The group of vampires stopped talking and turned to the armed trio that were dressed for war. Guns raised and pointed at them. Lennon frowned as he stood.

"What the hell are you up to?"

Adley walked over to Lennon, punched him hard enough to knock him out and then grabbed him before he hit the ground. With his friend over his shoulder, the werewolf pulled back to his little posse. Adley smiled to himself, thinking of them as smoking hot babes who sent a shiver up his spine. He liked a strong woman, and these two, they were exactly what he needed for an amazing full moon.

Adley knew that Lennon had been so wrapped up in his newfound friends that he'd neglected all of them but Lyla the most. He was determined to keep her in his arms, but Lennon had been starstruck by these vampires. Adley would give Lennon the chance to make it up to Lyla, and if he was stupid enough to let her go again, then he'd happily swoop. That would be, of course, if Ris said it was okay. He didn't want to upset her but thought she'd be up for a bit of ménage à trois. She certainly seemed to look at Lyla with her patented devious and carnal gaze.

Charlton stood, a subdued smile on his face.

"What is all this fuss, dear Lyla?"

"You know exactly what this is about. I heard you and your little meeting of death."

They backed out of the great hall, Adley walking first, Lyla and Ris keeping an eye on the vampires that were slowly following them. When they reached the exterior, Adley shot another flare up into the sky.

"Keep going," Lyla said before turning to retrieve the bag. "Stay at the van."

Merissa and Adley continued to the gate just as an armoured truck broke through. The iron gates flung aside, ripped from their hinges. Oscar swerved on the gravel then stopped.

"Get the doors open!" he yelled.

The guards opened the doors, guns pointed and waiting. Lennon was carefully placed onto the truck's floor. Adley helped Ris up and then turned to see where Lyla was. The driveway, the entrance, both empty.

She was already in the house. Lowering to the ground, she glanced around the entry. She'd seen the shadows; she knew that she was being watched. It was more than just these vile creatures. There was someone else here. Someone that she knew was out of place in this world.

Smiling to herself, she loaded up the weapons she needed and clipped the extraction chamber to her belt. Lyla wondered if she should have been shocked at their presence, but then, she knew the world that she now inhabited, and for a moment, she felt safe. It was strange that the darkness that these hidden creatures were should be something so reassuring.

As she walked through the entrance hall, Lyla could hear Charlton barking orders at his underlings. Vampires came running out and then dropped with a single bullet for each of them. Those who were following behind skidded on the stone floors with wide eyes.

They now realised that they'd messed with the wrong woman.

Lyla cut a casual path through to the great hall. Vampires were dropping like flies. Dead flies. Everyone that had kept Lennon enamoured, everyone that had looked at her with a sneer of disgust, they were nothing but a sea of blood. It coated the tiled floor and walls; precision marksmanship ensured no bullet was wasted.

The deeper into the great hall Lyla walked, the closer she came to the one that deserved her wrath the most. Except, he'd fled. Her eyes narrowed at the two corridors that ran alongside the great hall. The arches stood tall, hiding much more than she could ever anticipate.

Following her gut instinct, Lyla jumped between the sandstone pillars and ran deep into the house. The unseen group watched on with a burning hunger. A smile filled the face of the leader as he turned to his second in charge.

"I told you she was exceptional," he murmured.

"Have I ever doubted you? In fact, I recall believing you to the point that this entire mission was based around her ability to get this job done as expected."

They exchanged knowing glances. Yes, the Blue Moon had done exactly as planned. The fly had willingly walked into the spider's web.

"Interesting that she hasn't released the creature."

"Patience, my friend."

Their attention turned to another as he watched a scanner.

"Where is she now?"

"Lower level. There's a large heat source down there. Hang on, someone's nearly at the main doors."

They stepped back, delving deeper into the shadows.

"Human," one whispered.

"An associate of our wonderful friend."

Diego looked around the entrance hall, searching for Lyla. Adley and Merissa soon joined him.

"The bag's here," Ris said as she kicked it out from the wall.

Adley lowered to it, noticing that a lot of things were missing. Hearing the rapid succession of gunfire was enough to make them realise that Lyla was taking her anger out on these vampires.

"She's more than capable," Diego began. "But I don't like leaving it all for her to do."

"This is her war. She's the one that has been wronged the most here. Trust me, you don't know the half of it. It was like a fancy hotel had decided to become a jail."

Diego nodded, a little stunned. He understood Lyla's determination a little better now that he had that piece of information.

"And she told us to stay at the van. Come on."

"What about the bag?"

"Better leave it, just in case she has plans for it."

Ris knew that there was only clothing in it now that Lyla had removed the last of the guns. There was something unsaid about its presence. If she'd wanted to re-enter this place for a final showdown, she could have easily told them to take the bag. Yet, she didn't. To Merissa, it said that maybe Lyla wanted the bag.

They'd give her a few more minutes before searching for her. The trio turned out the door, rushing back to the van with the hope that Lyla would be okay.