"And if I don't come, I'm dead to her?" Eli handed her the cocktail and sat down on the deck chair beside her feet. Soph didn't look up from the logo she was designing on her laptop. It was a beautiful sunny day, with only a slight breeze sending ripples across the surface of the pool.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," she told him nonchalantly, though she did wonder what would cause a bigger scene at the wedding - Eli coming or Eli not coming.

"What does your cousin say?"

Soph saved down her file and glanced up. "Why does that matter?"

Eli frowned. "Because it's actually her wedding? Shouldn't she get the final say?"

Soph shook her head and sipped the cocktail. She attached the logo file to an email and sent it off before setting the laptop aside.

"This is not just an Italian wedding," she explained. "It's a witch wedding. Two covens joining allegiances. Nona is like royalty in the witch world. Stefan's family is lucky to be joining ours. What Nona says generally goes."

"Okay then, I'll come."

Soph stared at him, stirring her cocktail with the straw. "Are you sure..." she said slowly. "Because honestly, it's going to be so full on. I don't want to scare you away."

He laughed, lifting her hand to kiss it. "I'm both a witch and Italian. I feel like I'll be in my element here."

"She'll ask you when you plan to marry me," Soph warned, in total disbelief that he'd so easily agreed to come.

"I'm sure I can think of something to say that will keep her happy." Eli smiled, then pulled his phone from his pocket. "I'm disappointed in your lack of faith in me. Come here."

She scooted up the chair to sit beside him as he started a video call to an international number. "What are you doing?" she asked wearily.

"Let's have a practice," he said, putting his arm across her shoulder. "I'll introduce you to my parents first."

"WHAT?" Soph exploded, but it was too late. A man answered the phone. He was as handsome as Eli, just older.

"Ciao, Eli!" he said.

"Ciao, Papa," Eli returned warmly. "C'è qualcuno che voglio che tu incontri."

"Alice," Eli's father, called to someone out of sight. "Eli ha una ragazza al telefono!"

There was a loud noise and the phone went blurry with quick movement, then Soph and Eli were looking at not only his mother and father, but a set of grandparents and one of his sisters.

"Eli!" Alice screeched.

"Mama," Eli greeted her and Soph marvelled at how cool he remained. She sat stock still at his side, like a deer in headlights. "I want you to meet my girlfriend, Sophia."

"Hello," Soph said with a small wave. Eli's family were silent for a moment, then they cheered, turning to each other in a cacophony of congratulations and chatter. Soph couldn't help but smile at their exuberance.

"Have you proposed, Eli?" His father asked in broken English. Soph cringed.

"Not yet," Eli replied smoothly. "But when I do, you'll be first to know."

"It's so lovely to meet you, Sophia," Alice said warmly.

"You too, Mrs Damiani," Soph replied. The smile was still plastered on her face, but in her lap, her hands shook.

"I want to meet Sophia in person!" his sister demanded.

"If Mama and Papa say it's okay, I'll fly you and Anna over next month, how does that sound, Sara?"

Sara, grinned, nodding. Soph felt her own phone buzz in her lap and she looked down. Luie was calling. She hung up quickly.

"We'll leave you to it," Eli said to his family. "I love you all."

"Love you!" they replied in unison, then the call ended.

"How was that?" Eli said with a smirk as Soph, still with shaking hands, ran her fingers through her hair.

"They only asked about a proposal once," she said in amazement.

"That's because I didn't try to deny one. If they think one's coming, they're less likely to push back."

"You told them I'm your girlfriend." her phone buzzed in her lap and once more she declined the call.

"What should I have told them?"

Soph didn't know. A quiet afternoon in the sun with some freelance work - Eli's idea to get around having to take drug tests for an employer - and a cocktail had quickly disappeared under a mountain of family stress.

Eli slid off the chair to kneel before her and for one horrifying moment she thought he was going to propose right then and there.

"What's wrong, Soph? Have I got the wrong idea about something?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she croaked. "It's been barely over a week and we're already doing the family thing and talking about attending weddings and proposals. It's too fast." her phone buzzed for the third time and she shoved it off her lap and onto the deck.

Eli shook his head. "You really do baulk at this relationship stuff, don't you?"

"It's not the relationship, it's everyone else's expectations of it that get too much."

Her phone buzzed for the fourth time, and this time Eli picked it up off the deck and turned it over.

"Maybe you should take this," he offered the phone back to her. She sighed and answered it with the speaker on.

"What is it, Luie? This isn't a good time."

The phone line was muffled, then Luie put it to her ear. "Hello? Soph? Why wouldn't you bloody answer?"

"What's wrong?" She'd never heard her cousin so distraught, and she stood, heading towards the kitchen to get her bag in case she had to leave.

"The venue cancelled for the hen's night!" she wailed. "It's tomorrow night! How am I supposed to find something for fifty people before then?"

"Fuck," Soph groaned. This close to a Saturday night, it would be near impossible to find somewhere nice to host that many women. "Give me a few hours, Luie, I'll call around."

"Have it at Sinister." She hadn't even realised Eli had followed her in. She jumped, putting her hand over the speaker so Luie couldn't hear.

"I don't think she could afford a Sinister room. In any case, wouldn't they be all booked out?"

Eli frowned at her. "It's my club. Don't worry about the cost. The penthouse isn't booked."

Soph stared at him, then slowly lifted the phone. "Luie?"

"What am I going to do, Soph?" she cried.

"I think I've got somewhere. Don't stress. Leave it with me and I'll send you the details."

She hung up then turned to face Eli.

"Thank you," she said with reservation. His frown deepened.

"What's going on, Soph? Is it the girlfriend thing? Because we can talk about it."

"I think I should pay for the Sinister room," she stated, dodging his question. She was still rattled from all the family stuff.

Eli shook his head. "Why? It's vacant tomorrow and I said you could use it."

"Because," she braced herself for the backlash. "I don't want to rely on you like that. I don't want to be seen as the gold digger chick with the rich boyfriend who coasts through life on his coattails. I've always paid my own way. I want it to stay that way."

A single eyebrow rose. "Fine," he said stonily. "It's twelve thousand a night for the penthouse."

The numbers settled on her like sludge. That was like a third of her annual salary - when she actually had a job. "Ah, fuck," she sighed.

Eli smirked, then he laughed. Soph couldn't help but smile. She really was being stupid. He pounced at her, grabbing her bodily and putting her in a playful headlock.

"What am I going to do with you, you flighty little thing," he joked while she tried futilely to get free of him. "You take the news of potential magical warfare in your stride, but you baulk at meeting the parents? Those are some truly skewed deal breakers."

He let go of her head and let her rise, though he kept her within the circle of his arms. Soph didn't quite meet his eye.

"I know you find it funny, but when you meet Nona, you'll understand. Commitment is hard when she wants to control every aspect of it."

Eli tilted her chin up, surveying her with such a serious look she almost laughed again. "The wedding is weeks away. Plenty of time to prepare for the overlord witch-royalty Nona. Why don't we focus instead on winning you a best bridesmaid of the year award with a bachelorette party in the penthouse of the hottest club in town?"

"Yeah, okay," she muttered. He kissed her. Deep. Lingering. And then, with her still tight in his arms, he lifted his phone to his ear.

"Tony? Yeah, good. Can you reserve the penthouse for a bachelorette tomorrow night? Fifty. Yep. Yep. DJ and catering too. Okay, thanks. Bye."

"That's it? It's booked?" Soph asked incredulously. That phone call had taken less than thirty seconds.

"That's it." He smiled. "Now you better call your cousin and let her know, then we can put this family stuff behind us for the rest of the day and do something more fun."

***

The Audi pulled up outside the club and Soph stared up at the tower that was Sinister. Even though it was early in the night, people already lined up to get inside.

"Are you coming in?" She asked Eli, then turned in time to see him shake his head.

"I'll do my rounds of the other clubs first. I'll come back when you're rowdy and drunk."

"Better not be planning on taking advantage of me," she warned with a smirk.

"Oh believe me, I'll be taking every advantage possible." he leaned over, squeezed her thigh and kissed her. Then he gave her a gentle nudge and she opened the car door. A few people looked at her as she got out, wearing her black jumpsuit and holding her gold clutch. She waved to Eli then headed for the club door as the Audi shot up the street.

"I'm here for the hen's party upstairs," she told the bouncer. He was a massive brick of a man, and Soph was sure she saw a gleam of Predator in his eyes. Would Eli hire vampires as bouncers? This was the club for all things supernatural, she supposed.

The bouncer stepped aside and nodded her through. "Up the lift," he directed. She entered the club through a mirrored tunnel that shot her reflection into infinity. The tunnel opened up to a balcony. The club, though it played trance music, gave off the vibe of a great ballroom, with a high-domed ceiling and sweeping staircases. There were small bars and booths set into the walls, rising at least three stories. Soph couldn't work out how one would actually reach them, but there were people there.

She only had to follow the balcony a short way to find the lifts. The one she got in had a pixie waiting in it. Soph paused, but the pixie smiled and pressed the button for the top floor. Soph couldn't tell if it was a costume or if this creature was the real deal.

The lift shot upwards and its glass walls gave her a nauseating view of the club below before it lifted into the upper floors and another long mirrored tunnel. Finally it stopped and Soph got out. The pixie waved her off.

There was only one door; a great slab of industrial steel set into the wall. Soph pressed the doorbell, and the door slid open silently. Music and fog drifted out of the penthouse, and Soph slipped into the spacious living area that opened to a long balcony that overlooked the city. A DJ was set up at one side of the room and pixies wove through the dancing women, offering drinks and food. One of them approached Soph and she accepted a glass of champagne with thanks.

"Soph!" Luie extracted herself from her friends to give Soph a hug. The bride-to-be's white dress glowed pink and purple under the lights. "This is so amazing!" Luie shouted over the music. "I can't believe Eli let us use it!"

"It's just thanks for his invitation to the wedding at such late notice."

"Just thanks?" Luie laughed. "I admit I felt bad for Marco, but damn girl, I am really loving Eli right now."

Soph shook her head with a smile. Luie wasn't finished.

"Like, he even arranged for Chase to come! Chase fucking Rickon!"

Soph's eyebrows shot up. "He what?" her eyes scanned the room. Drunk girls - many from Luie's own coven - some dancing, some playing drinking games and chatting. There were entertainers there too, pixies and other strange creatures, and then there was Chase, outside leaning on the balcony surrounded by a group of fawning women.

Soph excused herself from Luie and made a beeline for him. He looked up as she approached and the grin he gave her was disarming. She noted, however, that the vivid green of his eyes dulled ever so slightly.

"Soph," he leaned forward to kiss her cheek when she reached him. "Lovely to see you again."

"What are you doing here, Chase?"

He grinned again, spreading his hands wide. "My man Eli said some of the ladies might like some company. Who am I to say no?"

Soph gave a non-committal grunt and waved for another glass of champagne.

"How's my man Eli going anyway?" Chase teased. "Been a bit lonely, some girl stealing my brah away from me."

"How could you be lonely with all these tasty morsels around?" she retorted, waving at the girls who still clustered at his side, waiting for his attention. Chase's smile widened and his bared teeth were disconcerting.

"I bet Eli fucks like a vampire," was Chase's comeback. Soph's eyebrows shot up as her stomach simultaneously dropped. Why would he say something like that?

"I've always wanted to fuck a vampire," one of the girls beside him said. Her friends giggled. Chase and Soph glanced at each other, then both burst out laughing.

"My kind of girl," he said, turning his attention away from Soph to those who fawned over him.

"Hey, Soph!" one of the other bridesmaids called and Soph went to join her. Drinks flowed freely after that, and the hours blended together. It was just when Soph was wondering where Eli was that the music cut out and the lights shut off.

There were groans of disappointment and someone said, "It's only one a.m.! Are we getting cut off?"

"No, we've got it booked the entire night," Soph said, moving through the dark room towards the door. From the balcony, she saw that no other buildings were dark - only theirs was. Odd. A circuit must have tripped.

She was almost at the door when a deep boom sounded beneath them. The guests in the penthouse fell quiet. There was another boom, this time loud enough to shake the floor.

"Was that a bomb?" someone whispered.

"No," Chase appeared beside Soph. "It's black witches."

And then Soph could hear them; a guttural shrieking coming from below, but getting closer. Her heart raced and her amulet flared hot against her skin. A few people behind her gasped, and she knew without looking that the other witches' amulets or tokens had reacted the same.

"Run," she said hollowly as the shrieking reached the outside of the penthouse door. When no one moved, she spun around. "RUN!"

Something hit the door and pounded on it. The guests screamed, finally moved to action.

"This way!" the pixies called. "The emergency exit is this way!"

"You better go," Chase said to Soph when she didn't move. She should go, she reasoned. What could she possibly do against black witches with predator blood in their systems? And yet, she looked at Chase, who also didn't run. His green eyes glowed eerily in the dark.

"What are you going to do?"

He shrugged, almost nonchalantly, though he seemed sad. "I'll fight them so the ladies can get away."

"That's chivalrous," Soph murmured. Something else thunked against the door, then another and another. Her heart thundered unevenly, but she stayed resolutely where she was. "I'll fight with you."

Chase stared at her, expression unreadable. Then one of the black witches found the door switch.

"Fuck," Soph and Chase whispered simultaneously. The steel door slid open and the predator witches piled through it. Soph thought she could count six, but they moved so erratically that she couldn't be sure. One of them at the front rose, red eyes gleam, lank hair plastered to her face. Soph was sure her heart stopped completely.

Before the predator witch could move, a ward billowed out, hitting the black witches, making them scream. A second ward followed, then another. Soph whirled to find Luie and her coven approaching. Each of them had their right hand forward, while their left held a crystal. They chanted, low and in unison.

Beside Soph, Chase went to his knees, caught under the effects of the wards. A predator witch rose and retaliated with her own spell. It hit the light witch wards and shattered them.

"Regroup!" Luie commanded. Her witches reached for second crystals and this time when their wards billowed out Soph joined them, praying that no-one noticed that she pulled her own energy and not from a crystal.

The wards forced the predator witches back again but once more they recovered, shattering the light wards with ease. In the break where Luie's coven reset, Chase lunged forward, teeth bared, to grab a predator witch. The witch howled, raking nails over Chase's face. He hissed, grasping her head and snapping her neck.

"Now!" Luie shouted and once more Soph raised her hands, allowing fiery energy to flow unabated from her palms. Her magic rippled in the air, blending with that of the light witches who had moved to flank her.

Chase cried out, forced away with predator witches in the face of the light wards. Soph was torn between helping him and banishing the lot of them. A shadow passed through the doorway and the room shook, dust falling from cracks that appeared in the ceiling. A woman stepped into the room and her eyes were red, but she wasn't feral like the others. She stood tall, reddish hair blowing around her face.

"Sierra," Soph gasped, letting go of her ward in surprise. Sierra smiled and waved a hand. The light witches ward vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Hello, Sophia," Sierra said, her voice eerily high. "Time to call in the debt, my dear."

Soph had no fucking idea what Sierra was talking about. "Luie," she said, "more wards, now!"

"We can't!" Luie panicked. "She's drained our crystals!"

Fuck!

Sierra grinned. "Get them." The predator witches howled and flashed forward with inhuman speed.

"RUN!" Soph roared to her cousin, then she flung her hands up, funnelling raw energy through them. The predator witches were flung away, crashing through furniture to smash against walls. Sierra raised her own hands, projecting her own ward. The spells collided, sucking oxygen from the air. Soph cried out, pushing harder. Cracks appeared on the floor between them, zigzagging across the room. Great chunks of stone started to fall away. Soph was acutely away that they were on the top floor of a very tall building. They were going to fucking die.

"Soph!" Luie screamed. Soph couldn't look, but she was thankful to hear her cousin wasn't close anymore. She tried to back away, but that gave Sierra ground to strengthen her ward. Soph cringed, hands shaking. But she didn't lower them, nor did she rein in the magic that flowed from them.

There was a roar, and Chase appeared. He threw himself at Sierra and, caught unaware, the other witch lost the hold on her magic. Both she and Chase were blasted across the room by Soph's spell. They smashed into a wall, cracking it with the sheer force. Sierra slumped unconscious to the ground, but Chase, dazed, staggered back to his feet. Soph lunged forward and grabbed his wrist.