian," I mutter, and he steps forward nodding his head in understanding before his eyes screw shut in concentration. He kneels down, placing his hands on the earth below our feet. "Everybody, try to help him. He's going to be weak after this."

"After what?" Keith asks.

Suddenly the ground starts to shake subtly before growing in strength, rumbling ominously. A violent sound cracks through the air as a large fissure starts to race across the ground. In seconds, the fissure has formed a large circle surrounding the clearing.

"Whoa," Keith mutters.

"You guys are going to do what you did last time," Everett says, and I nod just before people begin to pour out of the houses in a panic.

Before they can get far, flames shoot up from the crack, effectively tapping us all inside. They all glace around anxiously, a few younger people screaming in fear. It doesn't take long before all eyes land on my group. There's a lot more of them than there was at the last fight. Sara must have only called certain members for help the last time. There are about two dozen witches here, not counting the children. Sara strolls out of the house calmly, eyes scanning over each of us before pausing on Dante.

"I told you what would happen if I ever saw you again," Sara says with a glare full of hatred.

"I'm not worried. You have nothing to hold over my head anymore. Angela is gone, and you can't hurt our daughter anymore. She's too strong," he says back with just as much hatred on his face and in his voice.

"I can't hurt her physically you mean," she says with a smirk of malice in my direction, and rage explodes inside me, my head throbbing with it. I was right. She only took Lucien to hurt me. Whatever he's gone through in his time here, is my punishment for not doing what she wanted. The winds start to pick up, but I pull it back, not wanting to waste any energy on a show of strength. I plan to put all my strength exactly where it needs to be this time. Sustaining the fire is already using enough.

"She's strong. I'll give you that, but she still hasn't ascended, and I have the whole coven with me this time. Not just a few of them," Sara continues.

"This is your one and only chance to hand over Lucien, and we'll leave peacefully," I say, cutting in, not wanting to waste time with conversation. I'm too anxious to set eyes on Lucien to play her mind games today.

"I won't be fighting just to defend myself this time," I say in warning. She needs to know how far I'm willing to go if she doesn't cooperate.

Sara shakes her head with an evil smile, overly confident in her coven.

"Send your children back inside. I mean them no harm, and I don't think any of us want them caught in the crossfire," I say, hoping they'll listen. Most of the children run in the direction of the house closest to them, but a few of the younger teenagers stay to fight, and I sigh sadly.

With a slight nod, I send a burst of energy in their group's direction, knowing it won't be enough to take down such a large group, but it'll knock a few off their feet. As expected, the dozen or so closest to me are forcefully thrown backwards.

Chaos erupts around me, everyone fighting for their lives. Bolts of electricity and flames shoot through the air. The vampires in my group use their speed to their advantage, dodging whatever's thrown their way as they try to make their way closer to the witches. Oliver's wolf has joined Micah's, using their animal's natural agility to dodge closer.

A row of boulders on the edge of the clearing lift and fly through the air, all aimed towards my group, and I realize they were placed in the clearing for just this purpose. I use another burst to knock most of them off course, sending them towards the witches. A few hit their mark, knocking a few witches to the ground, where they remain unmoving. One I hadn't been able to move though, hits Oliver in the side, a loud yelp leaving his wolf's mouth as he skids across the snow-covered ground.

A young witch in his twenties decides to take advantage of Oliver's moment of vulnerability and sends a bolt of electricity in his direction, causing his wolf to convulse violently. Micah's wolf lunges while he's distracted, his teeth clamping onto the witch's neck, and I wince slightly.

A flame shoots by my face, missing me by inches and I turn in that direction just in time to catch a sharpened piece of wood flying in my direction. A breath of relief leaves my mouth as my hand clamps around the wood, catching it midair.

Following the direction it came from, I see a stack of handmade wooden stakes piled beside the porch of one of the houses that we hadn't noticed when we arrived. Of course a coven that hunts vampires would have a pile of stakes just laying around.

I check on all the vampires with me in one quick glance before using my shielding power to contain the stakes where they are in the same moment another one shoots from the pile, ineffectively bouncing off my shield surrounding the pile.

Another flame slams into my shoulder, singing my skin painfully, and I turn towards it, dodging a bolt of electricity just in time. I come face to face with Sara and two witches I remember fighting last time. Unwilling to take my shield off the wooden stakes to shield myself, I'm forced to dodge everything they send my way, taking multiple hits of fire in the process.

I focus on dodging the electricity more than anything else, not as worried about burns as I am about being incapacitated by the electricity. While I'm busy focusing on the other two witches, Sara sends another boulder flying my way, hitting me directly in the chest. I skid back in the snow from the force of the impact, hearing and feeling multiple ribs break.

I mutter curses under my breath, as I send it flying back at her, but she's expecting that and knocks it out of the air before it even gets close.

"Ugh," I hear a familiar voice groan, and I glance over to see Lawrence on his knees in the snow, holding his head as a witch stands over him, hands outstretched, clearly doing some sort of mental power on him while another witch comes up behind Lawrence.

Without thought, I throw the stake still clutched in my hand, using my powers to guide it, it impales the witch using the mental power to distract Lawrence. Blood spurts from the wound, and the witch falls to the ground, unblinking. Lawrence shakes his head a few times to clear his mind before surging to his feet and snapping the neck of the other witch that had been creeping up behind him.

Sara freezes for a moment in shock, not believing I'd actually kill members of the coven I was born to lead.

"You'd really kill your own people over one vampire?" She says disbelievingly, rage consuming her.

"He's a lot more than just one vampire to me, and you knew that," I say back.

As if given some invisible signal that none of the rest of us notice, a dozen of the witches turn their attention solely on me, while the rest focus on keeping the rest of my group busy and unable to intervene. My eyes grow wide, and I have no choice but to drop my shield from the stakes and pull it around myself as the whole group sends their powers in my direction all at once.

"Ari," I hear Dante yell, but I can't take my concentration off what's happening around me.

Since the stakes are back in play, I use them to my advantage and send them all flying towards the group now surrounding me, hoping to distract them. Most of the witches use their own powers to protect themselves, but a few are caught unaware. The wounds aren't fatal, but it takes a couple more out of the fight.

Sara takes advantage of the moment, using her own power to send a stake in another direction. I throw my shield in that direction, stopping the stake just before it can hit Dante's chest directly over his heart.

Before I can even register the relief at stopping it, electricity slams into me from multiple directions, and I groan loudly, convulsing on the ground. Getting multiple burns and other injuries while I'm unable to fight back. I scream as a stake slices through my shoulder.

"Your need to protect their kind will be your downfall," Sara says, making it clear that she knew she wouldn't be successful in killing him when she threw that stake. She just needed me to take the shield off myself, and I played right into her plan.

The pain of my injuries, the energy of holding the fire, and holding the shield while fighting are all draining me quickly.

"You'll never see him again," Sara says snidely, speaking of Lucien, and unwittingly giving me exactly what I needed.

Desperation, fear, and rage mix together, sending my magic into a frenzy, but I use all my strength to hold it in, letting it build to a dangerous level. When it feels like I can't possibly hold it anymore, I release it with a scream. A burst of energy leaves my body like an explosion, knocking everybody in the clearing to the ground.

I stumble to my feet, scanning the clearing, seeing half a dozen dead bodies littering the ground. Everyone here is injured in one way or another, but everyone in my group is still alive. I try to catch my breath, my whole body aching while I watch everyone groan in pain.

When a few witches go to stand, I quickly knock them back to the ground. I spread my shield across the clearing like a blanket. I'm unsure it'll work since I've never used my shield in this way, but when I see multiple witches fighting to stand and unable move, I know it's working in pinning them to the ground.

"The fight is over. I'll get who I came here for, and then I'll be gone. Unless you want to join your dead, you'll let me," I say, still breathless. The broken ribs keep me from being able to take a deep breath. Everyone on the ground except Sara nods, agreeing to my words.

My own group shakily make their way to their feet and come to join me. Dante inspects the stake through my shoulder, and I brace myself.

"Pull it out," I grit out between my teeth. One way or another, it's got to come out. We might as well get it over with.

He hesitates, but finally nods, gripping my shoulder with one hand and the stake with the other.

"One, two..." he mumbles just before he yanks the stake while pushing my shoulder.

With another scream, I hit my knees in the snow. My distraction causes both the fire and the shield to drop. A few witches make it to their feet, but they don't make a move to fight, shuffling nervously. Sara starts to stand, and when she's halfway up, I knock her back to the ground.

"We want a new leader," a short stocky man in his twenties says, as he climbs to his feet.

"What?" Sara screeches in disbelief. "I've been leading this coven for almost forty years."

"You got us into this mess. None of us wanted to make an enemy of the one from the prophecy. You got members killed all for your own personal family drama. Your motivations have become compromised. You're no longer fit to lead," he says angrily.

I grip my shoulder tightly trying to slow the blood flow while watch the show in front of me with more enjoyment than I should.

"I was born to lead this coven. You don't have the power to take my position, and you'll have to take it. I won't step down," she spits bitterly in his direction, and he raises an unconcerned eyebrow.

"You're right. I don't, but she does," he says with a nod in my direction. "It was her mother's birthright to lead this coven, and now it's hers."

"I don't want it," I say without an ounce of regret.

"What about your siblings? Are either one of them strong enough?" He asks, and I hesitate.

"I'll do it," Julian mutters, stepping forward.

"You're only fifteen, Julian. I have no doubt you'll be strong enough once you ascend, but you're not yet," I say, unwilling to leave a fifteen-year-old in control of a coven that's currently being hunted.

"Then he can take it when he's eighteen. We just need a temporary leader until then. You can choose one," the man says, his eyes still on me, desperate to replace Sara as their leader.

"If you want to keep something like this from happening again, you'll need to have a hand in it," Dante whispers in my ear. "This coven is set in their ways, but you have a chance to change it."

"I don't know any of you. I can't be the one to make the decision when I don't know who's fit to lead. The coven can vote for a temporary leader. It needs to be someone you trust to be in control. Whoever is chosen, will report to me weekly. You'll keep me up to date on what's going on within the coven. When Julian turns eighteen, he will take over," I say with a glance in his direction, and he nods in agreement.

"You can't take my coven from me," Sara screeches again, and an evil smirk creeps onto my face. I make my way over to her and snatch her up off the ground.

"Oh, but I have plans for you," I whisper ominously in her ear before shoving her towards Dante. "Turn her," I say, my smirk still prominent.

He glances at me in shock, realizing why I'd asked those questions on the ride here. Sara's eyes grow to the size of saucers, and she begins struggling in his unrelenting grasp.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to make her stronger?" Lawrence asks.

"That's if her powers survive the change. They might not. Either way, I'm not too worried. I think it's fitting that she becomes the one thing she hates most," I say, grinning at the appalled look on Sara's wrinkled face. "You've hurt too many people I care about. This is your payback for my mom, dad, Dante, and whatever you've done to Lucien since you took him."

Dante's shock fades, and his lips twitch just before his face changes, fangs descending, and he buries them into her neck with glee shining in his emerald eyes. I see disgust twist many faces in the crowd, but I couldn't care less. Sara more than earned this punishment.

"There will be no more hunting vampires," I declare loudly to the coven before me. Anger covers many of their features, but again, I don't care. "It's time this centuries old feud comes to an end. The only thing you need to focus on now, is avoiding the Locktons."

After a full minute of Sara fighting in Dante's grip while his teeth stay firmly in her neck, she begins screaming in agony, and he drops her to the ground. He swipes the blood on his lips with the sleeve of his shirt, looking like he wants no part of her on him. A satisfied grin grows on his lips while he watches her writhe in pain at his feet.

"Where is the vampire she took?" I ask loudly, and all of their eyes fall to the ground nervously. My heart slams into my throat, my thoughts immediately going to the worst possibility. Panic, fear, and a different kind of pain almost bring me to my knees again until a teenage girl, about thirteen, speaks up.

"I'll take you," she says shyly, her red hair shielding her face, and I shoot her a grateful look.

"You got this?' I ask Julian, gesturing towards the witches around us, and he nods.

I follow behind the girl around the side of one of the houses while Dante and Micah fall into step behind me, not trusting the girl. I roll my eyes over my shoulder at them. Honestly, how much danger could a single thirteen-year-old really pose to me?

The girl opens a wooden door leading down to the cellar of one of the houses, and gestures into the darkness.

"He's down there," she whispers.

I make it down two steps before slamming to a halt when an unpleasant stench hits my nose.

"What is that?" I ask, disgusted.

"They've been starving him. Besides keeping us strong, blood is what keeps our bodies fresh and healthy despite us technically being dead. You smell decay," he mumbles, attempting to squeeze past me in the narrow stairway. "If he's starving, you need to stay up here. You're bleeding, and you're half human. He won't be able to control himself. I'll get him and bring him up."

I gag slightly at the thought of his body actually decaying while his mind is aware of what's happening. The cruelty of these witches astounds me. My feet quickly dart down the stairs, avoiding Dante's attempt to grab me.

"Not a chance," I mumble back to him. At the bottom of the stairs, I come to a steel door with a padlock holding it closed. Under normal circumstances this would never be enough to hold a vampire. If he hasn't had blood in nearly a month since he's been missing though, I doubt he can even stand, much less get through a steel door.

I yank on the padlock, feeling more strength than usual flow through my muscles. I've always been stronger than humans, but this feels different. An image of me drinking Everett's blood pops into my mind, and I grin. That 'mistake' as he calls it, might have just come in handy, I think to myself as the lock gives way beneath my hands.

"Looks like blood makes me stronger, just as it does normal vampires," I mutter to myself.

"You drank blood? Oh, gross," Micah mumbles from behind Dante. "From where?"

I ignore his question, shoving the door open, completely unprepared for the sight before me. Lucien lays in the corner of the concrete room, his head against the wall, and chains going from each of his limbs to bolts in the floor. He has multiple unhealed injuries scattered around his whole body, and his skin is a sickening dark grey color.

"Why aren't his injuries healing?" I ask.

"Lack of blood," Dante replies.

I dart forward again, dodging Dante's hands, and throwing up my shield behind me, unable to allow him to stop me. When I near him, I see his eyes are closed, and he's too still. I yank the chains on his ankles free from the floor before turning towards his arms.

"Lucien, come on. Wake up," I say loudly, smacking his rough, grey cheek. Tears stream down my own cheeks unchecked while my eyes scan him, cataloguing every injury inflicted on him because of me. Any speck of guilt I felt for the dead bodies above us vanishes as I look at what was done to him.

When I free his first arm, his nostrils flare, his eyes pop open with that predatory look in them, and his fangs descend.

"Get away from him, Ari," Dante yells, but I ignore him, staring into the eyes I've been dying to see for nearly a month, relief pumping through my veins at the sight of them.

Recognition flickers in them, and he relaxes back onto the floor. His free arm shoots out, and yanks me to him, my face slamming into his chest roughly. I struggle to control my gag reflex at the smell, but press myself closer to him anyway.

"You're okay," I whisper roughly, my tears wetting his tattered shirt. Glancing up I see his fangs are still prominent with his need for blood, but he's somehow managing to hold himself back, his whole body taught and shaking slightly with the enormous effort it takes.

I suck in a nervous breath, knowing what I need to do.

"Go ahead," I whisper, and he gives a feeble attempt to shake his head in return. Seeing he's too weak to even shake his head properly, my resolve strengthens. "Just enough for you to stand, and we can get out of here."

"He won't be able to stop!" Dante yells, but I tune him out.

"Yes, he will," I say, staring into his dull, lifeless chocolate brown eyes, leaning towards him. He stares back warily before giving a slight nod of agreement.

Knowing what to expect because of that night with Everett, I brace myself for the near mania this is going to cause to my vampire side. I barely wince when his fangs tear through my skin. My heartbeat races in my ears, drowning out Dante's protests. Lucien groans in relief, and I shiver slightly in euphoria, my vampire side drawing pleasure from the act of allowing another to feed on me.

Squeezing my eyes shut tightly, I breathe deeply, focusing only on my need to heal him, and pushing everything else aside. Relief fills me when his freed hand raises to grip the back of my neck, showing he's already getting stronger.

After only a couple moments, I feel his inner struggle begin. Part of him doesn't want to stop, needing the blood, but another part of him fights to pull back. I stay completely still, waiting to see which part will win. If he can't stop himself, I'll have to do it for him, but I hate to use my powers against him. I always have.

With another loud groan against my throat, he yanks his fangs out, his head hitting the floor beneath him with a thud as he forces himself away from my neck.

His cuts and scrapes start to heal before my eyes, his skin is less flaky and nasty looking, but it still has the grey hue, and the smell remains. He's unable to take enough from me to heal everything, but he's better.

Pushing himself weakly up off the floor, he pulls me up with him. Together, we yank the last chain free, and he stumbles towards the door. I pull one of his arms around my shoulders to help support him, and I finally drop the shield.

"What were you thinking?!" Dante yells, advancing on me the second the shield is down. "Give him to me, and get some distance until we can get him more blood."

I shake my head, and stay firmly planted under Lucien's arm, having no intention of handing him over. Seeing this, Dante throws his hands up in aggravation, but he doesn't fight me. We make our way slowly up the stairs, and finally step out of the cellar into the cold night air.

Lucien's head hangs forward in exhaustion, but he's able to keep his feet moving as we stumble back to the front of the house, Dante and Micah both hovering close and ready to intervene if needed. I'm not worried though. No matter how out of it he is, Lucien wouldn't hurt me, and I know that deep in my bones. If I didn't, I never would have done what I just did.

When we reach the group out front, my group eyes Lucien with a mixture of relief and pity. Julian gasps loudly, and starts to move towards us, but I hold up a hand to stop him, unsure if Lucien's bond with him is strong enough to hold him back from Julian's fully human blood. They get along fine, but they've never been especially close.

"Dante," I call, and he immediately appears at my side. "Now you can get him. Take him to the car. Micah, help them get there safely."

Dante eyes me suspiciously, but jumps at the opportunity to put space between me and the starving vampire. I reluctantly slide out from under Lucien's arm and allow Dante to take my place. Once they disappear into the forest, I have to fight the anxiety pushing me to follow after them. I doubt I'll be comfortable with him out of my sight for a while, but I need to do this.

"Who participated in the torture?" I ask, rage coursing through me.

Everyone glances around nervously, and Lawrence takes a step in my direction.

"Come on, Ari. Let's just go. We got him. It's over," he says gently.

My chest heaves with my frantic breaths, the rage momentarily numbing the pain of my own injuries.

"It was all Sara," several people claim, but I see a few members refusing to even glance in my direction cluing me in to their deceit.

"Let's go, Ari," Lawrence tries again. Everett steps forward, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder, recognizing that I'm too far gone, and they need to keep their distance.

"Revenge has no place in a civilized society, Ari," Julian states, trying to help Lawrence's attempts to pull me back from the edge. His words ring familiar, and I think he's quoting from something we've heard before.

With a loud snort, I gesture around us. "Look around, Julian! There's blood and dead bodies everywhere. Did you see what they did to Lucien? We might have grown up in a civilized world, but the world we live in now- the one with vampires and werewolves- it's not civilized! I'm one of them! We can pretend. We can blend in, but when it comes right down to it, we are predators. So, why should I pretend to be anything else?"

"He helped," the girl who led us to Lucien mumbles, pointing towards a man shaking in fear where he sits on the ground. It's a man I recognize from my first fight with the coven in the woods back home.

"I like you," I say kindly to the girl before using my speed to dart behind the man, gripping his chin in one hand, and the top of his head in the other, I snap his neck before anyone has a chance to try to stop me.

Gasps fill the clearing as his body slumps to the ground.

"Anybody else?" I ask, looking towards the girl and ignoring everyone else. Her eyes are wide, but she doesn't seem overly surprised by the outcome.

"It was just him and Sara," she answers, and I nod walking towards the woods, eager to get back to Lucien.

Changing course at the last second, I fish Sara's phone from her pocket while she continues to writhe in pain on the ground. I toss the phone to the helpful young girl.

"My number is in there, make sure everyone has it. Let me know who is voted as the temporary leader," I say, not waiting around for a response.