Alaric had balls, Jason had to give him that. Attacking the Collective head on took guts and was not to be taken lightly. The Collective was merciless to those who they deemed their enemies. Jason would have thought it funny if they weren't under attack. The bunch of snobs had grown arrogant over the centuries, and now it came back to rip their throats out.

Jason turned to the ash-stricken witch and said, "You still believe you're untouchable?" His answer never came.

Several guards rushed forward and led the head of the Collective out of the room, leaving the rest of them behind.

"Jason. Release these guards so that they can get to safety," said Mallory, touching him on the shoulder.

Jason snapped his head back to the group of tied-up guards. He snapped his fingers and the black chains disappeared into the ground. The sludge in question crept under Jason's feet as he reeled in his power. The guards picked up their weapons and bolted of the chamber without glancing back at them.

"Well, that's our queue," said Ishmael as he rushed out of the chamber with Astrid on his heels.

Mallory grabbed Jason's hand and they followed the trio ahead.

Running through the cathedric hallways of the Collective headquarters had become a game of whack-a-mole. They had to dodge several stone beams that fell from the vaulted ceilings. The cries of battle slowly rose in volume as they neared the end of the corridor. As they broke out into a gargantuan cavern, the scale of the invasion snatched the air out of Jason's lungs. He instinctively, and with a healthy bit of commonsense, backtracked to where they came from, but Mallory placed her hand on his back.

"Jason, there's no turning back," she said in a calming voice, barely audible over the chaos that raged around them. "We have to leave before Alaric finds us."

Jason barely registered the words coming from her mouth as he watched on in horror at the carnage spilling out in front of his eyes. The nightmare before him sent his stomach into overdrive, burning his throat with bile. Dozens of suspended bridges crisscrossed the cavern, filled with men and beasts ripping each other apart in a frenzy. Every shriek of agony and cry out for help hammered the truth into his conscious—it was his fault.

The attacking werewolves were nothing Jason had seen before; they had no fur. The beasts' bodies were black as coal, with black smoke oozing off their skins. They were all about the size of an alpha. The werewolves' eyes were red as blood and filled with one determination—to slaughter everything in their path. Which, unfortunately, were the witches and warlocks who died in droves. It seemed as if their magic had no effect on the creatures. The wolves seemed to regenerate their wounds at a frighteningly fast pace, outstripping their enemies' ability to kill them. The Collective didn't stand a chance in hell to win the fight, and the body count piling up revealed the truth.

"It's all my fault," Jason stuttered out. "If you hadn't saved me, none of this would have happened."

His four companions turned to face him.

Mallory gripped both of his arms and said, "Don't be stupid. None of this is your fault."

Jason shook his head, not believing the words coming from her lips.

"Get a grip, you idiot. If you remained in Alaric's clutches, he would have turned you into a killing machine. He would have attacked the Collective eventually after decimating the other councils." Mallory shook him. "Don't you get it, Jason. With you on his side, he could unleash hell on earth and the carnage you see before you would look like a stroll through the garden in comparison."

Ishmael stepped forth. "She is right, you know. As long as you remain out of his grasp, his fate, and that of his army of freaks, are doomed to fail. "This," he said, pointing to a group of rogues ripping apart a guard, "is an act of a desperate man. So, we have to escape before he gets his hands on you."

***

After Jason begrudgingly followed his friends through the labyrinth of hallways on their way to the nearest exit, they entered the lobby of the Collective's headquarters. A rectangular room lined with marbled statues of the former heads of the institution. They must have been a sour bunch of people; all the statues had dour expressions chiseled onto their faces.

"Where do you think you're going, pet?" said a familiar voice that slammed into Jason.

Jason froze and twisted around, coming face-to-face with Ludwick. But still, not the Ludwick, he remembered. He was still the same hulk of a man, but dark veins crept along his bulging arms, around his blood-red eyes and fanged mouth.

"You've taken my blood, haven't you?" Jason said.

Ludwick chuckled as a dozen men and women crowded around him with the same symptoms crawling over their bodies. "Yes, we did. And I must admit your blood is incredible."

"And deadly, simpleton," interrupted Astrid with a scoff. "You've signed your own death warrant. Without Jason's blood, you'll die."

A sinister grin spread across his pale face. "Then I'll have to secure the source of our power. Come here, Jason." Ludwick ordered. The silver necklace around Jason's neck vibrated, fighting the collar's control over his body. His legs' muscles spasmed out in protest. "I. Said. Come. Here!" Jason, however, remained rooted where he stood.

Jason growled out and shouted, "Fuck off, fang face! Go tell your master to go fuck himself. The days of following your commands are over."

"Really?" Before Jason could react, Ludwick flashed forward and slammed him into a wooden door. Ludwick squeezed his neck, choking him. "You seem to forget who holds your leash." Ludwick's eyes found the necklace. He reached up with his other hand and took the chain into his claws.

He's trying to break the necklace! The words thundered around his head as Jason tried to loosen the grip the vampire had on his neck. However, Ludwick was much stronger now, with Jason's blood coursing through his veins.

While Jason panicked, Cyron took control of the situation. "That's not going to happen. I refuse to become a bitch to a lowlife junky." Cyron shifted Jason's left hand to Ludwick's chest and uttered,

Fire exploded from Jason's hand, blasting Ludwick across the chamber and into one of the statues. Roars and hisses filled the lobby when Ludwick crumbled to the floor, lying between the remains of the broken statue.

"Haven't you heard of personal space?" Jason hissed out as he rubbed his neck, only to find the necklace missing. "Fuck!"

A gluttonous laughter filled the room as Ludwick rose to his feet. The burn scars on his chest slowly healed as if nothing had happened. "Ouch, that hurt," Ludwick said with a smirk, setting off his fellow companions who cackled at Jason's failed attempt to kill him.

Ludwick raised his treasure into the air, allowing the silver necklace to sway in front of his smug face Jason wanted to wipe off the face of the planet. No! There has to be something we can do. I don't want to end up being his lap dog.

"Come here," Ludwick ordered again. His command gripped Jason's feet, dragging him toward his enemy. "That's a good boy."

Mallory ran up to me and screamed, "Jason, don't!"

She was about to grab onto Jason's arm when one of the enemy's witches flung off a bolt of energy, hitting her in the chest. Mallory fell backward onto the marbled floor, not moving. Jason's world came to a halt as his best friend's heart crept to a halt. His enemies' laughter drowned out as he stared at his fallen friend. Ishmael and Astrid rushed to Mallory's aid.

An earth-shattering roar ripped from Jason. The surrounding statues shattered as the earth under their feet shook. The darkness in his soul spilled forth. Jason's muscles spasmed and started shifting, bones cracked, and his flesh blackened. A monstrous form took Jason's place. Horns grew out of Jason's head as he grew in size until he reached ten feet in height. The air in the chamber reached a sweltering temperature as black flames danced over his bipedal form.

With every step Jason took, the marble floor cracked. He strutted up to Ludwick's shaken form. The smug he carried earlier fell away as Ludwick scurried out of Jason's grasp. Jason lunged forward and snatched up the vampire. His claws sliced into Ludwick's spine, causing the bloodsucker to scream out in agony.

Jason growled out, snapping at Ludwick's face with his maw. Ludwick whimpered as he tried to avoid Jason's razor-sharp fangs.

"Let me go, you freak!" Ludwick yelled out. His command tickled the back of Jason's neck, but Jason felt no compulsion to obey.

Cyron chuckled inside Jason's head. "Time to deal with this collar." A sizzling sound emanated from Jason's muscled neck. The collar that tied him to Alaric burned away.

said Jason.

Jason sucked in air and breathed out a column of black fire over the floor in front of them. The group of rogues fled for the hills as the fire chased them, but it was too late. The flames reduced them to dust. With a thunderous crack, the floor crumbled open and the pits of hell opened before them. As Ludwick's eyes fell upon the portal, he punched Jason in the chest, but Ludwick's attack barely fazed him. Jason wrapped his other claw around the bloodsucker's torso and squeezed, crushing the vampire's hips.

"Good riddance!" Jason yanked and pulled the vampire's body apart.

Torrents of blood and Ludwick's guts splashed down into the portal with a sizzle. He then chucked the vampire's mangled body into the portal and watched as Ludwick disappeared into the fire. The portal then closed, returning the floor to its former glory as if nothing had happened.

"Give my regards to Lord Hades for me," Jason said as he spat at the spot where the portal was.

Jason turned around and rushed over to where Mallory lay. He shifted back to his human form and collapsed next to his best friend. Jason placed both of his hands on both sides of her head, bawling his eyes out. Tears dripped onto her face.

"Mally, come back to me," Jason pleaded. "You can't leave me. Your mate's going to kill me if you don't wake up."

She didn't move. Ishmael was still busy giving her CPR, but her heart remained quiet. She can't leave him. It was his fault! All of it.

"Enough! It's not your fault," Cyron growled out. "You humans are strange creatures. You cull yourselves over the actions of others. All of this is Alaric's fault. The witch killed your friend, not you."

Jason shook his head while wiping his tears away with his forearm. "If she didn't come and save me, none of this would have happened."

"Enough! You can either sit here and wallow in your misery, or you can save her."

Jason choked on his spit. "How?"

"Call her back. It's one of the gifts of a hellhound. We can recall a fallen soul, only if the soul wants to return."

Jason squirmed around. Hopefully this wasn't some sick trick the hellhound tried to play on him.

Cyron huffed and said, "Just give me a break! I'm trying to help your friend. Howl."

"What?"

"Howl for Zeus' sake! It's called the howl of the fallen. Focus on her and then reach out and call her soul back."

Jason lowered his head and closed his tear-riddled eyes. He focused on the friend that stood beside him through thick and thin. The one who would have died for him and just did. The memories of her goofy grin and witty comebacks tugged at his soul. Slowly, a far of whisper filled his ears.

"Jason?" came a barely audible whisper.

Jason opened his eyes, sitting on the same boulder where they normally ate junk food in the same park, a ritual he sadly missed. At the far side of the playground, he saw Mallory swinging on one of the swings. He shot off the rock and dashed toward her.

"Mally!" Jason shouted as he stopped in front of her, heaving to catch his breath.

Her teary eyes shot up at him. "What are you doing here? Did you die as well?" she asked with a quivering lip. Her voice sounded muffled, as if she spoke to him underwater.

He held out his hand to her. "I'm here to take you back."

Her green eyes lit up for a second before dimming. "It's not possible... I'm dead."

Jason shook his head and said, "Doesn't matter. I'm here to take you back. Please, Mally," he brought his hand closer to hers, "take my hand."

She released the swing's chain and slowly reached out, placing her hand in his. The scene in front of him dissolved into darkness before his eyes snapped open. He released another howl over her ashen face.

Seconds later, Mallory's eyes snapped open as she took her first breath of fresh air.