Allison had asked me for some alone time, and I'd obliged. In all honesty, I wasn't sure I should be around people with this sort of anger coursing through me. I'd never felt such strong feelings before. Especially feelings so negative.

So I left and locked myself in my room, dealing with my emotions the only way I knew how. By ignoring them. I took out my spell book and flipped to a random page, reading as much as I could. I read, but it wasn't enough, the restless anger thrumming just under my skin, so I went to the offensive magic. I went to the darkest parts of magic in the book, the pages I usually avoided because I hadn't wanted to know how to turn a man's body inside out. Now however, reading the different ways I could make others suffer, ways they could feel even a fraction of my pain, made me feel good. It fed my anger and I greedily read everything I could.

I was interrupted by Allison, who knocked on my door with a grim expression on her face. It was only then I realised just how much time had passed; it was dark outside.

"Which side are you on?" she asked evenly, staring at me from the doorway.

We both already knew the answer, but my face hardened anyway as I said, "my family."

Allison half smiled, probably the most she was capable of right now, and showed me her phone. It was a message from Scott, asking for the bestiary and to meet him at the station with Derek. Before I could question her about it she spoke. "Scott would never text me that, and certainly not to me. He wouldn't risk us getting caught."

I looked at Allison's phone to her face, silent, before getting up, the both of us going to the basement where the rest of the family was. I was aware of the curious glances and looks, no doubt due to the revelation of my being a witch. I didn't care though, because I was already on this side. Better to let them know what weapons they had in their arsenal. I ignored Gerard though, whose intense gaze seemed to be drilling holes into the side of my head. That letter was too fresh, and looking at him only reminded me of the contents it had held, and what I had lost.

Allison showed Chris the text, and with a single word from him the rest of the family- extended family, I suspected, who were primarily soldiers- started getting armed and ready. For what, we weren't sure yet, but Allison and I had a good idea of what we wanted it to be.

Revenge on Derek.

"He wants the bestiary," Chris read aloud, frowning at the screen.

Allison took the phone away before Chris could look too hard and see any earlier texts. "It's not Scott. He wouldn't have texted me, and he definitely wouldn't have mentioned Derek."

I ignored the spark of anger at his name, resisting the urge to bare my teeth like a caged animal.

Chris motioned for Allison to show Gerard the message, which she did however reluctantly. The old man's eyebrows rose has he read the message, mild curiosity shown on his face.

"The sheriff's station?" he inquired.

Chris interrupted him. "If Derek's really there, I doubt it's willingly."

"You think Jackson's there too?" I asked.

"Maybe," Gerard admitted.

Chris looked up at his father. "Maybe him and the one controlling him."

One of the nearby family members laid out a sheet of paper on the table, blueprints of the police station. I briefly wondered how they'd managed to get their hands on it, before deciding I didn't want to know.

I studied the map as the other's spoke, half listening while trying to memorise the layout. I'd only been there once, and during that time I'd been dragged around against my will so I hadn't exactly been focusing on my surroundings.

"How many do they keep on the nightshift?" Gerard asked.

Chris answered him easily, and I noticed the familiarity they seemed to have. Though they hadn't seen each other in years, it was clear what activities they did for family bonding. "Since budget cuts, maybe four at the most. My guess would be they're either dead or paralysed by now."

"This might just be the confluence of events we've been hoping for," Gerard said, failing to hide the restrained eagerness in his voice.

"Confluence or conflagration?" Chris asked quietly, but by no means weakly.

Tension gathered after his words and I glanced up from the map, as did Allison, watching as the father and son stared at each other. Eventually Gerard gave him a toothy smile, one his eyes didn't share.

"I'm open to both."

Allison let out an impatient huff. "What do we do now?"

Gerard considered the both of us for a moment before speaking. "Maybe you two should tell us. The authority falls to you now."

Allison and I glanced at each other, already knowing what the other thought even without asking. If the recent events hadn't been so devastating, I'd appreciate how it had brought us closer together. Nothing seemed good enough to appreciate at the moment though, so the thought was left unsaid.

"Not at their age," Chris snapped.

Gerard just waved his son and his worries off. "They're both nearly eighteen, and one of them is even a powerful witch. They know the difference between revenge and retribution, don't you?"

I thought back to the warnings I'd read in my spell book, how witches were vengeful creatures and their pursuits for revenge were often what got them killed. It was like they had an insatiable need to make sure anyone who wronged them laid dead in a grave.

"Make the decision from a vantage point of strategy over emotion and we'll follow your lead," Gerard continued.

Allison and I look at each other, and an understanding passes between us. We both wanted the same thing.

"I want Derek dead."

Allison's words made my blood sing. My power circled just under the surface, eager to get revenge. It seemed all this power went to your head, especially when someone wronged you.

"What about Scott?" Chris asked. He glanced at me, "and the rest of his pack?"

This time I couldn't help but bare my teeth a little, showing a glimpse of the power waiting below the surface, begging to be used. "They're not the ones who forced Victoria to kill herself."

Chris, to his credit, only looked slightly alarmed. "They're not exactly innocent bystanders either." The truth of that sentence hit me like a slap to the face, because no matter how much I hated Derek for making Isaac lie to me, he agreed. "You can't pick and choose-"

"But we can prioritize," Allison interrupted.

I nodded, continuing. "And the priority right now is Derek."

Chris observed Allison and I for a long moment of silence before relenting. "And what about the others?"

Allison turned to me, as did the others. I swallowed. I knew this time would come. Where I had to fight against them, give orders against them. I pushed away the fear I felt at the thought and brought up the anger. I made myself feel the anger and betrayal and grief as my face hardened.

"If they try to protect him..." unbidden, the image of Isaac's face surfaced in my mind, his crooked smile and creased eyes. My throat bobbed harshly. "If they protect him, then we kill them."

. . .

We arrived at the station after dark. I stepped out of the car, the sudden chill in the air taking me by surprise. I stood near the car, out the way as a few of the soldiers walked around the building, careful to keep their footsteps light.

Once they were out of sight, a line of soldiers formed in front of the windows, and I, along with Allison, Chris, and some others, crouched in front of the double doors, getting ready. We all waited with bated breath for the soldiers who'd scouted the area to give the all clear. Because they weren't only scouting the area; they were also shutting off the power, giving us the perfect distraction we needed to get inside.

The crackling static of the walkie talkie filled the air, as did the muffled all clear that followed. Immediately we were up and standing as the line of soldiers started shooting the glass, followed by gas bombs to give us cover. I watched the white tinged gas fill the building and hoped we'd managed to catch Derek unaware. That he was hiding under a desk for cover, panicked, knowing that we were coming for him.

That I was coming for him.

Chris gave me a nod, signaling it was my turn. I focused on the double doors of pure steel, firmly shut and no doubt covered with heavy furniture on the other side. They wanted to keep me out, but no one could.

I murmured a few quick words under my breath, merely to help channel my power. I found I no longer needed spells to use magic, but when I didn't my power was more out of control, and currently I wasn't willing to let anything ruin the plan I had to get Derek.

The doors burst open, slamming against the walls, hinges cracking. I walked in, noting when Allison and Chris followed behind me. There had been a hesitation, a second when they'd been unsure of me, afraid of me.

I wasn't sure if I liked it.

Allison and I branched off from Chris, going down a separate corridor to cover more ground. My ears pricked up, hearing footsteps, and I nudged Allison just in time for her to raise her crossbow and turn the corner, face to face with another person.

With Scott.

He looked pale, eyes wide and panting. I wondered what had happened and, as I glanced around uneasily, whether we had underestimated the amount of danger we were in.

"Where's Derek?" Allison asked, voice quiet.

Scott looked at her in confusion, his gaze sliding to me. "What are you doing?"

Allisom's face hardened, eyes going cold and I stepped back, letting her take care of this encounter. "If you're not going to tell us, then get out of our way."

Scott stared at her imploringly. "Allison."

Allison lowered her crossbow slightly at his tone, but she didn't waver. "Where is he?"

Confusion washed over Scott as he stared between us. "But what happened, Y/n-"

He took a step forward and Allison's crossbow was raised again, pressed against the werewolf's chest. "Scott, you need to stay away from us right now," Allison warned.

I tried not to let my impatience show, but we were wasting precious seconds by trying to console Scott. Derek could be escaping right now, and I'd be damned if I let him leave this building unscathed.

Scott turned to me pleadingly, but he wouldn't find any pity here. The magic was around me, going to my head, and I found myself unable to care about anything but Derek.

This was what they meant. Revenge was like a death penalty to witches because it consumed them. Scott, once my friend, meant nothing to me now that revenge was this close. Nothing mattered but getting back at Derek for killing Victoria and using Isaac to play me like a toy.

"Just stay out of our way," I said before pushing past him, Allison following without so much as a glance at her boyfriend.

We travelled down the hallway, eyes open for any hint of Derek, but there was nothing to be found. I pulled up the mental image of the stations' blueprints and turned left, quietly walking down the hallway until I found Chris at the other end, eyes trained on a series of openings where they stored evidence and what not.

Now that we were a group again, all three of us inched closer to the openings, weapons raised, checking each opening one by one. The dregs of the smoke bombs clouded our vision, making things out of nothing. Still, we continued our search, eyes scanning each opening and the scattered items within. I felt my whole body go cold when I heard soft hissing and spun around just as the Kanima jumped from a shelf onto Chris.

I flung out a hand and a beam of magic hit the Kanima in the chest, the creature tumbling to the floor and letting out a high keening noise. Chris laid motionless on the floor, though I could see the faint rise and fall of his chest. He was paralyzed.

Allison and I waited, still as scarecrows, to see if it would stay down. A flash of yellow eyes appeared through the mist and we ran, hearing the Kanima's claws slamming against concrete behind us. We turned a corner and found ourselves in the garage, sprinting to the end where a single desk stood, perfect cover for us to hide behind.

Allison took out her dagger, holding it defensively as she peered around one of the desk's corners. From the way she whipped her head back immediately, I could tell she'd spotted the Kanima, and winced at the thought of it so close to us.

I also found myself frustrated. Even in a time like this, where I was possibly in danger, I was angry because yet another obstacle had gotton in the way of Derek. It was like a thirst I could not quench, something I longed for with every breath and ached for with every beat of my heart. I needed it, if not to give him a piece of his own medicine then for myself, to stop this obsession with how he'd gotton one over me and to finally get even.

I motion for Allison to crawl away from the desk and around a car with me. Just as we reached the bonnet of the car the Kanima jumped on the desk we'd previously been on, tail viciously swishing side to side. We ducked, observing it as it scratched the wooden desk, looking around it, no doubt searching for why our scent was on it.

I looked at the Kanima and to the exit that it just so happened to be blocking, wondering if I could trap it in water long enough for us to escape when Allison jumped onto the car and started sprinting towards the creature. Before I could stop her, with my words or magic, she'd launched herself at it just as it turned around, stabbing it in the shoulder after missing the heart.

The Kanima hissed, its hand wrapping around her throat and lifting her into the air. I jumped out of my hiding spot and murmured a spell, shortly after which the Kanima dropped Allison in agony, because her skin had just become fire that scalded its hand.

Allison gasped, hands going to her throat, but to her credit backed up immediately, using the time I gave her to grab her bearings again. When the Kanima's hand healed, it bared its teeth at us, and I felt desperation because we were never going to be able to escape the Kanima without killing it, and since it was unkillable it would just continue to hunt us, meaning we'd never be able to get to Derek.

"Y/n go," Allison told me as we hid behind a car, listening to the Kanima search for us.

I scoffed. "And leave you to the Kanima for dinner?"

Allison turned to me, irritated. "One of us has to, otherwise we'll never find Derek. You have the biggest chance of making him pay if you find him. I can hold the Kanima off."

Allison couldn't hold the Kanima off. She was just human with a measly dagger as protection. I knew that. Yet with a lasting glance I turned around and ran to the exit, using my power to throw the Kanima against the wall one last time before I left. I knew it wasn't safe for Allison to be there with the Kanima alone, and if I'd been myself I probably wouldn't have left, but Derek was still on my mind, and Allison was right. One of us had to make him pay.

As soon as I exited the garage I ran until I arrived at the next corridor, slamming the door behind me and locking it. I hoped that if the Kanima had decided to follow me, that was enough to hold it off for however long.

After that I walked more slowly, aware of every sound I made, and every sound made by someone or something else. A nearby door slamming. Scuffled footsteps. Murmurs from the soldiers outside. I reached the end of another corridor when I spotted him.

A glimpse of black hair turning a corner, clawed hands.

I ran after him, my power surging forward. I only half thought it, but by the time I turned the corner I saw Derek slamming his fists against an invisible shield of my making. It seemed that with a target, my magic was devastatingly accurate.

Derek turned around slowly when he heard my footsteps. His face was unreadable as he observed me standing at the end of the corridor, trapping him.

"I heard you'd betrayed us," he stated bluntly.

I snarled at him, feeling my rage bubble up to the surface. "You betrayed me. Using Isaac to get to me? Ring a bell?"

Derek slipped up, showing signs of discomfort for a mere moment, but long enough for me to see. "We needed you on our side-"

"Well tricking me wasn't the way to do it," I hissed, walking closer.

As I did so, the walls seemed to shrink, the red alarm lights shattered as I passed. Derek backed up a step, though he still stubbornly refused to show his fear. He kept his mouth shut though, which I admit was satisfying to watch.

"You played with my emotions like they were nothing. You used me. You betrayed me first. How can I stay on your side when you've been lying to me the whole time. And you killed Victoria." By the time I said that Derek was pressed against the invisible shield, eyes darting to the shrinking walls as they got alarmingly close to him. "The closest I had to a mother, and you took it away. What do you have to say for that, huh?"

Derek barked out a laugh, stopping me in my tracks. It was a harsh, bitter one, but it caught me by surprise. My eyes narrowed. "What was that for?"

"You seriously haven't figured it out yet?"

I seethed, hating that he had something over me. "Figured out what yet?"

Derek took a dangerous step forward, bravely ignoring the way the floor started to shake. "You really think they care about you?"

"They're my family," I hissed, also stepping forward.

Derek stared at me for a long moment, lip curling. "I thought your family died in a car crash."

I scoffed, trying to hide the lurch my heart gave when he mentioned my birth family. He noticed though, of course, and he had the gall to smirk at me.

"You know what I meant," I said through gritted teeth.

Derek sneered. "Actually I don't, since if you were smart enough you'd know they're the opposite of family."

I wanted to scream. He kept giving me half answers, questions instead of statements. It made me want to rip my hair out. I used my power, like invisible claws, to wrap around his throat, forcing him closer to me.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Once again realizing he was at the mercy of my power, he finally gave me a straight answer. Unfortunately, it was not the one I wanted.

"Kate killed your parents."