"Lilith." Sambuca gripped his sword as his eyes narrowed in on the Mistress.

"I know what you are thinking, Sambuca," Lilith said as her tongue slowly licked her lips. "You want to take that big sword and impaled me, screaming out your name until I beg for mercy. Then, when you don't think I can take any more, you finish me. Oh, Sambuca, that would be so satisfying. But I want to present you with an opportunity. I think an offer that you would be foolish to refuse."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sambuca asked as his eyes scanned the other members of the clan. Being outnumber and, with the addition to the witch, also out powered. Sambuca took this chance to stall until he weighed out his options. "The only offer I would consider is you to release your Optios and face me single combat? Unless you are afraid that I will be too hard and too rough for you." A devilish smirk splashed on his face.

"I can take the best you got, Sambuca." Lilith ran her fingers through her hair. "I admit, the last time we tangled, left me breathless, but I survived."

"But this time," Sambuca added. "The only person that is only to be satisfied is me."

"You are so selfish."

"Damn," Ciara said. "Why don't y'all get a fucking tomb?"

"What is your offer?" Sambuca asked as he was working on a plan of attack, which was hard because the others clan members were watching them like a hawk.

"I will keep my Optios n and leave your city, forever," Lilith said. "But under one condition."

"Which is?"

"Join forces and destroy council,"

"What?" Sambuca's brows rose as he didn't expect these words to come from the Mistress's mouth.

"We need to end this, Sambuca," the Mistress said. "This conflict has been going long enough and neither one of us is getting any younger. This could be peaceful trues between of our factions. With our combined strength, we can kill all of the Masters of the other clans. And place me as Queen. I will rule all the remaining vampires, they would have no choice but the follow my word as they would follow any word of a Goddess. Peace could reign, Sambuca."

"Peace?" Sambuca questioned. "I only see you as a leader of a band of murderous creatures. How can there be peace has your clan slaughtered thousands to feed your new empire?"

Lilith smiled showing her pearly white fangs. "I see your concerns. We are creatures that need to feed. Maybe, our natural desire can be curved to a focus direction."

Sambuca's mind was in deep thought as the Mistress talked about peace and co-existing. "Focus direction?" He asked as he lowered his sword. "Like what?"

"The undesirables," Lilith explained. "The murders, rapists sexual predators, and mentally unstable will become our cattle."

Ciara looked at Sambuca, "That would eliminate everybody I used to date."

Lilith continued her speech. "What do you say, Sambuca? We worked together before. We were a good team." Her eyes traced over Sambuca's muscular built that his shirt, pants and jacket couldn't contain. "And not just on the battlefield."

One didn't need to have the heightened senses and insight of a vampire to pick up the clues that Lilith threw down. Ciara looked at her teacher as her lips curled as she said, "You son of a bitch!"

"It was a long time ago," Sambuca commented. "Focus, Ciara."

"Don't blame your daddy, Ciara?" Lilith said. "Many have desired me, but your daddy was the only one that." She paused as her eyes closed and her mind focused on the joy and pleasure that Sambuca gave her those many years ago. "Satisfy me."

"After this," Ciara said. "You and I are going to have a serious daddy and daughter talk."

"I'm sorry to interrupt this family therapy session," Lilith said. "Are you going to take me up on my offer?" Her hands clenched into fists just in case Sambuca wanted a fight.

"No!" Sambuca answered with a strong hint of defiance in his voice.

"Don't be a fool, Sambuca," Lilith said. "We can put an end to the council."

"I will put an end to the council," Sambuca said. "Starting with you."

"Why?" Lilith's eyes turned from brown to bright yellow as her anger grew.

"Because you murdered the woman I loved," Sambuca said.

"You stupid half-breed." Lilith threw the insult in his direction. "Kill them," she ordered as she stepped back towards the mansion.

"Yes, Mistress," the Rosier clan said in unison.

"Pick a partner and dance," Sambuca ordered as he ran towards Lilith, but Madison blindsided him. His focus was off of Lilith as the blonde vixen was facing him. "Stand down, Madison. You are no match."

"True," Madison said. "But I can handle you in other ways." Her tongue licked her lips as her eyes coated with lust.

"You can't handle me in any arena," Sambuca said with a smirk cemented on his face.

"Oh baby," Madison said. "Treat me like the Mistress. Do you want me to beg for it?"

Sambuca laughed as he found Madison's attempts amusing. "Come on, little girl. Let's see what you have learned." Being immune to Madison's magic, his confidence was high. "Your Mistress left you here to die? Where is the loyalty?"

Madison's let out deafen scream as she charged him. She threw several punches and kicks, but none landed on the Dhampir as he dodged and ducked every blow. Sambuca was playing with her, but not the way Madison wanted. He decided to put her down fast and quick. He countered her punch by catching her wrist and elbowed her in the face, then followed with a knee to the gut. He grabbed her by the hair and flipped her over to her back as she went crashing to the ground. He placed his foot on her neck, slowly crushing her windpipe.

"I don't want to kill you, Madison," he said. "But, I will put you down." He grabbed a knife from his hip and rammed it into the shoulder, pinning her down to the earth.

"Dammit, not again!" Madison cried as she grabbed the knife trying to pull it out.

"Stay here while I kill your Mistress." Sambuca ran into the mansion with only one thing on his mind.

###

"It was you," Chloe screamed as she dodged another bolt from above. She rolled and got back into her fighting style. "It was your voice I heard in my head." Another bolt fired at her as she flipped out of the way. "You moved me from Mistress's final blow. Why?"

"Everything happens for a reason." Kendra's body hovered waiting to get a fix on Chloe. "I always like you, Chloe."

"Why are you trying to kill me?" Chloe asked. "With your power, you would have been a better match for Sambuca instead of that bitch Madison." She charged and jumped towards Kendra with claws extended. Kendra caught Chloe in midair with her telekinesis slammed the redhead into the side of the mansion. Kendra could have easily strike her with a bolt, but she showed Chloe some form of mercy.

"I don't want to kill you, Chloe," Kendra said as she volleyed another bolt in Chloe's direction.

Chloe dodged the attack as it blasted on the side of the house. "You are not trying to kill me?"

"I don't have time to explain it to you," Kendra said. "But I need to go down."

"Oh," Chloe said with a cute smirk on her face. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"Dammit! Chloe." Kendra fired a bolt that clipped Chloe's foot.

"Fuck!" Chloe screamed. "Those fucking things hurt."

"That is the Goddamn point."

Chloe dodged and flipped her way through the woods around the mansion. She felt the trees would give her some cover. "We don't have to do this," Chloe pleaded. "You can go away and let us handle the Mistress."

Kendra sighed. "I'm afraid I can't leave."

"Can't?" Chloe questioned. "Or won't."

A smile came to Kendra's face. "In this case, there is no difference."

"There is still hope, Kendra."

"I'm aware of my options. I'm playing the best one." Kendra scanned the woods. "You can't hide from me." Her hands glowed brightly as she launched bolt at a tree that Chloe was hiding behind. The tree exploded sending Chloe hard into another, then falling down the ground. Kendra hovered closer and looked down at her defeated friend. "Please, Chloe," she begged. "Stay down and say her name."

Chloe shook her head and looked at Kendra. "Never."

"Say her goddamn name!" Kendra screamed. "It is the only way to save yourself. Just do it!"

"No!" Chloe leaped at Kendra. She grabbed Kendra by the throat and punched the witch repeatedly in the face. Both crashed down on the ground. Chloe rolled on top of Kendra. Punched, slammed and smashed the witch in the face, stomach and ribs. Kendra might have the magic, but she was no match for Chloe in a hand to hand contest. Kendra charged up her fists, but Chloe grabbed them by the wrists. "Stop hitting yourself," Chloe joked as she slapped Kendra with the witch's own shock treatment. Chloe lifted Kendra's back off the ground and delivered several head-butts. Chloe didn't want to kill or even hurt Kendra. She just needed Kendra out of the way.

"I'm looking at a forever dead girl," Kendra said as she coughed up some blood and her eyes slowly rolled in her head.

"The bitch won't kill me," Chloe said as she slammed Kendra back to the dirt.

"I know she won't." Kendra's last words before she passed out.

###

"It comes down to this," Sarah said as she circled with Ciara.

"It does have to get ugly," Ciara said. "I mean you could just surrender? That will make this so much easier."

Sarah laughed. "You never do things the easy way."

Ciara sheathed her sword. "I'm not going to kill you, Sarah."

"Fine," Sarah said. "You can just stay there and let me kick your ass!"

"My pride won't let that happen."

"Pride is overrated." Sarah charged her lover. Sarah, a trained martial artist and police officer, was also going to rely on her newly acquired speed and strength to take out Ciara.

Ciara wasn't just fighting her friend and lover. She was fighting an object that was in her way of her goal, killing Lilith. She couldn't give up this opportunity that she waited for years. Ciara blocked several of Sarah's punches and kicks, but the blows had a harder sting to them. Ciara played defense, not taking any offensive shots. But sooner than later, she would have to fight back.

Ciara studied the patterned of her opponent. She focused on how Sarah threw each punch and kick. How the detective lunged after delivering several combinations. Ciara continued to block and study until she understood her lover's fighting style.

Sarah threw a punch and Ciara blocked and caught Sarah by the wrist. "That enough," Ciara said as she squeezed down on the wrist like a vice, which was her first step in setting up a counterstrike. Her elbow hit was strong as it crashed against Sarah's nose. Her knee connected to the stomach just under the rib cage. Her knee struck again, but this time to the jaw of Sarah. She pulled Sarah up by the hair and delivered a nasty headbutted as Sarah fell to the ground. "I love you, so stay the fuck down."

"No," Sarah answered. She pulled a pistol from her ankle holster and before Ciara could react, a bullet blasted out of the clipped Ciara in the shoulder, knocking the slayer down.

"Shit!" Ciara yelled. "You couldn't take your ass whipping like a woman, but had to take it like a little bitch!" She held her hand over the wound on her shoulder.

Sarah got to her feet and aimed the pistol at Ciara's head. "Your options are limited, my dear."

"Shoot the bitch!" Madison screamed from the same spot where Sambuca left her.

"I do love you, Ciara," Sarah said. "But all things must pass."

Ciara wasn't close enough to attack but wasn't far enough to avoid the bullet. Here is where I die, she thought. She closed her eyes as she waited. She heard and felt the bullet hitting the ground next to her, but didn't feel it hitting her skull. Her eyes shot open as she saw Chloe on top of Sarah laying a series of punches to the detective's face.

"Stop it, Chloe!" Ciara yelled as she noticed the Sarah wasn't responding. "You don't know what you are doing."

"That is incorrect," Chloe explained. "I'm a highly intelligent creature with several times your strength and speed. My mind process information faster than you, so I know exactly what I am doing." She delivered several more punches. "I'm killing her." The battle was no longer about Lilith, it was about revenge, the revenge of Sandra, Chloe's true love.

Ciara drew her sword and placed it under Chloe's neck. "If you strike her one more time, the next blow will be your head hitting the ground. This is not the mission, Chloe."

This was a reality check that Chloe needed to hear. She turned her head and looked at Ciara and then looked back at the bloody face of Sarah. She closed her eyes and let out a deep long breath. "Killing Lilith is all that matter."

"Right," Ciara said. "Let's get in that house and kill that bitch."