The moment Visena stepped foot into Malum, an air of foreboding hit her, and painful images flashed through her brain. Fuck.

Gideon gripped her elbow and led her forward until they reached the deconstructed frames of Malum's packhouses. Invictus had been busy trying to turn the space into usable land, but Visena's plans put a halt to their tasks. The sooner we do this, the sooner these lands can be used again.

Calypso stood inside a marked dirt circle, surrounded by herbs, rocks, and natural resources. She whispered, making small gestures with her fingers, and Visena watched as the dome-like barrier receded around them. She closed her eyes as it moved through them and shivered from the tingling contact. Calypso sagged once she was done and looked over to the Fae. "It's down. They should find us soon."

Visena was about to ask how when the Witch spoke again. "Thermal imaging and satellites. They would have set up surveillance when Daeva's barrier came down. Plus, I can see them. They're in a helicopter right now flying over the forest. About fifteen minutes out."

"See them?"

"Spellwork, Visena. I don't have time to explain everything to you." She knelt and whispered more words to the earth as Visena stepped further into the clearing and took in the scene.

It was eerie seeing the homes torn down to their wooden beams. Visena imagined a ball of tumbleweed rolling by when a barrelling force hit her left side, and she flew across the dirt. Gideon sprinted over when Visena groaned, "No!" The ebony Wolf stood over her, snarling at her face. Saliva dripped onto the Fae's cheeks. "Thyra, I'm so sorry."

Thyra's eyes appeared red in the dying light, and her teeth snapped so close to Visena's nose that she could smell blood on her breath. Her arms shot up, attempting to hold the thrashing head in her palms. Frothing foam dripped across Visena's throat as she grunted, "Thyra, please. I never meant for any of this. Please, stop."

Gideon's shout had the Wolf pausing her attempted assault. "Get off her, or it will be the last thing you fucking do, Thyra. You know she loved Eve. She would never have put her in danger if she knew what would have happened."

The Volf shook and convulsed under Visena's hands, fighting a shift from Gideon's commanding tone.

"Please believe me," Visena begged with a whisper. "I loved her so much. I never wanted this. Never."

"Shift, Thyra," Gideon commanded, grabbing the Wolf by her scruff.

She folded inward against him, her shift lacking its usual fluidity and grace. Instead, her bones cracked and jerked painfully into place, leaving her panting on the ground. "Why? Why did you go for the gun," Thyra moaned. "I can't understand why you would put our lives at risk. You got her killed." Her teeth bared at the Fae lying across from her.

Visena laughed unironically as frustrated tears escaped her waterline, "I fell. I tripped on that fucking skirt, and I was trying to hide the damn thing when he fired. I hate guns, Thyra. I swear." Her head throbbed as more images streamed into her consciousness. Gideon bleeding. Dying. Not now!

The Praelia Alpha screamed and dragged her nails through the dirt, tearing them from their nail beds. Her cries of pain following the action had Visena crawling over to her shuddering form.

"Vi-"

With a raised hand, Visena shushed her mate.

"We don't have time for this, Thyra. The humans, the hunters at least, will be coming for us now we've opened the barrier. Go back to Praelia and heal. We'll kill them. We'll punish the ones who took Eve from us. I swear."

"No," Thyra whispered. "I will fucking kill them myself."

The whirring of helicopter blades had everyone's eyes craning to the sky—hundreds of helicopter blades.

"Visena, get over here now!" Calypso screamed above the sound, and the Fae rushed to the kneeling witch. "Close your eyes, dammit." She followed the orders as a warm spray drenched her face.

"What the f-"

"Close your damned mouth, Visena. There's no time!"

Her mouth snapped shut as Calypso drew symbols across her cheeks and forehead and whispered unintelligibly.

She felt the bindings reforming in her mind, each end growing and reaching for the other. Finally, the inner tendrils touched and fused when an invisible force threw them apart. The tether, not fully reunited, caused blinding pain to shoot through her head.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Ambrose's dark whisper held Visena transfixed.

Both she and Calypso lay prone on opposite ends of the clearing as the Witch drifted from the forest.

The Wolves snarled, and the Vampires hissed, but they stayed frozen in the tree line. "What have you done?" Gideon yelled, diving beside his mate, still frozen in agony. Her body remained paralysed under Ambrose's spell.

Ambrose didn't respond as he stood over his old friend. "I wish things could have been different, Cal. But you are too dangerous to live."

Visena directed her eyes up as ropes flew down from the hovering crafts, hunters rappelling to the earth with heavy thuds. They quickly looked outnumbered when their intended guests arrived on a smaller aircraft, landing in a Malum training square. Mara, Teiv and the twin dickhead's walked over with their signature smiles.

Thyra growled at them both. They were identical. It was impossible to tell which one had killed Eve, so they would both have to die.

"Ah, wonderful. Thank you for your help, Ambrose. This little trap may have worked if we didn't have you on the inside."

Ambrose stayed quiet, still hovering over Calypso and staring in the human's direction. His necrotic eye pits wept, and the dark veins had spread towards his mouth and ears.

Ew.

While Visena's eyes flicked over the traitor, she noticed Calypso wink before closing her eyes. Something about the action invited her to do the same, and Visena mirrored Calypso, immediately sensing her mate bindings reaching together again slowly, pain ebbing.

She remained frozen to avoid notice as Mara spoke, surrounded by armed Hunters.

"I told you to go back and live as animals. If only you had listened, we wouldn't have even had you on our radar. But you had to go and destroy the entire Pentaculum." She spat in the dirt as if the words left a foul taste in her mouth. "It was pointless destruction. We have many more buildings, just like it, where we can organise ourselves."

"Why?" Gideon demanded. "What is your plan? What changed after years of peace with the species."

"Peace? Don't be ridiculous," Teiv said while sniggering. His teeth gleamed in the light of the setting sun. "There was never peace. You animals and the other filthy creatures have always needed controlling. That is what the hunters are for."

"And what is the Council for, then?" Gideon asked, helping his mate to her feet. Visena swayed for good measure as her matebond fastened their last few bindings.

She mind-linked the pack. Just keep them talking, Gideon. Everyone else, stay out of sight.

When no one spoke, Gideon tried again. "Why do you hate us so much? What did Wolves, Vampires or Fae ever do to you?"

Teiv laughed until tears appeared in his eyes. "You are abominations of nature. Wolves, Vampires; you are cursed humans, and your power is dangerous. Faeries, well, their very nature is to deceive, and you know how much humans value the truth. How many of you creatures have killed humans? You're a pack of murderers."

Visena glowered at the Council, stepping forward. "No creature, from earth, sky or sea, has ever killed as many people as your species." She shook off the last shred of discomfort before her mind was whole again. "None of you deserve to live after what you have done."

The four Aldermans closed in around the King and Queen of Wolves with their hands clasped around large handguns propped in identical holsters.

"I just don't understand what the witches have to do with this," Visena said, cracking her knuckles individually with her thumb: a terrible nervous habit she picked up after Eve's death but satisfying nonetheless. "Why would they help you?"

"Survival. They help us and survive the largest culling the supernatural world has ever seen," Mara answered gleefully. "I find it amusing how you think you can stop this. You're nothing but a small, half breed freak."

She looked Visena dead in the eye and licked her lips.

"Kill them. Kill them all."

~~~

A/N

What an asshole. These humans are such assholes. But like, it's not so farfetched, is it. Control-seeking, power-hungry humans?

Hmmm...

Good luck, Visena.

K...