Ella's P.O.V.

A pounding headache was the first thing I could remember.

I could feel my heartbeat pulsating behind my eyes and I felt as though someone had taken my temples in their palms and squashed them together.

I groaned as I reached up to put my hand on my head.

Wallowing in pain, I felt my body tense as I realized I was on a bed.

I sat up slowly.

My eyes wouldn't focus properly because of the headache but I could see a blurry outline of where I was.

The room was small, but it had ceilings so tall I felt as though I was looking into outer space.

The bed I was in had a thick, velvety black canopy over it that matched the duvet I was laying on.

The curtains over the large windows were drawn and blocked out all incoming sunlight.

A few candles were on the nightstand that offered an eerie glow over the room, accompanied by a fire that was smoldering in the fireplace.

The flames were dying and offered the small room very little warmth.

I was freezing.

Looking down, I saw that I was still in my normal clothes, except that my jacket and shoes had been removed.

I also noticed that the bandage around my bad ankle was missing.

Feeling another jolt of pain shoot through my head, I groaned and laid back down.

"I do apologize for the unfortunate side effects."

I sat up quickly, all feelings of pain disappearing.

My heart was racing as I looked over to see him standing in the doorway.

Dr. Hans Weber.

I felt my jaw clench as he opened the door wider and took the liberty of walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Flunitrazepam," he said.

My eyebrows furrowed.

"That's the drug you inhaled that knocked you out," he clarified. "One of the side effects is a severe headache."

"Where am I and where is Zak?" I asked him.

He walked around the bed slowly, making me feel like a prey that was being circled by a predator.

"Zak is busy," he said, ignoring my first question.

"I need to speak with him."

Speak with him. Because apparently he could do that.

"I'm afraid that's not entirely possible," Weber said.

My eyes narrowed.

"Why not?"

He drew in a deep breath before crossing his arms and leaning against the bedpost.

"Ella, I need to ask you a question and I need you to answer it honestly."

I said nothing.

"Where is Cain?" He asked me.

"How should I know?"

He smiled.

"You're his mate."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" I asked. "I left to get away from him."

I saw his jaw clench and I wondered briefly if he could tell that I was lying through my teeth.

"You know where he is," he said.

"I don't," I answered honestly. "He was leaving the night that I left. I don't know where he went."

He turned his head to look at me warily.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

Weber stood at the foot of the bed. The firelight that came from behind him accentuated his tall, lean figure. The shadows cast over his face made him look menacing. It also aged him. I wondered how old he was.

"We found your plane ticket, we know you flew in from Kashmir," he said. "I just need you to tell me where he is staying."

"I told you," I insisted. "Cain was leaving Kashmir. He didn't tell me where he was going and I didn't ask. Why are you so concerned with finding him?"

"Cain has something that I want and I have a few things that he wants," he answered.

"What could you possibly give him that he doesn't already have?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You, for starters."

"Me?" I asked, feigning surprise. "Cain doesn't want me. I left because he said so. I'm not going to be a very valuable bargaining chip."

I wondered if I was being convincing enough. I couldn't read Weber because I couldn't see his face well. I couldn't tell if he was buying it.

"So should I just kill you now then?" He asked.

I gulped.

"Just let me go home," I pleaded. "I don't belong here, I'm not a Vampire or a Lycanthrope. I just want to be left out of this."

Weber raised an eyebrow.

"He didn't tell you?"

Now it was my turn to look surprised.

"Tell me what?" I asked.

He smiled.

"You are not human," he said. "You have pure-blooded Lycanthrope running through your veins."

I remembered having the conversation with Dr. Zosak in the previous weeks when he told me the name thing, yet I still shook my head.

"The only time I've had Lycanthrope blood in my veins was when Cain gave me a blood transfusion."

He hummed and looked down at my ankle.

"Well that explains the healing."

I looked down at my ankle, curious about what he meant.

"Your grandfather shoved a tracking beacon into your ankle, tearing your calcaneofibular ligament. I'm surprised you could walk on it, if I'm being completely honest."

I blinked in surprise.

"What?"

He nodded, still looking at my ankle.

"Yes, we took the tracking beacon out. I had wondered how the incision healed so quickly, but I suppose Cain's blood is an adequate explanation."

"A tracking beacon?" I asked. "That's how you found me at Zak's house."

He looked back at me.

"What? No," he said. "Zak told us you were coming."

I swallowed hard.

"Zak wouldn't have done that," I argued.

He smiled and nodded.

"I'm afraid your brother isn't who you thought he was," he said. "When he learned the truth, he couldn't help but want what we had to offer."

"What truth?" I asked him.

He looked at me dead in the eyes.

"That your grandfather isn't Otto Müller," he said. "His real name is Wilhelm Goebel. He was the European aid to Cain's father. Your grandfather was a very powerful Lycanthrope with a lot of an influence."

I shook my head.

"My grandfather was a tax clerk for nearly his entire life before he retired and came to America with us when I was young," I said.

Weber laughed lightly.

"Your grandfather did not believe that Cain was worthy of his title. He knew that he would continue to ravage this earth until he had earned it all, and he wasn't wrong. He thought that the only way to overcome Cain would be to become Cain. He and his wife came to me, begging to be turned. But, as it turns out, turning a Lycanthrope isn't as easy as turning a human. It was a process that your grandmother didn't survive."

My heart stopped at the mention of her.

I was told she had died of cancer before I was born.

"Despite your grandfather's valiant efforts, Cain could not be stopped. He took his father's title and did exactly what it was feared that he would do. The world was his within a matter of years."

"You see," Weber continued. "That is why I cannot let you go. You, whether you would like to believe it or not, are my most valuable bargaining chip."

I shook my head again.

"Cain doesn't love me. He would never risk his title for me. I promise you that you're wasting your time. I am nobody to him."

The admission brought tears to my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

Weber sighed.

"Cain is the most powerful man in the world," he said. "But he's not the most powerful person in the world."

I stared at him.

"You're his mate," he said. "You are the most powerful person on this planet. You could snap your fingers and all that the world can offer would be yours."

His eyes narrowed.

"You could bring him to his knees and that's exactly what I plan on using you to do."

- - -

Narrative P.O.V.

An elbow to the ribcage startled Daniel and he sat up straight in the car seat.

"No time to doze off," Priya said.

He rubbed his eyes and groaned.

"Easy for you to say. You had the whole flight over here to sleep. I had to stay up and get a false warrant made so we could get surveillance footage from the airport."

The phone in his backpack started to ring and he bent down to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"How are things?"

He cleared his throat hearing Cain's voice.

"Things are good," he said. "We found the cab that she took and we're in it now, heading to the house."

"Any leads at the airport?"

"No," Daniel breathed out. "The only times we saw her in the surveillance videos were when she was arriving in D.C. There's no evidence that she left."

"There are a million ways out of that city," Cain said. "It just means that she didn't leave from that airport."

Thanks, chief. That's comforting, Daniel thought.

"How are things there?" He asked.

Cain was silent for a few moments.

"I have the image of a brutally murdered seven-year-old ingrained in my mind now," he said. "How do you think?"

Daniel sighed.

"Any clue as to who killed them?"

"Vampire," Cain confirmed.

Daniel pulled the phone away from his ear as he cursed under his breath.

Priya looked at him with concern.

"Have you told Jai?" Daniel asked, putting the phone back up to his ear.

"Yes, he arrived in Germany a few hours ago and I told him immediately. We're going to start informing leadership as soon as we have a more concrete description of what to look out for."

"You need to let them know now," Daniel said. "The sooner the better."

"They'll know soon enough," Cain said calmly. "The last thing I need is chaos because I can't tell them what is actually going on."

"Have you told them yet?"

The line was silent for a moment.

"No."

"You should call them," Daniel said. "They might know how to help."

Cain ignored him.

"Let me know if you have any leads in D.C. We need anything we can get at this point. She's been missing for too long."

"Cain," Daniel started, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You don't even know if she's actually missing. And why do you sound tired?"

"I'm not tired."

"You sound exhausted. Have you fed?"

"Yes," Cain said shortly. "It's probably because I went on a run this morning."

"You shifted?" Daniel asked in surprise. "I can't believe you did that voluntarily-"

"Like I said," Cain interrupted. "Call me with any leads."

With that, the call ended.

Daniel pulled the phone away from his ear and look at Priya in surprise.

"He's the most stubborn man I've ever met and I'm going to kill him for it one of these days."

"We're here," The cab driver told them, pulling off the road next to the curb.

"Thank you," Daniel said, handing him a wad of cash. "Keep the change."

He and Priya got out of the car, each of them with a backpack over their shoulders as they looked up at the house.

It was a plain, ranch-style home that looked like every other house in the suburb.

"Not exactly an evil lair," He noted.

"Not anymore," Priya said, pointing to the 'for sale' sign in the yard.

"Of course," Daniel said sarcastically, his shoulders slumping. "Why wouldn't he sell the house once we figured out where he lived?"

Priya walked over to the sign and pulled out a notebook before jotting down the name and number of the realtor.

"Looking at buying the house?" A voice yelled.

Daniel looked over and saw the old woman watching them from where she stood as she watered her rose bushes.

"Um," Daniel stuttered, "yeah, we are."

Priya looked at him incredulously as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Looking for our first house," he said, earning an uneasy laugh from Priya as she caught on.

The old woman smiled at this.

"Well it's a great home," the woman said. "It's nearly new."

"Oh?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It was built a few years ago. An older gentleman and his son are the only owners so far," the woman answered. "Although, they traveled often so we never really saw them so I would say it's only maybe half-lived in."

"Zak lived here, right?" Daniel asked.

The woman looked surprised.

"Zachary was his name, I believe," she said. "How do you know that?"

"We went to school together," Daniel lied. "He's actually the one who told me they were selling and suggested we look at it."

"Oh," the woman said.

"Do you know why they were selling?" Daniel asked. "He never told me, but it seemed to be a bit of a last-minute decision."

The woman's face turned sad.

"I don't know for sure, but I think he was trying to sell it so he could be closer to his father."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed.

"I thought they lived together?"

"They did," she said, "but I haven't seen his father in a month or two. I believe he moved back to Europe because of his health."

"Zak never told me he was sick."

"Oh yes," she said. "He could never even come outside. I rarely saw him."

"I didn't know Zak's dad was European?" Daniel asked. "Do you know where he was from?"

The woman stopped and thought for a moment.

"I don't know exactly where," she said. "He never told us. They were very private. But my husband works at the Pentagon with foreign administration and he told me that his accent sounded Eastern European."

Daniel nodded slowly.

"You didn't happen to see a young woman around here about two nights ago?" Daniel asked the old lady.

She looked at him in confusion.

"Not that I can recall," she said slowly. "If someone was here, it was probably to help Zak pack up. He moved out and put the house on the market the next day."

The suspicion in her tone told Daniel that he had pried too far, even for an old, nosey neighbor.

"Well thank you!" Daniel said to the old woman. "It was a pleasure meeting you."

She waved her wrinkled hand.

"I hope you consider buying the house," she said. "It's a quiet neighborhood, nothing ever happens around here."

Daniel faked a smile.

If only she knew...

He and Priya began to walk down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the house.

"What do you make of that?" She asked him.

He shook his head, not sure.

As he did so, his phone rang again.

He looked at the caller i.d. and answered the call, placing the phone up to his ear.

"Jai?" He said. "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is: we found the house. The bad news is: it's being sold and Zak has already skipped town. We're going to call the realtor and see if they can give us any information as to where he was going. I'm sure Ella is with him."

"Don't bother," said Jai. "I just got word they're in Romania."

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed as he stopped mid stride.

"How did you find that out?" He asked.

"Zak called," Jai said. "He has Ella. They want to meet."

"They want to meet?" Daniel asked in confusion. "If she wanted to come back, why didn't she just call me?"

"You don't understand," Jai told him, his voice solemn.

"This isn't a good-will meeting. It's hostage negotiation."

- - -