Chapter Twenty-Two

Cold Finality

On the promise of an explanation, Warren had subdued Lillianna's suspicions of treason.

The moment the danger had subsided, and the three men had debriefed Warren; he raced to the unit to ring Magnus. Eager for nothing else to get in his way, he left the front door wide open for Lillianna, who had followed. She'd taken her time to admire the Compound. Most of the building had remained untouched by the chaos of the battle at the west gates. Still, he paid her no mind and was straight into his office and dialling. Perched on the edge of his desk, he was impatient for the rings to stop and for someone to answer; he tapped his fist off the desk's surface.

"Warren?" Thankfully, Karou answered the phone. Her voice was already filled with anxious, fearful emotion, but to hear her voice calmed him instantly.

"Karou." He said her name with an overwhelming feeling of relief. He squeezed closed his eyes and bit down into the knuckle of his fist; he so wanted to be right next to her. To touch her, hold her and cherish her.

"Oh, God, please, tell me you're alright?"

"I'm fine. There isn't a scratch on me. I promise."

"Can I come home, then?" She pleaded eagerly.

"Not just yet. Not until I know we're safe."

"Please, don't leave me here again, Warren. It's not that I don't want to be with Magnus; it's just I want to come home. What if we run out of time?"

"I know, I know. It won't be long; just hold on... Can I speak to Mag'?"

Reluctantly she handed the phone over.

"Well?" Magnus asked, eager for information, good or bad.

"Lillianna is here," Warren stated bluntly. "She followed me. Magnus, she knows."

"My ears are burning."

Speak of the devil.

Lillianna appeared in the doorway of his office, loitering. "I suppose I do know your big, juicy secret now, don't I?" She asked, rhetorically with a cunning smirk upon her face.

Warren hung up the phone, cleared his throat and calmly ripped the phone from the wall socket, doing enough damage to render the phone useless. He meant to isolate her, imprison her in the basement cells if he could. He couldn't risk her leaking anything back to the Davikov about the true nature of the Compound. Even though she had aided him in the dispatch of the militia and had been amicable thus far, he knew that if she felt she could use her new knowledge as ammunition, she would. Warren was right not to trust her.

"It's understandable why you're so on edge-" She began, but before she could finish, Warren had flit over the hardwood and grabbed her throat.

"This is going to play out one way, Lilli. My way. You're going to keep your mouth shut."

"I won't have to if you fill it." She uttered filth with a smirk. You could fuck me again. She'd never find out this time.

Warren growled, fangs bare, while his grip on her throat tightened as he pushed her harder against the door frame. Lilli squirmed and grabbed at his wrist; at last, he was hurting her instead of exciting her sadism. "I thought you'd gotten the message that your fantasies about me will remain just that?"

A girl can dream. With her free hand, she brisked up his hips in just the right way to infuriate him.

"I see; you're not going to behave." He sighed, disappointed.

Before she could agree or protest, Warren let go of her throat only to attack it again, this time with his fangs. A tousle ensued. Lillianna forced him back off her. His back slammed into the opposite side of the door frame, which winded him a little though the move was nowhere near debilitating. Lilli saw a getaway route; however, she hadn't taken two steps away from him when Warren grabbed her waist and hurled her back into the small room, closing the door behind him with a rush of air that flourished from the simple sweeping gesture of his left arm. As he prowled towards her, she staggered to her feet, and a feral growl ripped from his chest - a war cry. His black eyes and wild, chaotic aura held a clear threat - if she wouldn't submit, he'd kill her.

Backed up against the adjacent wall, Lilli coiled to spring at him and screeched - meeting the promise of his threat with her own. She wouldn't back down easily. She'd fight to the death if she had to; all she had to do was touch him. Her violet eyes blazed as she leapt three feet through the air towards him.

Warren rallied and exhaled air sharply, powering his elemental ability with ammunition. With his fingers spread wide, claw-like and deadly as he harnessed the swirling orb of air. Across the space between them, he thrust it at Lillianna to meet her mid-flight. The force of the collision sent her crashing back into the glass door or his bookcase. Poetically, a shard of shattered glass sliced her cheek, causing her silver, psionic blood to trickle down her skin. Its smell was familiar, and once upon a time, that alone would've driven him wild with blood lust. Not now; it was rendered dull in comparison to what he was addicted to these days. No, it wasn't as tempting as his nephilim fledgeling's sweet celestial blood.

Suddenly, something dark and wicked dawned on Warren as Lillianna hissed once more and moved to stand. This fight was going in one direction, but to really hurt her, he'd have to maim her and to do so, he'd have to touch her. That was a deadly risk he couldn't take. If it came to a battle of who could drain who first, then she'd likely win. He couldn't suffocate her when she didn't need air to breathe. He had to change his tactics and disarm her by taking her by surprise. So he changed the mood and charged it with a different flavour of aggression.

"You've gotten me all riled up, Lilli," Warren admitted, his lip quivering to reveal more of his left fang. Pulling off his sweater and shirt beneath in one motion caught her attention, and her expression softened some. He could barely contain his excitement, but to procure her trust, he needed to convince her what kind of excitement...

Wary of the change in him, she glanced down his body to see Warren unfastening his pants as he stepped toward her again. Her moment of assessment and his vampiric pace had given him enough time to subdue her. Warren flung her so easily onto the surface of his desk. Lilli caught her breath at the blow to her back. Desperately she grappled with his hands and reached to stop him from tearing away her shirt, but he was too strong, fast and efficient.

"Warren!" She pleaded.

"Ah-ah. Shush and be a good girl. You wanted this." He thrust his hips, illustrating his point. "Lie still, and you'll get what's coming to you, you thirsty bitch." Though Lillianna threw her hands into him, he didn't attempt to stop her other than to push her back down against the desk once or twice while he finished revealing his intention. Though he hated to dwell on the fact, it hadn't taken too much imagination to get him to the point of arousal though he planned for it to be a fleeting ploy.

Lillianna stared at his hips and checked his eyes just once more to gauge his intention. Another moment she wasted on being stunned slimmed her chances of getting away from him. Though she wasn't quite submissive yet, Warren prized open her legs and yanked down her pants which jolted her back against the desk with a thud. Another moment passed where Lillianna had lost her bearings now that she was in an awkward position. Warren tore away the last of her clothing in his way, and just as he was about to take her, her breath hitched in anticipation. Suddenly, she was still, distracted by watching his hand guide himself nearer to her.

There was enough time for Warren to wield the letter opener he'd reached for. He slashed the shaper side across her throat in one deft move.

Gasping as a spray of silver blood painted his face and chest, Lillianna grabbed her neck. The alarmed look in her eyes was thrilling to him.

If he wasn't ruthless now, she'd heal before she could bleed enough to die or at the very least fall unconscious. So once again, while she was distracted with her fight for survival, Warren grabbed her wrists away from her neck and forced back her head so that the wound gaped open, leaving it unable to knit back together effectively. Silver blood bubbled up from the gash as she tried to scream and writhe free. She split beautifully all over the dark wood of his desk. Tears trickled from her eyes that had lost their lively glow, and her lips moved, silently speaking his name and pleading for her life.

I'm sorry, but I can't let you share my secret. He thought to her, hoping to justify his cruelty.

He tutted when he spotted that she was trying to draw energy from him in a last bid to remain conscious; he'd hoped she would go quietly.

Squeezing his eyes closed so that he didn't have to watch any more wickedness, he smashed her head back against the desk harshly, jarring her from her efforts long enough for her to finally slip away.

The letter opener clinked against the floor as it dropped from his hands.

He stepped back and fastened his pants to assess the situation; it was bloody chaos.

To calm down, he sighed past his grimace. It had been many years since he'd enacted such violence to gain victory. He felt sickened by himself, yet the adrenaline he felt charged with, the power that fluffed his ego, was hard to come down from; it was intoxicating. To cope with his mixed feelings of exasperation, relief and disgust, he rubbed his hands over his mouth and combed his blood coated fingers back through his hair.

Lillianna wasn't dead. Warren was conflicted about how to feel about that. Her death would've been a surefire way to assure she didn't let slip to Roman, but he didn't actually want to kill her. In another life, they'd have been each others. They'd just never fallen together at the right time.

It would take a while for her to replenish the blood he'd stolen from her, so he had a little time. Airing on the side of caution he gathered her flaccid body into his arms and carried her out of his unit. On the way out of the door, he'd made a call via the telecom and requested a specific sort of backup.

When he arrived at the basement cells, Kade was there waiting for him as he'd requested. The demon kin had a history working with succubi and though Lillianna wasn't one, she could be as cunning if she needed to be. Warren trusted that she couldn't charm her way around Kade, come hell or high water.

"Whoa, that what happens when they say no, boss?" Kade smirked, eyeing Warren's shirtless and blood-covered chest as he carried a tattered and torn Lillianna towards one of the cell beds and set her down.

Warren shot Kade a look and then glanced at the uninvited fellow standing at the demon kin's side. It was Nate. He'd elbowed Kade in the arm at his comment and looked displeased by how uncouth it had been.

"Clean her up and get her dressed. If she wakes up, don't entertain any nonsense. Do not let her touch you while she's conscious. She's psionic; she will drain you. Most of all, she's not to talk to anyone. No phone calls. She can not contact the Davikov under any circumstances. Understood?" Warren ordered. "And Kade, what's he doing here?" He nodded to Nate.

"He was with me when you called, Sir," Kade answered plain and simple.

Warren eyed over Nate suspiciously for a moment. Briefly, the lycan looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, I wa-"

"Don't bother lying, Nate, your flys down." It was clear something of a sexual nature had been taking place.

Kade snickered and licked over one of his silver-plated canines.

"Sir, no one knows about us... My fami-" Nate stammered to explain.

Kade huffed and rolled his eyes; and moved away from the lycan to begin his task of tending to Lilli. "Same ol' story." He muttered, under his breath.

Again, Warren interrupted. "It's none of my business."

"Right... but... I have to ask. Sir, where's Karou?" Nate asked as delicately as possible, aware that he was probably crossing a line. "She's... my friend."

"She's safe. She's in Blue Ash."

"The boss is probably real busy. You gonna help me or not, furball?" Kade said to Nate.

Warren took his leave.

Once he was back in the unit, he showered and redressed. He didn't linger long. There was no time to relax; there was too much to do.

Forty-eight hours later, the casualties of the second mortal attack in the Compound's history had been counted, named, burned and buried with as much ceremony given as was possible. The wounded overflowed the Compound's small clinic, but the physician and his assistants were doing their best to patch up those without regenerative abilities as best they could.

Fortunately, Ms Finch had taken the initiative to lock down the Compound's shutters. That had blocked anyone from exiting or entering and had saved civilian lives. Warren had personally thanked her and rewarded her bravery in the face of the trauma.

The hole in the west wall had been somewhat reconstructed, and though they were thinner on the ground now, guards were reallocated.

Warren joined what daily patrols he could, mostly to check that the militia camp's force hadn't been replenished yet. To prevent that scenario, some of the guards had decided to destroy what they could of the camp. It was set ablaze, and little remained other than an ashy graveyard.

The worst came to pass just after the New Year. Karou was still in Blue Ash when the news that the mythical Capital city, Alabaster, had been attacked; bombed by mortals. It was reported that half the town's population were injured or had lost their lives in the catastrophe. US and Russian incendiary devices had been recovered at the site; two nations who were otherwise enemies had come together to send a clear message; 'Mythicals were not welcome on an Earth that belonged to mortals.'

The tone of 2014 was set. The world continued its descent into chaos - one attack after another. There was never any good news, and the threats never ceased.

In Blue Ash, Roman was once again becoming a nuisance for Karou. Still, Warren had charged Magnus with her protection, and the Spaniard was doing his best to never leave her side. During a tense Elder's meeting, Magnus had convinced them as well as Roman that all was well in their trans-Atlantic outpost. They'd gathered that there was unrest, but Roman still didn't know of the second attack, so there was a cover-up to fabricate. Lillianna's disappearance had also been noted, though fears had been quelled by Magnus' smooth words. He'd weaved a convincing lie, founded in the truth that Lilli had decided to assist Warren and that between himself, Warren and Lillianna, they could easily deal with the pesky militia group that loitered in the Compound's back yard.

Having rushed back to the Library where he'd left Karou reading on her windowsill, he found her weeping again. The poor girl's spirits were beyond low. She pined after Warren endlessly, and her mood was only made worse when she started to consider that this was just the beginning of their separation. Although she hoped that once she left for Enoch, she'd still get to see him and keep in touch somehow, she had started to lose faith that her Sire would play any part in her future.

Back at the Compound, Warren was suffering too. Though he'd put all his energy into his work as the overseer of the site. Amidst his busy schedule, he'd wrestled with the issue of Karou's return. Those around him had noticed how he seemed to be falling apart, especially physically. If there was another attack, the guards had all privately thought he'd be an easy target. Undoubtedly, the pressure had gotten too much for Warren emotionally speaking too, but his relentless thirst plagued him the worst. He was well into the throws of withdraws from Karou's addictive nephilim blood and dreaded what she'd think of the state of him when she saw him again.

Ultimately he'd decided he couldn't live without her any longer, whether it was for his health or his heart. That night when they spoke on the phone, he'd given in to her pleas and promised that she could come home the following day; he'd arrange the jet to collect her. They'd lasted a few days shy of a month apart, each of which had felt more and more hellish.

Warren was waiting under the shelter of an umbrella on the rainy runway when his jet landed, carrying his precious cargo. Karou disembarked ahead of Magnus and rushed to tuck herself under her Sire's free arm. Enveloped by his arm, she nuzzled into his woollen sweater and breathed in a lung full of his scent.

"Oh, I missed you so much."

"Really?" Warren asked quietly and gently lifted her chin so that he could look at her. At first, she smiled, happy to be back with him, but the moment passed when she took in his withered appearance. Practically corpse-like, his tired black eyes were sunken into their sockets that looked dark enough to appear bruised. His cheeks were hollowed out, and his complexion was generally peaked. "You can't tell." He attempted a smile, but his joke did nothing to lift her spirits.

Karou reached to cup his face, stroking her thumb over his chapped lips. Empathically, her wings moved from behind her to wrap about his side. How her feathers spread as if to reach for him was endearing - every inch of her was drawn to him. "What's happened to you?"

"Nothing so disastrous that it warrants you making that face." He attempted to lighten her mood again and took her hand from his face to kiss her fingers.

Magnus drove them back to the Compound. He was thankful for the shield Karou's wings provided, for they were all he could see through the rearview mirror. The girl had mounted her Sire's lap the moment they'd climbed into the back seats.

They'd kissed briefly, but Karou's main focus was to fill Warren up with as much of her blood she could give; that way, he'd feel better.

Presented with Karou's neck, Warren felt and heard the noise the involuntary growl that escaped him made. It was shameful. I shouldn't...

You can't carry on like this. Besides, I want you to. Unphased, Karou hushed his thoughts and soothed him by combing her fingers through his hair. Please. Just take a little, at least.

You trust that I'll stop?

Warren, there isn't a doubt in mind because I know you love me.

I do, do I?

Tell me... or tell me I'm wrong, either way, I'll believe you.

Warren didn't reply but set his fangs into her neck without protesting any longer. Immersed in the moment, he closed his eyes and submitted to the darkness and sensations of the physical realm. Inside, his chest ached as her warm, sweet blood filled him up. With her finally back in his arms, he couldn't bear to imagine her leaving for Enoch. If this was what happened to him, having only been without her a month, he couldn't fathom how he'd survive forever in her absence. Still, the fact remained that eventually, Cambria would stop giving them time and just take her. He knew that when the fallen finally realised that the Compound was no longer safe, that would happen.

Somehow, they secured more time together when the war in the US briefly settled to a simmer. Everyone feared it was the calm before the storm, but Warren and Karou grasped the opportunity gladly.

His REDford work had been put on the back burner, but it didn't mean that Karou saw any more of him during the day. He would still spend most of his them locked away in his office since having become somewhat of an amateur politician. Now he had eyes and ears all over, not just in the Davikov. With REDford blood banks and distribution sites worldwide, it meant he could use his staff to glean information on the political landscape of the globe. There was never any hope replenishing news, though. But still, every evening, he could rest assured that he'd leave his work behind and find the comforting arms of his fledgeling waiting for him.

Another Summer came to pass, and Isadora was attacked. Much like the devastation that had been wrought on Alabaster, mythical people had nowhere else to go. Not everyone belonged to a Court, Coven, family or enclave; with there being fewer and fewer safe havens such as the mythical cities, people were left homeless, injured and vulnerable.

Autumn arrived, and though only minor calamities came about, no one felt blessed by this. There was no respite. The mortals appeared to have the upper hand, which was no shock; they were the majority and outnumbered mythicals about three to one. Mythicals had always existed within mortal society, hidden in plain sight. They had no social structure of their own to exist as an equal to the mortal system.

Winter was upon them once more; Warren's birthday had passed, uncelebrated that year. Karou's, too. November came and went, as did the festive season, and their minds were focused more or less solely on the mayhem that transpired around them while clinging onto each other tightly, fearing an imminent end.

Just when enough time had passed for Karou's inevitable departure to fade into their peripheral thoughts, something would happen that would remind Karou of her reality. On a walk to the tavern, she'd spot a snake in the grass, a creature that didn't belong. It was Cambria's way of keeping an eye on her and sending a message; killing two birds with one stone. She felt continually pressured by the fallen to accept her fate and come around to the idea of a new life in far fling Arabia.

By now, Warren had stopped giving his opinion on the matter. Truly, he felt hopeless but claimed that he had a lot of other things on his mind to avoid looking vulnerable. In truth, the idea that she'd leave him, after all they'd been through and now that he felt steadfast in his feelings, festered inside him. Each day grew more bittersweet it made him feel sick; he was sure that his heart was rotting away inside of him. That was until she kissed him or fed him, or they'd make love, and then he'd feel alive again. Whether it was cowardice or not, he'd left the decision of her leaving altogether to Karou, but she had informed him she had no desire to leave.

Figuratively glued to the mattress while she slept, Karou was subjected to watching as the horror show played out before her eyes, even though she had no way of interacting with it or stopping it. It was the middle of a chilly January night when she'd had woken from that dream. The vision was somewhat similar to the ones she'd had before and left her with a foreboding feeling. Cambria was coming; that was all she could glean from the vision she'd had. Although it hadn't happened yet, she became more and more certain that she would eventually leave the Compound with Cambria and be taken to Enoch regardless of how she felt now.

Feeling paralysed by the lucidity of the dream she'd escaped, but now she wide awake, she glanced about Warren's bedroom at familiar objects to ground herself back in reality. Sat up in bed, Karou found him was still fast asleep at her side, which went some way to comfort her. Eventually, she curled up with her head on his chest and fell back to sleep.

Warren was already awake when Karou got up later that morning. She found him in the kitchen taking his coffee and reading the 'In Guardianus.'

"Morning," She greeted as she rubbed her eyes on the way to pour herself a mug of coffee. "I thought you'd be in your office already."

"I have been. I'm just taking a break. I've got a perimeter patrol to do, and the guards are expecting me shortly." Warren replied, peering over the rim of his reading glasses and the paper at Karou. "Good morning, by the way."

"Oh, that sounds..." Karou didn't finish; she just shrugged and sipped at the piping hot coffee.

"Yes, very boring, I know, but it has to be done to make sure that the guards are giving me all the information they can concerning their patrols and scouting missions."

"The new militia scouts are still causing you problems then?" Karou asked. This was all she knew, and Warren had kept it that way on purpose.

"Yes. They're playing games with us, again. Fortunately, they haven't been anything other than a thorn in our side so far. They haven't made any further advances on where they're camped, and they haven't succeeded in breeching any of the walls this time."

"Maybe their plan is just to annoy us until we all move out..."

"Or they're monitoring us just like we're monitoring them." Although he wanted to confide in her his theories, he didn't want to frighten her. Warren knew deep down that the tension was building for another major attack to take place. The build-up in the frequency of the militia's half-hearted attacks was a sign of worse to come, just like before. "We'll just have to stand our ground; they'll be no moving out to appease them. Not everyone here has somewhere else to go, Karou."

Karou nodded and set her empty mug into the sink for washing later. She understood what Warren meant in what he said; she was fortunate because at least she had Enoch as a backup. "We'll just have to keep plugging on. You're doing a great job, Warren, even though I know no one ever tells you that." Stepping up to his side, she pressed her lips to his cheek in a sweet gesture. "I'm going to go get in the shower. Will you still be here when I get out?"

"Thank you, but I'm sure that no one agrees with you; that's why they don't say it." Warren chuckled, defeated by the fact that it didn't matter what he did around the Compound to appease the fear; it was never enough. People felt both trapped and unsafe like sheep successfully rounded up and cornered by rabid wolves.

Still, when Karou came nearer, all his negative thoughts evaporated. Her skin made his skin warm. Oh, how he ached for her, but he knew that another kind of end was coming... "But uh- no, I should be getting to the west gate." Warren stood from the kitchen island, downed the last of his coffee and looked as if he were about to leave.

Karou paused on her way to the bathroom and turned around to block Warren's exit route. "Alright, well, I'll see you tonight then, yeah?" She smiled up at him.

"Yes, you'll see me around-..." Warren glanced to his watch, gauging the time his tasks would take him. "- five. I should be back home for five pm tonight."

"Alright, have fun at work." Karou said as she straightened his tie like a stereotypical housewife and stood up onto her tiptoes to instigate a 'see you later' kiss. She hoped that he'd return it. But, instead, she felt him wrap his arms around her, instigating more than the mere peck she'd wished for. She melted against him and kissed him back.

"Hmm, fun isn't what I'd call it. Just because I'll be back at five doesn't mean I expect dinner on the table. Do not go near the stove while I'm not here, understood?" Warren warned the moment he pulled back from the long moment their lips locked.

"Yes, Sire." Karou giggled and set back down onto the flats of her feet. He still hadn't let go of her, and honestly, she would've stayed in his arms all day if she'd know better.

Just one more, he thought. Leaning back down, he pressed his lips to Karou's again, neither of them knowing that that would be their last kiss, they went their separate ways - Warren out of the unit and Karou into the bathroom to shower.

The sky was falling. It was blood red as the sun went down. Bombs and artillery came through the tree line and into the west wall. Although their supply route had been decimated, the entrance remained intact for a time, and the wall held up until one by one, the guards fell, either wounded or killed. With the gate blown asunder once again and mostly just a crater in the earth, the mortal force crept forward to breach the Compound's western wall for good. Luckily, they'd only attacked one location on the Compound's perimeter so far.

Warren had taken charge immediately, having still been on his patrol when the attack commenced. Unfortunately, or fortunately enough, he'd arrived not long after the breach had occurred and was met with war. Guards from the other watchtowers corralled to join in defending the west wall. Along with himself, Warren employed anyone able and willing to fight. With good people at his back, Warren and his comrades flung themselves into action to defeat the first wave of the mortals who charged at them. Of course, the small victory wasn't without causality, but when all the mortals could throw at them were bullets and artillery, there was a straightforward way to win, and that was to use mythical power. A brave pyromancer took care of the tank that still barraged them with shells by turning the metal armoured vehicle into a hot box that was impossible to remain inside of. Several lycan's took care of the vacating mortals, tearing their fragile bodies limb from limb. The front line, the men on the ground, were no match for the brute force put against them by the Compounds residence and guards.

This attack was so much worse than any that'd been attempted before. Still, for now, they'd won until backup came. The breach in the wall needed to be patched up if they were to stand a chance if another wave came. A vampire gifted in telekinesis helped rearrange the rubble into a patchwork wall. Warren aided a pyromancer in getting her flames hot enough by manipulating oxygen to weld the remnants of the west gate closed.

Meanwhile, everyone unable to fight bunkered down in their respective units because the first bombs that hit had shaken the Compound's foundation and set into motion a raid protocol; the main building locked down.

With the fighting at bay, Warren sent a few guards searching for Karou; he needed to know that she was safe.

His watch told him that he was late; he hadn't made it home to her by five pm as he'd promised that morning. Even if she was going to be angry with him, he hoped she was sat in front of the TV, waiting, sulking, but safe. While marching towards the unit, a guard arrived at his side with a message; Karou hadn't been found in any of her usual places. Now he was desperate and on a hunt, sniffing the air for any sign of his fledgeling. He hoped to track Karou's scent with his nose in the air, but he smelled instead alarmed him.

Brimstone. Cambria Morningstar was at the Compound.

In the central courtyard, he followed both Karou and Cambria's scents to the gates just in time to glimpse Karou being bundled into the back of a grey four by four. Somehow Cambria seemed to know his eyes were on them and sent him a look over her shoulder, warning him not to intervene or come any closer. He was about to pay his debt, keep to their agreement, and let her go whether he liked it or not.

Karou's distress was palpable, and now that he was closer, he could almost feel how distraught she was telepathically. His fists clenched, his jaw tightened, and his chest ached. In the distance, he strained to see Karou's lips move;

"Wait, wait! Please wait." She begged, and he thought he saw her speak his name, but Cambria shook her head.

In reply, Cambria's lips moved to inform her that there was "No time' and that "The Compound was no longer safe. We've been here too long already".

As the rear door slammed closed and Karou was unwillingly packed inside by Cambria and the three of four other nephilim present, he could see how the animated and heated conversation continued through the rear window. Moments later, the vehicle was moving and driving away through the trees and away from the Compound.

It all seemed so final, just like that he'd let them take her. He hadn't been helpless to stop it, and he didn't care about breaking his deal with Cambria, but he'd decided that letting her leave was best for Karou long ago. He'd be damned if he ruined her chance at fulfilling her dream of a happy life. Still, there'd not even been a goodbye, which he concluded was both a blessing and a curse. That morning when he'd kissed her, it hadn't hurt. Only now, in the aftermath, was it painfully bittersweet to reminisce.

Glancing to his left and right, Warren suddenly had the notion that he was lost even though he knew exactly where he was. He'd walked down the cobble path and lingered between the main gates with his arms outstretched to grasp the metalwork as if they might hold him up. The hole that'd opened up inside him felt bottomless and more massive than the crater blown in the Compounds wall; he knew what this feeling of profound emptiness was a partner to; this was grief, and he'd probably grieve the loss of his one and only fledgeling forever.

On autopilot, he closed the gate and secured the entrance before walking back to his unit in a daze. The door was still open when he arrived, but he entered and closed it, regardless.

Sitting on the couch, he collected his thoughts enough to notice a half drank mug of coffee on the coffee table along with a half-drawn sketch and a whittled down pencil. Karou must've been interrupted while drawing. Later he'd find that her room looked like it'd been tipped upside down; Cambria had frantically packed her bag but, in truth, had hardly taken anything Karou had come to hold dear. All she really needed was a change of clothes; everything would be provided for her in Enoch anyway. Everything she owned from the Compound could and would be replaced.

For now, he sat prostrate on the couch. The unit seemed too quiet and empty without Karou there. Hours passed, and midnight neared before Warren moved a muscle.

Usually, he was the sort of person to choose to leave a voicemail rather than continue to wait as the phone rang on and on, but this time, he didn't. So, the phone rang and rang until eventually, a somewhat flustered sounding Spaniard answered.

"Warren. Sorry I didn't answer immediately. I had to get out of the Elder's hall to someplace we could talk. Is everything alright?"

There was a long pause while Warren pondered; perhaps he shouldn't mention the first thing on his mind? "The militia breached the west gate. I've got to write up the report yet, but I thought you should be the first to know. All the mortals have been dealt with, so I guess we won, but I think they'll be another wave of attacks soon. We've had causalities, of course. The wounded are being taken to the clinic, but they'll be some overflow, and those that didn't make it, their burials will have to be organised." Warren stated robotically.

"We shall await your report. I'll try and stop Roman from sending the Black Winter if I can, but our secret might get out now regardless. We should brace for impact. Our necks could meet the chopping block for this and our heads a basket..." Magnus reasoned. "Are you and Karou well? He'd recognised something else in Warren's tone of voice, a deadness that was beyond his usual calm persona.

"Uh, it would seem that while I was defending the west gate during the breach, Cambria arrived to take Karou at last." Warren stood from the couch suddenly, and within a moment, Magnus could hear the clinking of glass as Warren tossed the decanter stopper aside and took a considerable glug straight from its mouth. "W-which is a good thing considering it isn't safe here again." He explained further but couldn't help the break in his voice.

"Goodbyes are never easy, but we knew this would come. I will try to come and see you soon."

"I didn't get to say goodbye," Warren explained. "I was on my way back to the unit to her when I caught Cambria's scent. I tracked them to the front gate just in time to see them get into a truck and drive off."

"That's... unfortunate; it all sounds extremely final." Magnus sighed. The melancholy had hit him now too and rather hard. "I know you'll be alright, Warren, but I'm still going to go make arrangements to make a visit."

"Magnus, I'll be fine. You don't need to visit..."

"Well, if nothing else, the damage to the Compound and the casualties need to be assessed." The Spaniard wasn't taking no for an answer. "Roman will want a detailed report after all." Before long, Warren gave up the fight, and the two ended their call so that Magnus could make his flight arrangements.

Warren emptied the decanter of scotch at an unhealthy rate. He'd wanted to medicate his sorrows with a dose of numbing alcohol, but fortunately, it'd only been a quarter full and hadn't contained enough to ensure his desired drunkness. Stepping across the hardwood, Warren abandoned the empty decanter on the side table and was about to settle down for the evening when he was interrupted. Out of the silence that claimed the unit once Warren had hung up his cell phone, another phone rang; it was the units telecom. With a sense of déjà vu, he found himself back on his feet, moments before he could recline back onto the couch. Like the night Karou had arrived, he answered the call from the console by the unit's front door. "Yes?" He inquired as he pressed down a button to communicate with the caller on the other end.

"Sorry to disturb you, Sir, but we need you at the clinic. We're at a loss, and we're in desperate need of some direction, Sir." The frantic voice of Ms Finch explained.

"Isn't the physician dealing with it?" Warren asked drily. He knew he had a duty, especially at a time of crisis like this, but he just needed a little time to gather his nerves.

"No, Sir. Frankly, the man has no fucking backbone…" Isabel cussed, and behind her, Warren could hear painful screams and wails of the injured. Over the cacophony, he heard the sharp voice of the physician yelling this and that. He sounded like a man who was drowning. "That's why I called. We require your personal attention?" She was alluding to his calm and commanding manner. Although usually, it was her infatuation that urged her to flatter his ego. This time, it was her desperation and drive to aid in the survival of the Compound's injured.

"Really?" He sighed, realising that it was time to shake off his raw emotions and deal with the situation. Although he was quite battle-worn himself, it didn't take him long to make his deliberations and succumb to his duty as the Compounds overseer. "Well, if you insist it requires me personally, I'll be up in five minutes to get a handle on the situation." Warren flicked off the telecom and cut off Isabel before she could say anything more.

Combing his fingers back through his unkempt hair, he took a deep breath to steady himself and opened the unit's front door. Alone again.