Severin expected to wake up to a sunny morning, but that wasn't what he found when he opened his drowsy eyes.

Dark clouds from last night's storm still festered in the sky, it was almost as if the next day hadn't arrived. The bedroom was dim and the blinds had been pulled apart to let a little light inside. Severin stretched over, when suddenly, he realized that he wasn't in his room.

Severin's tired eyes grew alert and he looked around the room. Zero was sitting in the arm chair, her eyes blood-shot red and her frown was scary grim. She faced the window, just like she was last night, it seemed she hadn't moved an inch since then. Severin looked over the bed and Tom was dead asleep beside Elijah, his leg sprawled over him and his arm over Elijah too. Severin almost laughed when he remembered how his brother was a wild sleeper.

"Did you get any sleep?" Severin leaned up and asked his mate.

Realization seeped into her eyes, she looked at him like she came back to this realm. "No," she answered stiffly.

Elijah shifted beside Severin, when his own eyes opened then too. His soft blue eyes had some life return to them now and he seemed calmer.

"Good morning," Severin greeted first.

"Um, you're squishing me," said Elijah, and it was clear he was talking about both brothers.

"Deal with it," retorted Severin. "We were really scared last night."

Elijah's eyes filled with guilt. He carefully lifted Tom's arm, but Tom still woke up. He rubbed his eyes and looked at them, when his face tensed and he jolted awake. "Are you okay!" he grabbed Elijah. "You scared the life out of me- I mean- us."

Elijah ran a hand through his messy hair when he saw the bandages around his wrist. "I don't remember much," he muttered.

Tom groaned and slumped back on the bed. "It's too early," he complained.

Severin looked at the clock and it was only half past dawn. "You should rest a little longer," he said to Elijah and hoped that maybe Zero would take the advice too.

"I don't-"

Suddenly, Zero rose to her feet making Elijah go quiet. She went to the door and left them in the room. It was clear that what happened yesterday still bothered her.

Tom lifted his head. "Severin, you should probably check on her," he suggested.

Severin would do that, but he let her be for now. Something told him that what she needed was some quiet, rather than him breathing down her neck.

Elijah got out of bed with haste surprising them. He fumbled over the rug and almost knocked over the coffee table when he rushed into the bathroom. They heard the shower turn on right away too.

"I guess it's time to get up," said Severin, as he rolled out of bed.

Tom moaned. "One more hour," he pleaded.

"Get up," instructed Severin. "I was going to take you to work today." Tom groaned little louder now making Severin laugh.

Severin went to his room and showered quickly. He had finished and went to his closet to pick out a suit to wear. He ditched the vest and tie and went for something more casual, and nothing said casual like a simple black suit and matching linen shirt.

Severin had just stepped out the room, when Zero came out of her dressing room too. She was in an ebony leather suit, that clung to her body like a glove. Her hair slightly wet from a shower and it dripped onto the leather around her shoulders.

"Good morning," he smiled at her as he closed the space between them.

Zero blinked a few times. "Um- yeah," she said. "It's not really a good morning."

"Why not?" he jested. "I get to see you in leather, that's good enough for me." He circled his arms around her slender waist and it was divine. She didn't resist, which was even better.

Severin kissed her cheek before he kissed that sweet spot over her racing pulse, the place that emitted the strongest pheromones from her.

Zero leaned into him and sighed. "I'm tired," she whispered.

"You didn't get any sleep last night," he said. "Are you going to be okay?"

Zero took a deep breath, as she hugged him back. She didn't answer and simply stayed with him for a few short moments. Severin didn't mind at all, he stayed however long she needed.

A warmth came from her just before she straightened and stepped away from his reach, facing him with a stern look. She fixed the collar of her suit and held her head high.

"Do you need to go to work today?" she asked.

"Yeah," he told her.

"Alright," she said and moved to go downstairs.

Severin watched closely as Zero held herself with a dignified posture, her strong legs and those sturdy shoulders that carried the weight of the world effortlessly.

"Where'd she go?" Elijah asked as he rushed out of his room, his hair still wet and he was pulling his sweater down.

"Kitchen," he answered.

They both went downstairs, and they found Zero near the sink filling a glass with water. 


Elijah flinched. "Is she angry?" he murmured warily.

"She could never be angry at you," said Severin. "She has a soft spot for you, buddy."

Severin watched as Elijah anxiously approached Zero. He faced her back and he didn't say a word, only her name over and over again until she responded.

"Zero," he called out carefully. "Zero."

Zero put the glass of water near a bottle of medication. "Take an antibiotic," she said and moved around him.

"Won't you even look at me," Elijah blurted out.

Zero froze in her tracks. Her cobalt blue eyes that were red looked at him with anguish and strain. "You know how worried I was last night," she said. "I couldn't sleep because all I saw was you."

"I didn't know what else to do," Elijah confessed as he touched his scarred neck.

"Killing yourself isn't the way to go," she said. "I would know... since I've tried myself." They gaped at her. Zero drew in a deep breath. "I'm here for you," she told Elijah. "And I always will be."

"No one told me that before," Elijah's eyes saddened and his voice weakened. "So, I don't know what to do now."

Zero laid her hand on his shoulder. "You don't need to do anything except live your life, because now I'm living it with you," she said.

Elijah's eyes blurred again. "I'm sorry," he cried.

Zero hugged him. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry too."

Severin smiled at them. He had never expected to find himself between a woman who saved whoever she touched and a man who needed her hand more than anything else in the world.

Maya worked in wondrous ways, thought Severin.

In the end, he was glad that Elijah found Zero and that she had his back. Severin remembered his mother and wished she was here to see these two. She would have so much fun teasing Elijah and coddling Zero.

"We should have some breakfast," he suggested.

Severin opened the fridge and took out a bunch of berries and fruit to enjoy this morning. Zero poured some orange juice and Tom arrived then too. He was not happy to go to work, but he cheered up when he saw Elijah back on his feet. Everyone gathered at the kitchen island and enjoyed a bowl of fruit with some Greek yogurt. Zero and Elijah only had coffee, unlike Tom and Severin who were starving.

"I was thinking we should have dinner out today," suggested Tom as he took the spoon out of his mouth. "Don't you think?" He looked at his brother.

Severin didn't really know if that would sit well with Zero. She'd probably disagree, but maybe that's why Tom asked Severin so he could work his charm. And he was just about to when Zero looked at them.

"I think that's a great idea," she admitted while surprising Severin. "We could all enjoy some quality time."

Tom beamed. "Alright then, it's date night," he hopped off the stool and put his dishes in the sink.

"I'll do them," Elijah offered as he got up and went to the sink with his empty cup. He nudged Tom off to the side. But Tom didn't budge, he forcefully stayed to help to the dishes too.

"Cute," Severin mumbled as he saw them together. Severin didn't want to ask but his curiosity got the better of him. "What you said earlier about... killing yourself-" he froze before he uttered the next word.

"Oh, that," she sighed nonchalantly. "It's true."

Severin couldn't believe his own ears.

Zero leaned back, her eyes glowing with an untamed flash of pride. Which Severin thought was strange, since most people wouldn't pride over their darkest moment.

"The first time was when I was seven," began Zero. "I remember that one because it was winter and I was stuck in my shabby house with no money because I couldn't find any work. I think three days had gone by and I hadn't eaten anything nor did anyone care to help. Slowly, I fell into a very dark place. A place that Elijah goes to a lot."

Severin felt his throat tighten, like the muscle itself was chocking him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up," he said.

She combed her fingers through her hair. "Telling you doesn't bother me," she said as she turned and faced him. "It seems like that I can tell you everything."

Severin smirked. "I have one of those faces," he gloated.

Zero leaned in. "No, it's your heart."

Severin leaned closer in and laid a warm kiss on her lips.

"Why'd you do that?" she astounded.

"It was about time," he remarked.

Zero grew quiet. "Do you hear that?" she asked grimly, as she turned her head to the side.

"It's probably my heart-" Severin put his hand on his chest- "it's beating pretty fast right now." Zero looked at him and laughed; it was such a sweet sound.

The noise grew and this time Severin heard it too. Zero rushed to her feet and ran to the front door. They all did.

Zero unlocked the door and on the other side was Darren Romero, the man who ran the Maya Sanctuary. He was covered in black ash and his eyes wild with fear. Zero grabbed and anchored Darren bringing him inside.

"The sanctuary," he panicked as he cried, the tears cleaning the soot on his cheeks. "The sanctuary is on fire."

Severin's blood ran cold.

"What?" Zero lost her voice.

"We tried to call you," Darren tried to talk but his throat was coarse and thick with terror. "The phones are dead and yours is too. We couldn't reach you. I didn't want to leave them, but I had to get you."

Zero's anger radiated through her scent, which choked the air out of the room. "Car. Now," she gritted out and ran. Severin followed and so did the others.

Severin saw Zero had ditched the cars and ran straight to her bike. She hopped on and didn't bother looking around her, before she turned the engine on and drove off.

Severin helped Darren into their car and they were quick to follow behind her. No wonder the sun hadn't shined today, it was like it knew that hell was about to break loose.

Severin followed closely behind Zero's bike.

"Darren, what about the others?" Tom asked. "Did everyone get out?"

"Oh god," Darren covered his eyes, that were wet with tears. "The fire was so sudden-" he put his head in his hands- "We didn't know what to do."

Tom shared a worried look with Elijah and Severin.

"Maya, don't do this," whispered Severin. Zero has already been through too much to see another loss today.

Severin pressed on the race and rushed toward the sanctuary. From the far distance, all of them spotted thick columns of smoke, which darkened the sky further. They couldn't see through the smoke and the ground was covered in ash.

Zero stopped and so did they. Severin got out of the car when his eyes feasted on the damage. The flames were angry and fierce as it consumed the entire building. The crackling of the fire overpowered the sound of people yelling to find one another. Darren ran straight to Tyler who was devastated as he stared speechlessly at the fire. Zero ran straight to them and she pulled them away before the weak structure collapsed.

"How'd this happen!" Tyler yelled, his eyes flaming with rage and fear.

Darren shoved a hand through his hair. "I don't know," he cried out.

"How many survived?" Zero asked them. "Where's Diego, Ender, Hagen, the others?"

"We don't know," said Darren. "Everyone was still inside."

More of the building fell and they couldn't believe their own eyes. Severin saw how such a beautiful home was being destroyed in seconds. The fire was ruthless and so was the fear in everyone. There were only a few people standing outside, many lost in the fire.

"We've got one!" A man bellowed from around the building. A little boy in his arms, but what he held didn't look like a body but a corpse.

Zero ran first.

"Oh god," cried Tom. "It's..."

"Diego," said Zero.

Suddenly, the boy's eyes peeled opened. Severin remembered those eyes anywhere, they were bright and beautifully pure.

"Zero," his voice rough.

"Don't speak," she tried to soothe him. "We will get you help-"

"Bad man," he continued. "Bad man...took my friends-" his voice fell and his hand fell too. Zero grabbed the boy in her arms and fell to her knees.

Severin knew right then and there. "Reaper," he said.

"I need to find Hagen," Tyler cried out and he turned to run inside, when the man who helped Diego grabbed his hand. "Let go of me, Shaw!" Tyler shouted. "I need to find my wife!"

"She was the one that helped me get Diego," Shaw said. "Hagen is-" his eyes filled with tears and he looked down.

"No! No, don't say that," Tyler began to cry then. "She's not died. My wife can't be dead!"

Zero laid Diego down and put her jacket over him. She got up and ran into the burning building before anyone could stop her, Elijah ran after her just as fast. Severin saw both of them disappear between the flames.

Severin quickly called the emergency responders and hoped that they would reach them in time. Suddenly, more of the building fell. The entire east side had collapsed and it was visible to see inside the destroyed classrooms and the bodies which fell with the building. Severin had never seen such a horrific scene before. Hellfire was all around them.

Suddenly, when the siren from afar approached, Severin let out a breath of relief. But where was Zero and Elijah? He looked around through the thick ash and couldn't see through his watery eyes.

Another explosion of fire blasted over them, then glass shattered all around them. Severin spotted a figure in the top window, he got closer even though it was hard to breathe and saw Zero jump out of the building, her arms wrapped around someone. Elijah jumped after her with another teacher. All four of them landed on the ground.

Severin rushed over, so did everyone else. She groaned and opened her arms exposing that pink hair, Hagen was in her arms. Elijah let the teacher in his grasp free and she was crying while looking at Hagen. Zero's eyes were masked with grief and so were Elijah's.

Tyler rushed past them to his wife. He grabbed her and called out her name repeatedly, but there was no answer. "Don't do this to me," he sobbed. "Hagen, come back." He held her to him, but there was no response, her body limp and her chest was still as stone.

The fire trucks had arrived and they rushed to get them out of the way. Zero got to her feet and told them what happened and that they may be survivors. Zero was about to get back in there, but they first responders stopped her.

Zero moved back, her hands dirty and wounded laid by her side as her face showed her despair.

The fire finally lessened the moment the hard rush of water rained upon the furious flames. But there was no celebration or relief. As more body bags piled onto the lawn, the more everyone lost a bit of their soul.

Tyler and Darren, a few other teachers stood but that was it. Less than a dozen people had survived. All the kids gone and all the survivors that lived here were gone. Zero stood motionless over Diego's small body.

The fire ended. The lawn was black from the aftermath and there were no remains left. Everything was destroyed.

Severin went to Zero. "We need to get everyone out of here," he told her. "Whoever attacked could come back."

Zero straightened. "This was what Reaper meant," she said. "I took away his slaves and shut down his cages. Now, he burned mine down and took back the kids."

Severin laced his hand in hers. "The others still need your protection," he told her. "We need to arrange a safe house for them."

"My house isn't safe for them," said Zero.

"Then we buy another," he said. "Besides, I already own a few hotels. I can arrange a place for everyone. Reaper can't burn a million-dollar hotel in the middle of Manhattan."

Zero turned and looked at the few survivors who were receiving medical attention from the ambulances parked here.

"Arrange the hotel," she told him. She stepped aside walking towards Darren.

"Hey," Tom came to his side. "This is because of that man, right? Reaper?"

Severin boiled at the sound of that heinous name now. "Yeah," he said, as he pulled his cellphone out and speed dialled his friend. The phone rang and Skyler answered. "I need your help."

Skyler grew stern, Severin sensed it through the phone. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Twelve hotel reservations under anonymous names," he told him. "I need it done right now."

"Consider it done," said Skyler before he called out for his secretary and the phone cut.

Severin ordered a few chauffeurs and cars to pick them up. In under thirty minutes, the cars arrived and the survivors were escorted to the hotel.

A surge of sadness filled him, when he saw the bodies being picked up. Severin looked away, he couldn't see that, it was the same the day his mom died and now again. Loved ones gone in a second. Damn, this world was cruel.

Severin, Elijah, Tom and Zero were the last ones remaining on the desolate field. They all watched as Zero viewed the disaster. She turned away and walked towards her bike, when suddenly, she froze again. Severin looked closer and saw that her bike had been hit by some concrete debris. The bike was distorted and almost broken into two chunks.

Zero turned away, her skin pale and her eyes too blank. She walked to the car they had come in and got ready to leave. Severin sat beside her, the others in the back. She reversed out of the lot and drove in silence.

They returned back to the place that they spent a peaceful morning, but now, it felt strange. All the happiness had been sucked out of the air, only grief weighed down on all of them. However, Severin saw that weight crushing Zero...

-Zero's POV-

The silence in the house grew as she felt the weight on her body drown her further into this dark abyss. Something broke inside her as she recalled all those kids that she protected and freed, only to be taken again.

"Fuck," she growled menacingly. She failed.

Zero left, walking through her house, this time it was to confront her failure.

Zero shoved the door open and slammed it behind her. The sound reverberated through the entire house. Silence fell and her heart pounded in her ears, it was deafening. Zero faced Maya, fury in her blue eyes and a bitter taste in her mouth.

"What protection do you give!" she chastised the black statue with an icy tone, cold enough to kill. "All the pain I've seen should've turned my blood black. But I stayed. I stayed! But what was the reward? Kids are being kidnapped and killed. Women and men are used like fucking sport! Despite my efforts to protect this world. It's not enough!"

The statue stayed silent.

"There is nothing I can do anymore!" exclaimed Zero. "Tell me, what I should do because I'm lost, Maya?"

The statue stayed silent yet again.

Zero's heart slowed down and completely stopped. The world turned black and she was inside it. "My screams aren't loud enough to reach you, are they?" she said.

Zero didn't know how much time had passed, as she sat with her back against the wall, facing the statue that was silent, just like her.

Suddenly, the door opened quietly. The sweet fragrance that filled the space was definitely the only one who calmed her down more than anything else in this world.

Severin came and sat in front of her. Zero stayed quiet, because if she spoke her voice would sound frail. He didn't say a word to her and was working on something in his hands. She looked down and Severin was peeling a tangerine in front of her.

Zero looked at the resolve in his eyes as he held a piece to her lips. She gave in and opened her mouth just enough for Severin to put the piece inside. The burst of fruit hit her tongue and the sugar melted in her mouth. She felt the sweet, rich taste pour down her throat and fill her belly.

Rapidly that sweet flavour turned bitter, a surge of ugly guilt made her feel sick to her stomach. She remembered all the kidnapped kids who probably hadn't eaten anything. Who was feeding them? Who was taking care of them? she wondered, which made her die on the inside. Why should she eat when she failed everyone? she questioned.

"Why are you feeding me this?" she grumbled.

"Because you need to eat if you're going to fight," said Severin, his voice so resilient.

Zero's eyes widened. "I don't know if fighting is enough anymore," she found herself confessing as much as she didn't want to.

Severin brought another piece to her. He didn't move it until she ate it. "No one other than you is going to be able save those kids, Zero," he said. "You're their only hope."

Zero's eyes stung and she dropped her head against the wall. "I feel like shit," she said bitterly. "What did those kids do to deserve this?" she asked and hated that her whole face showed how hostile she was right now. "Sometimes I think that living this life is a curse. I've seen so much evil, that I'm drowning in it-" Zero looked at Severin with angst in her eyes- "Elijah almost killed himself, kids that I saved are kidnapped yet again. Reaper is still out there killing innocents to draw me out-" Zero shoved a hand through her hair- "I think I'm the problem. Maybe, I should just die and they'll be safe."

"You're going to let Reaper win like that?" asked Severin.

Zero's jaw locked and her face turned cold. "I wanna rip that fucker's head clean off his neck."

Severin smirked. "That sounds more like my mate," he confessed. "You can't help what others are going through, Zero. But you control your own life. Or did you forget already what you told me?" Zero lost herself to his words. "You told me that you will always fight to protect those who can't protect themselves. You trained to be the weapon that doesn't know the taste of defeat."

"What do I do?" she asked softly.

"Do what no one in this world does better than you," said Severin, "be their saviour."

The raging storm inside Zero calmed at the touch of her mate. The heavy waves had settled and her mind cleared. Zero sat quietly near her mate, as she felt her own heart start to beat again, like life had returned inside her. She looked back at the silent statue and realized that an answer had come to her when she asked for it. Severin came to her with the answer.

Zero leaned in and hugged Severin. "What's this for?" he asked, even though he hugged her back just as tightly.

"Just as a thank you," she said softly, as she took in his scent and realized that she had fallen for him.

Severin hugged her back. "No need to thank me," he said. "I'm here to take care of you."

Zero leaned back and looked at him. "Then you're the first," she admitted.

"I better be the first," he said. "If I find out there were other men in your life, I think I would get pretty jealous."

"No one," she said. "No one like you."

Severin went quiet and held a sweet smile. He cupped her face and brought her to his lips. Severin kissed her sweetly, the type that made butterflies bloom inside her gut and blood rush to her cheeks. Zero combed her fingers through his soft hair and moaned into his mouth. This was something she could get used to forever, this feeling took her to places she never even dreamed of. Well, for someone like her, it was hard to dream when nightmares haunted her nights. Although, with Severin, it all seemed so far away.

However, this wasn't the time. There were kids who needed her. Zero pulled back and took out her cellphone calling the number she had on speed-dial.

"Hello," the line was answered by the voice of a young man.

"Robin," Zero said sternly. "I need you to come to my house right now."

"I'm in class," he said.

"No, you're not. You are skipping like usual," Zero caught the lie easily. "Get out of bed and get your ass over here."

Robin groaned. "Then you pay for my taxi fare," he said as the phone shuffled with noise.

"I'll buy you a damn car," said Zero. "Just hurry up." She cut the phone and got up onto her feet.

"Whose Robin?" asked Severin as he rose too, eating the rest of the orange.

"My eyes and ears," she told him. "He's moody kid but a talented one."

Severin looked intrigued. "Rare for you to praise someone," he said. "I look forward to meeting him." They both left the temple and returned to the first floor.

Zero rinsed her face in the bathroom and had stepped out, when she saw Elijah standing near Severin and Tom. Zero went over and grabbed the phone on the counter, she had pressed speaker and heard nothing ring through. Someone definitely tampered with her landline.

Zero put the phone down and walked out the front door. She looked up at the roof of her house and saw the satellite perched in the corner.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked as all three of them peeked out.

Zero got onto the ledge of the railing and hoisted herself up onto the roof of the porch. The three of them rushed outside after her. She put her foot onto the blocky railing and climbed up to the second floor. She balanced on the edge, before she reached the final push onto the roof. She rolled onto the top and got to her feet. She walked across the roof to the satellite and saw a black device speared into the grey disk. She crouched down and grabbed the small black box, that had a flashing red light beeping slowly.

"Found you," she muttered.

Zero stood to her feet, with the device in her palm. She got off the roof the same way she came and landed on the porch steps in front of the others.

"What's that?" asked Elijah.

"A way to find the kids," she said.

A taxi arrived through the gates of her house and she knew that it was Robin who had arrived. The taxi rounded the drive-way and a young man stepped out. Zero went over and pulled out her wallet handing the driver how much he needed.

"I wasn't being serious about the cab fare," he told her.

Zero sent off the cab driver.

The boy was about her height and dressed in black ripped jeans, a red flannel. He had black tousled hair, that had streaks of red dyed into it. The red made the green of his eyes pop even more brightly. Robin had a bag on his back and he faced her with the same bored expression, that looked like he never got enough sleep.

"Who do you need me to find now?" he asked her.

She held up the black device. "Start with this," she said. "And then I need footage of an arson attack at the sanctuary."

Robin grabbed the tracker. "Simple enough," he sighed. They turned to go into the house when he froze at the three others standing there at the door. "Um- I thought you lived alone."

"Let me introduce you," she brought him to them. "This is Elijah, my new partner in crime. That's my mate Severin and his brother Tom."

Robin looked a little stumped, but he was rarely surprised by anything. "Robin," he introduced himself.

"We know," Severin said. "Zero told us a little about you."

"Did she tell you that she makes me do illegal things?" he jested.

Zero crossed her arms. "Then you shouldn't make a hobby of such things, Robin," she chided.

Robin shrugged. "Gotta make a living somehow," he muttered.

"Get inside," she said. "You got work to do."

Robin and the others went inside, as Zero lingered at the front door. Her eyes surveyed the surrounding area. She couldn't help the wary feeling as she knew she was being watched. Reaper had his eyes on her, but it was clear that he didn't have a clue who he picked a fight with.

Zero shut the front door and went inside.

"This way, Robin," Zero said as she went towards the stairs.

Robin followed her towards her arsenal room. She opened the door and Robin's eyes widened behind her. But he stayed quiet and followed to take a seat where she pulled the stool out for him.

Severin walked into the room next. "Oh lord," he said softly as he looked everywhere in the square room, with rows and rows of weapons.

Zero went around and got what she needed. "I will set up the security system before I leave," she told Severin. "No one will enter the house. But that also means no can leave."

Severin leaned on the table. "We won't," he told her.

"Robin, you will stay here too," she told the boy. Robin didn't seem to hear her because his green eyes were glued to the screen of his laptop. She let him be. "Make sure he doesn't go anywhere," she told Severin when Elijah came into the room with Tom too.

"Woah!" astounded Tom. "Is this for real?"

Zero strapped the belt onto her waist when she locked eyes with Elijah. "Ready for your first mission?" she asked as she put two glocks into the harness near her thighs. "If you don't feel like it then I won't force you."

"Those kids were nice to me," he told her. "I will come with you to save them, Zero."

Zero felt the tug of a smile on her face, as she grabbed the twin daggers.

"Alright, done," Robin announced.

"That was fast," said Severin.

Robin moved his dark hair. "Please, tracking is easy," he muttered.

Zero came around the table over to the screen. She saw a satellite map of the underground tunnels of the city.

"They took the underground highways to stay off the main streets," said Robin as he pointed at a straight red line. "They travelled for an hour and are camping at a warehouse."

"They're going to change vehicles," said Zero. "We need to move now." She grabbed the Bluetooth piece out of the drawer. "Wear this," she told Robin and tossed one to Elijah who strapped a holster to his shoulders to hold his glocks of choice. "We'll be able to hear you. So, if they move, you tell me." Robin put the device into his ear as he was told.

"Hold on, don't you want to see the footage of the fire?" Robin told her.

Zero froze when the blood in her body turned to ice. She looked back at the screen and saw a clear video of two black vans drove up to the sanctuary.

A total of six men walked out and started working fast with fuel tanks in their hands, throwing oil on the ground and on windows. The last two men then held black devices with blinking lights, which she knew right away were explosives. They put one at the front door, which would explode and not let anyone out. Another was at the back exit.

The six men ran into the school next, quickly and quietly, they worked to grab the kids out of their beds, sedating them so they wouldn't make a sound. They men ran back to the car once the job was finished.

A man stood alone at the end with a lighter in his gloved grasp, he tossed it at the door and then BOOM! The explosion went off and the front door collapsed as the fire grew in tremendous flames, engulfing the sanctuary with no way of escape.

The footage turned off and the room went into heavy silence.

No one knew what to say because they could believe such a heinous deed. However, Zero wasn't in the mood to talk. Her mind was on one thing and that was... vengeance.

Zero left the room and everyone came with her downstairs.

Opening the garage door, Zero grabbed the keys off the table and went straight to the Porsche. Elijah got in with her and closed the door. She turned the ignition on, her foot on the brake and her hand on the gear shift, when her eyes locked with Severin. He stood tall and in front of the others, with his arms crossed. His gaze matched hers and she understood what he needed too, it was the same desire that she had. Both of them were pissed and Zero was glad that he hadn't stopped her nor had he tried to calm her down.

The garage door opened and Zero reversed out before she rounded the car and drove straight through the gates of her house.

Zero didn't waste any time as she raced through the streets. The speed accelerated as she pressed onto the peddle, furiously cutting past all traffic and roads, a bunch of yellow lights that were definitely unsafe to cross. But Zero couldn't worry about that right now.

"Zero," the voice in hear ear was clear as day as it pulled her out of her thoughts. "You need to take a right at this intersection."

Zero cut through in front of a truck and took a wide right turn to the vacant street.

"Where to next, Robin?" Elijah asked for her.

"Keep going straight," he said precisely.

Zero zipped past old, broken down brick buildings that served for old apartment complexes and now had been shut down.

"Take a left here, Zero," said Robin.

Zero turned and her wolf emerged with a snarl and her fangs thirsting to rip through some flesh. From the feral instinct of her wolf, she knew that they were close to the children.

"We're here," she growled.

Elijah looked at her concerned. "You are," Robin confirmed over the line. "The building is right around the corner."

Zero parked where they had taken the turn. She got out of the car and so did Elijah.

"Can you see inside the building, Robin?" Elijah asked.

"There are no cameras inside," he said. "But from the street lights across the building, I can see inside the top windows and I can spot only few armed guards. There may be more once you guys are inside."

Zero bit the inside of her cheeks just to control the raging beast inside her. The need to spill blood to this extent would overwhelm any predator. Except Zero's wolf wasn't one to turn away from carnal hunger. Her wolf faced it instead.

Zero took a deep breath. "There's at least 12 armed men," she told Elijah.

Zero neared the massive doors and was about to kick them open. However, in the darkness of her mind, she didn't want to create a commotion just yet. She wanted to slip inside like a snake, just like they had and attack with their guard down.

Zero motioned for Elijah to follow her to the side entrance near the stairs. The silencer on the mouth of the glock allowed her to shoot the lock apart quietly. The door opened and they both entered soundlessly.

The scent of cold concrete masked the scent of the people inside. However, once Zero rounded the empty dark hall, she saw the wide opening of the main hall which had guards positioned around, some strolling and the others merely watching. None of them spoke since they all had those masks over their faces. They weren't normal thugs and goons; these men were trained to fight and get the job completed.

Not that it mattered to her, she was glad that they weren't lame thugs. She would kill these assholes and serve them on a silver-fucking-platter for Reaper to see.

"Pick a side," she asked Elijah. "Left, or right?"

"Left," said Elijah.

Zero moved first to the right side. She stayed close to the wall, low and soundless, when she neared the other door, she saw a locked cage sitting in the back of a truck. Zero's blood boiled and her hands tightened on the handle of her gun.

The children were crying inside the cage, holding each other and some of them had bruises and cuts. Zero swore she felt her entire vision go red from rage. But then as the anger simmered, her mind turned off and an insidious sensation crawled over her as if she were possessed. She put the gun away and pulled out the weapon that would make more of a mess.

The twin blades slid out of the harness on her back and Zero turned to fight. No armour was thick enough for her silver daggers. Walking straight ahead to the guard near the cage, he had only just turned spotting her coming for him, when Zero lifted her arm and sliced his head clean off his neck. The blood splattered out and soiled her suit, yet now her thirst had been sated a tiny bit.

Zero stepped on the body and over him before she crossed the singular path to the next target. The man had shitty luck today that he faced her with the mood she was in right now. He had no hope of survival. The man and the second guard both spotted her, but they were too late. She was faster, much faster than anyone they ever faced, even Reaper couldn't train them the way she had been trained.

Zero threw her blades together, both of them flying through the air and pierced the men in their chest cavity. They choked under their mask and fell to the ground, but Zero wasn't done yet. She ran through, grabbing her blades, before she faced her next prey.

Blood was all around her, as she moved from target to target, eliminating them. But before she slit their throat or stabbed their heart, she needed them to see her first. She made sure they saw her vengeful eyes and merciless blades before she took their life.

One by one, they all fell. Limbs cut off or heads severed from their bodies. Some still moving with life, even though they were beyond saving.

Zero turned behind her, she took a good long look at the massacre which she caused. Her palms were raw from holding the blades, blood bathed her and she could see her breath cloud in front of her mouth. As Zero stood with her body sore and aching, she closed her eyes and finally could breathe.

However, she wasn't done yet. The show Reaper started still needed a grand finale, and she would be the one to serve it to him.

Zero grabbed the old chains from the table and got to work.

Elijah appeared with his grim look clouding his blue eyes. "What now?" he asked her.

"Collect the bodies and bring them to the roof," she said, as she grabbed the foot and dragged the dead body across the floor. "We're not done yet."

Elijah hauled two bodies; one over his shoulder and the other he dragged too. Both of them climbed up the stairs onto the open roof.

Zero did what needed to be done and Elijah didn't ask any questions either. Instead, he brought all the bodies to the roof and even some pliers to cut the chains for her. Zero kicked off the bodies from the roof and they all fell off the side. The sound of chains clanking against one another made her forget the pain now. She had calmed down.

"The kids," Zero's voice was thick.

Elijah and she went back downstairs to the cage in the truck. They were quiet now, none of them crying anymore because they had seen Zero from earlier.

Zero stood in front of the children and she didn't want to show them her sullied state, but she had no choice. Zero climbed up into the truck and Elijah handed her the pliers. She cut the lock off and the kids ran out of the cage and jumped off the truck.

"Zero, is everyone back at the sanctuary okay?" Lenna asked, her eyes red and puffy. "We heard an explosion before these men took us."

Zero didn't know how to answer her or the other kids who looked at her with anticipation.

"They're dead," declared Ender from the back, his green eyes drowning with heartache. "Everyone good is always killed."

"Don't say that!" Lenna shouted at him. "They can't be... That's our... our... home."

Zero's heart crushed and she felt sick to her stomach. "I'll explain everything once we're out of here," she told them. "Elijah, take them outside to the car."

Elijah did as he was told right-away. The kids all followed him outside but their crying still rang in Zero's ears in this hollow space.

Zero looked at her bloody hands and then at the cage with disgust. She got back in the truck and pulled out that atrocious thing. She searched for something heavy and she thanked the goddess when she found an old sledgehammer.

Zero took a deep breath before she smashed the end of the hammer against the metal distorting it's face. She continued to hit the metal, crushing and breaking its form with her bottled-up frustration. The cage cried out in pain but she didn't show any mercy. The cage fell back with the final blow.

Zero finally let out a heavy breath. She grabbed the broken cage and took it to the roof too. She grabbed the last bit of chain and hung the cage where the others bodies were.

Zero stood on the roof where the icy air bite into her skin and dried the blood on her. She turned on her ear piece. "Robin," that came out in a heavy drawl.

"Yeah," his voice was careful.

"You see me on the roof?" she asked.

"I do," he answered.

"I want the pictures of this warehouse all over the news by the time I get back," she ordered. "Make sure the entire world sees this."

Robin drew out a wary breath. "Okay," he said.

Zero got off the roof and went back to the truck. She drove out the warehouse to where Elijah waited with the kids near their car. "Elijah," she called out. He looked at her inside the truck. "Put the kids in the truck, that's the only way we can move them. You come back in our car."

"Okay," he said.

Elijah opened the back door of the truck and got all the kids back inside. Zero heard the door slam again and Elijah got in the Porsche. Zero then drove out of the parking lot and onto the street returning to her house, with Elijah following closely behind her.

It was done, Zero thought to herself.