Sarene's hands shook nervously as she sat near her arched window overlooking the castle courtyard. The people went about their lives as any would. She heard talking but paid no mind to it. Instead she worried about Gabriel's plan to rid her of the throne. Sarene wasn't ready to give up on her place as queen. It was her right and heir. She needed to do something before it was too late. A knock sounded and she took a breath. “Who is it?” The fear that she felt rose in her chest but she tried to contain it as much as possible. Earlier in the night she had asked one of her hand maids to retrieve a narcotic that would put Gabriel asleep for a long while so that she had enough time to send him far away from here. It was high time that she ruled without the fear of her second in command breathing down her neck every time she turned around.

Serene hoped it was him so she could get the deed done. The door to her quarters opened and in stepped Gabriel. He adorned his clothes like he owned them but his gaze held so much more. His intent was clear and she knew what that was. “What do you want?” she nearly snapped. “Shouldn’t you be off planning to dethrone me or something?” Her voice filled a confidence she never had before and she enjoyed it when she saw the look that Gabriel gave her. “I’m not stupid. I know what your great plan is. To murder me in my sleep and make it seem like one of the servants did it or something.”

A low deep growl came from Gabriel but when Sarene glanced at him, she saw a menacing smile and a glint of his fangs. “Busted.” He replied. “I knew it was easy. To make you fear me in every way possible.” His dark hair glimmered in the candle light which made him more scary. “Your parents didn’t agree with what I had in mind which resulted in them getting killed.”

“By you, I am assuming?” Serene crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him angrily. “You like seeing me suffer don’t you?” She felt her emotions rise in her chest but she did everything in her power to contain them. “It was all your fault that I had to grow up without them all my life.”

Gabriel laughed and tilted his head to one side. “They denied what I wanted which led to their demise.” Serene fiddled with the syringe that was filled with the narcotic but she kept listening to Gabriel’s voice. “Which is why you're going to give me the throne.”

“Never.” She wrapped her hand around the object she was about to use on Gabriel to put him to sleep. “You're going to have to fight me for it because there is no way that you're going to get what is rightfully mine.” Gabriel forced a growl which nearly vibrated the entirety of her quarters and with it a small dose of fear that almost rose in her chest. Serene tamed it as quickly as it came. “Once you're out of sight, things will change.”

“There is no changing what can’t be undone.” Gabriel replied. His dark eyes shone with anger and hunger. “If you try getting in my way of getting what I want, be sure that your lifetime will surely end.”

Serene had every intention of stopping him from taking the throne and changing everything that her parent’s fought for before she was ever born and to have someone like Gabriel try to take all of it away from her, made her blood boil.

“You don’t have anyone to support you on any of this. Good luck trying though.” Serene said with absolute anger in her voice. Gabriel walked gracefully to her bedside mirror and stood there for a moment. “As for Marcus and the others,” Serene added. “They will return back home where they all belong.” With his back turned, Serene took light steps so that Gabriel didn’t hear her coming up behind him. She took the syringe and plunged it in the side of his neck. He only grunted and fell to the floor. A heavy weight that laid there, unmoving. Serene took a deep breath and felt the adrenaline leave her. She dropped the syringe and hollered for her maid to come in. The door opened and in came her friend. “Gather the guards and get him out of here.”

The maid only nodded and left. A few minutes later she came back with a few men and all of them hurried over to gather Gabriel up and hauled him out of Sarene’s room. “Is it over?” The maid’s voice held a hint of worry but she spoke calmly.

“Not by a long shot. I know Gabriel will find a way out of the cells to retaliate and we will be ready.” Serene replied with honesty.

“What are we going to do then?” The maid asked. Her brows furrowed in worry again and Sarene came over and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Have everyone prepare. Gabriel doesn’t know what’s coming to him. Not until it’s too late.” Serene said. “Get some rest then notify our people of what’s coming.” The maid only nodded and retreated from Sarene’s quarters.

Emery’s P.O.V

I pulled my fangs out of the animal that I had hunted before sunrise. A deer that was minding its own business, wandering about in the forest, grazing at the leaves and bushes for food. The call for blood was intense and as a newborn, I felt the hunger hit me like a freight train. I looked down at its lifeless body and regretted it. I wish there was an easier way to eat. I thought as I stood up on my feet. Blood bags seem more appropriate in my case because I never liked seeing animals get killed in general and the thought of me doing this to a deer kind of repulses me.

Marcus wasn’t far from me. As he sensed my thoughts he turned his own head in my direction, wiping his mouth as he did so. Once you've mastered your nature, everything will be much easier. His words rubbed against the walls of my mind, causing me to relax some until my mind felt better. Marcus came over to where I stood and laid a hand on my shoulder. "The first year or two is always complicated for fledglings only because they do not have the proper guidance to help them through their change." He pushed a lock of red hair behind my ear. "However," he continued with a smile. "You seem to be handling this very well."

"It sure doesn't feel like I am handling anything right." I all but mumbled. "What about these so-called powers?" His hand, which had rested on my shoulder, came to wipe my mouth. “How long does that stay dormant?”

“We will cover those when they show. It’s different for each individual.” Marcus replied. His dark hair shimmered underneath the moonlight. His eyes sparkled as they looked at me intently. “Until then,” he said, tone soft as he looked back in the direction of the cabin. “You shouldn’t worry so much.”

“How come none of you ever leave the cabin?” The question rolled off my tongue. It was something that I needed to know. “Was there ever a real reason why the leader banished all of you here?”

“I’m not sure if there was a real reason.” Marcus replied. “As I mentioned before you shouldn’t worry about things that aren’t in your control.” A shield went up inside my mind. What if they could be in my control? The thought was there protected away from Marcus so he couldn’t hear me process it. What if Gabriel had something to do with Marcus’ banishment since Gabriel loathed Marcus so much? I wanted to believe that Marcus, Nora, and Blake had a second opportunity to go home but the only person that I see as the bad guy in all of this was Gabriel. Marcus' old friend from the past. I wanted to help him in ways that I thought were never possible but how was I supposed to do that when they were locked away from their people? There has to be a way to speak to the leader and see what really happened. A sigh escaped my mouth and I ran off to toward the cabin leaving Marcus alone as he watched me go.

Emery. Marcus' voice resonated inside of my mind once more. If you allow your emotions cloud your senses. It may be a terrible result of your urges. Please be careful . I wasn't about to let anything get in my way of finding out the truth. The real truth but first I needed to come up with a proper plan so things go smoothly on my part or else I'd be screwed.

I opened the door to the musty cabin feeling more agitated than ever and even though there wasn't anything I could physically do I needed to. I ran a hand through my flame red hair and walked passed the living room where I heard muffled tones and by the sounds it was Nora and Blake along with cracking and popping of the fireplace going. I took a calm breath and went to my room. It was still dark out with only a few hours till morning but I just wished that Marcus could would understand that if I was in his shoes I would want to find out the truth.

*So I did what any rational person would do in this situation. I quietly searched for a duffle and packed a few things. Mainly weapons and other essentials that was needed for the journey to the Queen's castle. She was the only one who knew what happened and why Marcus, Nora, and Blake was cast out of their clan in the first place and I had hoped that it wasn't the queen's choice either but Gabriel's doing. It was the least that I could do since Marcus had saved me from the wreckage of that car.

Once I had everything prepared, I quietly walked toward the door and into the fresh night air. "I hope that your not planning on leaving so soon." Blake said as I stopped mid step. I turned and saw that his eyes were sparkling beneath the moonlight. He wore a black t-shirt and sweats while his hair hung loose over his forehead. "Marcus would be disappointed." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at me with a hint of curiosity then at the duffle that was tucked beneath my arm. "Unless of course you have other plans to attend to." My gaze traveled to the ground where the grass was moist beneath my shoes as I tried to think of something to say but to no avail I had nothing to reply to his comments. "It's not often that someone like you comes our way to help us out of this...spunk" He waved his hand to emphasize the word spunk as if he had a clue what I was planning to do.

I sighed and finally spoke. "I believe the queen didn't have anything to do with your banishment Blake. What my theory resonates around is that Gabriel," I nodded my head toward the forest where I had encountered him. "Did something to cause all you to be here and since his actions spoke otherwise, makes it loud and clear. It's something that I need to figure out."

"Your not going on your own." He replied. His tone calm and concerned at the same time. "If something were to really happen to you, I would think Marcus would have a rage fit." I couldn't help but grin.

*"I would imagine that he would." I responded lightly. "I just want this to end."

"It will," Nora assured calmly, placing a hand on my shoulder and giving me a small smile in return. "Gabriel will get what he finally deserves."

"I am sure he will." I muttered as I turned toward the door. "We just need to be careful of what is yet to come." I turned Nora and Blake. "Let's go." They nodded and followed me out into the night air.