I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in Jacobi’s arms, feeling his caresses both on my flesh and on my spirit. I knew, despite Zachary no longer being alive, that I still wasn’t safe from him. I could still feel him, his spirit having been absorbed by mine. I could hear him among the voices of the dead, bound within my spirit as though they were birds captured in a small cage. They suffered and in return I suffered. And still I wanted more. I wanted to feel that power again like a tsunami crashing onto the shore and swallowing everything in its path.

“Don’t leave me alone,” I whispered to Jacobi, “Don’t block me out…” I won’t survive, I wanted to add.

“I won’t,” He replied reassuringly. For a moment longer, we stayed like this. Then he shifted in his seat, his spirit shifting as well. I could imagine him as an animal, his ears perking up at something he heard in the distance. Only Jacobi was very much human and couldn’t hear anything as well as he used to. Instead, I decided it was his coterie.

“What’s wrong?” As I looked at Jacobi, he hesitated.

“I can hear the souls within you, so I have an idea of what you’ve done…,” Jacobi told me before glancing around the room. “My coterie is attacking the reservation now that it’s weakened. They’ve been waiting from afar. Both Corentine’s bond to you and my coterie’s bond to me left the place as a beacon. Either reckless or cocky on Zachary’s part…”

I lifted my head up in order to listen for sounds of Jacobi’s coterie attacking the reservation in order to rescue us. It took me a moment to focus through the souls within me, but then I could hear the distinct noise of fighting above ground. While I had wiped out half of the hunters on the reservation, there were more, but none were within close range of where I was. I had done enough damage to give Jacobi’s coterie an advantage, at the least.

Many of the dead hunters had been children. The truth shook me and made me freeze in time.

“Lysa, come back,” Jacobi called me to carefully, touching my face with affection in order to draw me back from another place I hadn’t noticed I had slipped into. When he had my attention again, he continued, “Do you know where Aveline is? Xander?”

I nodded slowly, “He… Zachary… he made Xander…” I leaned my face into Jacobi’s hand, wincing at the memory of Aveline’s screams. “I’m sorry I asked you to reverse our bond. I didn’t know it would cause that…”

There was a distinct crash nearby, muffled by the walls but my sensitive ears picked it up rather quickly. The coterie was coming closer and quickly. Jacobi seemed to think over my words with confusion. But then his eyes hardened impossibly, putting together the pieces.

“He forced them to break their Mate bond,” Jacobi growled, a whole other level of rage erupting from within him. “He deserved a worse fate than what you gave him.”

I swallowed carefully, “They’re nearby… I can try to do what I did with Corentine to bring Xander back, but you understand what that means... He’d be one of mine. I don’t know if he’d even be able to reconnect his bond to Aveline…”

“I understand your fears, but you have to try,” Jacobi didn’t appear to be worried or stressed, but now that he had his spirit open to mine I could feel his own fears thickening my soul. I didn’t understand the depths of being rogue; how sufferable it was or the terror that awaited Xander other than the moment I had with a rogue Corentine. But Jacobi, in his centuries of existence, no doubt had plenty of experience with the illness. It reverberated in dark memories that coated his mind.

“I’ll try,” I promised. I shifted from Jacobi’s embrace, finally preparing myself to face my future beyond this point. Jacobi stood with me, hesitating in his mortal form. As I peered at him, I felt anxious about his weakened state. We were surrounded by surviving hunters and vampires. Jacobi appeared to be more like a wilted flower in comparison. I watched him as he looked to where I knew Eve lay lifeless on the floor, dead by the hands of me, her true daughter.

“I find it quite ironic,” Jacobi muttered bitterly, watching that corpse without emotion rather than the pang of grief I felt within him. “She was born a vampire and found death as a mortal. We’ll come back for her… she deserves a proper resting place.” I couldn’t bear to brave a peek at her form, afraid the scene would only prove another stamp of trauma I wouldn’t be able to handle.

Jacobi moved to where the door of the room was and waited for me. I hesitated, but remembered that Xander was mindless and Aveline was in pain. I had to do something. I clinched my hands in fists, turning towards the door determinedly. Before I could truly understand my mindset, I had crashed through the locked door, knocking it out of the wall with unrecognizable force.

I didn’t allow myself to wonder about this newfound strength that the absorbed souls had given my true form. Instead, I pushed aside the claws of those pained spirits which begged to drag me into the darkened depths with them and moved down the blindingly bright halls with Jacobi close behind me. We didn’t have to go far. Only a bit away, the glass wall to Xander and Aveline’s containment stood untouched.

Aveline was motionless on the metallic slab. Either she had fallen unconscious or was in her own type of mindless state now that she was no longer connected to Xander. It was eerie to see her so quiet after the haunting wails I still could hear in my mind. Xander was tense on his vertical slab, breathing harshly with his head hung low. I preferred not to see those feral eyes again, but I knew I would have to.

I smashed my fist through the glass without thinking, not having any other idea of where the door to this room would be. Aveline didn’t move, despite the disturbance. Xander, on the other hand, lifted his head sharply like a wild animal that caught the scent of blood. I glanced back at Jacobi, who stood darkly behind me, his eyes angry as he took in the scene in front of him.

“Elysia,” I heard Corentine’s voice call from down the hall. I paused, tearing my eyes from Jacobi to where Corentine stood. Her blonde hair was untamed from fighting. She appeared furious, or just riled up, as she caught my gaze. She was only ahead of the coterie by moments. Wyatt Callum appeared behind her, only pausing a moment before approaching us carefully. Corentine followed quickly, brushing her hand over my arm almost soothingly once she reached me. She sighed, “You’re safe.”

“No need to hump her leg about it, Cor,” Wyatt cracked and Corentine’s sharply intended reply was cut short when they both glanced at the room where Aveline and Xander were still contained. More members were appearing as they broke through the battle with the remaining hunters. I took a step back, placing my body between them and Jacobi, though I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to. They were his coterie, so it wasn’t as if they’d harm their weakened Master.

I felt Jacobi’s hand on my waist, catching my attention.

“Can you still do it with witnesses? Or do they need to be gone?” He asked me determinedly. I honestly didn’t know the answer. I wasn’t even sure I could bring Xander back. I looked at Corentine, who was watching me with confusion written on her face. The only thing I knew was that she had attacked me, tasted my blood, and I had felt an opening to the spirit within her. Somehow, by some instinct, I had drawn that cold spirit to me. It sounded simple in theory.

“I can try, but if it doesn’t work we should ask for privacy,” I responded uncertainly. When I turned to the room, intended on continuing my task, I froze. In the time that the coterie had found their fellow members restrained, they had worked fast. There was a separate opened door on the opposite side of the room, where some of the members must have disappeared into. They were quick to release their captive comrades. Both Aveline and Xander’s bindings sprung apart, allowing them to move freely should they wish.

“Stop!” I cried out, already too late. Xander landed on the ground, crouching like a panther before lifting his head carefully. His darkened and feral eyes scanned each of the remaining members slowly, a growl low in his throat. Nobody moved, most confused by his actions. Only a few seemed to understand what had happened, probably noticing they no longer felt their own connection to what was supposed to be a member of their coterie.

“He’s rogue,” Wyatt stated, backing up only a fraction. Xander’s eyes swiftly caught the movement and he attacked, as if the small movement of retreat had been nothing more than a target on Wyatt’s form. Wyatt allowed himself to get tackled by Xander, too stunned to dodge the attack, but he quickly recovered. With amazing reflexes, he twisted out of Xander’s wild grip and was out of reach. I knew Wyatt could have done more to seriously injure Xander, but he seemed uncertain as to what his current objective was.

“Don’t kill him,” Jacobi’s voice ordered from behind me. Xander swung around, pinpointing the voice with a snarl that shook his entire body. I winced, wishing Jacobi hadn’t said anything but knowing it had been necessary. Xander paused, sniffing the air twice as his animalistic eyes targeted Jacobi. I tensed, recognizing the bloodlust that filled his expression as he no doubt labeled Jacobi as a human and therefore a meal.

Xander lunged forward with a burst of unrestrained power. To anyone else, he was moving within a breath of a second. To me, time had slowed considerably. While a part of me recognized this untamed creature as Xander, who had smiled charmingly at me after rescuing me from the terrifying floor of a torture cell, another part of me no longer saw him as anything else but a stranger.

My spirit, surrounded by the call of the dead, felt darker as I watched him approach me in attempt to take Jacobi’s life. It was like a siren’s call, pleading me to follow it into the depths of power it could give me if I only would release it. I had tasted only a fraction of its power by absorbing those souls. It promised so much more, if I only would reach out and take it.

I couldn’t hear anything else. I lifted my hand, my spirit blanketing it deviously. I knew I appeared harmless, but at that moment I felt like death, cloaked in black and ready to end life by the tips of my fingers. Xander didn’t spare me a glance. He wasn’t going to see his life taken from him, too wild in his lust for Jacobi’s blood.

A body abruptly slammed into the side of Xander, disturbing me from my darkened hypnosis. I blinked, looking at my outstretched hand in surprise before pulling it back to me in confusion. Had I almost taken Xander’s life without even trying to bring him back first? What had been that dark call in my spirit? Was I really becoming a monster?

Xander had been propelled down the hallway, safe from my dangerous grip. In his place stood Aveline, whose furious hazelnut eyes were pinned on me. She stood ready to move, angling her body to reach Xander should I choose to attack him. She clearly intended to protect him, even as his darkened eyes glared at her mindlessly in the distance.

“Aveline…” I began, unsure of what to say. I wasn’t certain what had happened myself, but Aveline had clearly known I was about to do something threatening to the love of her life. I swallowed painfully as those eyes glared at me, a deep hatred rising in them that I had never seen before. Then she turned towards Xander slowly.

“Come back to me, my love,” She called to him, holding her hands palms up as if he were some injured animal in the wild needed only the nurturing love of a kind passerby. He growled at her dangerously. But then he paused, a smile crossing his features in the most devious way. Suddenly, he was gone, having turned the opposite direction and bolted from our presence.

“We have to follow him,” I demanded, panicked in fear that he’d make an escape from the building. Aveline threw a dark glare at me.

“I’ll go,” She spat, “You’ve done enough.” I stood stunned by her rage as she disappeared down the hall, chasing after her rogue Mate. Was her anger just her initial reaction to me almost harming Xander? Or did she blame me for more? Was I no longer a forgivable Monet to her?

“I don’t see the point in chasing after a rogue, but I guess I’ll go,” Wyatt stated, not informed on my unique ability to pull people back from that otherwise incurable darkness. He paused before glancing at my direction to where Jacobi stood, “Am I the only one who noticed that they’re both butt-naked? Running about in public now… think of the children, am I right?”

“Jesus, Wyatt, just go!” Corentine snapped, but before she could even finish her reply, Wyatt had already disappeared with a small smirk on his face. At least one of us could find something humorous in the situation. I, on the other hand, felt like I was drowning.

~…~

We were escorted back to the Bryant Coterie headquarters by the remaining members, some being very confused when presented with the body of Eve Raene to bring with us while the rest took care of the hunters. Many of the remaining hunters retreated, sparing their lives, while some still attacked out of dedication to their mission despite their low numbers. When leaving the reservation, I could see the fallen bodies randomly placed about the reservation. It was another image I was certain I would never forget.

I gave Corentine permission to follow Wyatt in his attempt to find Aveline and Xander. I would have sent more, but I wasn’t the Master of the coterie. Jacobi preferred the rest stay back and retreat back to the headquarters as soon as it was safe to do so.

It was strange, walking back into that building as a vampire rather than a mortal. I began taking the stairs up to Jacobi’s room, pausing when I heard him grunt in pain which I felt echo throughout my own form. I looked back at Jacobi, seeing him wince as he took a step onto the stairs. The gashes across his body were still angry and unhealed. There were massive bruises forming across his flesh as well, telling me Zachary probably did a little more damage than just cut him.

I moved to Jacobi’s level, lifting his arm over my shoulders and wrapping a supportive arm around his waist to help him take the steps with less pain. Despite the aching of his limbs, I felt comfort in being so close to him. I only wished he wasn’t as fragile as he was at that moment. I helped him climb the stairs up to his room, allowing him to sit on the edge of his bed while he panted with strain.

“How long will the Middlemist last?” I asked him quietly, sitting down next to him.

“It’s different for everyone. On average, it’ll wear off in a couple of weeks,” Jacobi replied slowly, the statement sending him into deep thought. I looked at his wounds carefully, thinking about how it was the vampires had healed mine. I could, in the very least, offer my own blood. I looked at my arm, imagining biting into it in order to release the blood underneath.

“I can heal you,” I volunteered, looking up to Jacobi. He hesitated, glancing at my arm as well.

“Not yet,” He responded, shifting in his position. Did the idea of drinking my blood for its healing property bother him more than drinking from it to satiate his desires as I had agreed to before? “It would make me unconscious and… I need to ask something of you first.”

I lowered my arm, peering at Jacobi curiously. “What is it?”

“I told you before, the Middlemist is going to suppress my spirit and leave my coterie without a Master. I shouldn’t be mortal for too long, so most will be fine. But not all vampires are the same. Some will become rogue before others… Some may become nervous at the risk and flee in order to attempt to join other coteries. No matter the outcome, it would be a pretty severe blow to my coterie.”

The topic of rogues made me think of Xander. My mind drifted, wondering if my blood would still bring him back as a vampire should they be able to find him. Had too much time passed? Would he…

“I need you to claim me,” Jacobi said, startling me. I turned my gaze on him with confusion.

“Me? Why would you trust me with that? I could… you know what I could do,” I told him, trembling as I thought of the idea of being connected to his coterie through him and able to manipulate their spirits. Would it tempt me to absorb them? Would I become a true monster after all?

“I’m vulnerable right now. Some in my coterie may even consider taking advantage, those who disagree with my choices lately. Many outside the coterie will try to use this time to attack me. If you’ve claimed me, I’ll be protected along with my coterie,” Jacobi explained, but once again seemed hesitant, “I do trust you, Lysa. I just want you to understand… it is illegal, what I’m asking you to do. You can say no, I won’t be angry.”

A part of me wanted to agree to it automatically. I wanted Jacobi to be safe, beyond that of being my Mate. I wanted to claim him and flaunt that claim, daring anyone to try to touch him. It was a darker part of me that had emerged the moment I had absorbed the souls of many hunters. It liked the idea of being connected to so many spirits, ready to use at my will. But it was that same dark temptation that made me hesitate to accept.

Yes, it was illegal, but I honestly couldn’t view the laws of vampires as my own. The idea of supernatural laws applying to me felt foreign and unreal. I couldn’t even completely wrap my head around being Eve Raene’s daughter. But if I didn’t accept the claim, what Jacobi said was true. His spirit would be suppressed for who knows exactly how long. His coterie would be disconnected, separated and no doubt worried. How many would be lost? Even if I wouldn’t do it for myself, I’d do it for the safety of many…

“I’ll do it,” I submitted quietly, “But… I’m not sure if I’ll know how to do it. When Zachary wanted me to, I felt the process was pretty clear… after taking his and the other hunter’s spirits, though… It was different. I’m not sure if I can get myself to do it again. I’m not sure…”

I was caught off guard when Jacobi cupped my face in his hands, lightly pressing those deliciously mortal and soft lips over mine. As his tongue darted out to search for mine, he lowered his hands to begin brushing over my skin teasingly. At first, I didn’t understand where this outburst of affection came from. Then, as his hand brushed over a sensitive part of my breast, I felt my spirit respond in kind to the pleasurable feeling that reverberated through me. Jacobi broke away from our kiss without pausing as he caressed my flesh, adding fire to the spirit he had already awakened within me.

“Our spirits respond to strong emotions,” Jacobi whispered huskily to me, leading me to lie back on the bed while he hovered over me. “While you can use intense fear or rage to fuel it, the easiest way to draw your spirit forward is through pleasure and lust… or love. It’s why a claim typically involves sexually charged rituals beforehand, as you noticed with Aveline and Xander and then again when I was supposed to claim you. This is how you’ll be able to do it, dove.”

While I still feared the idea of bonding entirely to Jacobi and his coterie, he lowered himself and began to trail heated lips over the flesh of my neck. His hands reached under my clothing, kneading into my most sensitive parts. I gasped, feeling my fears begin to ebb away behind the pleasure that was building under Jacobi’s touch.