WARNING— unedited.

EVERLY
Three on three, the odds were not in our favor. Hunters were born stronger than vampires, and as they aged their power only grew. The Hunters were much older than any of us.

The only one who wasn't, was Ambrosius. I didn't know if I could take him down anyways. I had had a lot of training but look where that training got me every time, down on the ground.

"We're stronger than you three, you understand that?" Sergei hissed.

Cassidy smiled at him, her face innocent and sweet. "We know that that's wrong." She frowned. "We know things now that you don't know we know."

"Like?" Sergei laughed.

"Viktoriya!" Cassidy chuckled. "And Alisa!" Cassidy smiled brightly. "That notebook gave up a lot of details, Sergei. Such as immediate family that is to be harmed— sorry, protected— should the Hunter who loves them die."

"Suka!" Sergei screamed. "You leave my family out of this!" Sergei rushed at Cassidy and I was expecting Cassidy to retreat or be seriously injured, but I found instead that she could hold her ground.

They fought in blurs and when my eyes could finally follow their movements, they were circling each other. Both had bloody smirks. Sergei was part vampire, the only Hybrid Hunter with something other than human.

"So we meet again, Sergei." Cassidy laughed. "Maybe this time I'll get to kill you."

"I've been looking for you for a long time, Cassandra." Sergei's thick Russian accent made his words harsher. He raised his eyebrows, a smile under his malicious eyes. "To get revenge for the only scar I have!"

Cassidy and him launched into an attack. In fights between people closer to my age, between witches and other slow species... fights were just that. Fights.

But talented, older, merciless supernaturals such as Hunters and Hunteds... their fights were blurs and grunts. You could hardly see how each bruise got there. Time inside the fight felt normal, but in reality... they were too quick to be seen clearly by the naked eye.

"Eve... why'd you give the notebook away? We could've gotten married one day." Ambrosius snapped, taking bold steps forward.

I put my fists up, ready to fight. The back of my head hurt. Why did I leave? I made a lot of bad decisions, a lot. This one was the worst. But I couldn't be with Constance and mom, they wouldn't of allowed the freedom I needed. I had been on my own for too long, too long to start being under someone else's control again.

That feeling of not wanting to be bossed around however, prevented me from saying goodbye for maybe the last time.

No. I wasn't going to waist the second chance I had been given. I learned a lot from Colin, a lot more than I liked to admit.

"Ambrosius, I didn't give the notebook away! You really think I would do that?" I asked, just as he tried to knock my tooth out. I sidestepped back, watching his hands.

He snarled. "Vampires killed my parents, Eve. How could you betray us!?"

I gulped as Ambrosius ran towards me, trying to tackle me. He wasn't fighting with his head now, he was fighting with his heart. He was too caught up in his past to think clearly.

"And Konrad killed my dad." It was strange saying it out loud. "And my uncle Kasparov." I hadn't acknowledged their deaths to anyone except Colin.

Ambrosius froze for a second before trying to elbow me. I ducked under it. He was getting sloppy. He didn't want to kill me. He probably knew I didn't give the notebook to the vamps. He wasn't stupid.

"I know." Ambrosius said. "I'm sorry." He kicked my chest and I stumbled back into a church pew, shards of wood surrounded me. I looked over my shoulder. Konnor was definitely getting his ass beat by Magid. The only fight that looked like our side maybe had a shot at was Cassidy. She and Sergei were both bleeding from too many places, were both tired. But Cassidy fought dirty.

I laid on the ground, my body felt as though I had been tossed off a boat, a million miles down. I couldn't breathe.

"I didn't— you know I didn't, Amber." I muttered.

I tried to stand up but Ambrosius put his foot on my neck. "I know. Who do you think planted spies in Sovereign?"

My mouth opened and closed, looking for words to say. "So you know I didn't? Do the other hunters?"

He shook his head. "I'm not aiding a traitor." He kicked my head to the side.

Warm liquid pooled beneath me as I rolled onto my side, my vision blurry. I thought I could talk to him but all he saw was the surface. He didn't see the canyons that lied beneath the lies, he didn't see the shadows that corrupted his truths.

"Amber." I whispered. "You don't understand."

I got onto my hands and knees, trying to stand. I thought I could talk to him, change him, but I wasn't as good of a talker as Konrad.

"I understand enough." Ambrosius whimpered as he kicked my stomach, tossing me back.

I closed my eyes and felt around with my hands for a wooden shard. There had to be something I could do. I grabbed one with my right and rested my left hand on top of another piece.

I shot up and yelled as I tried to plunge the wooden shard in my right hand through Ambrosius's heart. I grew up with him, and yet here I was. Where was the line? How far would I go? When was enough, enough?

Ambrosius caught my hand in his and kissed my fingers. He ripped the wood out of my hands and looked at me with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Eve."

"Me too." I whispered and took the shard in my left hand and plunged it through his back. It poked out of his chest on my side, a deep red color splattered over it.

Ambrosius took unsteady steps back. He looked down and then at me. "Ever—" he took four steps too me and then fell to one knee. "Thank you." He whispered and then fell into his face, not moving.

Something in me changed. I felt the blood in my veins rush faster. My hands shook and my head pounded. I fell to my knees and ripped at my shirt, trying to calm my racing heart.

What was happening to me? One last surge spasmed in my body, and then everything was calm. I looked at the fights going on around me and at Ambrosius's dead body.

I killed him. I killed someone.

I started to cry and then realized I couldn't do that. I didn't have time for that. I had to help Konnor or Cassidy.

I turned away from Ambrosius's body, holding down any pain I felt, and ran to Konnor's side. He was losing his battle.

I grabbed Magid's hand, slipping between Konnor and him, as he tried to punch Konnor's face. Magid widened his eyes at me as I pushed his hand back.

I screamed from the tensity my arms were feeling, all the strength I was using. Magid yelled too, but more out of anger.

"How!?" Magid looked over at Ambrosius's dead body on the floor. Magid sneered at me. "Madtorum." He pulled his hand back, looking wildly between Konnor and I.

Nearby, I could still hear the grunts and hits of Sergei and Cassidy. Konnor took Magid's sudden confusion to his advantage and ran to help Cassidy.

"One who kills the corrupted." Magid whispered. "Ambrosius was corrupted!" Magid looked strangely at Ambrosius and then to me with a calmer expression.

Magid turned his head to the side slightly, still watching me. "Sergei!" Magid yelled. "Stop your fighting."

Sergei shot him a confused look. "Wha—" Cassidy came in with a hard right hook, sending Sergei to the side.

"Bitch!" Sergei went after her again.

I put my hands on my knees, my head ringing. I was tempted to sit down but didn't trust anyone in the room. I closed my eyes for just a second, just a second.

"Dawn!" Magid snapped his fingers in my face. I jolted and took a step back, falling onto my ass. I rolled onto my side. My ankle still throbbed from my failed attempt to kick Sergei earlier, my chest wasn't allowing me to breathe clearly.

Warm blood rolled under my hand but when I looked up, it wasn't Ambrosius, it was Damayanti.

Her broken body was laying next to me, her blood pooling under me. I kicked myself away, slipping in her blood. I was in a panic, trying to run. I stood up and turned, seeing my Uncle Kasparov's bloody face.

"You let me die?" He asked, taking a step to me. I turned once more, not ready to face him. I closed my eyes as my dad reached a hand out.

"Everly. My daughter. You just had to have him." He continued to reach out.

I closed my eyes and fell to my knees, clutching my hair. Screams ripped through my throat, clawing at my vocal cords. Oceans roared in my ears, rumbling my head. I felt like I was being eaten alive by a lion, like my body was being shredded.

"STOP!" I yelled, but I couldn't hear it. I fell back onto the ground, my eyes shut so tightly a headache was forming behind them. I curled my knees to my chest, tucking my head between them. I covered my ears. 

My skin tightened around my body. Every breath I took was labored and hard to get down. My mouth fell dry. "Please." I begged.

Kill me. Someone needed to kill me. This was enough. Hadn't I been through it all? Hadn't I received enough damage? I wanted to die, I begged for it.

A heavy weight was removed from my chest. I continued crying, even as the loud roars around me began to quiet slowly. The sound turned from erupting to a quiet breeze.

I twitched as the only sound I heard was myself, my own sickly crying. My nose was so stuffed I couldn't smell. My eyes felt dried out even though liquid still pooled in them. My head was still facing an onslaught of migraines.

"My sincerest apologies, Ms. Dawn." I didn't open my eyes. That voice felt deadly.

My body shuddered on the ground. It was so cold. I was so cold.

"That was a tragic time to do that, Anaforo." Sergei laughed. "But she deserves it. Whether or not we're corrupt, she still loves a Hunted."

I opened my eyes, the darkness in the church a welcomed hello.

"Of course you're all corrupt. Konrad needs to die." That deadly voice came back.

I sat up, my bones aching. The new guy was in fact not very new. His name was King Anaforo, of the necromancers.

"We may not be doing what the moon wishes, but I don't see the moon helping the Hunters flourish." Magid argued.

I held my head between my hands, the room circling me. It wasn't real. I told myself. And it wasn't. It was just Anaforo, messing with my mind in a way it never should be messed with. That didn't stop the nausea, the dizziness.

"In case you haven't noticed, you've lost more Hunters than gained. Damayanti, Kasparov, Felix, Terrance, Ambrosius." Anaforo held his hand out to me. I didn't take it. "Everly, I can help you."

"Get away from her!" Cassidy screamed.

I looked over and Cassidy and Konnor were strapped to a cross. Lotus chains tied them together. How long had I sat here?

"I'm not going to hurt her." Anaforo winced. "Again. In my defense, I thought she was going to kill Magid. And if he dies..." he trailed off. Anaforo cleared his throat. "I would like to offer you all a proposal."

I stood up wobbly and tripped forward. King Anaforo held my shoulders steady. Unlike his voice, his hands seemed to make me stronger. "Are you alright, Eve?" He asked.

I tried to be strong, at least pretend, as I walked to a church pew to sit down. "No thanks to you." I muttered. "I don't want a proposal. No deals with Konrad ever work."

"You're a Madtorum," Sergei explained. "You have killed a corrupted Hunter, gained some strength from it."

I just wanted to rest. That's all I was asking for. "Madtorum?" I asked.

Sergei cleared his throat. "One who kills the corrupted. If a Hunter is going against what they should be doing, fighting or another wrong thing, another Hunter is supposed to hunt them. If the corrupted is killed, the victor is given a little bit of power. Not enough to help greatly, but there is a little gift in it. Ambrosius was fighting for the wrong cause, our cause."

I didn't want to hear anything about Ambrosius. I took no pride in killing him. It gave me no satisfaction. He was my friend.

"A good cause! We may not be doing what we're supposed to do, but we are doing what we need to do. You have no room to talk, Sergei. You're a corrupted. Two faced, filth. A fucking Vampire/Hunter hybrid." Magid threw his hands up. "We need to kill her!" He pointed at me.

"Have you told Konrad about her?" King Anaforo tipped his chin up.

Magid shook his head. "Haven't been given a chance. Win told me she was headed their way. We went after her, thinking it was a lie. She was dead. Konrad killed her." Magid rolled his shoulders back. "We should kill her."

King Anaforo stepped in front of me. He was much taller than any of us. His skin was as caramel and tan as Magid's, but his eyes were pure green. His shoulders were broad, his body fit. I couldn't see Magid around Anaforo. "Konrad probably wants her alive. To tell us she's dead, when she's not? He's protecting her for something."

I looked over at Cassidy and Konnor, who were obviously arguing. What over, I couldn't tell. Maybe they were asking the same question. Should they kill me?

"He did kill me," I said. Everyone was silent now. "I was dead. For a while. I talked to Polyphema."

King Anaforo chuckled. "I'm trying to help you. Stop telling the truth."

"You knew?" I didn't understand. He of all people should've known that the dead don't come back. He can conjure up a version of them for a little while. He can talk to them. But he can't bring them back like they never left.

Anaforo popped his knuckles. "Of course. Konrad has me for my power yes, but also to keep an eye on the dead. I'm the King, the King of the necromancers. I can't rise the dead up as fast as some, I can't communicate as well as others, but I can do something that sets me apart. I'm King because I can tell you if someone is dead without blinking an eye. I can tell you if someone on the other side has made contact with someone on this side. I am a part of both realms. And you dying and coming back did not go unnoticed by me."

My mouth was dropped. "You told— he knows? Konrad know—" I thought I escaped him for now. I thought maybe I had a chance.

"Konrad took the one thing I care about away from me and has been laying in bed with her alongside your sister. I will never help that man." He bent down to my level, hands on his knees. "I can promise you, Everly Dawn. I am only working for him to keep my love alive. I did not tell him that the person he hates most in this world is still alive. Just like I did not tell him Polyphema was now truly dead."

"Did you tell him she was alive?" I asked.

He hung his head. "Sadly, I did confirm his belief."

Magid and Sergei walked over to me. "Who are you, Everly Dawn?" Sergei asked. "Why are you special?"

I shook my head. "That's the thing. I'm not special. I'm just me."

Anaforo stood up, closing his eyes. "Magid, Sergei. You don't truly believe in Konrad's plans do you?"

Magid got onto one knee. "I will until the day I die." He brought out a blade. "And Everly Dawn is dying again, tonight. Under—"

Anaforo squeezed his fist. "Frigus Kataritza." On one hand, the air in the room went bluer, chilled. On the other hand, I found myself feeling a little stronger, the plants began to grow bright and luscious. Magid's hair turned grey. His skin was near white. He took a breath, his eyes wide open. He wrinkled, he was old and withering.

King Anaforo walked to Magid and snapped his neck, the sound sickening. "Wow, I can't believe Konnor Gold killed Magid."

I looked over at Konnor, who was smiling to himself.

King Anaforo looked at Sergei. "Are you loyal to Konrad?"

Sergei shrugged. "I'm loyal to whoever is most likely to save me, and right now, my friend, that is you."

"You should've killed him instead of Magid, Anaforo." Cassidy huffed out a breath.

King Anaforo walked over to Cassidy and Konnor and broke their chains. "Watch Everly Dawn all the way to Sovereign."

"We have spies there." Sergei licked his lips hungrily. He really hated Cassidy.

I narrowed my eyes. "Who?"

"Two are in prison, but the third... he's doing just fine." Sergei chuckled. "Win. The Generals's second. Even Arlis himself, in a way. Becker can pop up over there whenever. Sovereign is a dangerous bet." Sergei walked around the church, kicking candles over.

King Anaforo cussed at the ground. "Go there, I'll handle Win. Becker isn't going to help you. Don't let the prisoners know you're there. Convince Arlis's mate to help all three of you."

Sergei looked Cassidy up and down and then glared at Konnor. "I'll see you all, when this war is done."

Cassidy narrowed her eyes. "Good."

King Anaforo turned and grabbed Sergei by the collar, pulling them out of the church.