Sarah Gekiski was crying desperately in her chair. Both her hands and feet were tied so tightly trickles of blood were dripping down her fingers. Her face must have been beautiful, with her bright blue eyes and elegant cheekbones, but it was covered in cuts and bruises. Some were old, other were just appearing.

Blond curls kept falling over her face with each sob, hiding her from the kidnappers. Her breaths were shallow, as if her lungs couldn't quite stretch properly. Probably a broken rib, maybe two.

Dawson didn't seem particularly concerned by the fact that the girl was aware of his identity, which made her all the more convinced he knew that the mist people would not let her live.

The girl wrapped her hands in fists and knew with extreme clarity that she would kill him. Mathias' anger was brushing onto her.

The man did not deserve his power. He deserved to die.

-Ah Sarah, this would be so much easier if only you would cooperate. - he said with a fake a smile.

The girl sighed. -I don't know what they want from me! - she screamed. -I don't even know who they are! I arrived in Chicago only two months ago, you have the wrong person! -

Dawson snapped his fingers and the guard on his right slapped the girl. Valeria restrained Mathias from running towards her, his anger transformed into rage. His green eyes were burning in the dark.

-Yes yes we have been through this before- he continued, as if nothing happened. -But you see, I don't like unknowns when it comes to my career and my ... ah ... allies are something of an unknown to me. How can I give them what they want and be sure it will not be used against me in the future? - he spread his arms.

Valeria hadn't noticed it until then, but the room was not empty. They were surrounded by scraps of metal... copper by the smell of it, of all shapes and sizes. There must have been tons of it just above their heads, hanging on precarious shelves.

-I don't know anything about copper, I am a trained biotechnology assistant. I have never worked with heavy metals - Sarah said truthfully.

Dawson laughed. -The problem is ... I don't believe you -

The guard grabbed a piece of metal. The girl didn't need to look at the paths in his heart to understand what he was going to do next.

Mathias jumped out of the darkness and threw himself at the guard. The man was giving him his back and fell unexpectedly on his face. Mat took the metal out of his hands. The second guard reacted and took out his gun.

Before he could shoot, Valeria had jumped on his shoulders. She held his neck tight against her arms, despite his scratching her back and trying to drop her by banging his back on the wall. She knew he had passed out after his eyes had gone blank.

Dawson was calmly waiting for them to finish, safe behind the first guard's shoulders, his gun pointed at Sarah's head. The poor girl was worryingly white, as if she could pass out any seconds.

She mouthed Mathias' name over and over again.

A pang of jealousy sprung in her heart, but nothing compared to the blinding hate towards Dawson. The mist people were cruel beings. She had spent her entire life fighting for the mortals' right to live their own destiny. But now ... she wondered what if some of the people they killed had been as evil as the councilman.

Valeria took out her own gun, pointed directly at the man's head.

-Seems like we are in a Mexican standoff - said Dawson.

-I am Spanish - objected Mathias, his smile not reaching his eyes. -And I would recommend leaving the girl to us or you will regret the moment you were born. -

The girl was immortal, and yet, she trembled at the boy's words.

She blinked and looked for the guard's path. His eyes betrayed no emotions, but his heart was undecided. 

He needed to follow his boss orders, but three of his comrades had already fallen. The people in front of them were violent and harmed. The girl in the chair was probably innocent. What was he doing?

Valeria shook her head. She had never been able to see emotions this clearly. Was this a consequence of the magic she had used before?

The guard was scared, he just needed a little push.

The girl smiled seductively and lowered her gun. Mat looked at her as if she was crazy.

-I imagine you boss hasn't told you whom he had been dealing with, uhm? - she asked picking at her nails. -Let me show you love, you don't want us as enemies. -

Her hands burned in hot flames. It felt so right to release the magic in her heart, it was hard not to let herself go a little more. But the barrack was made of wood. Becoming a flaming human would probably not be the best option.

The guard looked with his eyes wide in fear and took a step back. She could see her fire reflected in his iris, his legs shaking.

-This is a trick! Don't be a fool - shouted Dawson, his arms solidly still wrapped around Sarah's shoulders. The girl had stopped crying, evidently in shock. Her eyes darted from her to Mat.

The girl laughed. - Ah no tricks here, but feel free to hold my hand if you do not believe me. -

The flames became harsher, a tint of blue to their core. The temperature in the barrack rose of a few degrees.

The guard dropped his gun and run towards the exit.

Dawson didn't seem as confident as he had been before. He kept shifting his gun from Sarah to her and then to Mathias.

-You can have the girl! -he said finally, his chins trembling as the coward he was. -But they will find you and take her anyways! You are the fools, I will not fall for your stupid tricks! -

He pushed Sarah off the chain, and she fell hard on her knees. Dawson started to run, but Mathias was faster. He pinned him to the ground and knocked the gun off his hands, his face forced to look into his eyes by his strong grip.

Valeria extinguished her hands and helped Sarah to get up. The girl seemed too hurt to be scared of her and accepted the help.

Dawson screamed, his cries so painful they pierced her heart.

The girl turned and looked at Mathias. His hands were still wrapped around the man's face, but his nails were longer, darker, buried deep into his neck.

Dawson's pulse was slowing down whilst he was crying out in pain.

Only one type of poison could do that, draining a body from the inside out.

-Mat - she said carefully. -Let him go -

The boy didn't listen. -He hurt her, he deserves it. -

The guy who had only been all jokes and wits wasn't there. His heart could only feel revenge. He couldn't understand compassion.

Luckly, she spoke revenge pretty fluently.

-Mat - she repeated, leaning softly into his ears. -Death isn't enough. -

That awoke him from his trance. He released Dawson and jumped back as if unaware of what he had just done. He looked at his hands in fear and started to hyperventilate.

Valeria went over the corpse and spit on his mouth. A simple breath would have been enough of an antidote, but given the circumstances she felt like she could overkill it a bit.

Dawson stopped shivering and his breath became more alive. He coughed away the rest of the poison and started crawling away.

-Monsters - he muttered. -You are all monsters. -

Valeria didn't think he had it entirely wrong. She stepped on his hand and heard him screaming.

-You are right - she said, leaning in to grab his wrist. Her hands were burning like glowing coal and Dawson started to scream again. -And you know what the best part is? I will be here long after you will be dead, bound to the Earth forever. So do not think, even for a second, that if you commit a vile act such as this one, that I will not find you. -

She let his arm go, the was skin marked with the burn. She meant that to last forever as a reminder, just like the one she had on herself.

-And trust me- she continued. - What my friend just did to you? It will be a blessing compared to what I plan if you do not turn yourself in for your crimes. -

Dawson nodded vigorously and crawled away in tears. She could swear she smelled piss all over the floor.

-Ugh that was disgusting- she turned towards Mat.

Mathias was still on the ground, his green eyes wide in fear. The girl wasn't sure if it was of her or himself. Because his nails had retracted back to normal, but their meaning had been clear.

There was only one type of blood that could make mortals die in such a painful way.

Mathias was an immortal.