((Much shorter wait this time, eh? I hope you enjoy this long chapter.

Whoever made the awesome cover on the side, please send me your UN and I’ll dedicate this to you :)

Check out the cool song by Two Steps from Hell! It fits the epic battle scene. It’s a very exciting song that I recommend listening to at the beginning.

I think you all will like this chapter…..))

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As soon as the vampires realized they were being ambushed, they swung into hissing crouches, and the two sides clashed with feral roars from the werewolves.

I honed in on the nearest vampire, a scrawny female with white-blonde hair that fixated her menacing bright blue eyes on me with a snarl. We circled each other, and I patiently waited for her to attack. I knew instantly that I was stronger. It was some sort of instinct that told me she wasn’t very old for a vampire, and the newfound power pumping through my veins would allow me to kill her easily. I bared my fangs at her, almost as tall as her shoulder even while in Wolf form.

With an impatient grunt she lunged at me, moving surprisingly fast, but I sprung out of the way and turned to face her again. Apparently my rosary truly was drained of power because she had no issue getting close to me.

“What, is the little doggy scared?” The vampire’s eyes had darkened to pitch-black and her fangs were exposed, letting me know the demon inside of her was making its presence known. What caught my attention most, though, was her voice. I recognized her from the vampires I had been eavesdropping on earlier . . . the ones talking about abusing my Mate.

In the blink of an eye I lunged faster than I ever had before. She had no time to dodge or even realize I was moving before I’d knocked her over, a furious snarl escaping my jaws. As she landed on her back with me on top of her, I thought I heard something crack, likely caused from the sheer force I’d used. Panic flickered in the black depths of her eyes and she struggled, attempting to get leverage to sink her fangs in my neck, but I didn’t give her the chance. I lowered my head in a blur of movement and clamped my jaws around her jugular, biting down with incredible strength until I felt the bones crack and she lay still. Then I twisted with a jerk of my head as if I were killing prey, and broke her neck. That ought to knock her out for a while. I didn’t have time to behead her because another vampire was already approaching me.

The vampires had gotten over their initial shock and were clearly realizing they had us outnumbered. I could not focus on that, though; I had to take it one vampire at a time. A muscular male was stalking over to me, his brown hair long and tangled and his eyes feral. In another situation it would have been frightening to witness the sheer lack of humanity and compassion in his black orbs; they were voids of emotionless cruelty. He was an abomination.

Before he could make a move, a brown blur whizzed by and Will collided with him from behind, making the vampire stagger and howl in agony as Will sank his teeth into the closest flesh he could reach: the vampire’s arm. I took this opportunity to leap at the bloodsucker from the other side. As the vampire struggled, swinging wildly as he tried to pry his arm from Will’s iron grip, I caught his other arm in my mouth. Trying to ignore the acidity of his blood, I gave a mighty wrench, putting in every ounce of force that I could.

With a disgusting squelching sound the arm came loose and the vampire collapsed, writhing in pain. My stomach heaved at the macabre sight but I had to remember that these were demons and they deserved what they got. Will broke the creature’s neck and tossed me a wolf grin.

I barked in warning, my eyes widening as I saw a vampire practically materialize behind Will and leap on his back, hissing and burying his teeth into the skin behind Will’s neck. Knowing how agonizing a vampire’s bite was, I leapt forward, attempting to stop the assault as Will crumpled to the ground. Before I could help him, I sensed movement to my left and I leapt out of the way to narrowly avoid another vampire.

The incoming vampire left me no time to help Will as he leapt at me and I narrowly dodged. I could tell he was faster than the ones before, but I still felt as if I had the upper hand, especially with Gabriel’s essence running through my veins. We continued to dance around each other, the vampire lunging and me dodging, looking for an opening to exploit his defenses.

“I know who you are,” he hissed, the words slithering out of his mouth like uncoiling snakes. “You’re the head dog’s bitch. The Master said you had that rosary. Isn’t doing you much good now, is it?”

I ignored his taunts, still observing him closely for any faltering step, any weak link.

“I bet you’d scream if we did to you what we did to him.” He smiled, his fangs grotesquely glinting in the dim lighting emanating from the church.

I couldn’t help it; that got to me. I sprung at him but he danced out of my reach, and as I turned to face him, I felt the brush of air above me and the heavy pressure of the vampire landing on my back.

I reacted on instinct, moving in the blink of an eye before he could sink his teeth into me. I rolled, attempting to crush him with my weight, but he flung himself off of my back and out of the way in the nick of time, skidding across the grass. I clambered to my feet and instantly leapt at him again as he regained his balance. The vampire tried to dodge, but he did not quite have my speed and my shoulder collided with him, knocking him backwards. I pressed my advantage and snapped at him, my jaws catching onto his shirt and a chunk of his flesh.

As he roared in outrage I used my grip on his shirt to fling the vampire away from me and into the nearest tree. He collided with the trunk with a heavy thud and slid to the ground, dazed. I made short work of breaking his neck while he was stunned.

I glanced around as there was a break in vampires, spotting Will still limp on the ground. Theo was battling the vampire that had bitten Will and while they were still engaged I dashed over to my friend. He was still breathing, but his eyes were half-shut as the pain washed over him. I whined softly with sympathy.

Skylar! My mother shrieked, terror ringing in her tone, and I abruptly took off from Will’s prone figure as I tried to find her. I spotted her light-colored Wolf trapped underneath two vampires that were scratching at her and attempting to get their fangs past her scrambling paws.

I barreled into both of them without further do, knocking them clean away from my mother. I leapt onto the nearest one and sank my canines into her neck until she stopped struggling, surprise still evident in her black eyes. I spit out the acidic blood that had gotten into my mouth as I tried not to choke. Before I could finish her off, though, something cold grabbed the ruff of fur on the back of my neck.

Half a second later I was flying across the clearing, too surprised to get my paws under me and landing heavily on my side instead. I rolled end-over-end a few times, coming to an abrupt stop when I collided with a tree. Whoever had grabbed me was very strong and had thrown me far; my body felt bruised. Whimpering softly, I scrambled up, breathing hard. I hadn’t realized how much effort I’d expended.

There was nobody around me. Panting, I glanced around in confusion; who had thrown me here? I turned in a slow circle, scanning the trees intently for any sign of movement.

“Hello, Skylar,” a voice drawled, dripping with derision and cruelty. My stomach plummeted.

Cain emerged from the trees, eyes glimmering with barely-controlled menace. Although his voice had been light, he definitely looked pissed. I firmly held my ground and tried not to let my fear show. I knew I was no match for Cain. No other vampires approached us, and I had no doubt he told them to leave me . . . I was his target now. Where had Raziel gone? He was supposed to be distracting Cain. I wished in that moment that I could mentally contact the Angel. None of the wolves would be able to help me in this situation.

 I glanced around in my peripheral vision. We were a short distance away from the rest of the werewolves engaged in battle. Cain had literally thrown me out of the fight to get me alone. Still, we were within hearing distance. I could only hope Raziel would realize what was going on.

 Cain’s hulking figure glided closer completely soundlessly and he began to shake his head.

“Everything had been going so well. Your Alpha and I had a deal.” He gave an exaggerated sigh before his voice hardened into something much angrier. “Then you werewolves had to come and fuck it all up.”

I growled in response, eyes observing the tiniest movements he made. I expected him to strike at any second.

“Why couldn’t you just let us be? We would have left your pack alone.”

Even if I could have spoken, I wouldn’t have responded.

“I’m sure it had something to do with some misdirected sense of obligation to the other werewolves of the world. Tsk tsk, Skylar. You’re a Luna now. You need to learn how to look after your own.”

I snorted at the irony of his statement; Cain was telling me how to be a leader?

“I don’t appreciate that tone, Skylar,” he patronized me, infuriating my Wolf.

I realized then that Cain clutched something in his right hand. It was a book of some sort, and upon closer examination, I realized his wrist had been slashed. So he’d already completed some part of the Ritual, then. That was not a good sign.

“Anyhow, I would love to stay and chat with you, but I’m afraid I need your help with something.” A lazy smirk stretched across his face, which still looked human. He was not yet angry enough to let the vampiric side make itself visible.

There was something ominous in his words and I felt my fur stand up on end. I dug my claws into the ground and crouched lower, prepared to defend myself no matter the cost. Even if Cain was stronger I would fight him valiantly. My Wolf itched to sink our teeth into his milky skin. Slowly and deliberately, Cain dropped the book he’d been holding and it fell to the grass with a dull thud. The dark blood on his wrist glistened in the scarce moonlight that permeated the trees.

“You see, I have to stop all of this nonsense somehow. We won’t want poor Gabriel getting any rebellious ideas.” His electric eyes glimmered. “You’re my best option.”

I should’ve expected the move, should’ve prepared for it somehow, but Cain was insanely fast. I was able to detect the whizzing blur as he moved from in front of me to behind me, and I even managed to partially turn around, prepared to launch myself at him, but I was too slow and my snapping jaws missed him by a hair. As if I weighed nothing, even as a Wolf, Cain wrapped one arm around my stomach and the other around my neck while lifting me in the air, my back pressed against his front. I struggled ferociously, uncomfortable with my paws off of the ground as the vampire held me aloft. In an abrupt shift of position, Cain spun and released his iron grip on me, using his momentum to hurl me towards the nearest tree.

He definitely didn’t hold back. In human form all of my bones would’ve been crushed as I slammed into the tree trunk, causing it to splinter and break from the force of my weight. As a Wolf, all of the breath left my body in a whoosh and I was unable to right myself, collapsing onto the grass at the base of the tree in a heap. The side of my body that had made contact with the tree felt like it was on fire and it hurt to get air into my lungs. Wheezing, I stirred, trying to get into a standing position once more, but my shaky limbs would not support me.

“Antonio,” Cain grunted an order, and the dark vampire materialized in front of us. His shaggy hair mostly obscured the leer on his lean face as he lifted something in front of me. A grotesque grin stretched across his bloodstained mouth as I registered what the object was and my eyes widened in horror.

A syringe. Cain took it delicately and muttered something to Antonio that sounded like ‘fetch the goblet’. Nodding, and tossing me another sneer, Antonio took off in the opposite direction.

Strolling almost casually towards my still huddled figure, Cain held the needle where it was still clearly visible. I felt a newfound surge of energy as I knew that whatever was in there would cause abominable pain. Again, I tried to leap to my feet, and this time I was successful although half my body still seared with pain from my collision with the tree.

It didn’t matter; Cain was still too fast and I was weakened. He surged forward and knocked my front legs out from under me. I felt a flash of humiliation as I collapsed again but this feeling was quickly replaced by horror as I felt a heavy pressure on my back.

I howled my fury, bracing myself for the pain that was soon to come as Cain plunged the needle into my neck. It was silver, it had to be.

My suspicions proved correct as a wave of pain so profound crashed over me that all that escaped my jaws was a weak whimper. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I felt my grip on my Wolf escaping, slipping away from me. I could not hold my form any longer, all I could focus on was the overwhelming pain. Dimly I realized that I was Shifting back into human form but there was nothing I could do about it. I sent out a mental cry for help; that someone, anyone would come take the pain away. I knew the silver was quickly working its way through my bloodstream, though, and no doubt my mental call was futile.

My fur and claws receded, fangs snapping back into my mouth as a wall became erected between my Wolf and me. I couldn’t feel her or sense her, and any communications with my pack were shut off as the silver left me powerless. I tried to focus on the trees around me, the sky, even Cain, but everything was obscured by the thick haze of agony. I had lost controlled movement in all of my limbs. Eyes blurred with tears, I saw Cain’s dark shape hovering close by and it seemed like he was reaching for me. I would’ve smacked his arm away but the dizziness and disorientation prevented me from even lifting a finger, and my stomach roiled with nausea.

I could’ve sworn I felt Cain picking me up before I lost consciousness.

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~~~~~~~~Gabriel’s POV~~~~~~~~

The cathedral stank of humans. The overpowering stench of their skin and sweat made my stomach churn. It was ironic, walking into a holy place, given my bloodline. I half expected to feel some sort of kinship with the Angelic figures painted on the walls, but instead all I could think about was the smell of the place.

Well, that and the unholy act I was about to commit.

What I really wanted to do was wring Cain’s neck with my bare hands. I knew I could do it; he was strong, but in the end, the demon inside of him could not stand up to the holy blood pumping through my veins and we both knew it. The age-old concept of ‘good-trumps-evil’ should have proved true in this case.

But he is persistent, and relentless. He will never stop until he gets what he wants, my Wolf growled, his hatred for Cain seeping into his tone.

You would know something about that, I replied coolly.

I would indeed, he retorted.

My Wolf was a prideful, stubborn, and savage creature. For years now, nothing had been able to tame him. I had my father to thank for the monster he’d created . . . the monster that rarely reared its ugly head anymore. Not since that fateful Meeting, when I had found my only weakness, and only thing I truly enjoyed living for.

Unfortunately for werewolves everywhere, Cain knew this one weakness.

It was her. It had always been her and those blue eyes, too naïve and innocent to give any indication that she should be Mated to someone like me. Yet Fate had put us together, and from the first moment I saw her, I knew she’d be the death of me as much as she’d be my salvation. I knew that Cain would somehow exploit our bond, find the chink in my armor. Because no matter how much I loathed the bloodsuckers and wanted to save my own kind, I couldn’t put Skylar at risk. I was too protective of her. As much as I tried to resist her, my feelings had deepened into something I never would’ve recognized before we met.

Closing my eyes briefly, I attempted to push thoughts of her from my mind. The more I thought about Skylar, the closer I was to letting my walls down for just a moment, just so I could sense her presence before I went through with this. I glanced down, seeing that the burn marks on my arms had nearly faded. As if I weren’t already blocking everyone out, Cain had kept silver chains wrapped around me at all times, just in case I tried to call for help. Although silver didn’t weaken me as much as the ordinary werewolf, he had found the purest silver and piled it on. I gritted my teeth, not relishing the memory of the past few days. They had been painful, to say the least.

The cathedral had intricate murals and carvings on the walls depicting various Biblical scenes, but I took little time to observe the scenery as I strode down the center aisle towards the altar. Despite it being pitch-black outside, the cathedral was lit sporadically, yet completely absent of humans. Cain had conveniently disposed of the security as soon as we arrived. The building had incredibly thick walls, so sounds of the outside world were practically inaudible. My own heartbeat seemed overly loud amidst the silence.

In my right hand I held a sack containing a silver blade and a goblet. My task was simple enough: slash the wrist, horizontally not vertically, and fill the goblet as much as I could. I knew that my wound would begin to heal before the goblet was too full but I had to follow instructions as best as I could.

My Wolf let out a ferocious snarl, absolutely despising the idea of following someone else’s orders . . . especially Cain’s. I ignored his protests and resumed my purposeful walk through the silent room. The Alpha side of me was difficult to push down, but I would do it for her sake. I would let the vampires walk in the sunlight if it meant my pack would be safe. After all, Cain couldn’t kill me. That was the only leverage I had. Even if he escaped my Wolf’s jaws, he would never be able to come back to haunt me. I would give my life up in an instant if it meant saving hers. Cain knew I wasn’t bluffing when I told him I’d end my life if he ever came back.

That is, if I didn’t successfully kill him tonight.

Reaching the altar, I pushed away the Biblical paraphernalia on the surface to make room for Cain’s objects. I wasn’t sure what exactly he’d done to the goblet but it had a sinister aura, as if it had been cursed in some way. I was surprised it didn’t combust into flames in this holy place. I set it down cautiously before pulling out the long knife and tossing the empty bag to the side.

I took a deep breath, reaching my arm out over the goblet. I would have to do this willingly, I knew. If Cain took my blood without my permission, it would be a Hell of a lot worse for him. The vengeful side of me wanted him to suffer. After all of this was through, when I got the chance to kill him I planned on making it as excruciating as possible. My Wolf would not be satisfied with anything less. He was a vengeful best that had only shown a more forgiving side after we found our Mate.

I closed my eyes again, letting her face flash through my mind. It made all of this easier, it made helping the bloodthirsty bastard almost acceptable. Just before I broke the surface of my skin, I heard something near the back of the church.

Muffled footsteps.

I dropped the knife and instantly dropped into a defensive crouch, a low growl escaping my throat. Cain and his minions couldn’t enter the church; so who, then? A wandering human?

Slowly, a dark figure materialized in the back of the church, far behind the altar in a back corridor, and approached. It wasn’t lit in that area so I took a deep whiff to determine the identity of the intruder. Without a breeze and amidst the overwhelming smell of human, it took me a second longer to identify who it was.

It can’t be. My Wolf growled incredulously as the scent triggered something in the back of my mind, a faraway memory from my childhood that was almost a blur. Dark hair, radiant eyes, the smell of flowers and a chiming laugh . . .

I was sure my face registered complete and total shock as the dim lighting revealed someone I had never thought I’d see again:

My Mother.

She barely looked older, with the same tumbling dark curls, brown eyes, sculpted features that ran throughout our bloodline. For a split second I wondered if I was hallucinating or somehow seeing a ghost or spirit. Was that even possible? I was contemplating my sanity when Rebekah spoke gently, in her melodic voice,

“It’s me, Gabriel. I’m really here.” She spoke as if she heard what I was thinking but I was still rendered speechless as she stopped a few feet in front of me. Her eyes took me in greedily, examining every feature of my face, likely comparing me to the child she remembered. Rebekah did not touch me, though. She looked as if she itched to reach out and touch my face but she resisted.

My Wolf had gone eerily quiet. I blinked once, twice, trying to adjust to the surrealism of this situation.

“How?” I finally asked, my voice coming out steady despite my inner turmoil. I could not comprehend how Raziel would’ve woken her up or how she knew I was here. Cain had been very secretive about the location and was confident nobody was on our trail.

I wasn’t even sure how I felt about seeing Rebekah again. I felt a flash of anger as I remembered the way she’d left, abandoned me to my Father’s clutches. I tried to squash the unruly emotion before it made me say something I would regret. I still had to come to terms with the corporeal being standing right in front of me.

“It was Skylar. She woke me up,” my Mother said gently. Hearing my Mate’s name sent a jolt of electricity through me and my heart skipped a beat.

“How did she know to-“

“I don’t have time to give you a lot of answers, Gabriel,” my Mother cut me off, irritating my Wolf. I pushed his complaints aside as I took in the look of urgency on her face. I still could scarcely believe she was really here, and I almost expected her to vanish into thin air at any second.

She continued, “The others, Raziel, your pack members and your Mate, are all here. They have a plan to-“

“Skylar is HERE?” The words were thunderous and I felt horror bubbling to the surface. “Where Cain can get to her?” For a second I forgot how bizarre the situation was as fury struck. How could Raziel let this happen?

“Listen, Gabriel!” My Mother ordered, and I recognized something in her tone from when I was younger. A distant part of me acknowledged the authority ringing in her voice. “There are some things you don’t know about this Ritual. You plan to kill Cain after he drinks your blood, right? Well you won’t be able to. He will be incapacitated, but so will you. That’s how the transfiguration part of the Ritual works. During the time the changes are occurring, you won’t be able to fight. Cain’s counting on the fact that you don’t know that particular tidbit of information.”

I stared at her, feeling my stomach plummet. Who was supposed to kill Cain if I could not? “Are you implying that you will kill him instead?”

She shook her head quickly. “No. I have a different plan, if you’ll just stop asking questions and listen.” For a second I thought I saw a glimmer of amusement in her eyes, very out of place for this situation, before it vanished.

I nodded. I still had a multitude of questions whizzing through my brain, such as the details of Rebekah’s awakening and how the Hell they had found me, but the logical side of me knew I had to wait. “Go on.”

“Angel blood all smells the same, and it’s very overpowering. You and I share the same werewolf bloodline as well, meaning our blood will practically have identical scents. Cain won’t know the difference.”

My eyes widened marginally as I realized where she was going with this.

“Take my blood instead. I will be incapacitated for the Ritual, but you won’t be. You will catch Cain off guard because he will expect you to be weakened. He doesn’t know I’m alive.” She held out a slender, pale wrist. “You can make the cut for me, too, so the blood won’t be given voluntarily.”

“You expect me to sacrifice your blood for that bastard?” Her plan made sense but something inside of me felt appalled.

“I have more Angel blood inside of me than you do. Cain won’t be able to tell the difference while drinking it, but after . . . he’ll be in even more pain than if he drank your blood.”

I observed her silently for several seconds, weighing the pros and cons. I did not want to cause her pain but if it meant killing Cain and saving Skylar and the pack, in the end it would be worth it.

“You’re sure he’ll fall for it?”

“Unless he’s drunk your blood before and knows the exact taste, I’m sure. Like I said, even though our werewolf genes are somewhat different, the Angel blood will overpower the slight taste variation.” She turned her head to the side, then, as if she were observing something beside me, but her eyes were distant. “Then you can kill him while he’s weak, like you planned.”

I contemplated, the more distrustful side of me not wanting to use a plan that I didn’t concoct.

You’re wasting time thinking about it. She’s out there, my Wolf snapped. I knew he was right.

“Fine. We’ll use your plan, then. Give me your wrist.”

A tiny, half-smile had graced my mother’s lips. “You really have turned into an Alpha,” she murmured quietly, catching me off guard. I looked away, jaw clenched. It was a foreign sensation to see affection on my Mother’s face. I hadn’t witnessed affectionate care from my parents since I was six or seven years old. My Wolf stirred uncomfortably. He didn’t remember those days. They were flickering images in my peripheral vision that I couldn’t quite focus on or bring into clarity, and my Wolf had long since lost the ability to recall the happiness we’d experienced when I was a child.

As she held out her arm I pulled it toward me but paused, wanting to assure I had every facet of the plan worked out. “Is he still out there?” The thought of Cain fighting my pack members worried me; they didn’t stand a chance. She didn’t stand a chance.

My mother nodded once, her expression changing into a serious one again. “Raziel has Cain distracted right now. There’s a lot going on out there.”

Narrowing my eyes slightly, I listened for a moment, using my enhanced senses to detect noise even through the cathedral’s heavy doors that blocked out most of the outside clamor. When I concentrated, I realized I could hear snarls and hisses from the clearing outside of the cathedral. My pack must have ambushed the vampires a minute or two after I entered the building. My Wolf wanted me to run out there now and make sure Skylar was okay. I growled low in my throat, forcing my feet to remain still. Cain was the source of the problem. I had to take care of him.

My mother held out her wrist again expectantly, and I saw steely determination in her dark eyes.

Her plan made sense. I hadn’t seen her for over fifteen years but I trusted her knowledge of the Ritual. I had no choice. Not one to hesitate, I grabbed the knife in one fluid motion, pulled her wrist towards me, and slashed horizontally across the pale skin. Dropping the knife, I pulled her arm so the blood would drip into the goblet. Rebekah winced ever-so-slightly and I tried to keep a straight face, not expecting how much it would affect me to touch her again, let alone harm my own flesh and blood.

I squeezed her arm near the wound so that the blood pumped out faster, dripping into the goblet in a scarlet stream. The stench permeated the air and my Wolf growled restlessly. Rebekah bit her lip and looked away from the morbid scene, waiting patiently for a tense minute until it began to heal. Being half-Angel, silver barely affected her, and she had an incredibly fast healing rate.

Once the goblet was full enough I grabbed the knife again. My Mother glanced at me, alarmed. “What are you doing?”

“Cain will notice if I’m giving my blood but I have no wound, or even a scratch.”

Before I could think twice, I cut into my own flesh, remaining stoic despite the pain that shot up my arm. I carelessly let the blood drip into one of the empty bowls on the altar, not wanting Cain to scent it on my clothes.

“Will you dispose of that?” I asked Rebekah, indicating the bowl with a jerk of my head. I had no qualms giving her an order despite our relationship. It was easy to go into Alpha-mode. She nodded and handed me the goblet of her blood, a strange expression contorting her features. I turned back towards the doors to the cathedral, preparing to head back and get this over with as soon as possible.

I’d only taken a few steps when something made me hesitate . . . some tiny part of me that still vaguely remembered the Rebekah from my childhood, with her gentle smiles and nurturing nature that was such a stark contrast from my father. I turned back over my shoulder, taking her in for a few seconds. It was hard to accept that she was back, and harder still to understand how I felt about the situation.

Rebekah took quick strides to catch up to me until I was looking directly down at her. She slowly raised a hand and I tried not to flinch or back away, focusing on the side of me that had missed her all these years, instead of the part of me that still condemned her actions. Instead of cupping my face like I expected, Rebekah grabbed the collar of my shirt and moved it aside, revealing the red Mark that Skylar’s fangs had created.

“Still looks fresh,” my Mother breathed.

“It took a long time for yours to fade.” There was a bitterness in my tone that I’d been hoping to avoid. Something flickered in my Mother’s eyes then: self-loathing, deep and evident.

“Gabriel . . . before you go out there, I have to say it. I’m sorry for leaving you. I never should have. I was trying to do the right thing and protect you from the vampires-“

“And get away from my father. You replaced him pretty quickly.”

Hurt shimmered in the depths of her eyes before her face hardened. “If I could’ve chosen to stay with your father and protect you, if I could’ve chosen to keep my Mark from fading, I would have.”

“I will never leave Skylar. I don’t care if it fades or not.”

Rebekah observed me keenly, a smile curving her lips again. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

Something in her tone indicated that her words had a deeper meaning. I blinked down at her incredulously. My Wolf growled in affirmation at the same time I said, “Of course.” I wasn’t sure why she was even asking me a question like that. Skylar had become the center of my universe; she had saved me from being savage and hard-hearted for the rest of my life. She had shown me how to feel again. That was something I’d never be able to repay, but I’d spend my life trying to make up for what I’d put her through.

“I may have fallen out of love with David against my will, but I still loved you. You were everything I had. Everything I did was to protect you. If leaving Skylar meant saving her, at least for a while, would you do it? Would you hurt yourself to protect her well-being?”

I remained stonily silent, absorbing her words. I could recognize her logic, but it did nothing to salvage my childhood. I released a heavy breath; I did not have time to explore my lost connection with my mother now. I had to stop Cain.

“We don’t have any more time to waste,” I muttered a quick reply, and turned to stride off again. I had to prioritize, and rekindling some sort of familial relationship could not be the number one priority right now, no matter how strongly Rebekah’s presence had affected me.

Skylar was out there. Every second could mean danger for her, and she came first. My Wolf barked his agreement and urged me on.

“I’m going to escape out the back; Cain can’t know I’m here.” Rebekah said, taking a step back towards the altar.

I growled affirmation. “We’ll talk later,” I stated, though I was still torn. I couldn’t get over the notion of Rebekah being a ghost, some sort of vision of happier times. It was eerie and made me uneasy, which was not an easy thing to do. Shrugging off the discomfort I strode towards the exit.

 Just before I reached the cathedral doors, though, I couldn’t resist turning over my shoulder once more. “Be safe,” I said, very quietly, knowing she could still hear me. Rebekah’s expression softened and she attempted to smile as she dipped her head in acknowledgment.

With my free hand, I roughly shoved the cathedral doors and marched outside into the chaos.

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The air was torn with feral snarls and screeches of pain, and several patches of grass were stained scarlet. There were limp figures scattered on the ground but to my profound relief they all looked like vampires. Pride for my pack’s fighting abilities briefly flashed through me but I could not shake a pervading sense of worry; this had not been the plan. This was not what Cain and I agreed on. I knew that my pack meant well, but some part of me knew it could ruin the chances of my strategy being successful.

I scanned the area, looking for a familiar silver Wolf, but I could not find her. The battling vampires and werewolves stayed in clumps of two or three and were spaced out across the clearing and even into the woods. I knew she had to be uninjured, because I hadn’t felt any pain. Amidst the multitude of scents I could not precisely locate her.

Carefully clutching the goblet as to not spill a single drop of Rebekah’s blood, I sought out Cain or Raziel. The vampire leader was nowhere to be found. My own pack members had yet to notice my presence and a few vampires dashed by, ignoring me completely as they headed to help more of their own.

My Wolf itched to break out of my skin and tear into Cain’s coven, protecting my pack, but I could not risk ruining my only chance to weaken him. I growled in frustration as I realized how torn I was between killing every vampire within a mile of Skylar or killing Cain, thereby stopping the source of the problem.

My choice was made for me when I heard a vampire rapidly approaching. Cain’s right-hand vampire, Antonio, cleared his throat from beside me and bared his fangs. “The goblet, if you please,” he hissed. “You’re to follow me to the master.”

I wanted to extend my claws and rake them across his face but I exercised an extraordinary amount of self-restraint, handing the goblet over.

Taking orders from this pathetic excuse for a hunter. Look how low we’ve sunk, my Wolf snarled in derision. I knew that he understood why we were doing this, but his pride was insurmountable and I could sympathize with that. Remaining silent I conjured up a mental image of Skylar, the way she’d looked sleeping beside me the last night I had seen her.

That calmed him down.

Antonio jerked his head and I followed him towards the nearest fringe of trees, skirting the dueling werewolves.

I feel like a traitor to our own kind, following this bloodsucker while our pack fights.

It’ll be worth it, was my short response. Nearby, Eli finished off a vampire and glanced around, his Wolf’s eyes meeting mine. Shock flashed through his expression, closely followed by confusion. I could tell he was about to approach me but I quickly shook my head. I willed him with my eyes not to follow. I wanted to mentally contact him, to explain everything, but opening my mind would let Skylar in, too.

The thought occurred to me then that perhaps I could let them in, explain the plan to them and why it was the best possible way that would get the least number of werewolves killed. Before they showed up to help me, I didn’t have to worry about casualties. Except for myself. Now, everything had changed.

My thought process was abruptly caught off by a sharp pain that blossomed in my chest and radiated throughout my core, leaving me reeling. I caught onto the nearest tree for balance, letting out a sharp breath of air as I recognized that the pain was just an echo. It was Skylar’s pain, not mine. I clenched my fists as the agony continued to assault me in waves. Blinking rapidly I shoved off of the tree, my Wolf howling in fury that someone had dared assault our Mate.

It was Cain, it had to be. He had touched Skylar, and right now the only thing I could think of was ripping his head off.

Ignoring the burning that still permeated my entire being I took off in the direction Antonio had been leading me. I tilted my head and scented the air, realizing that we had gotten a lot closer to Skylar and I could scent the delicate smell of honeysuckle nearby. While it normally calmed me, right now I felt the anger consume me and I was dangerously close to Shifting. I held back on sheer instinct; if Cain had her, I would need to use my words to negotiate, so being in Wolf form wouldn’t help.

Even as the pain eased I plunged recklessly through the undergrowth, moving as fast as the blink of an eye. At that pace it only took me seconds to locate them. They hadn’t gone far from the main battle.

I came to a skidding stop when I saw the position she was in. Skylar was in human form, her beautiful body put on display for everyone to see, which only angered me further. I could see dark veins standing out against her pale skin which meant she’d been laced with silver. I snarled ferociously as I eyed Cain, who was holding her upright, one arm supporting her body and the other behind her head.

I knew instantly that if I moved to attack, he would kill her. I knew that Cain could behead her or rip her heart out in the same amount of time it would take me to lunge at him. He was strong enough to do so, and while I may have had more brute strength, his speed matched mine….or it was close enough.

Even if I thought I was the tiniest bit faster, I was not willing to risk her life on it. My Wolf, too, was trying to hold back, seeing her vulnerability. With so much silver in her system Skylar was even more fragile than normal.

It was then that I wondered where the hell Raziel was. Rebekah had said he was distracting Cain, but the Angel was nowhere to be seen.

It caused my chest to ache painfully, seeing her unconscious, lolling head. I wanted to rip her out of Cain’s arms, and I turned my burning gaze on him. Any other vampire would’ve flinched at my ferocity but Cain just sneered. He reached up a hand and casually brushed Skylar’s dark curls away from her pale face.

“Don’t you fucking touch her,” my Wolf and I said at the same time, my voice coming out as a guttural growl.

“Now, now, Gabriel. Don’t be hasty. You know what I’ll do if you come closer. You may be a brute but you have enough common sense to hold yourself back . . . so it seems.”

“I have the blood,” I snarled.

Cain glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, I’m assuming Antonio got the goblet from you?”

I stared him down, knowing it was a rhetorical question. My Wolf paced back and forth, wanting to burst out of my skin and tear Cain to shreds. The depth of feeling he had for Skylar was proven by his restraint in that moment.

“I guess we should wait while he . . . catches up. He can’t run as quickly as you while carrying that goblet. We wouldn’t want to waste that precious blood of yours.” The word ‘precious’ came out as a hiss. I remained silent.

“Desiree. Val. Mordecai,” Cain barked, and three vampires appeared shortly thereafter. “Guard the perimeter. Make sure none of the other werewolves wander this way.” The vampires obliged, surrounding us and facing the cathedral a short distance away.

“She is lovely, isn’t she?” Cain leisurely looked down, eyeing Skylar’s naked body. A red haze entered my vision and another growl erupted from my chest, even though my logical side knew he was taunting me. I felt my canines starting to grow so I closed my eyes briefly to wipe away the image of Cain ogling Skylar’s form.

“Don’t worry, though. It’s not enough silver to kill her, especially since you two have Mated.” For some reason, a cunning look flashed through Cain’s eyes as he spoke. I glared at him as I tried to decipher it.

“I have to say, though, your wolves almost ruined everything. I was about to head out with Skylar, here. If you had tried to make some sort of grand getaway I would’ve taken her.” His teeth flashed as he smiled. “I see you understand reason. Maybe I underestimated your recklessness.” Cain frowned, as if in deep contemplation, though there was a mocking aura about the expression. “Still, I wonder how they found me . . .”

I wondered that myself.

I’m going to tear his eyes out for looking at our Mate, and then I’m going to rip his head off, once all of this is over, my Wolf stated venomously, his violent nature emerging. I could not disagree with him.

“Ah, Antonio!” Cain said, just as the vampire came into sight, moving as quickly as possible without spilling the goblet’s contents. “Finally, I can get this over with. A wound caused by a blessed object tends to sting.” He grinned sarcastically, held up his wrist, and I saw the deep gash there.

From what I’d picked up the last few days, the Ritual consisted of Cain reading from some ancient, powerful tome, slicing himself with a Holy object, and then drinking my blood, all on a holy site (well, as close as he could get to one). Looking closely I spotted the book resting on the ground a short distance away. Like the goblet, it had a sinister aura practically shimmering around it. I knew it was very dangerous and didn’t want to guess what he’d gone through to get it. I was under the impression it was one-of-a-kind and very dark magic . . . if there was such a thing.

As if reading my thoughts, Cain glanced at the book. “Bring it to me. I have my hands full.” He winked and I bared my fangs at him. Skylar was still dangerously still and it was painful to see her so helpless. I was supposed to be holding her and helping her, and now I was practically useless. Not a fitting position for an Alpha Wolf, failing to protect his own Mate. I felt the self-loathing unfurl deep within me, a familiar feeling. My Wolf was trembling, scarcely controlling his anger and snarling curses at Cain.

Trying to shake it off, I planned ahead. As soon as Cain drank the blood and became weak, I would strike. According to Rebekah he wouldn’t expect me to not be affected at all.

Antonio held the book out towards Cain, who shook his head, eyes flicking to me and back to Antonio. “Page fifty-eight. Find it.”

The vampire obliged, awkwardly rifling through the book while still clutching the goblet in his other hand, and held the book aloft once it was at the right page. Cain smirked slightly, observing me. “I trust you won’t try any sudden moves. It’ll be quite easy to kill her before you can make it. Antonio, watch him, and interfere if he tries to attack.”

The dark vampire grunted an approval, and without further ado, Cain began to read from the book while Antonio held it in his free hand. The words were completely foreign to me, as they were spoken in a raspy, choppy language I had never heard, but whatever incantation he used was ringing with power. I could feel the energy washing over me and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. The sky almost seemed to darken and a cool breeze nipped at my skin. It was a foreign sensation, the clearing almost humming with the power Cain was using. Cain’s voice grew louder and the breeze grew stronger, Skylar’s curls whipping around her head and across her face in a dark halo. Just when Cain was nearly shouting, he abruptly stopped.

The breeze instantly died down but I could still feel the book’s power.

“Now, Antonio, give me the goblet,” Cain hissed. He made no attempt to hide his eager expression, and his eyes were darkening as the demonic vampire inside threatened to break through the human façade.

Antonio wordlessly handed it over, also looking eager. I knew that Cain’s coven, every vampire he ever created, would be linked to the spell as well. They had done some preparation for the event, some sort of blood-sharing ritual that I had the fortune not to witness. All I cared about was the fact that I could now kill Cain and kill them all.

Cain glanced at me once more, his lips tilting upwards in a sardonic smile. One of his arms remained wrapped around Skylar, his hand on her chest over her heart. The threat was very clear. Smirk widening, Cain tilted the goblet towards me and lifted it in a mockery of a toast. His eyes glittered with expectations. Then, in one smooth move, Cain put the goblet to his lips, tilted it upwards, and drank.

I braced myself for the aftermath. Cain swallowed, hard, his face paler than normal and his eyes screwed shut. He almost looked sickly. The clearing was absolutely silent, everyone watching with bated breath. He drained the goblet in seconds, throwing it aside when he was finished. Cain’s body was wracked with a tremble and a hissing sound escaped his clenched teeth.

“Antonio . . . I only have a minute before it kicks in,” he muttered. I could tell he was already weakening. “Do it. Now. He should be weakening.”

Not liking the ominous sound to his words, I prepared to lunge myself at him as soon as he staggered, snatch Skylar from his clutches while he was weak and couldn’t kill her in time.

But I never got the chance.

Because Antonio leapt directly in front of me, hissing with his fangs bared and demonic claws outstretched; and Cain, tossing me a triumphant glance despite his still-paling complexion, wrapped his arms around Skylar, turned, and vanished into the trees.

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A/N: Please don’t kill me. Another cliffhanger. I made up for it by writing Gabriel’s POV, right? You all had better VOTE and COMMENT on this chapter because I worked dang hard writing his POV! Let me know how I did :) I know you all have been looking forward to a glimpse inside his head.

Next update will take a week or longer because I’ll be out of town this weekend. I won’t make the wait ridiculously long, though, and I’ll write when I can. Thanks for your patience in advance.

MULTIMEDIA:

Send me your UN if you made this cover. I love it but I can’t find your e-mail.

Song, Two Steps from Hell, “Heart of Courage”