Logan followed the two Shadow Stalkers up the steps to a floor marked L5. He watched as both of them scanned badges to the sensor and Ranelle went through as Nathaniel held the door. The dark-haired man gave him a cursory gesture before moving to walk ahead of him.

As they reached the third door on the right, Ranelle walked in first. She paused when she realized Nathaniel had gathered all of the Winslow fledgling class. She had hoped it would only be the three of them to discuss the previous night's events and a further plan of action for Avalon's safety.

Two blondes sat on the left-end side of the oblong, oval table. The male had dark golden hair that was cut short along the sides with height on top. His hazel eyes went from Ranelle to Nathaniel, and finally to the Blood Warrior as Logan stepped into the room. His bloodline twin, a woman with platinum blonde hair and lavender eyes, sat beside him. Both were dressed in black, the woman sporting a thick leather jacket whilst her blood-brother opted for a plain muscle shirt, showing off his Saxon and Viking tattoos that covered his forearms.

Across from them, Vincent sat with his arms crossed. His brown hair was tucked behind his ears. He glanced at the other two elder fledglings and then the new arrivals.

Ranelle gave them a nod before finding her usual chair across from the blonde-headed male.

"Logan, I'm sure you remember Marcius Augustus and Kearran Silverstone," Nathaniel said, his voice calm, as he gestured to the two blondes. He shut the door to the conference room and rounded the table to sit between Marcius and Vincent.

"Welcome back, Blood Warrior," Kearran added, giving the man a quick once-over.

"Have a seat," Marcius instructed.

"Good to see you both again. It's been a long time," Logan answered the greeting. His head bowed in respect to their ranks. He took the empty chair beside Ranelle's, not liking that his back was to the door. It was one of his pet peeves.

"At least three hundred years, I believe," Nathaniel said. He opened a file folder that sat on the table in front of him and quickly scanned it. "I promise this won't take long, but we do have questions pertaining to last night's events... I've already spoken to Ranelle, but I think it only fair that our bloodline brethren hear the details as we try to plan our next course of action without a grand elder to run the coven house."

Ranelle inhaled a short breath, glancing at Kearran. The blonde gave her a half-smile in return. The woman turned back to Nathaniel. "I'm happy to recount the timeline," she said in response. "I can detail everything we discussed earlier."

Nathaniel nodded, his dark eyes going from Ranelle to Logan. "I think we can all guess on the major events of last night after two-thirty in the morning. But I would like you both to walk me through the evening, line by line."

Logan exhaled, already annoyed. He'd fought alongside all of them centuries before. It seemed like an insult to treat him as if he were an outsider. Before he could say so, Ranelle spoke first:

"I crossed paths with the Blood Warrior while on patrol with Vincent. Lord Hadrian had me working the old grids for any new Witch activity in the bar district," she said calmly.

Vincent nodded. "I can corroborate that."

"Where was this?" Nathaniel asked, glancing from Ranelle to Logan again.

"Downtown, approximately a mile from here," Logan said coolly, "where the old marketplace used to be."

Ranelle nodded in agreement.

"Why are you in London, Lord Mezdor?" Kearran took her turn to ask. Her voice was blunt towards the Dracula fledge, her face blank.

Logan's gaze shot over to the other woman in the room. "To stir up trouble, why else?" he said sarcastically, knowing it would break her reserved expression. When a smirk touched her mouth, he returned to look back at Nathaniel. "I came in search of aid from the Winslow bloodline. My young son and wife have been missing for the past few years. I had hopes that perhaps the Winslow grand elders would have the resources that could help me track them."

Kearran cleared her throat. "And you sought out the Fair Lady, despite orders. What happened next?"

Logan squinted, wondering if he should address her comment before her question. "I sought out anyone who may be willing to lend a hand," he said slowly. "Lord Vincent and Lady Ranelle were kind enough to bring me back to the coven. I then met with Lord Hadrian to plead my case for aid. I had hopes that perhaps time has made us all kinder. I was mistaken."

Nathaniel nodded, leaning back in his chair. He looked from the Blood Warrior to Ranelle as she cringed in her seat, her shoulders tensing. "I'm certain I know how that conversation went," he remarked.

"Lord Hadrian remained adamant on his position regarding the Dracula bloodline," Ranelle said, her eyes shifting from Nathaniel to Marcius.

"Who made the decision to go down to the boy's playroom?" Nathaniel asked.

"I did," Ranelle replied, her voice quiet. "Lord Hadrian was not privy to that decision until after."

"Is that true, Blood Warrior?"

Logan nodded in agreement. He crossed his arms over his chest. "We agreed to keep it a secret that she was taking me to see my son. Lord Hadrian must have followed us shortly after."

"The boy downstairs is your son?" Vincent asked, surprised. He looked to the other fledges in the room. "You didn't think to share that detail with the rest of us in the coven?" he questioned, his eyes passing over each member of the fledgling class.

Nathaniel's jaw clenched. "It was for his safety, not out of lack of trust, Brother. Lords Hadrian and Thorne thought it would be better for as few of us to know about the boy as possible."

The Italian scoffed. "Talk about a revelation."

There was a moment of quiet as Nathaniel glanced at the pages in front of him and then looked from Ranelle to Logan. "I'll ask this once and I want a clear answer... Who killed Grand Elder Hadrian Winslow?"

"I did."

"I killed him."

Another second of silence filled the room.

"That didn't seem very clear, did it, Nathaniel?" Marcius asked, his tone dry.

Logan looked at Ranelle in the same instant she glanced at him. "I killed the grand elder," he said calmly, not taking his eyes off Ranelle's. She may have been unwilling to take his offer of an olive branch the night before, but he didn't want her to be punished for protecting his son.

"The Blood Warrior is wrong," Ranelle said. "I was the one who killed my maker. He threatened the boy. I had to take action."

Logan refrained from giving her a glare, wishing she wouldn't be so headstrong. "It was my last blow with the stake that killed Hadrian. He insulted my family, Lady Ranelle, and then threatened my son's life. I had no choice but to put him down."

Nathaniel sighed heavily, sounding annoyed. "Given that there are no cameras in that room and the child is too young to understand what unfolded last night, I can't be certain which of you is telling the truth." He paused and glanced down at his notes again. "Lord Thorne, Lord Seren, and Lady Kendall will want to know what has transpired, and I am bound to follow orders in reporting this death... And since I can't prove who delivered the fatal blow, I doubt that this will result in any kind of trial. I think it may be in the best interest of all parties if we didn't broach the how's and why's with our makers should they press how Hadrian 'the Great' has passed."

"What should we tell the rest of the coven?" Marcius asked calmly. "Hadrian's absence will be noticed quickly."

"If not already," Kearran added.

"Lord Hadrian was ambushed and killed last night on his usual hunt by an enemy from the Moon Worshipper coven. Vincent Moretti and his men were the team who brought him back to the coven house before sunrise. Will you validate that cover story, Vince?"

The Italian nodded. "It's plausible enough. My men should go along with it. They're sworn to obey the Winslow bloodline."

"Good," Nathaniel answered.

"What about the Blood Warrior?" Kearran questioned. "It's a matter of time before our enemies get wind that the last Dracula fledge is in London and within our walls. If they know as much about this prophecy as we do, it's not out of question that they may try to reach for him."

"We'd have to be ready for any type of action they may try to take," Marcius theorized. "I would suggest we double our guard."

Nathaniel looked from the bloodline siblings to Logan. "We have his son in our possession; it would be foolhardy to let him run about the city for that very reason. Are you interested in rejoining the Shadow Stalker efforts, Logan? Last I heard, you preferred the neutral political landscape."

Logan withheld a sigh. He didn't want to buy into his sire's prophecies. He never had. He had spent most of his immortal life listening to Dracula obsess over the visions and religious passages handed down to him by what the Count believed to be the Goddesses of the Night and the Moon. But it had seemed that, in the centuries that Logan had removed himself from the political sphere within the world of supernatural species, the vampires were primed and ready to use any bit of remaining power to sway the entirety of their paranormal existence.

And if accepting the weight of what was being placed on his son's shoulders by the Shadow Stalkers would reunite him with his only child, then he would take that weight tenfold. Even when he didn't want to believe in it...

"Since you seem to be hellbent on chasing after this prophecy and using my son as your next leader, I have no choice," Logan replied dryly. "I'm not leaving my son behind."

"Then we'll have to keep you confined to the grounds as well," Nathaniel stated, waiting for the man to object. "As Kearran said, Moon Worshippers will no-doubtedly try something. And since you know where the coven is located and what our interior looks like, that poses a great security risk should they manage to get their hands on you. We can arrange for you to have quarters on L-Six with some of our other coven members. However, your son will remain with Lady Ranelle on the Winslow floor where he is better protected. I don't want to disrupt his nightly schedule and routines."

Logan's brow furrowed. "I came to this coven to look for not just my son, but my wife who's still missing. I'm guessing my efforts of being able to search for her myself are now out of the question?"

The fledglings all glanced at one another before looking to Nathaniel as the man again leaned back in his chair. He inhaled slowly through his mouth. "Knowing what we do about your wife makes searching for her a liability. However, I can always add her face to the persons-of-interest list. If someone finds her and she has any intention in returning to you and your son, then we can consider a course of action at that time."

Logan nodded, knowing that was as good as he would get. If he tried to debate with them, there was a chance they wouldn't help at all. And he refused to leave Avalon behind. He glanced at Ranelle for a short second to see her expression. Despite wanting to find Loraine, he knew he would have to talk to the auburn-brunette further and try to smooth things over between them. "Will I be able to have access to the Winslow clan floor to see my son?"

"Kearran, are you willing to give the Blood Warrior a badge?" Nathaniel asked.

The blonde woman frowned and then glanced at Nathaniel. "Yes, I can issue that before the end of the night."

"And what are we to tell the coven if they find out about the Dark Child and the Blood Warrior being here?" Marcius asked. "Someone is bound to recognize him."

"We need to carry on as if it's just another night," Nathaniel replied. "Don't change any of the nightly routines. I will make the announcement about Hadrian's passing tomorrow night and partake in his usual duties to sign off on anything that comes into the office. Tonight, let's make sure we have everything in place in case questions do arise. Until then, it's business as usual," he added as he closed his file folder and stood. "Vivat Nocte."

"Vivat Obumbratio," the other coven members responded, nodding their heads.

Logan merely flexed his fingers and then gripped them into a fist. He hadn't missed the coven traditions, despite how familiar they still were to him. He inhaled another breath, staring at the table for a moment as he listened to them say their affirmation.

Long live the Night. Long live the Shadows, the Latin mantra's translation brushed through his mind. It felt as if his memories from centuries ago were only months old.

In perfect sync, the rest of the fledglings rose to their feet. Ranelle stood more slowly than the others, tucking her arms behind her in an at-ease position.

Nathaniel picked up his paperwork and looked at each of them. "Welcome back to the fold, Blood Warrior... Ranelle, I'll tell Catherine to make a room available for him. Spend the evening with the boy. I'm sure he missed you last night."

"Thank you, Nathaniel," she answered, her voice still quiet. She waited for the dark-headed man to pass by her chair, his hand touching her shoulder, before he opened the door and walked out into the hall with Vincent and Marcius in his shadow. Ranelle joined them, immediately departing back for the Winslow floor in case Avalon had woken.

The Blood Warrior went to follow, but he paused when he heard his name.

"Logan," the blonde woman said calmly from behind him, and the man turned back to face her.

"Been a long time, Silverstone," he said in greeting. He'd forgotten how tall and statuesque the other female Winslow fledge was. She had maintained her athletic body with gentle muscle tone beneath her clothing. She was as gorgeous as a supermodel; but Logan remembered she was also as loyal as a hound and as vicious as a snake when threatened. "Your blood-brother is still as stoic as ever."

She smirked again, nodding. "When you're sired by the drama queen of the millennium, you learn to be cool and calm at all times," she retorted with a grin.

"I suppose that is true," the Blood Warrior chuckled. "What can I do for you?"

The woman inhaled, as if she were going to sigh as she met his gaze with her lavender eyes. "I understand you're here to be with your son, and hopefully grow to understand why the coven is moving towards fulfilling Dracula's prophecy. But, please, do not cause trouble while you're here."

"Hadrian is gone, Kearran. I have no reason to cause problems," Logan responded, frowning.

"I'm not talking about Hadrian," she said, keeping her tone hushed in case the others were still in the hallway. "And with him being gone, the grand elders will put a magnifying glass on us to see how we lead in their absence. He was a bloody son-of-a-bitch, but he was their brother. I have no doubt Thorne will be vindictive if he suspects foul-play from within these walls, especially if he thinks you or she was involved."

Logan sighed again, looking away. The moment of Ranelle driving the stake into Hadrian's back played through his mind one more time.

"I'm serious, Blood Warrior," Kearran pressed, maintaining a fixed gaze on his face. "You have put her through enough. Do not place her life back in danger with the grand elders. Thorne will take both your heads in punishment if the truth comes out."

He shook his head. "I have no intention of causing any ill will for any of you. You are all my allies and friends. I'm only here for my son and until my wife is found."

"Good. Keep it that way," she warned, giving him a pointed stare.

He nodded again. "On my honor," he told her truthfully.

Her head bobbed up and down. "And on mine, Blood Warrior. I'll come get you when I have your security badge and a room has been made available. We'll also need to take you on a tour so you know where everything is on our ten levels."

He smiled. "Thank you, Kearran. I appreciate it."

"We aren't above helping our friends here," she said in response, gesturing him to follow as she headed for the hall. "So long as you keep your nose clean and follow the rules, you should find life here to be fairly normal despite the war raging outside."

"Has the fighting become that bad?" he asked.

She exhaled loudly in a groan. "It hasn't been terrible in the past few months, but it's been one of the record years of strikes and counterstrikes. Something is brewing. I can feel it. They're getting reckless in their attacks, constantly trying to blitz us," she explained as she led the way down the steps. "The Capitol has been on lockdown since nineteen-seventy-four. The whispers about the prophecy are growing. It doesn't feel like a simple possibility anymore, but more like a truth waiting to be fulfilled."

"And you're certain Avalon is the right child?" he questioned from her shadow.

The tall blonde glanced over her shoulder at him. "You are the last surviving fledge of your bloodline and he is your son. Dracula was one bloody prick with his secrets, but the sires were hellbent on getting their hands on his prophecies when he retreated from the fold. And I can't say I miss him."

"You found them, then?" Logan asked. "I was under the impression no one knew of his hiding places, even his progenies."

The blonde woman shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "It took some digging and plenty of witches to decode the old languages, but yes. I should've known he'd entrusted Egypt with his secrets. He was obsessed with their culture, if I remember correctly. The scroll was damaged when we found it, but we were able to understand those omens from the parchment. Nathaniel and Ranelle were present when it was unearthed in Alexandria... The coven and the High Council believe your son is our savior now," she said softly. She scanned her badge to the Winslow floor and walked through the door. She nodded to the guard that waited just inside.

"He's allowed on this floor, Antonio. I'll be bringing him a badge later," she told the man.

"Yes, Shadow Silverstone."

"I never thought that anyone would put stock in the prophecy after the original Circle was broken," Logan said honestly, noticing the guard salute the blonde fledgling. "Even Dracula made us swear to never promote its validity in the centuries following those nights."

She raised her eyebrows as she thought over that fact. It had been over three hundred years since she had last seen the infamous Count Dracula. And she could believe what the Blood Warrior said. Dracula was secretive and only revealed what he wanted when he wanted. He was quite possibly the most cryptic man she had ever met.

"We are still at war," she said calmly. "Your bloodline remains as the one guiding light to end it. We're growing tired. Peace will only come when that boy is grown and leading all vampire-kind. It's all we have left to strive for."

Logan glanced towards Ranelle's door as he heard Avalon's voice.

"Remember what I told you, Blood Warrior," Kearran warned quietly.