JULIANZephyr had waved off the wards that he had set in place so the witch, hellhound, and rogue alpha would be able to enter. No one sat. It was as if everyone acknowledged the thickening tension in the room and kept their eyes on the only exit in case we needed to flee. No matter what Lilith said, I still didn't trust Zephyr, still didn't trust that he wasn't working with his twisted daughter that deserved to be tortured until she begged for death.I clenched my jaw at the thought while crossing my wrists behind my back and clenching my hands into tight fists. Revenge was a bitter dish, one I'd be elated to shove down Zephyr's throat.He stood before us, almost as if he were on trial before the council and the thought almost had a smile twitching at my lips. His time would come. I felt it in my unbreakable bones.Lilith looping her hand with mine was what pulled me out of the dark

LILITH I was exhausted. After everything that happened, I was finally drained. But I was scared. Julian had warned me that sleep would come after days and even once it came it wouldn't be something peaceful. So, I was scared and I wasn't afraid to admit it. Witchy was still passed out on the living room couch. As much as everyone wanted to leap into action since they knew a location, they realized that they needed a plan. Tania was strong, even as a syphonor — far stronger than us. We didn't know how many more bodies had piled up in her wake and we didn't know how much power she had in her arsenal. To assume that she was now drained and decided to lay low in plain sight was foolish. Although, Sydney seemed confused on how she could pull of being at the lake, in the middle of wolf territory without being seen, heard, or even smelt. Those were questions only the witch could answer whenever she decided to

LILITHWe were gone and back from our hunt within an hour and for the entire hour, Julian graced me with silence. He was angry that he wouldn't have a say in Tania's fate after everything she had done to him — done to all of us — but Witchy had already struck her bargain and it sounded as if her plan would work. It was solid, better than any plan any of us could come up with. We needed her magic so agreeing to let her and her ancestors deal with Tania's fate was a small price to pay.I just hoped that the witch didn't overexert herself leaving her useless to us. If she guttered her magic then we would have a serious problem.I swallowed the venom filling my mouth at the thought. It was bitter, just like the blood I had ingested thanks to the drugs riddling the human's system. Whether Julian and I killed the couple or not, they were bound to die soon probably from an overdose. It didn't make me

JULIAN The half-blood's purple flames cut through the shadows — not as well as hellfire did — but it weakened them enough to allow me to breathe. I regretted taking in the burning lungful of air when notes of human blood stroked the back of my throat. I wasn't certain how Lilith tolerated it but I kept a firm grip in her hand in case the huntress within reared its head and she sped off in the direction of my siblings. We continued quickly and silently down the narrow passage. I could sense that it was barely wide enough for Lilith and me to walk shoulder to shoulder, hence, I walked a step ahead. We didn't race forward like before because I knew Grace was up ahead and I didn't want to risk slamming into a magical barrier or a wall that I wouldn't be able to see. With my sense of sight out of play, I relied on everything else. I touched the smooth, cold walls and created a mental map of every turn I took. If this was under different circumstances I may have commended Tania on how well

JULIANI settled my brother in the room opposite mine so I could keep an eye on him. He was still going through the painful transition but I had a feeling he would stick to his room after I had warned him that a werewolf bite was potentially deadly to us. That paired with the fact that their stench was potent enough to have me gagging kept him in check. He wouldn't risk leaving the room to hunt and I'd give him blood as soon as his system could ingest it.I gently closed the room door behind me as I exited only to find Sylvain leaning against the wall opposite with four bags of blood cradled in his hands. A groan of displeasure crawled up the back of my throat and with much effort, I swallowed it. As much as I hated what he had done. As much as the memory of my sister falling to the ground with fear blowing her eyes wide and causing her jaw to unhinge. I understood why he did what he did. If I were in his place and Lilith