But she could still feel it.

Magic generally came in colors. Calling one specific energy brought forward particles with a shape and tone. Only the strongest creatures could render magic imperceptible.

Come to think of it, Cat had never seen Greer practice any magic until today. And now, she was sure she never wanted to see it again. Greer was known as a gifted potion master, not a spell caster. Now Cat understood: the witch was studying what she hadn't already mastered.

The woman was terrifying.

Cat tried not to feel self-conscious as she called to her storm again, drawing it to her. Unlike yesterday, she didn't attempt to summon all of the lightning she could withstand. Just a small taste. But usually, that was enough. Cat wasn't a strong mage. The smallest effort zapped her energy.

Today, she found the summoning a little bit easier. Maybe practice did make perfect after all.

She gathered the energy in her palms and threw it right at the witch. A bright white blast flashed from her palm to Greer, and hit the shield for a fraction of a second. Just a fleeting instant.

Her bolt zapped the shield, cracking the wards open on impact. Black and white particles fell to the ground around a shocked, open-mouthed Greer.

The other vampires were silent, and she could feel all eyes on her. Some curious, others frightened. Most, suspicious. She tried to not let it get to her.

"I'm not a particularly powerful mage in my family," she told them. "But my brother could potentially destroy the shields around Oldcrest. So could my aunt, and some others. This guy"—she pointed to the witch beyond the shield—"is a weather mage, like your friend Gwen. Only right now, he's concentrating on the storm. He's testing to see if it could destroy the wards around Oldcrest. In a few minutes, he'll figure out that he can fracture the defenses just a little bit. And he'll report that to my aunt, which is all she needs to know if she's planning on ordering an attack."

"And is she?" Levi asked. "Planning an attack."

Cat looked down at her toes. "I don't know."

She heard Mikar snort. "I don't," she insisted. "If you think for one minute Drusilla lets me in on her council, you have no idea who my aunt is."

"I think the most pressing matter is what we do with this," Chloe said, eyes still on the mage.

Levi thought for a moment.

"If he never shows up, someone else will be sent in his place. I say we need a compelling voice to convince him of what he should say when he returns to his masters, don't you think?"

Cat winced. She knew Chloe didn't like her whispering. The ability to control someone else's actions was a gift most would kill for, but the young vampire was too sweet and honest to like it.

But she nodded before stepping forward, leaving the safety of their territory.

Cat had to admit she was rather surprised that Levi allowed it. That he let her put herself in danger. Most dominant ancients would have balked against it and attempted to coddle her because of her youth. Instead, he gave her room to grow, to learn who she was.

What she was.

"Hello there," she said sweetly, and though she was facing Chloe’s back, Cat imagined her friend was smiling. "Are you lost? I could show you the way."

The witch never had a chance.

Old Blood

"I suppose we'd better not delay this conversation any longer," Levi told Cat, who concurred. "Luke, cover the rest of her shift."

The assistant nodded.

"If Chloe is staying on the hill for the rest of the night, I'll cover the boy's shift."

Bash might have taken offense at being called a boy if it hadn't come from a creature quite as old and intimidating as Mikar. Besides, he had to admit he would have hated to finish his shift and miss what Catherine had to say.

Shit. He still had a hard time believing his eyes. To him, magic had always been logical. He'd studied it, and could understand the basics as well as any huntsman could. But there had been no logic to what he'd just seen. No rule or law. Only power. Infinite power.

They walked up the hill in silence, slowly, to accommodate Greer's pace. Levi led the way with Chloe, and Catherine and the witch followed close behind while Bash brought up the rear.

Greer stopped in front of the Beaufort house, watching the damage Catherine had caused the previous night. She looked at the storm mage.

"Damn, woman."

Catherine shrugged. "I couldn't have taken on Anika in hand-to-hand combat on my best day. Drunk, I had no choice. So, magic. I don't think she expected that from me. If she heard details about me from my family, they would have told her I'm weak."

Bash snorted. What he'd witnessed the previous night and seen just now against Greer's shields, along with everything he'd seen from her since they met, said raw strength. Control like he could only dream of.

In his mind, vampires like him were monsters. Trying to reconcile himself with what he was now was nigh on impossible when every glance in the mirror, every breath he took, every unguarded thought reminded him of his desire for fresh blood.

He'd never hurt anyone. Even as a feral, thanks to his friends drugging and chaining him. He had crossed no lines, the rational part of him acknowledged that. He'd come close with Maddy, but Catherine had saved him. He was doing his best. Would a monster try that hard? Probably not.

But ridding himself of his beliefs, of the knowledge he'd taken for granted his whole life, was no small feat. Telling himself he was anything other than a freak had implications he wasn't sure he was ready to face.

Because if a bloodsucker desiring blood—and trying to hunt a poor wounded girl—wasn't evil, then who was?

Catherine was no different. She'd either been told or convinced herself that she was weak. And she wasn't ready to hear otherwise.

An ocean existed between facts and beliefs. And to cross it, they had to voluntarily take the jump.

When they reached the mansion, Levi headed up the grand staircase. Bash had never gone upstairs until today. Actually, he’d barely spent any time outside of the study where he'd been turned. Following the master of the house, they climbed two flights of stairs and reached a floor that didn't even seem to be part of the same house.

It looked…simple. Wooden flooring, cream walls with modern paintings—a superhero in flight to the right, a fairy in psychedelic tones on the left. The space was entirely open, with an alcove separating the large bedroom from the study-library area, music corner with instruments, and a large elevated platform with marble flooring and a sauna.

The height of modern comfort and minimalistic design. White furniture, nice beige rugs.

Levi removed his suit jacket and hung it on a hook at the entrance of his living space.

"Excuse the mess," he said.

The bed was unmade, and a couple of mugs sat on the coffee table, but the room didn't look messy as much as lived in.

"You should see Catherine's room," Bash replied.

That earned him a punch on the shoulder. He laughed as the vamp glared at him.

"Take a seat. Tea, coffee, wine, brandy, rum, vodka?"

"Sounds like an epic cocktail. Can you mix it all?" Chloe asked.

Everyone grimaced, none more than Catherine. "After yesterday, I've had a lifetime's worth of cocktails, thank you."

"Ah! Anika mixed you some magic, did she?" Levi asked, heading to his wooden bar between the bed and study. "Shame it was addled. She's quite a good bartender."

"It tasted lovely, but I'll still pass."

Levi chuckled. "Understandable. What can I get you?"

Catherine and Chloe opted for wine, and when Bash replied “anything,” Levi made him his own drink of choice: a rum and Coke. They moved to the comfortable light brown sofa and armchair suite. Levi picked a loveseat, and Chloe hopped on his lap as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

They truly seemed to fit together effortlessly, like two halves of the same coin.

"I knew about the storms," Levi said, starting the conversation.

Catherine's eyes widened. "You did?"

He shrugged. "Your family and the rest of us may have grown suspicious and withdrawn to our own lands, but we were young once. And arrogant. Ariadne turned Drusilla somewhere around the start of the third century, if I'm not mistaken. I was one of Ariadne's slayers at the time, so I was there when she found a talented young air mage."

"The goddess has slayers?" Chloe seemed surprised.

Bash wasn't. He knew Ariadne kept four talented subordinates close to her at all times. Always four.

The huntsmen had hundreds of books about Ariadne, because while she was quiet these days, if she ever decided to cause havoc, she'd be one of the greatest threats Earth had ever faced. Her name was always said with a mixture of fear and respect, in that order. They hoped she'd never be an enemy. But they were prepared.

"Indeed. It's my understanding that her husband used to also keep four knights. She kept up the habit. In any case, Drusilla was talented but arrogant. These things often go hand in hand. Drusilla spent her first century challenging us—Jeremy Beaufort, Renee Rosedean, Tristan Helsing, and me—to show that she was better than us. She was under the misconception that if she won against us, Ariadne would pick her as a slayer. Eventually, she did win against Tristan, killing him in single combat. Instead of promoting her, Ariadne beat the crap out of her and told her to get out of Greece."

Bash's respect for the goddess went up a notch.

"No wonder Alexius doesn't like me," Catherine said. "My ancestor killed one of his."

Levi shook his head. "Oh, Alexius never knew Tristan. He was his…great uncle? I'm not certain. If Alex dislikes you, it's because he's…well, Alex."

No one asked him to elaborate. They weren't here to solve the mystery that was Alexius Helsing. Fortunately.

"She threw everything she had at us, and she could destroy any shield, any physical barrier. But she relied on her magic too much, and was weaker in hand-to-hand combat. Besides, calling her elements took time. It was easy enough to knock her down while she concentrated. That's why I seldom resort to magic myself," Levi explained. "I'm sure she's grown stronger with time." He shrugged, self-deprecating. "But then again, so have we all. Still, I'd wager she's stronger, and faster."