"Win," Phayu said, the moment they entered the house. "Got it!" he saluted snappily and closed his eyes. There was a soft rumble, and it felt like something had settled in over the house. "What?" Vegas said, as everyone else looked around. "He cloaked the house Phi," Pai said, as they ushered everyone in. "That is also your power?" Tharn asked. "Yes, that is one of my powers. We all have multiple powers. It just helps," Win said. "We will tell you all about that. Why don't you all get comfortable?" Dean said, leading everyone to a large family room. Even though it was just the four of them that used it, they had always wanted something big enough if they ever found their Draugs and had a family. Even though it had been a dream at that point, Dean always believed that there was no harm in manifesting.

Plus the four of them spent an lot of time alone, following their own pursuits, so this room was a daily reminder that even if they didn't have anyone else, they had each other and that there was a need for them to relax, and just be. The elders all looked around the room. "You have remarkable skill Phayu. This room is stunning," Charn said. "I must say I agree. It's so big and so bright," Type said. "I love the feeling the glass ceilings give. But doesn't it get hot during the summers?" White asked. Phayu picked up a remote lying nearby and pressed a button. Suddenly, shutters came down on the glass, plunging the room into darkness. He pressed another button, and the room lit with bright lights. "This is seriously amazing boys! You seem to have thought of everything," Bun said, looking extremely proud.

"Actually this was Dean's idea," Phayu said. "Yeah. He said we needed to manifest having a family. Looks like he just did it," Win said, all of them looking at Dean. Dean blushed slightly. "Oh stop! As if you all didn't want this to happen," he said, scathingly. "Well, we did, but not like the way you did," Pai teased him. "Okay, okay, let's get to the business at hand," Phayu said, and the other three immediately moved in, sitting next to Phayu. "Is Phayu the leader?" Sean asked. "No," Phayu said, while others said 'yes' at the same time. "He is not the leader per se, but he just strategises better. We used to tend to get distracted during missions, but he was always the one with razor-sharp clarity. So when it came to making plans, we knew that if it was Phayu, it would be fool proof," Win said.

"It's not that it's always him. He never does anything without consulting with us or without our consent. It's like, when we are on hard-core missions, it's Phayu, when we are on civil negotiations, it's Pai, when we are on weapons recovery, it's me, when it comes doing research and finding the weakness of an enemy, it's Dean," Win said. "We work together, which why the Council wanted us broken. We work well alone, but together, we can overthrow the Council," Pai said. "But we don't want that. We want that the Council gets a taste of its own medicine and is exposed for its heinous crimes and subjected to public ridicule," Dean said, his mouth twisting in anger.

"Why made you so mad Dean?" Vegas asked. Dean looked helplessly at Phayu. He nodded and patted Dean's back. "Just before the assassination attempt on us, we received intel about a child being turned vampire. As you know, unlike born vampires, child vampires are not likely to grow in the same manner. They are slower as compared to human growth, and they are likely to be more ferocious than born vampires. When we walked into the house to take the child with us, the parents pleaded. They told us that the child was born, not made. We asked them if they agreed to the testing, and they were only too happy to do so. That obviously gave us a pause," Phayu said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, almost as if he was too hard-pressed to continue. He opened his eyes when he felt his mate's hands slipping into his, and Rain's strength pouring into him. He smiled softly at his little boy and turned to the others.

"We reported back to the Council, who said that we could go back two days later and finish testing the child. Meanwhile they would post lookouts who would not allow the family to escape in case they were lying. Two days later we went back," Phayu's breath shuddered. "Two days later, when we went back, we found a massacre, a blood-bath, almost as if the entire family had been shredded to pieces. We found the child's pinkie nail," Pai took up the story, as a tear trickled down his eye. He looked up gratefully as his mate put his arms around him. "That's when we realised that the male was a former enforcer, who had chosen to move out of the circle. They needed to find an excuse to get him gone, and his child gave him that. His wife and he hadn't told anyone that they were going to have a baby, because that would make them vulnerable. But the Council found out," Win said, clenching his fists and being soothed by his mate.

"They made an example out of him. If you are in, you are in for life. This was around the time we had told P'Pakin and P'Chai about leaving ourselves, which is why they wanted us to see it. See what could happen, if we went against their orders. But this only made us more determined to step back, and eventually step away. It was like lighting fire to the fuse. That's when the assassins happened. That was the first, and last attempt," Dean added, hugging his mate close to him. "Which is why it is physically or psychically impossible to find this house. Till the Council is taken down, this will be the best place to hide in plain sight," Phayu said. "So, how does it look like from the outside?" Tharn asked, pretty interested. "Like an old decrepit cottage surrounded by ruins and a forest," Pai said proudly. "That's a pretty large illusion to maintain," Porche said, looking at the four boys.

"Not really. It's become second nature now," Phayu said, sounding a bit weary. "Phi Mate?" Rain's soft voice in his ears was a balm to his wounded soul. "I am fine little one," he said. Suddenly Pai's mate giggled. Everyone looked at him. "What is the matter?" Pai asked. "Well, it's funny we don't know the names of each other's mates and they don't know ours," the boy said. Everyone looked at each other and began to laugh as well. "Okay, it's introduction time I guess. I am Phayu, and this is Rain," Phayu started the process. "Prapai and Sky," Pai said. "Win and Team." "Dean and Pharm." "Well, now that we know all the names, let's talk about why we are all here," Kinn said. "The boys already spoke to us, and we wanted to keep you all informed too," Pete said, looking towards the other four couples. "What is happening?" Tae asked. "We want to eliminate the Council," Phayu said, getting right to the point. "What?" Min gasped. "What did you say? Do you have any idea about the repercussions this could have?" Fiat asked.

"We do know. which is exactly why we should do it," Dean said. "I don't understand," Leo said. "There is no need to listen to this Leo. It is ridiculous what they are thinking," Fiat said. "Even if it meant letting the people who took your children, go scot-free?" Pai asked. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" White asked. "There were no rogues there, except those who were made. We know this, because we led the rescue," Dean said. "The moment the so-called rogues were incapacitated, Pakin asked Chai to contact the Council, and the fallen vampires were taken away, not killed. That's why we were asked not to kill them outright. We were given the impression they were wanted for questioning, but the truth is, not all the vampires that were fallen were rogues," Dean said. "And then there was Ken," Phayu said. "What about him?" Type asked. "When Rain spoke about Ken, at first I didn't put it together. But when I passed the message to Dean about this person, he told me that Ken was originally an enforcer. He was placed with your family the moment you became pregnant, isn't it?" Phayu asked. Type nodded.

"There were similar guards like that, am I right? Ken, Boom, Todd, and Black, right? These were the ones in the inner circle?" Phayu asked. The older vampires all looked at each other, shocked by how much these boys knew. They were more than brilliant; they were wise, and they were prepared. "The scent that is associated with rogues, you would have smelt it a mile away it these four were infected. Which means, they weren't. So if they were not rogues, then why did they take your sons, and our mates?" Win grumbled. "Are you saying the Council was behind the kidnapping of our children?" Fiat's voice was low, but the anger flowing through it was clear.

"Yes, we are sure. As you can see, the Council managed to keep us away from our families for nearly 500 years. Do you really think P'Pakin and P'Chai had that kind of power on their own?" Dean asked. "He is right Fiat. There are signs that we just can't overlook," Tae sighed. "Do you, the four of you, have any idea what this means for our world?" Min asked. "I know. We know. Pardon me Khun, but you are looking at the negative impacts. Have you thought about the positive ones?" Win asked. "Win," Phayu's tone held a warning. He couldn't mouth off to his mate's father. "Khun, if the Council is allowed to run free, there is more at stake than you can imagine. Once, it was us. Today it was the four of them. Tomorrow, it could someone else. Have you ever thought why the top enforcers of the Council were not put in charge of protecting the fledgelings?" Phayu asked.

"I think Phayu makes valid points. Our babies were precious, that's what we were told. If that is the case, why were they called in to rescue them? Why not make them the protective detail right from the beginning," Sean said. "Also, one more thing. Did you know why the Council took them? Because it would be easy to breed them. They are young, vulnerable. They would have forced the mate bond. And left them in captivity forever. We got this from the minds of one of the rogues, a young girl who was clearly safe from the vapour we had created, only because she was innocent," Pai said. "Where is that girl then?" Tharn asked. "She is safe, as safe as we can make her for now," Win said. "You cloaked her?" Tinn asked, shocked again. Dean nodded. "I did," he said.

The older vampires looked at each other again. Just how powerful were these boys? All of them were feeling intimidated by them. "Well, in that case, we stand with you. What is it that you want us to do?" Kinn asked. "We need to ensure that they don't know that we are planning a coup d'état," Rain suddenly spoke up. "That means we need to change our channel of conversing with each other," Sky nodded easily. "The four of you will stay out of this," Dean and Leo said, at the same time. "Dad, you know that is not going to happen, right?" Sky stated, arms folded across his chest.

"Before this turns into a full-fledged argument, can I say something?" Phayu said calmly. Everyone nodded. Whether they accepted it or not, it was clear he was the one they deferred to. "I know that none of us want our young ones to actively participate in something that could potentially harm them. But they are very intelligent and super powerful in their own rights. Pushing them out of the discussions could be a huge disservice. My suggestion would be to allow them to work behind the scenes, where all of us will protect them in our own ways. They will go about their regular lives, so that no suspicion will fall on them when the time actually comes," he said. "But Phayu," Dean started, then subsided. "Dean, both Rain and Sky gave excellent points. When time comes, so will Pharm and Team. We know what taking stubborn stands can do to people, right?" Pai said. Phayu nodded. "Exactly. And in return, we can ask them to follow a certain set of rules. That will keep them safe. Isn't that what we all want?" Phayu asked the elders. "Leo, Phayu is right. Now that our sons have found their mates, even the Council will be hard pressed to come after them. Plus, the strength we get from mates should not be underestimated," Fiat said. For a minute, there was silence. "Okay, but not a step out of the boundaries drawn for you by us, and by your mates. Is that clear?" Fiat asked, and all the four fledgelings nodded, looking pleased with the developments.