CLAY
Becker was in a cell, cuffs on his wrists. Clay was facing the same fate. His son, however, was still laying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. He wasn't dead. The only person he had to talk to was Arlis.

On the floor above Clay, Konrad was giving a speech. To all the Hunters. Some of the Hunters were there out of fear. Half were there out of Konrad being the hierarchy. Some because the Hunters always followed the highest in rank. Considering that most of the Supernatural Court was dead or under Konrad's command. The fae Queen was dead, the necromancer King was under his control, he controlled the witches. The Hunters. The Werewolves. The Vampires. The only species who didn't bow down to him were the mermaids and... well Konrad didn't need underwater vixens..

Clay moved his chains around viciously. "How did you get down here, Arlis?"

Arlis scoffed and didn't answer his question.

"I tried to have my wife turn yours human. Never got around to it." Clay admitted. "An idea that blew away."

Arlis, again, scoffed. However, this time he actually answered. "You wouldn't of gotten close to her."

Clay was sure Arlis had probably said those same words to Konrad. Clay leaned against the bars in his cell, thinking about how the hell he got into this position.

Most of it was wanting to be better than Becker, his half brother. Most of it was wanting praise and... for his father to care. Some was wanting his family protected.

He looked at his son, who didn't look very protected. It was his fault. Clay couldn't protect anyone. He watched as Colin stirred awake, sitting up slowly. His breathing was deep, hoarse.

"Colin?" Clay asked.

Colin looked at Clay and then around the room. He looked down at his hands. "I'm going to kill him." Colin shot up from the ground and then wobbled, falling into cell bars.

Clay rolled his eyes. "Son, we have another option."

Colin glared at him. "You didn't do anything!"

Clay bowed his head. "I know. I know."

Colin stood straight, taking his breaths slower and lighter. "Why didn't he chain me down?" Colin whispered.

"He thinks you're going to go kill him probably." Clay admitted. He knew the moment he tried, his son would be just as dead as Everly Dawn. "In which you'll fail. Again."

"Daddy? Are you down here?" A small, petite voice, asked from the entrance.

"Sophia?" Colin asked, immediately his presence calming.

Sophia flickered on a light in her palm, magic flowing through her veins. "Why are you guys down here. It's dark." She giggled.

Clay frowned when he realized his son didn't smile smile. The situation would have made him smile a week ago, back when he was with Eve.

As if on the same thinking track, Colin whispered to his dad. "Why did Konrad make me believe Eve killed mom? The lie wasn't formulated or... anything. It was a quick lie."

Clay bit his lip. "I think Konrad only needed her for a quick minute. He thought that by the time you realized he had lied, he'd be done with her."

Clay watched as his one and only son wiped his eyes, sniffing. "He was right. He won."

Sophia sneezed. "It's dusty. Come up here, guys."

Clay closed his eyes, thinking over a plan that would make everyone hate him, that would probably get him killed. He knew that if he didn't do something quick, Konrad was going to overuse and over do Sophia and she would die. Even in the dim lighting, Clay saw less color in her eyes. Less pep in her step. Just because underage Salems could use magic, didn't mean they should. And... well she used it far too much.

He understood the Dawns for a fleeting moment. A moment that made Clay almost feel... bad for them. The Dawns would kill or die for each other. And although his son didn't think so, Clay knew he'd die for Colin or Sophia. For his wife.

"Sophia, honey. Come here." Clay smiled softly.

Sophia did as asked and waddled down the steps. She stopped for a moment to cough and then continued. She stood a couple feet away. "Why are you locked up?" She asked.

Colin eyed Clay warily, scared.

"I accidentally locked myself in here. Can't find the keys on the ground. Can you— come here and help me find them." Clay held his hands out. He remembered doing this to Colin.

Werewolves had it easy. They had time to adjust to their werewolf side. Even Hunters had it easier. Sure everything  came at once and it was overwhelming, but it wasn't as bad as being a vamp.

Vampires were bit and changed and it was painful and unnatural. And then sometime in their life they had to die. Clay remembered killing Colin, fully changing him.

"Dad what are you—" Colin began to ask. Clay cut him off with a quick look that said, "Trust me."

When Sophia was in range, Clay grabbed her and pulled her against the bars, the lotus chains burning both Clay and Sophia. The metal stung against Sophia's cheek and she let out an ear piercing scream.

Clay dug his teeth into her neck, releasing toxins and poisons into her, changing her blood to a Vampire. Just like he did to Colin when he was young. Just like Clay made sure to do to himself when he was with the Hunters. Before Terrance and Kasparov disowned him for being the wrong species. But the Dawns didn't understand. It was either a vampire or a disgraced bloodline. A bloodline used for nothing but a host for magic.

Sophia screamed and screamed as her magic flowed out, unpure and disrupted. No more Salem Blood in her. It was unchangeable. Had she been born half and half her body and blood would of had time to adjust and adapt to each other. But it just suddenly changing... the balance was offset. Gone.

She wasn't Salem. She wasn't a witch. When she hits twenty, she'll be a vamp if nothing disrupts it.

You can't make a Salem. You can't undo it. Not even Konrad. Her blood was changed. It was settled.

Just like Clay's death.

EVERLY
I thought I was dead. But... I opened my eyes. I was laying on the floor in Sisca's living room, her body on the couch next to me. I reached up my hand and grabbed hers, beginning to laugh.

We made it through. We were okay.

I stood up and took a breath, a strange feeling welling up in me. I felt human. Were all my powers stripped away? Was I just still healing?

I remembered laying on the ground outside and wondered who brought me in the room.

Was it little Kaspar? "Kaspar!" I yelled out.

No response.

Was he okay? Did someone come looking for me and save me?

I doubted Konrad respected my body enough to bring me to the house. I doubted he respected anyone enough.

I cleared my throat and looked down at Sisca, her body laying on the couch, lifelessly.

Next to her. Was. My body. My body.

I screamed, backing myself into a wall, not feeling the coldness of it. "This isn't happening." I closed my eyes, trying to blink away the sight I was seeing. It never left.

My body was laying on the ground.

I was dead.

I was dead.

I gripped my chest and fell to my knees, mourning over myself. How did I die? Konrad killed me but... how did I let myself die?

I covered my face, my stomach rolling over. I moved my hands and went to vomit, only for nothing to come out.

The door next to me opened, a familiar girl with raven black hair and mysterious eyes came in, a dagger in her hand.

A tall blonde with daring icy eyes stood next her, muscles defined, skin tan. She looked at the body on the couch and then at the body next to it.

"Mom no." I whispered.

Mom ran forward, sliding next to my body.

"Mom I'm right here!" I screamed. She didn't turn. Nobody turned. I was alone, a ghost, I was silent.

She picked my body's head up and cradled me in her lap, crying and running her hands through my hair.

Constance walked outside, wiping her eyes. I could hear her sobs through the walls.

"Mom." I walked to her, sitting next to her and setting my hand on her shoulder. She didn't feel it. "I'm right here."

"Oh God, Eve." She whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Her nails dig into her palm in one hand, the other was still running through my hair.

I felt someone tap my shoulder. When I turned around, Kas was standing there. Not little Kas, but tall, older Kasparov Dawn.

I jumped into his arms, crying into his chest.

"Eve, you're not going to stay here." Kas promised. "We're not letting you stay here."

I looked up at him and then back at mom, who was being held to dad's chest without her knowledge. Our whole family was here practically, all of us in pain, none of us being able to console one another.

"Dad." I whispered.

He looked up at me and smiled sadly, tears falling from his chin. "Hey, Eve."

I walked to him and sat down on the floor, his arm going over my shoulders. He kissed my forehead and then my mom's.

We must have sat on the floor for an hour, just crying until finally Mom and Connie started calling the other Hunters. None of them answered. None of them returned their calls.

Constance stood up and slammed her phone on the table. "This is ridiculous! Nobody is answering?" She asked, furrowing her brows. "Whatever happened to loyalty?"

Mom looked at my body. She hadn't moved from her position of cradling me. "They are loyal. Just not to us."

Kasparov laughed at Constance. "Constance isn't used to not being able to throw around her weight." He chuckled, looking at his daughter sadly. He was acting like he was unscathed by being dead, but I saw it in his eyes... he missed his family.

"Hey Terrance, how long do you think she'll go before she cracks and screams that she's a Dawn?" Kasparov looked up at us, younger than when I last saw him.

My dad walked to him and pushed him away. "My daughter is dead, Kasparov. Your niece."

Kas looked at me, sighing. "Not for long."

"You keep saying that, what does that mean?" I asked, popping my knuckles. The dead stay dead. Always have. Always will.

And well, I was dead. As dead as a gutted dear. I wasn't going to be an exception.

"It means, a Salem Witch is going to trade their life for yours." Kasparov said, looking away from Constance.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Becker can't. I won't let him."

"No. Not Becker." Uncle Kasparov rubbed his neck embarrassingly.

"Sophia?" I whined. "No."

"No no no, baby girl." Dad grabbed my hands and held them in his. "No."

"Me." A woman came from the darkness wearing a white night gown.

"Kate?" I spat out. She turned in the notebook. She was my living hell, the reason a bunch of people are going to die. If I could kill her I would. How could she see me? She wasn't a Salem Witch. "Wish we could trade you out for me, but Arli—"

"I am not my great niece." Her voice was deeper, a European accent to it that I couldn't pin point.

My mouth fell dry. "Polyphema." I dropped to one knee, bowing my head. "I'm so sorry."

She chuckled, a light sound. "Please, do not bow."

I got up and cleared my throat. "How are you Uh.. here. I thought you died a long time ago."

"I never... died. None of us did. Please. You think the creators of the Hunters, the rulers, balancers of Power would really kill themselves because they are too powerful?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "No."

Becker. "Does Be—"

"My son knows now, Konrad told him." Poly's head hung.

My jaw dropped, my heart beating a million miles per hour. "How did you never die? I'm so confused. How did Konrad figure it out?"

***

"And that is it how my husband figured it out. An old wive's tale that was about his mom." She was so beautiful. Kate was okay, but something about Polyphema made her invincible. She was an angel amongst demons, a sun in the middle of a gloomy day.

She was also terrifying.

"But you can't trade your life in for mine. How does that work?" I asked, shaking my head.

Poly winced. "I can only do it with Hunters. And you are a Hunter."

I squeezed my dad's hand tighter. "Why me? Why not kill Konrad yourself?" I missed having my dad, my Uncle.

Every once in a while Kas would shoot Poly a glance but then would shake his head and continue on whatever he was doing. Most of the time, he just made fun of Constance.

"I created you. The Hunters. The Dawns, specifically. I can recreate you." She took a deep breath, her skin nearly glowing. "But it will kill me." She settled in the downside to the whole operation.

"But you're the most powerful thing in the world. If you can't bring back the dead and not die... how are you the most powerful. Necromancers do it." I argued. Becker could finally get his mom back. They could work together to kill Konrad.

I looked back down at my mom, who was asleep, cradling my body. Mom would be okay. She had my siblings. She... I looked away. She would blame it on herself. I was lying to myself if I thought she'd be okay.

Polyphema shrugged. "It takes the King of the Necromancers nine days to bring back a soul."

"My Doctor did it in nine minutes." I curled my eyebrows, still arguing. Wow. Good to know that even after death I was still argumentative.

She shook her head. "He brought up a piece of her. When a necromancer brings up a soul, the soul can stay for... a month before they tire and become depressed. Your doctor's bringing up could only stay for ten minutes." She explained, her bright eyes so full of life. They weren't the exact shade of Becker's, but they had the same glint.

I rubbed my face. "This is crazy. How long is it going to take you?"

"A couple minutes. And you will be permanently brought back, no side effects. And most of my power is gone. Am I still not powerful?" She tilted her head at me, smirking. God, Becker was so much like her it was almost unearthly.

I gulped. "How is it going to kill you?"

Poly rolled her eyes. "My Power is given mostly to Konrad, and some to Becker. This leaves me with about... fifteen percent power. There are some spells that permanently take your power. Think of it like a bank. I like banks, I never had one but I think they are a neat invention." She giggled.

Kasparov looked over at me and gave me a dumb look. "Here we go."

"I mean, they hold money, and they—"

I stopped her. "What spells steal your magic?" I didn't need to hear about Banks.

Poly huffed out a breath, irritated that I cut her off. "Chaining someone to Hell takes a lot, but that regains back slowly. Creating or raising a Hunter, that's a Salem Thing. No-speaking spells take a lot but they rejuvenate over long periods of time. Ripping another Salem's magic is the easiest way to kill them, because then they'll be defenseless, but it also drains you unless you have a Hunter's dagger and you know the right spell."

I widened my eyes. "So when you raise me..."

"I will be all out of power and I will die." She finsished off sadly. "But I am ready. The thing my husband wants most is me. And he is not allowed to have me."

"Do you still love him?" My Dad asked, his eyes on my mom.

Poly huffed out, thinking over her answer carefully. I feared I wouldn't like the answer. "People do not think this. Konrad has a heart. One that I love. He never would have killed me. I watched him cry over my body for hours when he thought I had died. Before that night our life was perfect, for a thousand years it was perfect. What he is doing now is not okay, and as a timeless old lady..." She didn't look old at all. "I love him. But I am ready to die. Defeat him."