"Nathaniel, I'm not leaving without my husband. He's out there somewhere. I can't leave him behind," Ranelle pleaded, her tone desperate. "He has done all he can to protect us. I won't leave him in their hands."

The English coven's commander sighed heavily, putting his forehead into his palm as he propped his elbow against the conference room table. "And I can't let you stay here any longer, Ranelle. Our entrance is damaged and it will take a few more nights before even our security systems are back in working condition. I can't keep you here for your own safety, and Avalon's."

"So you're going to completely forsake him to our enemy?" she asked, her tone full of panic. Her hands gripped the chair's arms tightly.

"No, of course not," Nathaniel answered, looking up at her again. "I promise, I will do all I can to find Logan, but I'm not willing to leave you here undefended when I do make a move. He made us promise to get you and the boy out of London safely. And I plan to do just that. We're going to stick with the same operation as previously discussed. There will be no exceptions. Marcius and his men will escort you out of the city to the next safe house. And you will continue moving until you get to Italy."

"And Logan?" Ranelle asked.

"I promise, I will find him," Nathaniel said, his voice sincere. "And when I do, I'll send him home to you."

"Swear it to me on the blood of our sires, Nathan. Please, bring him back to me."

"I swear it."

The next night, Nathaniel watched as Marcius loaded up a black SUV with the last few bags. Ranelle got into the backseat after giving her comrade a last nod. She gave him a small smile, knowing it may be one of the last times she ever saw her home and her bloodline family. A guard closed the door for her and the SUV rocked into motion, taking off from the garage level outside L2.

The coven commander sighed greatly and nodded, happy to see the mother and boy go. While he would have liked to keep Marcius and his team of men with him to plan the assault on the Moon Worshippers and gain the Blood Warrior back, he knew he would rather the blonde-haired man go with Ranelle. His tactical eye would be needed to keep the pair safe. In his stead, Nathaniel still had Kearran and Vincent to help.

He hadn't told Ranelle his plans, determined to keep them a secret from her. After her resolve shattered the night Logan was taken, stressing her any more would have been a mistake and unhealthy for her condition.

But he had every intention of bringing the Blood Warrior back in the next twenty-four hours. And the clock was ticking down...

Nathaniel turned to head back down the stairs, his hands clenched at his sides. In the two nights since the attack, he had used his best Shadows and Intelligence officers to find out everything they could on their enemy. And they had discovered plenty.

The Blood Warrior had been taken by the resident Moon Worshipper's second-in-command. Logan would've been brought back to their coven house in the rundown neighborhood of Notting Hill. The area had been abandoned and full of vacant homes for years, making it a perfect place for a clan of vampires to amass. It was a little over a half-hour away by vehicle from the river neighborhood of wharfs where the Shadow Stalkers resided.

And Nathaniel knew the way blindfolded. It had taken little effort to plan his attack.

The full moon was fading, waning into nothing each hour, holding a good omen for the Shadow Stalkers. Nathaniel planned on using it to his advantage. Without the power from the full moon, Moon Worshippers would be back to their normal immortal strengths, matching his own coven to even the game. And with a little luck and smart strategy, they had a chance to find and rescue the Blood Warrior.

Nathaniel hopped down the steps to L5, giving a short nod to his secretary who sat at her desk. "Catherine, page Schultz and Kensington to my office, please," he said calmly.

"Right away, my lord," she responded.

He moved down the hall to his destination, opening his office door. Kearran sat in her usual seat and Vincent on the opposite side of the room in the other armchair, spinning a knife in his hand. Nathaniel nodded to his partner and then Vincent as he moved to his side of the desk.

"Did you send them away?" Kearran asked as her goodbye to Ranelle replayed through her mind. The blonde had healed quickly after the assault on the Shadow Stalker coven.

Nathaniel nodded with a sigh. "Yes, they're gone. Let us pray they make it to their destination safely."

"Amen," Vincent agreed, his head bobbing in the same gesture as Nathaniel had made. "What next?"

The coven commander inhaled deeply. "Can your teams be ready to move in the next hour?" he asked.

Kearran frowned. "Of course, but I thought you didn't want to carry this out until dusk."

"If we wait any longer, they may come back again, especially if they think we are weak and ready for the taking... I want to hit them with the hardest hammer we have in the smartest way we can. They will still be celebrating their victory and not suspect an immediate retaliation. Their judgement is already clouded by the blood in the water," the dark-haired man said calmly.

The woman's eyebrows rose and she looked across at Vincent. "Then we'd best return the favor. I would love to give them a thank-you gift."

Vincent smirked and spun his knife once more in his fingers. "I'll find the best ribbon to dress it all up for them."

"Good. I'll have the plans ready for a briefing in an hour," Nathaniel added, bumping his fist on the wooden desk in emphasis.

Not long after, Nathaniel loaded up in the passenger seat of a black utility van, his rifle resting across his lap. He rubbed the stock once in reassurance of his strategy. It would be risky, but he had an idea on how to retrieve their coven mate.

He looked over his shoulder to watch Kearran fasten a military tactical helmet over her blonde hair. She then pulled down the gun-scope over her right eye, positioning it properly as she lined up her vision on Vincent across from her. The woman then turned her attention, sensing his eyes on her. She smiled at him and Nathaniel couldn't help but grin in return.

If they didn't make it tonight, at least it was for the right cause.

Kearran waited for him to look away before she went back to her gear. She pulled on the tight-fitting, neoprene gloves over her fingers. She fastened them in place on her wrists and then reached down for her gun. It was loaded already, its clip holding its full capacity of wooden bullets. She propped it across her legs, sliding the strap over her shoulders.

They had been briefed on Nathaniel's playbook before leaving for Notting Hill. Nathaniel had decided to hit the Moon Worshippers in the exact opposite way they had used nights before. Just like their own coven, the enemy had its back entrances. And they weren't always well-guarded.

Notting Hill had many vacant buildings, leaving plenty of unfinished houses and half-paved alleys to make sneaking in and out without detection much easier for an immortal species. From the back entrance that resembled a shed and another that came and went out of a sewer well, Nathaniel planned on their best Shadows to sneak in and open the main entrance for the rest of the team.

Once inside, it would take a matter of minutes to get to the Blood Warrior's location. And they would have to make every single moment matter.

Kearran leaned down again and grabbed a backpack from in between her feet. "Alright, fellas, here are your robes. Once inside, take off your helmets and put these on over your B-D-U's. Moon Worshippers always have their religious high councils come and go each waning cycle. We will infiltrate and blend in until reaching the front entrance. On my signal, we blow the damn door wide open and let in the rest of the bunch. With me?" she asked, tossing the backpack down the aisle for each man to take his.

They nodded, readying themselves with each piece of their gear and adding their white robes to the outsides of their own packs.

"Vivat Nocte, Vivat Obumbratio," Nathaniel said calmly.

"Long live the Night, Long live the Shadows," the collective behind him answered.

The van came to a halt two alleys over from the back entrance. Kearran made a motion with her hand for the door as she finished putting in her earpiece that would connect her to Nathaniel and Vincent. She waited for the first two to get out and scan the area before the second two joined them. They moved to the opposite side of the alley and scanned around the corners. When one signaled to Kearran, she made a gesture for the rest to follow. Once her entire team was out of the vehicle, she joined them. She turned to look back at the passenger's side. She gave Nathaniel a smile and nodded her head. He returned her silent 'I love you,' with a wink as he tapped his chest. The blonde turned to follow and dropped behind the hierarchy of her team, letting them work their way through the backstreets. She kept her head swiveling back over her shoulder to watch their six-position.

Once they made it to the alley in question, she moved to the opposite side of the corridor, staying out of eyesight behind an old rubbish bin. She signaled two men move forward and check the shed entrance. She waited, her eyes piercing the darkness. A moment later, there was a soft noise of a bird and Kearran inhaled a steady breath.

The coast was clear.

She moved forward and the team fell in formation behind her. She stepped over a large puddle from the evening's rain and made her way to the side of the shed. She leaned against the structure, nodding to the ranger who had moved to check out the location.

The man mouthed, 'All clear,' making Kearran nod in understanding. She moved around him for the door and felt around the space where door met frame. There was no heat coming from the metal lock, meaning it wasn't wired. She frowned to herself, surprised. Were Moon Worshippers so delusional they didn't safeguard their own entrances? She tuned out all noises around her, listening instead for any explosive device that may mean the door was rigged. But all was silent. She couldn't detect any type of clicking or beeping that a bomb may have.

She slowly turned the knob, feeling the resistance of a lock. With a fast twist of her wrist, she heard the mechanism pop and break. She smiled and slowly pushed the door open. Kearran waited for several seconds for the rustling of movements, but all stayed quiet. She then got up from her crouch and moved into the structure. She stepped around the door to clear the rest of its interior. She motioned to the door and the rest of the team followed her in. After adjusting her scope, she turned and began to move forward into the room and through the back entrance. Steps waited just on the other side of the structure, and she peeked down into its mouth, her rifle raised and ready to fire. Not seeing or hearing any movement, she waved to Nathaniel's team captain, Schultz. She pointed down into the dimly-lit stairwell, and he nodded in return.

Once he descended the stairs, she sent one more person ahead of her before falling into third. It would make it easier for her to make impromptu plans and see both sides of the field, should they find any sort of conflict with the enemy. They moved with militant precision through the corridors, their eyes scanning for cameras and sensors.

"Radio silence, Ace. Interior," she said softly into the small radio receiver on her shoulder.

Kearran inhaled a deep breath as they proceeded through the stairwell that led up to the second level of the coven's concourse. She crouched on the steps alone, peeking over the tops of the stairs into the main area. It was a large warehouse floor with a myriad of tunnels that led into other rooms. It was the only estate of multi-family housing that was completely abandoned. She watched for anyone coming or going, but all she could see were two men on the opposite side of the room, guarding another stairwell that led downward again into some other basement portion of their facility. She slowly pulled the rifle up to her shoulder, lining up the shot through her scope. Inhaling, she lined up her first target and pulled the trigger. The moment the man dropped, she adjusted and fired again. The second man dropped. She sighed in relief and backed down the stairwell.

"Suit up," she whispered to the team as she unfastened her helmet. She slung off her pack and retrieved the vibrant white robe. She pulled it over her head and slipped her arms through its sleeves. With a flick of her wrist, she released the knife from her forearm and it dropped into her waiting hand. She sliced the robe into slits in the front to make running, crouching, and drawing her weapon easier.

Once they were all changed into their disguises, Kearran led them up the stairs as they covered the concourse, keeping eyes on the other entrances. The blonde moved to the opposite stairwell where the guards had been waiting. She went down a few steps until she could see the floor below. The basement was lit with dirty, white fluorescent bulbs, causing a low buzzing to fill the space. Not detecting anyone, she moved down the stairs. Hearing the soft footfalls of the team behind her, Kearran moved on through the room. When a few residents passed them, they quickly bowed their heads to the team of priests. Kearran kept her face straight in expression. They hadn't suspected anything. She continued moving through the coven, trying to remember each direction from one of the internal spies on how to get into the coven's interior layout.

They passed through the main concourse level, each person pausing to bow to them. No one seemed to pick up on the error of when a high priest council would visit the coven. As they reached the large foyer of open space, the blonde-haired woman nodded to the two men behind her to follow through with the rest of their instructions. She watched as they moved off for the main entrance doors as the rest of their team followed her. She led the way in the opposite direction toward another downward stairwell. According to intel, it was where the brig was located, hosting a handful of prison cells and solitary rooms.

"Blow it," she said softly into her mic as she reached the stairs. A whispered confirmation from the men who had gone to the door followed. She nodded in relief and moved for the stairwell.

Just as she reached the bottom steps, there was a yelp and then a wet gurgle that sounded. She quickly drew her gun up to her shoulder, her hand finding the trigger. In one smooth movement, she ducked down the stairwell and around the shallow corner. She lined up the shot on the figure halfway down the corridor. Just as she went to fire, the man dropped to the floor in a limp puddle of human body parts. She frowned, lowering the gun slowly.

She saw hands stick out between the bars of the cell as keys swung around to the lock. She retrained her scope onto the moving person, waiting for any indication they were an enemy. She held her breath, ready to shoot.

"Come out slowly," she ordered when the door swung open.

First, one foot crept into the hall and she lowered her scope when she noticed the person inside crouching below eye level to assess the situation. She lined up her scope, immediately seeing blonde hair and one green eye. "Logan?"

"Kearran?" came the response.

She sighed her relief and lowered the rifle. "You prick. Don't bloody scare me like that," she hissed.

"Good to see you, too," he answered her as he came forward. He pulled his shirt back on over his head after unfurling it from where it had been used as a makeshift rope. Next he grabbed his leather jacket where it was hanging halfway through the bars.

Suddenly, a loud boom sounded from above and then gunfire. Nathaniel's team had busted through the front entrance and the others had been ready to surround the entrance's guards, true to the plan. The group all braced at the din of destruction, and the blonde-haired woman gestured for him to move quickly.

"You all right?" she asked as he hurried to them.

"Better now," Logan responded.

"Good, because we're going to have to rush while the distraction is still going strong," she said, handing him her reserve pistol from her leg holster.

Logan nodded in agreement and tucked the gun into the small of his back so it was out of sight. He followed the two men at the top of the stairs and let the following two grab him by the arms as if exporting their prisoner. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kearran bringing up the rear, her rifle now carefully concealed.

He followed the two in front up the stairwell and through the main room, hustling. He looked over his shoulder to see the chaos behind him coming from the scaffolding and stairwell. He inhaled a deep breath, feeling his heart tear at him.

I'm sorry, Loraine, he thought, still unable to wish harm on her despite their separation.

He turned back forward when someone hollered, and he rushed after the Shadow Stalkers as they rushed for the way out to the back entrances.

"Logan, down!" Kearran shouted from behind him, and he crouched just in time as a gunshot whizzed past his head. He watched Kearran return fire to the man who had shot at them. Her aim hit him directly in the chest and the vampire fell backward with the trajectory. "Keep moving," she directed.

"Stop right there, Shadows!" came the sound of a deep male voice, and the group skidded to a halt as Moon Worshippers cut them off from the passage. Logan spun around to see who had yelled. A tall, red-haired man stood in the entrance to another portion of the coven house. He was wearing all white and carried a gun. "Where do you think you are taking the Dracula fledge?" he asked, his attention solely on Kearran.

"He's not yours to take in the first place, Moon-prat."

"You have no say here, Winslow slut," he hissed, his eyes glowing white with his religion's powers.

"Try me," Kearran breathed, turning and firing off two shots from her secondary pistol as the man blurred in fast movements towards them. She grunted when the gun was yanked from her grip and she quickly ducked a right hook. She swept one leg out for his, tripping him up before he could lunge at Logan or one of the other men.

Logan punched up in a hard uppercut, connecting with the man's chin as she knocked him off balance. It had taken all of his concentration to see the Moon Worshipper second-in-command with his remaining superior speed.

"Move!" Kearran shouted. She turned to take on gunfire from more enemy soldiers as they raced into the room.

Logan ducked another shot that came from a Moon Worshipper. "Not without you," he answered. He kicked the red-headed man back a step.

"They're not getting out of here alive, Blood Warrior. The Mistress still wants you for herself," he taunted.

Logan growled, blocking the man's next two punches. "She doesn't have the right any longer," he snapped in return.