They trapped Sebastian in a Boundary Spell.

"This won't contain me for very long," cooed The Watcher, leaning up against the edge of the spell as Cleo finished setting it. "Soon, I will be able to access my magic even in this body." He held out his arms. "I sort of like this new look, don't you?"

"What the hell do we do?" asked Lizzie angrily. "We can't kill him! How do we get The Watcher out?"

"How did it get in him in the first place?" asked Raf, watching as The Watcher moved in circles, tracing his fingers over the spell. "He was fine."

Rhysaenya sat up from where she'd been sharpening her sword. "The Watcher was in Sofya. He killed Sofya. Now The Watcher is in him. It's like what Hope told me about her grandmother, Esther. The Watcher has backups set upon death. Except it... well, can it harness the energy of a violent death to jump?"

"It can," said Hope coldly. "Which means we can't kill him, or we'll get infected."

"We can't kill him either way," said MG. "Sebastian's been helping us these past weeks. He's one of us now."

Landon threw his hands up. "Then what do we do? If we can't kill him but The Watcher's going to get witch powers in a bit, do we just let him go? Do we give them what they want?"

"You could," said The Watcher, sitting down, legs crossed. "Give me La Rose Perpétuelle anointed with the tribrid's blood and I'll be on my way. Sebastian will be returned to you mere hours later."

"We're not letting you bring back Malivore," said Hope sharply.

"I dedicated my life to watching my creation purge this world of filth," sneered The Watcher. "I will finish what I started! Had I not had to make an alliance with those beasts and mongrels, I would have been rid of your kind a long time ago. It's why I chose The Destroyer to give me his blood. All I'd have needed to do was use him to get the Originals and once they were consumed... their species would be no more. All vampires' fates were linked to them. I would have taken them all out in one fell swoop."

"But something went wrong," said Rhysaenya, slamming the sword against the barrier to startle The Watcher as they got too close to where Hope stood. "Your little mission didn't go as planned."

"No," they said, smirking. "No, you are right. The humans, they were so malleable. My creation betrayed me, and I had no choice but to exit my true body. We reconciled once it was too late. That idiot son of his had helped turn him back into mud. Then, those Triad fools trapped me in that other artifact..." they gestured to the second picture, a small golden egg infused with jewels and placed atop an ornate stand with a clock. "Ēl Hōvȳon dēx Īgñōzȳ."

"The Egg of Rebirth," translated Rhysaenya. "Let me guess, you were stuck in there and mysteriously emerged when Hope defeated Malivore."

"Triad let my creation be ruined. They didn't understand its power, not truly. They'd strayed from our original plan, they began to toss humans in, no longer limiting it to supernatural scum. They treated my own kind like slaves. And I knew they had to fall. I was the only one with the right idea anymore. And I will succeed. I will rid the world of hybrid and tribrid monstrosities and I will make sure creatures like you," they nodded to Rhysaenya, "are gone for good."

"You sound just like my grandmother," said Hope wryly. "And I assure you, it is not a compliment."

"Oh, dearest," said The Watcher, lips curling up. "Who do you think made her feel guilty about what she created?"

Josie tapped Hope's arm. "We might have have an idea."

Hope held out her hand, putting Sebastian's body to sleep. "Okay, hurry."

"We have to be able to siphon The Watcher's magic, right?" said Lizzie. "Get rid of whatever freaky hold they have on Sebastian without killing him."

"That's not going to be easy. The Watcher is probably using the magic of his body to stay in his conscious mind. And if it just takes time for them to access their magic the way The Hollow could with hosts... we're not going to be able to distinguish which magic is The Watcher's and which is Sebastian's. We could end up desiccating him irreversibly. And I think taking out any magic will make him unstable. He could become erratic."

"Well, we have to try! Or at least get him to fight back!"

"How would we even go about that?" asked Rhysaenya. "I mean, is that even possible?"

"It has to be," said Kaleb. "We're not leaving him like this. And we can't kill him or The Watcher will just keep jumping."

"That I will."

Sebastian was sitting up, leaning against the spell. "I think I have my magic back," said The Watcher, palms slamming against the barrier. "And I fear I'll have to take my rose by force. I don't mind killing a single one of you. If only you were brave enough to do what must be done to become stronger. The three wolves here should be hybrids. Why bother with moonlight rings? They are so... easily removed."

The black kyanite stones flew off their rings, landing against the barrier and fizzing into it, the salt melting away and letting The Watcher hold their hand up, giving them all a shared headache with a high-pitched ring and painful vibrations to match. "And the twins, oh," sighed The Watcher. "How easily your problem of the Merge would be solved if you simply became Heretics. You would be powerful beyond belief. Darkness could never try to swallow you because you'd already reach your full potential with your vampire emotions... with strength unlike anything you've ever had..."

They focused the spell on Cleo, who was holding her hand out shakily, trying to help Hope break them all free. "You might be of use to me," said The Watcher softly. "Yes... you will help me remake my creation's body with the magic of the rose. And while it blooms, Malivore will never die."

"I was his prisoner once," said Cleo angrily. "I will not be so again!" She grabbed onto Hope, letting the tribrid channel her. Hope let out a scream, throwing The Watcher into the wall as she released them all from torment.

"Your power may be great, little girl," said The Watcher, sitting up, "but you will never be as strong as someone who stopped caring. Your love for them will hold you back. I know how to get you to give me what I want." She held her hand toward Rhysaenya, who clutched her own throat, skin beginning to redden as she felt her fire moving within. "What was it you said about enemies getting under your skin? Because I can feel the flames growing hotter. Soon they will burst out of her. And they'll burn you all. Cleo, be a dear and grab the rose, then come with me. This needn't be more difficult than it already is."

Hope was looking between Rhysaenya and The Watcher, knowing how easy it would be to just snap The Watcher's neck and free the dragon from its clutches. But what if temporary and permanent death set off the jump? Hope couldn't compromise herself. If The Watcher was able to enter the body of the most powerful creature on the planet, they'd be unstoppable.

Landon seemed to have an idea. "Wait," he said, motioning for them to surrender. "Let her go and we'll give you what you want."

"Don't play with me, little boy," said The Watcher. "It seems you fools respond only to violence. What I asked for, out the door, now."

"I'm the son of Malivore. What if you don't need to recreate the body? What if you use the rose to put him into me?"

"Landon, no!" said Josie immediately.

The Watcher let up the spell, dropping Rhysaenya to the floor. "I wouldn't even need the tribrid," said The Watcher wickedly. "And then I'd ensure no one could kill my creation. A phoenix can only be fallen by a very specific artifact. The golden arrow. Your friends would never dare use it."

"Exactly," said Landon. "Everyone, stand down." He moved to Hope's backpack, picking it up. "We walk out slowly, no one pursues."

"Lan, what are you doing?" demanded Raf.

"What needs to be done. It's okay." He began to escort The Walker out of the building, then abruptly grabbed onto them, fiery wings emerging to wrap around Sebastian's front, burning into his chest and making him let out a yell. "Kaleb, MG, head dive!"

They realized what he wanted them to do. They might not need to siphon from or kill anyone. All they had to do was shove The Watcher out of Sebastian's mind.

The two vampires collided with Sebastian's body just as The Watcher managed to throw Landon off. His body seized up, eyes rolling back into his heads as the vampires went in.

"What if it doesn't work?" asked Jed fearfully. "What if they're just letting The Watcher in?"

"No," said Hope, narrowing her eyes. "No... The Watcher shouldn't be able to go in. I think I know what to do. They're going to be keeping The Watcher's conscious mind busy. We have an opening to get into the subconscious right now. Find Sebastian and give him what he needs to fight back."

Finch made a face. "Okay, what do the rest of us do?"

Hope gulped. "Make sure you are ready to fight if I can't do this fast enough."

Rhysaenya took her hand. "I'm going in there with you."

"So am I," said Lizzie. "The rest of you–"

Josie nodded. "I can go in with Kaleb and MG. Keep The Watcher busy."

"We can stand guard," offered Jed, gesturing to himself, Landon, Raf, Cleo, and Finch. "In case this is a trap. Unless any of you guys have a strong preference for joining in on the head dive."

No one was particularly enthusiastic. Landon kept rubbing his head and Raf, Jed, and Finch all seemed to think they wouldn't manage much until they got new moonlight rings.

Hope fastened her hands to Sebastian's shoulders, lowering him to the ground and bringing Kaleb and MG with him, motioning for Lizzie and Rhysaenya to hold on tight as she drew them in.

"Why is there nothing?" asked Rhysaenya, the three materializing into a room that was devoid of light or depth. She could barely see the two girls beside her.

The tribrid held out her hand, creating a small ball of light. "This looks like–"

"Malivore," finished Rhysaenya, rubbing her arms. "Let's just find him and get out of here. How exactly are you going to give him what he 'needs' to fight back?"

"I can use that same strengthening spell The Watcher used on Malivore," reasoned Hope as they walked, not sure where they were headed. "I can give him the strength he needs to push them out while we try to pull from the outside."

Lizzie didn't seem convinced that this was a good idea. "And where would we put them in the meantime?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet."

"What if that artifact The Watcher was trapped in is still in the warehouse? What if we can find it?"

"We can try," mumbled Rhysaenya. "But if The Watcher emerged from it, chances are, they have access to it."

"Cleo," realized Hope. "Cleo might be able to create a body to trap The Watcher. Something she can control. That, or she could give us the artifact she was trapped in. Rhysaenya–"

"Ahead of you," she said. "I'll go out and tell her. Do I just–?"

"Yes, tap my shoulder and you can go."

"Be safe in here... okay? I'll be back as soon as we figure something out."

She emerged, finding Jed, Finch, and Cleo pacing around the group. Sebastian's body was seizing, eyes still rolled back, skin growing paler by the second.

It was killing him.

"Okay, here's the plan," said Rhysaenya quickly. "Cleo, do you either have access to the artifact you were trapped in to shove The Watcher in there or are you able to make a body that we can control?"

"Yes, yes I can make a new body," said Cleo. "The artifact is at the school, it will not arrive in time." She ran to the car, coming back with a bag filled with ingredients to make clay. She knelt down, starting to mold as quickly as she could.

"I imagine it doesn't need to be too fancy," said Jed, seeing that Cleo was already trying to form a perfect nose.

"It will be more stable the more accurate it is," argued Cleo. "For all intents and purposes, it must be a body."

"Yeah, whatever," said Finch, eyes wide as she pointed at Lizzie and Josie, each of whom were bleeding from their noses. "Make it look however you want, just do it fast!"

Rhysaenya was torn, not sure which side she should enter. Hope and Lizzie probably needed all the help they could get to find Sebastian, but his subconscious was pure nothingness, just the same as Malivore had been. She didn't need a repeat of that. But whatever the others were experiencing seemed worse. MG and Kaleb were sweating, Josie looked like she might pass out. Keeping The Watcher occupied was probably going to be worse.

She wanted to choose Hope. She wanted to choose to help her the same way that Hope had picked her. But she knew that MG, Kaleb, and Josie weren't going to be willing to kill The Watcher if they got the chance to do so within Sebastian's mind. If all Hope needed to do was a spell... she should let her and Lizzie handle it.

She grabbed into Josie's shoulder, tapping her out. "Hey," she said, offering her sleeve to wipe her nose. "My turn, it's okay."

She nodded wearily, staggering toward Finch. Raf grabbed hold of Rhysaenya before she could take MG's hand, nodding to let her know that he was coming, too.

They found themselves standing in a nightclub, the two vampires viciously feeding on a screaming group of people.

"Stop!" yelled Rhysaenya, knowing MG especially couldn't control himself. "Stop– what are you doing?"

"One of them is The Watcher!" snarled Kaleb, letting go of the man he'd been feeding on. "We'll find them, we'll kill them."

"Woah, woah!" Raf pulled him away. "Man, no, I know you don't want to do this, you can't fed on everybody in here, they're not even real!"

"They're real," said MG, staring at the faces, body shaking as he wiped his mouth. "Look at them, they're every person The Watcher has ever been in. It's hiding in one of them, I know it."

"Oh, boys," came a woman's voice in the crowd. "And girl. You have nothing to offer! You cannot get me out anymore than you can draw Sebastian to the surface."

It knows.

The woman speaking came forth, smirking at them from Sofya's body. "You're so afraid to unleash," she said, patting MG's chest. "Were it not for your instincts, you wouldn't kill at all. That is why you cannot stop what is coming. You are weak. You are so worried about being moral that you forget to be efficient."

Rhysaenya kicked her leg up, slamming it into Sofya's chest and knocking her to the floor. "I'm not worried about that at all."

She smirked, lunging at her and punching her across the face, grabbing her by the throat to slam her to the ground, digging her nails in and drawing blood. "And you," she crooned. "Dōzift pēcū ñiȳā. Tē vāȳ mēturphaq āñquam tē lā ōxīdamete mēgtūs." (T: Weak little girl. I will torture you before I kill your friends.)

She blew fire right into The Watcher's face at the same time that Raf punched his hand into the woman's chest, gripping her heart from behind. He ripped her heart out as she screeched in pain, letting go of Rhysaenya and flopping over.

"Did it work?" asked Raf, hand shaking as he dropped the heart. "Just– just tell me it worked."

"I don't know," said Kaleb honestly. "We gotta get out." The venue they were in began to rumble, a cloud of dust falling from the ceiling.

The vampires pulled them out of the head dive, revealing that Hope and Lizzie had already exited. "Did it work?" asked Cleo, almost done with a mold for a new body. "Are we ready?"

"I don't know," said Hope, brows furrowed. "We were kicked out before we even found Sebastian..."

He gave a gasp, waking up and looking around. "Elizabeth?" he said immediately. "Milton?"

"We're here," said Lizzie, dropping down beside him. "Are you okay? Is it gone?"

He whimpered, holding his temples. "I can feel it inside of me."

"But we just killed her," said Raf, staring down at his hand, no longer soaked in blood. "We just got rid of The Watcher."

Sebastian shook his head. "No. No, she's there, she's in there, I can hear her..." he let out a yell, seizing up again. "She's there, she's everywhere–" his jaw went slack, and a cackle broke out. "Idiots," he said darkly. "You killed me within my host. It may not transfer to you but it also does nothing to get me out. It merely marks this body as mine. And now, you opened the door I needed to get into Sebastian's subconscious. I will erase–"

He broke free again, starting to sob. "Get her out!" he yelled, smacking himself. "GET HER OUT!"

"I don't know how!" exclaimed Lizzie, scared as he threw his own body back, skull smashing against the ground to no avail. "Sebastian– Sebastian stop!"

"She's going to take control," he wailed, clawing at his skin. "She's going to make me kill you, I can feel it, I know it!" He stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily. "You have to... you have to kill me... when she is not... in charge..."

"We're not killing you," said Landon immediately. "You're one of us, Sebastian, we can't–"

Sebastian moved his hands to claw at his own chest, as if trying to tear it open. "There is– no choice– she will take my mind– she will know all that we know– you have to kill me!"

"We can still try to take her out," Hope insisted. "There has to be a way–"

"There isn't! I can feel it..." he blinked tears out of his eyes. "It feels like a fire burning its way through me, like a darkness that is growing with each second... I can feel it all slipping away. Give me– give me something. I must do it myself. The artifacts..." he sat up, grabbing both Lizzie and MG. "Find them. Find the artifact, trap her. The third, it can kill her. One... to aid her... two to contain her... three to eradicate her from this Earth. Promise me. Promise me you will find them."

"We'll find them," said Lizzie, voice breaking. "Sebastian, there has to be another way if you just hold on."

He shook his head. "It was... the greatest months of my life... knowing you both..." he smiled tiredly. "I never had friends. Please... let me die remembering you all this way... I will not forgive myself if I become a beast... if she makes me kill you all."

Rhysaenya was the only one who dared to give him what he asked for, breaking a leg off of a wooden chair, offering it to him. He nodded to her, wiping the sweat off his brow and positioning the tip of the makeshift stake over his chest. "Can you still mark her?" asked Sebastian weakly.

"I don't think we have enough time," whispered Hope. "You're not strong enough to survive the spell. If she comes back into your consciousness, she'll disrupt it."

He closed his eyes, and without hesitation, plunged the stake into his chest.

Lizzie let out a sob, burying her head in MG's neck as she hugged him, refusing to witness as Sebastian's skin turned grey, his body going still.

They buried him in a lake, body set on fire over a small bed in the water.

"Ēoc pāz," recited Rhysaenya, hand over her heart, "pōssum ūtȳ dījimittē cōlū īst tēr. Ēoc ām, pōssum ūtȳ ēoñventrire ēl sīc. Lā ūtȳ pātȳa ēsthoc gēȳñ, lā ūtȳ pāz ēsthoc ēoñventrire." (T: In peace may you leave this land. In love, may you find the next. Your battle is won, your peace is found.)

Lizzie clung to Josie's hand, body still shaking with rage. "If I was a Heretic, I could've saved him," she whispered. "And if I couldn't... at least I could stop feeling this."

"Lizzie, no," said Josie, following after her as she stormed away.

Hope held up a photograph of the last artifact, a blade similar to Aegon's Catspaw Dagger. "This thing will kill her. Whoever she is." She stared up at the moon. "I'll make new moonlight rings when we get back to the school. We should get out of here."

The school was unnaturally quiet when they returned.

"Dr. Saltzman?" called Hope as they walked in. "Emma? Dorian? Is anyone... here?"

"Hope?"

She knelt down as her cousin Nik came running up to her. "What happened?" she asked immediately. "Where is everybody?"

"They had to go away," he said, holding up a little piece of paper with a lavender spring attached to it. "It said to stay in school but nobody stayed."

Hope snatched the note away, recognizing the blue ink and The Watcher's writing. "Stay in school? What the hell–?"

"Um, guys?" said Finch from the rear, pointing at the door to the gym, which was open. "I can hear something in there."

Hope and Rhysaenya took the lead while Josie and Cleo stayed in the back with Nik, who was trying his hardest to be brave. Rhysaenya rushed forward when she saw Wade, whimpering and holding his abdomen, a knife lodged inside.

"Stay still," she urged, keeping it still. "Kaleb, can you–?"

He swept forward immediately, offering Wade his blood. As soon as the boy drank, Kaleb pulled the knife out. "You're here," said Wade tiredly. "I thought you'd never come back."

"What happened here?" asked Jed, sniffing and noting different puddles of blood. "Why–?"

"They came for us... humans, hunters... someone outed us to the world. It was a post, it went viral in seconds. Everyone with an axe to grind, they came... they were looking for Hope... some of the wolves and vampires here killed their family members... they wanted vengeance. Vampire hunters showed up, there was nothing we could do once everyone lost control..." a tear slid down his cheek. "Everyone fled. The littlest kids, Emma took them as far as she could if they made it onto the bus. Some student were killed, I don't... I don't know who..."

Hope held up the lavender spring, body tense as she crushed it in her palm. "Aurora was used to draw us all to that warehouse. The Watcher wanted the La Rose Perpétuelle to raise Malivore. She... she expected we might not give it over, so Aurora's presence was faked to get a new host, someone we couldn't kill so we might be more willing to negotiate. And the whole time... Aurora was here. She was here outing us all to the world so that when the time came to get rid of all supernaturals... the humans would be on their side. Oh my god. Oh my god."

"Hope!" yelled Rhysaenya, sprinting after her as the tribrid rushed to the car, already running a Locator Spell inside. "Hope, listen to me, we should tell your aunts and uncles to meet us wherever the spell says that she is, if they can help, then we'll get rid of her and they'll be strong enough to help us do a better head dive–"

"And then what?" snapped Hope. "Rhysaenya, Wade almost died, actual students were dragged away and killed, somehow my cousin got left behind instead of being on the bus with the rest of the lower class so who knows how many of the youngest were part of that pile of dead bodies we're going to find? If I'd just– if I'd just been a little more assertive, if I'd put my foot down with everyone, if I'd been willing to make all the kills I needed to, I could have avoided this entirely."

"You don't know that! This witch is fucking delusional, she could have found a way any–"

"I could have done the Soul-Branding spell," Hope blurted out. "I could have done it as Sebastian laid dying. It would have killed him– I would've killed him– but at least we'd have a way to track The Watcher. And I didn't do it because the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him more. I could have killed all those vampires, I could have branded The Watcher when she was in Sofya if I hadn't cared too much and hadn't wanted to hurt her. I hesitate, I keep hesitating because I care and now every single enemy out there is going to exploit that. I have to continue this alone! I never should have involved any of you, it was a mistake."

"Hope, this isn't a burden you should take on by yourself, it'll destroy you. We are happy to help—"

"Are you happy, Rhysaenya? Happy that Sebastian just got killed?!"

"That wasn't your fault! This is The Watcher's doing, we have to focus this anger that we feel on her. She threatened our school, Hope, the innocent kids there. People came and attacked this place when we weren't here! That's not because of you, that's because these people have an issue with all supernaturals, especially the ones with different views than them! We don't know what's going on right now so we should give it time to at least account for anyone before we make another move! Your aunts and uncles will get here as fast as they can. They're here to help, so let them!"

"I refuse to let anyone else die because of my weakness. I have to handle this on my own where I can make decisions not impacted by seeing you all in danger! I was strong enough to rip The Watcher out of Sebastian... if I was just strong enough to put it in the body of someone I don't care about, this would be easier. If I didn't have to worry about you all every step of the way—"

"We understand what sacrifices may need to be made. This is bigger than just you, Hope! The Watcher wants to get rid of all supernaturals except for witches. And do you think she'll stop there? No! She'll get rid of witches that she feels threatened by, half-breeds or potential half-breeds like the Saltzmans... it won't end. It won't end! It's our fight, we want to protect you and we want to protect the kids here. We can still do something but we need to pause and think this time. They have been making moves left and right while we're occupied. Let's at least prepare ourselves for the worst before we go charging back into battle!"

"Rhysaenya, I am not asking for your permission or your advice! I won't let you come with me because if you have to kill for me or die for me, both will hurt me just as much."

"This person has a connection to my past, what if there's more that I can help with? You don't exactly speak Tērañguis."

"I will not survive losing you! I'm not running that risk anymore!"

"Today has proven that I am at risk here, too. Nowhere is safe. I took care of myself for a long time. I can do it again. I'm the only person in the group with sufficient combat experience and oh, just have a teensy advantage with being able to blow fire and turn into a dragon! Not to mention the witches are useful with spells, the vampires can head dive, the wolves and Landon have a bunch of crazy good ideas we can use. As long as there is a war to be fought, I will fight it with you. We don't give up on family."

"No, but you must give up on this."

They whirled around and saw Aurora de Martel, holding onto Raf, her hand in his chest.

"Let him go," demanded Hope. "It's me you want."

Aurora smiled. "Yes, indeed. Your blood and one other thing. Which you have in your possession. Hand it over and abandon this search. No one else needs to be harmed. I can feel this poor boy's heart beating hard enough to burst on its own! I wouldn't keep me waiting if I were you."

"Rhysaenya," said Hope slowly. "Go get the others, make sure they're safe."

"Oh, they're fine," said Aurora. "Trapped inside the gym, a delicious little Barrier Spell from the real witch you seek."

Hope began to breathe heavily, looking at Rhysaenya, the two realizing the same thing. The Watcher was there.

"Tick tock," chimed Aurora. "I don't see you moving quite as fast as you ought to. Poor Rafael does not have the luxury of waiting for you."

Hope reached into the trunk, pulling out her backpack and opening it to reveal La Rose Perpétuelle. "Release your hold on him," she demanded. "Then I will walk over there and get it from you."

Aurora smiled, beckoning her forward. "A bit closer... that's it."

Hope moved toward her, holding it out. Aurora waited until the last possible second, letting go of Raf and reaching out.

The tribrid swiped the artifact through the air, cutting Aurora's head clean off.

From inside the school, Cleo let out a blood-curdling scream.

Rhysaenya had sprinted over, intending to tend to Rafael. He wasn't standing there on the steps, where Aurora had pushed him after letting go. He was laid on the floor, head severed from his body. There was no Aurora, she hadn't been there at all.

Hope staggered back, staring down at her hands. "No... no... what did I... what did I do?"

"The Watcher was in him!" screamed Cleo as the rest of the group rushed up, stopping in their tracks when they saw Raf's dead body. "It trapped us in the gym!"

Rhysaenya grabbed onto Hope, shaking her shoulders, knowing what this meant. "Stay with me," she begged as she saw Hope starting to panic. "Fight it. Fight her off, you're strong enough. She can't take control over you."

The tribrid whimpered, cupping Rhysaenya's face. "I can't— I can feel her— I can feel the darkness—"

"Hope! Hope— stay with me, focus on my face..." she shook her again when Hope sank down weakly. "You can beat her. You're the tribrid, you can win."

"I have to get her out," moaned Hope, holding her head. "I have to shove her out."

"Yes, you have to! You can do it! Tell me what I can do. Please."

"Bring me back."

"Bring... you back?"

She laughed weakly. "I heard... an old story... about a sire bond that was taken away just from flipping the switch."

"No! No, no, stop! Don't say that! You're not even sure that'll get her out, you could be giving her access to your body without a sound mind."

Hope stopped struggling, suddenly looking calm, a wicked smirk growing on her face. It wasn't The Watcher's smile, Rhysaenya couldn't sense the darkness. This was Hope. It was all Hope.

"No," pleaded Rhysaenya. "Hope, it's not the answer..."

The tribrid's eyes gleamed maliciously. "Isn't it?"