— 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟒 —
𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧, 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤

Life was cute and perfect for a few years. Cassandra stayed with her brother, his wife—Stephanie, and their daughter; Meadow.

Sandy loved Meadow like her own daughter, staying by her side as she grew up. Like Cassius and Stephanie, Sandy was at every kiddy football game she played, every dance recital, every performance in theatre, every spelling bee, and all other activities that children went through while growing up.

When it came to theatre and musical arts as well as dance: Sandy was more than happy to help Meadow perfect those skills.

In a way: Sandy really was Meadow's Fairy Godmother.

She spoiled the girl like no other. And as much as Cassius and Stephanie complained about Sandy spoiling Meadow too much, they loved it. They appreciated that Meadow had another person in her life who loved her as much as they did. And it settled their hearts to know that if something ever happened to them then Meadow would have someone else.

Cassius and Stephanie grew accustomed to Sandy's presence. Stephanie loved her like the sister she never had and Cassius—well, it was just like when they were children. Minus the horrors and abuse they suffered.

It hurt Cassius to think that there was a moment when he was about to send Cassandra away from their family. If he had done that then none of this would have happened—and Meadow nor Stephanie would have any sort of real familial relationship with her.

Of course, none of the other escape siblings had ever come to visit... mostly because they did not know that Cassius was married with a kid. Cassandra kept in touch with them so as to not raise suspicion, and also to make sure that none of them had been found for Lithiovai or the Volturi.

Nicholas was somewhere in the Philipines while Zulon and Noelle (the only two to always stick together) were taking a tour of the African continent.

Cassius and Stephanie chose to tell Meadow about her true heritage as a djinn only a year after Sandy came. It was for her own safety as Meadow's powers started manifesting far earlier than usual.

Meadow had taken the news quite well and was excited to learn that she could grant wishes and solve nearly any problem she faced.

Cassandra and Cassius both told her of all her other siblings: even Abigail, Thespian, and Adam.

Meadow knew of Lithiovai, only understanding him to be a very bad man.

They remained in Denmark for the entirety of the time: Cassandra, Cassius, and Stephanie had worked together to do everything in their power and the forces of magic to shield them from potential pursuers.

The year was 2014, a warm June, and Meadow was now a sweet but opinionated 13-year-old girl.

A girl who absolutely loved football. Despite trying many other activities, it seemed that football was the one that truly captured her heart. Just as her father always suspected; it was only a shame that she had to hold herself back while playing in order to stay on the same level as mortals.

She never allowed herself to be worse than any of them, but Meadow could never play up to her full capacity.

Sandy had completed law school and was now a practicing lawyer in Copenhagen. A damn good one at that. And she still made sure to practice ballet on the side because damn it, her next occupation was going to be a ballerina if it kills her!

"Yes, Jennifer, I know, I know..." Stephanie came down the stairs, her heels clicking as her hips swayed in a tight business casual dress.

Her hair, still a bright and bleached unnatural blonde was thrown in a bun.

Seeing as Stephanie still did not look a day past 31—it was starting to turn some heads.

Cassius and Stephanie had lived here for a decent amount of time and people were beginning to take notice of the way they looked incredibly good and had not aged a day.

Thankfully, Meadow was still young enough that they could pass for just having had her 'extremely early', but in the next few years that was not going to be believable.

Sometime soon they were all going to need to move away and start a life somewhere else, no matter how much Meadow wanted to stay. It did not matter how many charms of protection and turn-around charms they put up—there was nothing they could do to stop the chatter and suspicions of mortals in the area.

Meadow sat at the kitchen table along with Cassius. Meadow ate breakfast, wearing her school uniform while Cassius calmly drank coffee adorned in a suit.

Cassandra was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed one over the other and her own steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of her. She was looking over a few more files before she left to go to the firm.

She had just wrapped up a case a few days ago and now she was on another one.

They all missed the days when Meadow was little, but they loved this opinionated teen version of herself equally.

Sandy had not spoken to the Cullens in a very long time, not since Alice and Jasper showed up in her apartment when she lived in Hawaii.

Of course, she wished to speak to them, but for their safety as well as her own: Cassandra could not risk it. Not with the Volturi's keen eye.

But Sandy truly was curious about little Renesmee.

And she missed her close friends.

Not to mention, while she loved being a lawyer—Sandy's true passion in life was the fine arts. She already missed having a career in that path.

Sandy stood from the couch, tall heels tapping the ground as she went to put her coffee mug in the sink. Unlike Stephanie, Cassandra had not chosen to wear an office dress for the day. Instead, she wore a nice beige pantsuit—curly hair clipped in a slick back bun.

In some ways, seeing as Sandy had not aged a day, it was almost insane to see her dressed up for a full career as a lawyer when she could also pass as a senior in high school if she really wanted to.

Of course, with how she was dressed and how her makeup looked at the moment, there was no chance anyone would think her to be high-school age.

The doorbell rang as she placed her cup in the sink.

Stephanie was quick to cup a hand over the phone's speakers, looking at Meadow.

"It's Ms. Frescas, she needs a few eggs, can you let her inside, Meadow?" Stephanie asked.

Meadow, of course, rolled her eyes and pouted. "I don't like Ms. Frescas though, can you hand her the eggs, Auntie?"

Cassandra opened her mouth before Cassius spoke.

"Meadow, no one likes Ms. Frescas. Just listen to your mom—let her inside and I'll give her the eggs." Cassius sighed, standing up and heading to the fridge.

Meadow slowly obliged, dragging herself from the table and heading to the front door. Sandy smiled at her niece, stealing a piece of toast from the count and heading back to her spot on the couch.

Stephanie finally ended her call with her co-worker, sighing.

"Jennifer's husband cheated on her again..." She huffed. "I don't understand why she's still with the man, especially when she's crying this much every month... mortals are so pathetic, honestly." Stephanie sighed. "Sometimes I feel so bad and wish we could find an immortal to turn her... if not to show her what it's like to have true power in this world..."

Cassius laughed at that while Sandy frowned and looked at her.

"I don't think that being a vampire would solve all her problems," She piped. "And to be human is very complicated..."

"Perhaps we should test it, do you mind calling the Cullens? Perhaps Carlisle could do us a solid." Stephanie joked and Sandy rolled her eyes but laughed nonetheless.

"You know Carlisle doesn't change people for the hell of it," Sandy clicked. "Especially with how big his coven now is..." She laughed lightly at the end. "He needs to be careful with choosing to turn anymore people."

Neither Cassius nor Stephanie had a chance to respond.

"Oh, don't worry—I can change this Jennifer lady!" An eerily cheerful voice of a man spoke.

Eerily cheerful and eerily familiar. Familiar to Sandy and Cassius who had not heard the voice in nearly two-hundred years. But completely unfamiliar to Stephanie.

Thespian strolled in casually, Meadow meekly wandering in behind him. He wore a long black trenchcoat over an equally black casual shirt and jeans. His heavy boots thudded as they hit the hard-wood floor.

It was nearly the same thing that had happened a few years ago when Cassandra invited herself into Cassius's home. Except this time it was with a sibling that he actually did not want to ever interact with again.

"It wasn't Ms. Frescas at the door..." Meadow breathed in an utterly terrified tone of voice.

Cassius had never stood up so fast. And Stephanie charged at this unfamiliar man, full force and ready to take him down.

Cassandra stopped her, barely managing to get her arms around her sister-in-law before it was too late. She leaned her weight backward, pulling Stephanie away.

She struggled to hold the bull that Stephanie had turned into, the woman reeling her head around with a fierce snarl.

"Release me now, Cassandra," Stephanie ordered, fully prepared to fight against Cassandra to get to Thespian.

He had her daughter. Her child.

Cassius grabbed Stephanie from Cassandra and forced her to calm down. Gripping her arms and staring into his wife's eyes, he whispered.

"Stop it, he'll kill if you try to charge at him like that. Do you remember what I told you his abilities were?"

Stephanie paused.

"Who is that, Cassius?" She demanded from her husband.

Cassius blinked and opened his
mouth, but his brother spoke before he could.

"Ah, so you've heard of me, I presume? The name is Thespian, British lady..." He said in a playful tone, flashing a sharp and dark smile.

Oh... oh. Yes, Stephanie had been told of Thespian. She had been told about all of Cassius's siblings.

Thespian could forge swords of pure energy from nothing—fusion swords capable of cutting through anything. If Stephanie charged at him, all it took was a thought and slice before he separated her head from her shoulders.

For one to fight Thespian, you had to be strategic. And very careful.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't s-stop him," Meadow cried out.

"It's okay, you couldn't have known, sweetheart," Cassius said calmly. "Stay calm."

"Stay calm, indeed, niece," Thespian chuckled, looking thoroughly amused. "A wife and daughter, brother? I never would have guessed..."

"Shut up!" Stephanie was the one to hiss.

The half-breed vampire whirled his head to look at her with a terrifying glare that was all too reminiscent of Lithiovai.

"Be quiet, bitch!" Thespian snapped, annoyance flickering in his gaze.

Sandy who had been quietly staring at her brother, stepped in front of the angry Stephanie being held back by Cassius. Her gaze was soft as she looked at Thespian—it truly had been a while.

"Hello, brother," She said gently, doing her best to calm him down.

He used to be a rather peaceful soul, a boy who loved passionately. But now he was a soul of blood, a man who danced on the edge of madness.

It was hard to see the little brother she had grown up with after nearly two hundred years. It was insane to think that the last time she had seen him, they were wearing big dresses and something as horrid as slavery was legal.

To her surprise, Thespian's eyes softened just the slightest as he regarded her.

"Sister," He addressed curtly. "Long time, no see..."

She looked pained, turning away from him. "You were supposed to come..."

Thespian shrugged—his eyes cold, but Cassandra knew him too well even after all these years, she could see the pain hiding behind it all.

"Priorities change," He said simply.

"Of course," She replied hoarsely, looking away from him.

He had not changed at all in his face—still holding the appearance of a man in his mid-20s.

Most vampire-human hybrids stopped aging somewhere between 17 and 25. Like Sandy, Thespian stopped aging around 23 or 24.

His brown hair was shorter than it had been when they last saw him, cropped to his ears with a dark stubble.

Thespian was an incredibly handsome man having stolen immense beauty from his vampire genes. But his beauty could not hide the ugliness that lurked underneath his surface.

"What is your purpose here, Thespian?" Cassius hissed, but he was afraid.

They were all hiding from Lithiovai, sure. But that also entailed their three siblings who were still with him. Abigail, Adam, and Thespian. If Thespian was here, then Lithiovai knew where they all were; nothing good would come from it.

Perhaps this was the day that they were all finally caught.

"What do you think? You've both played hooky for long enough, it's time to come home. We have matters to take care of." Thespian said plainly. "I'm here to escort the both of you back."

Cassandra was in disbelief. It had been nearly two hundred years, and her brother came strolling up acting like it was just the next day.

Cassius clenched his jaw—brown eyes angry as they started turning a bright gold. "We're not going anywhere with you..."

The room began filling with the sensation of his genie magic. Stephanie's own eyes were turning a bright gold as well, her own magic clashing perfectly well with Cassius's as they prepared to take on Thespian.

Sandy stood to the side, taking on her own defensive stance.

However, Thespian's eyebrows only raised in amusement. He tilted his head toward Meadow with a snicker.

"Can you believe this?" He scoffed and pointed to the three other adults with entertainment. "They think they're going to defeat me?"

Stephanie growled. "We don't think—we know. It's three against one!"

Thespian tittered. "Yes, perhaps you would all beat me if the situation was different. If it was not so perilous for your precious daughter..." He gave a shark-like smile.

No one was able to so much as move after he spoke those words before Thespian suddenly thrust his right arm out and a sword of pure glowing red energy forged from thin air. It was large, and it was directly against poor Meadow's neck.

Thespian had whipped around in a fluid spin, moving at speeds that only a vampire could match. And in the next instant, a struggling Meadow was trapped against him with the blade of his energy sword at her neck.

Piercing just barely hard enough to start drawing the tiniest trail of blood, and such a feeling made Meadow stop squirming instantly—only staring at her parents and auntie in a terrified manner.

Thespian had a very tight grip on her, his hands uncomfortably cold. Not as cold as a normal vampire, but still off-putting.

He laughed as he watched Cassius, Stephanie, and Cassandra take a step down. Because one wrong move and Meadow would no longer have a head.

Or worse... Thespian could not stop himself from nuzzling his nose to the teenage girl's neck, taking a large whiff.

"You may be a genie, child, but your ambrosia smells ever so delightful..." He hummed against her neck, fighting to urge to rip into her and suck her dry.

There were some species of the supernatural community whose blood a vampire could drink. Blood that tasted just as good, if not better, than any mortals. A genie happened to be one of the few creatures that had blood appealing to a vampire.

And due to their abilities—vampire venom would do nothing more than burn them and with their healing factor, if a vampire had enough control, it was possible to drink from a genie multiple times. Lithiovai had certainly done it was few times to Cassius while he was growing up.

"Don't touch her, Thespian!" Cassandra cried along with the other two.

"Or what, Cassandra?" Thespian whipped his head away from Meadow's neck with a loud hiss. "What are you going to do?" He taunted.

Meadow cried louder.

"Stop!" Cassius exclaimed. "Fine! We'll go with you, but don't you lay a hand on my daughter!"

Thespian was thoughtful, shrugging with a nod. "Very well, but your family comes with us..."

"NO!" Cassius immediately cried. "It's only me and Cassandra that Lithiovai wants, leave my wife and daughter out of it!"

Thespian looked at him in disbelief. "I am certain that our father is more than eager to meet his daughter-in-law and grandchild. They will come or I will take this opportunity to try djinn blood for the first time. Father always claimed you had the sweetest ambrosia he'd ever tasted... I imagine your daughter is much the same..." Thespian growled at the end, his brown eyes shimmering with the slightest bit of red making it known that he had drank human blood recently.

"We have no choice, brother," Cassandra hissed. "This is the only way to keep Meadow safe..."

The truth of the matter was that Thespian was not bluffing. He was fully ready to not only kill his niece, but brutally rip her neck open to drink her blood.

Even with immense healing, Meadow would not survive her neck being ripped open and her blood totally drained.

Cassius shared a long look with his sister before looking at his wife who looked angry but incredibly scared. He waited to say or agree to anything until Stephanie finally gave the shortest of nods, confirming that they had to do what Thespian said for right now.

While he had Meadow in such a compromising position, at least.

Meadow had only been trained minimally in the ways of her magic—there was no way she would be able to defend herself against Thespian or any of their siblings for the matter. It would take years before she'd even be able to hold her own against any of them. The best Meadow could do at the moment was defend herself against a mortal.

"Fine, let her go..."

"And give up my leverage?" Thespian's voice was colorful as he said it. "Don't take me for a fool, brother. Your daughter will remain by my side until we arrive home!"

"You bastard!" Stephanie cried. "She's a child!"

"We all were once upon a time, trust me, she'll get over it!" Thespian scoffed. "Being a child is no different than being an adult... you're just newer and more idiotic! It's a perfect lesson for learning, don't open the door for strangers, little miss..." He said happily, his energy sword disappearing instantly as he reached over and bopped Meadow on the nose.

His grip on her arm remained tight; however, even if his sword was not currently out, he could make it reappear within a split second. He was far stronger than Meadow and could just as easily crush her if they made the wrong move.

It was very apparent he would not hesitate either. He may have some sort of relation to Cassius and Cassandra, but even that was hanging on by a thin string. Thespian could give two less fucks for the two people that Cassius played house with.

They had to get Meadow out of Thespian's grip before any fighting attempts could be made.

"Let's go," Thespian sneered.

They all shared a long look before the three slowly shuffled toward the front door. It took everything in Stephanie not to lunge at the man as she passed by, Cassius held onto her arm tightly to ensure she did not.

"It'll be okay, Meadow," Cassius reassured his daughter as they passed by.

Meadow trembled into Thespian's tight grip, unable to squeak anything out. Cassandra was the last to pass by, sharing a long and sad look with her niece. She did not so much as look into Thespian's eyes. Disappointment was not even close to what she felt about him.

Once they were all out the front door, Thespian followed after them.

He would certainly not be going first, he would not allow any opportunity for his siblings and the random genie-lady-wench of his brother's to get the upper hand.

Luckily for Thespian and unfortunately for the others, there were no witnesses outside to see the compromising position. Thespian did not have time to kill any mortal witnesses to this scene.

Human authorities only got harder to manage as the years went on and technology expanded and advanced rapidly.

The one thing humans had on the supernatural was their natural evolution. Humans constantly evolved but supernatural creatures remained the same.

"In the backseat," He called lazily, watching as they all got into the back of the SUV.

He managed to slide into the car with Meadow in the passenger seat next to him. He almost felt bad about the girl's big brown eyes staring up at him in a terrified manner.

Well, this was one way to meet his apparent niece. A grand gesture of 'welcome to the family' toward Stephanie and Meadow.

But that's what Cassius gets when he wants to play hooky and go start some stupid little family. He had to know that Lithiovai would find him one day. All the escaped siblings had to know—Lithiovai would never let them go.

Running had been useless and a waste of time.

It did not matter what they did, where they went, or any achievements they made.

Thespian started the engine and immediately drove off. They some people to meet and reunions to be made.

They drove in silence apart from the radio which played soft classic rock. Something that was usually soothing but at this moment was entirely eery. Stephanie was stuck in the middle of her husband and Cassandra, the woman not taking her eyes off the shaking Meadow who had still yet to say anything.

Cassius met Cassandra's eyes from over Stephanie.

Cassandra knew what he wanted and quickly opened her mind to him, allowing her thoughts to drift to him and his to her. Neither were the greatest mind readers, not like Abigail or Nicholas or even Edward Cullen.

Rather than straight words, they read each other's feelings and clippets of internal information from each other.

It was just enough to understand what the other meant.

Cassandra nor Cassius had used this magic in years. And Stephanie, while she was surely capable, was not trained with such magic and had no idea how to open her mind in such a way.

"If a move is to be made, it must be made in the next few minutes... if either Adam, Abigail, or God forbid Lithiovai himself is awaiting our arrival, the chances of fighting them all off are nearly impossible..." Cassius's thoughts drifted to Sandy.

"Agreed," Sandy confirmed. "We don't know if Lithiovai has any of the others either—if Noelle, Zulon, or Nicholas are with them then we truly have no chance..."

"But they may choose to fight for us rather than against," Cassius's thoughts whispered to her.

"Not if Lithiovai has already got to them..." Cassandra whispered right back.

Lithiovai's powers were odd... the reason he had been so successful in nearly everything he did. The reason he had been able to find Cassandra's once hidden clan of fae. The reason it was so hard for any of the siblings to escape him.

Lithiovai can control people and to a degree, even reality all with the power of his voice. An extreme ability of being able to compel people. If he used his ability, unless one had enough power and will of their own to resist it, they were powerless to fight against his commands.

Those under the effects of his powers would be forced to do anything he commanded.

Their minds and souls lost under the fog of his compulsion.

Along with raising them in fear, Lithiovai had used his powers on Cassandra and the others all throughout their childhood. However, as they grew, the hold eventually broke with each of them enough that they were able to fight against it and escape.

Abigail, Adam, and Thespian stayed by choice. Even though the hold of Lithiovai's powers broke on them, the metaphorical hold he had on them never wavered.

The hold of fear and sick loyalty that he successfully planted in their minds.

The problem is that it is still very much possible for Lithiovai to compel them all again. They were not immune to his abilities, it was more that if he did not renew his hold and compel them within a certain amount of time then the hold would break.

None of them could afford to be caught by him again—if he caught them then he would compel them all and this time he would make sure to never allow the compellment to break.

Not only that but with Abigail involved, she could make the hold even stronger.

They had no clue if Nicholas, Noelle, or Zulon was safe and they had no clue how long Lithiovai had known their location for.

All they knew was they had to escape right now or they may never be free again.

"What're you two doing—?" Thespian asked roughly, looking through the rearview mirror as he had noticed his brother and sister sharing a long and suspicious glance.

No doubt plotting.

His question was cut off as Sandy suddenly brought her leg up and kicked his right arm away from Meadow with immense strength. Her legs were short enough to miss the front seats and maneuver to hit Thespian's arm.

He let out a noise of shock, his sword materializing a second too late. It materialized in front of him and shattered the glass of the windshield as it went straight through.

Meadow yelped, barely able to cover her face as the windshield of the car shattered.

Cassius wasted no time, thrusting his arm forward and using his magic to rip the sword out of Thespian's grasp launching it many feet ahead and lodging it into the road.

Thespian's powers were incredible, but the energy swords would stay in existence as long as he commanded. And for him to take them out of existence, he had to be touching it.

AKA—that meant the swords could be knocked from his grasp and they would stay in existence until he managed to get his hands on it again and force it away.

"WHAT!" Thespian roared, just as the speeding vehicle hit the indestructible sword lodged in the road.

The SUV flipped upon impact, not so much as scratching the sword stuck in the middle of the road.

Time seemed to move in slow motion for the supernatural beings immortal to time. Stephanie reached forward, grabbing her daughter just as Sandy placed a hand on either of them—effectively teleporting the three out of the crashing vehicle.

Thespian roared in fury, just missing the opportunity to re-grab Meadow before she disappeared on the spot. Cassius, who was still in the vehicle, grabbed Thespian by the head from behind and held him down as the car finally hit the ground again—rolling many times.

"Dad!" Meadow cried out, attempting to run after the flipping car.

The three ladies had all appeared at the same time, standing on the side of the road watching the car roll in an epic crash. Thankfully, this was a rather abandoned back road and no other cars were on it.

Cassandra and Stephanie stopped Meadow.

"He'll be fine!" Stephanie whispered to her daughter, holding her tightly in a hug.

"I'll help him," Cassandra nodded, ready to run after her brothers.

Stephanie was fierce, but she would not stand a chance against any of the siblings. Not when they had been trained to fight since they were young. And she would certainly not fare well against Thespian who had no care for most beings' lives.

Her helping would only distract Cassius as he would feel the need to protect her.

Sandy paused her pursuit as her brothers came tumbling from the now smoking and crashed car in a tussle. They moved quickly, the upper hand wavering between the two. Cassius was reliant on his magic and Thespian was reliant on his enhanced physical abilities.

There was no telling who would win, but Sandy could sense it in the air. Thespian had backup coming.

She froze because the winds shifted, and the Earth screamed at her to run as fast as she could. Because they were all coming... Noelle, Adam, Abigail, and Lithiovai himself.

It would appear he had indeed managed to take one of the other escaped siblings.

Noelle.

And was not herself. Not the kind-hearted sister that Cassandra knew, but the viper that Lithiovai had made of her.

A twisted and compelled version of Noelle.

Sandy was surprised by the revelation—Noelle and Zulon always stayed together. How Lithiovai had managed to only get Noelle and not Zulon was a mystery, but she was grateful nonetheless.

It seemed Lithiovai still had half the others to get: Cassius, Cassandra, Nicholas, and Zulon.

But he was currently on track to take two of them.

They were coming and quickly: only a few minutes, maybe five until they too joined the fight. And with all four, well, it was a losing battle for Cassius and Cassandra.

Sandy despite everything would not fight to kill her siblings, she would not be able to fight against them fiercely enough. She and Cassius would not be enough, Stephanie wouldn't be able to stand against them for long and Meadow could not fight at all.

"Looks like a family reunion is in order, brother and sister," Thespian chuckled as he continued to struggle against Cassius, his swords whipping dangerously close with every swing. "I'm sure everyone is excited to meet our two new members...!"

Cassius managed to evade him at the last second, but it was obvious that he was becoming winded. He would not be able to hold Thespian off for much longer.

Cassius had not trained in the art of battle for a long while, he was rusty. Thespian had been training nearly everyday.

Perhaps if Cassius was in the same state that he was 200 years prior then the fight would be more even. But this was not the case.

He looked to his family—to his wife, to his daughter, to his sister—with large scared eyes. There was nothing to be done.

They were all going to be caught.

But then he thought and he remembered his own life. His own upbringing and what the monster of a vampire would do to his innocent daughter. He could not bear the thought, he could not bear the thought more than he couldn't bear the thought of being separated from them.

Meadow and Stephanie were both everything that he ever had.

He looked at his wife and daughter with all the love in the world before making eye-contact with his sister.

He loved her too, surely, but it was an entirely different kind of love.

Cassius managed to get the upper hand against Thespian, holding him around the waist tightly and not wavering. He held eye contact with Cassandra before giving her a firm nod.

"Get them out of here," He demanded.

Thespian immediately hissed and fought harder against Cassius. He could not allow them to get away. Especially when it was Cassandra that Lithiovai wanted back the most.

Cassius held strong, wavering only the slightest.

"Go—NOW!" He called to his sister.

Cassandra hesitated. She did not want to leave Cassius, but even she could see that there was no other choice. Not if she wanted to escape with Stephanie and Meadow.

"No, Dad!" Meadow screamed and Stephanie held her strong.

She did not want to leave her husband—God, she did not want to leave. And if it had only been her, then she wouldn't have. She would have fought to the death for him. But Meadow, her dear daughter... they had to go.

Cassandra nodded to her brother, a promise in her eyes. She would protect them, she would get them to safety. She reached out and grabbed the arms of Meadow and Stephanie. Stephanie held the thrashing Meadow tighter.

Cassandra focused all her energy.

She took everything she had: all her strength, all her power, all her anger, all her love, everything she had and put into one teleportation jump. The furthest she had ever gone with two additional people, at that.

But she would not let them hurt her family—not Stephanie or Meadow. It was up to her to protect them now. And she was their only means of escape.

She would not allow them to end up dead. Not like her birth parents, not like her clan, not like her entire species.

Flickers of sparking purple and green magic overcame them all. Her eyes glowed and her energy fizzled around her.

She could hear the screams of Thespian as he finally managed to get loose from Cassius's hold, running toward them as fast as he could with pure atrocious anger.

But he was not fast enough.

For in the next split second, the magic of the fae overcame the three and they were gone.

Cassius and Thespian were left alone, both breathing heavily.

Thespian slowly turned to his brother, blankly tilting his head.

"You'll never get away again," Is all he said.

Cassius breathed deeply, licking his lips. As long as his family had got away that was more than enough for Cassius.

"I know."