Alek nodded. “When this is over, I would hope that my people can start anew. This knowledge would help those that want to harm us, so it needs to be kept secret.”

Whoa. This was about to be some juicy gossip. I nodded. “I understand. You have my secrecy.”

Alek took a deep breath. “When a vampire bites a human and then offers them their blood, it turns them into a vampire.”

I nodded. I knew that.

Alek chewed his lip. “When that new fledgling vampire completes the change, they are powerful. Strong. The sire or vampire that changed them feeds off of the fledgling once more. It gives the sire the power. A sire that has changed ten humans into vampires, is ten times as powerful as a vampire who has changed one.”

My stomach sank, because I knew where this was going.

“Okay. So how many has she changed?” I didn’t have to say her name. We both knew who I was talking about.

Alek shrugged. “Thousands. Maybe more.”

The breath went out of me. “So she can’t be killed? It’s impossible if she’s that powerful.”

Alek put his hands up. “That’s not true. Do you know why a stake through the heart or decapitation kills a vampire?”

Excitement ran through me. Did he know? “No.”

“I shouldn’t be telling you all of this,” he said, running a shaky hand through his hair.

“No, Please. I promise not to tell anyone. You can trust me. I only want peace between all of the races. I want balance. A new way for all of us.” It was true. It reminded me of something Nahuel said. Killing all of the vampires wouldn’t bring balance. We all needed to coexist. I just wanted the bad ones to be nice, pretty piles of ash.

He nodded. “When a vampire changes from human to vampire, it’s because of a virus. Similar to the lycanthrope virus. The vampire virus is transported through blood, it shuts down the humans’ organs, effectively making them somewhat dead. Preserving them. That’s why we don’t age at all, ever.”

My mouth was open in shock, absorbing everything.

“But our heart and our brain are the weak spots. It’s what keeps us alive.” He did air quotes. “Pierce the heart or detach the brain from the body and you render the vampire virus useless. Those two organs are what keep us animated and moving and thinking. Without one, the virus dies. Our bodies decompose immediately. Into Ash.”

I already knew how to kill them, but it was helpful to know the mechanics of how it worked.

He leaned in so close to me, I could barely hear him. “If you want to kill Layla, you will have to kill Prudence first. The witch has done dark magic to tie them together and make each other stronger.”

Holy shit. Alek had just given me news that would change the game.

He leaned back and went on. “When a vampire sires a new fledgling, that vampire is powerful, yes. But not invincible. I’m telling you this so that when you get to that point with the queen, you remember that she has a weakness. They all do. No matter how powerful, no matter how many she has sired. She is infected with a virus and can be defeated. Her heart, her brain. Take those and she will be ash in your hands!”

A light growl ripped from my throat. His speech had given me the boost I needed to go after her. When Kai got back from Arizona, I was ready.

“Thank you,” I told him.

He nodded and after a few moments, wished me a goodnight and walked back down to the basement.

Whoa. That was a lot to digest, but it also was good information to have. No matter how powerful Layla seemed, she had a weakness. Two actually. I owed Alek big time for that pep talk.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. I rolled my eyes. “Max, you’re such a guard dog!” I shouted, opening it.

But it wasn’t Max, it was Emma.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” As I got closer, I saw that her eyes were red like she had been crying.

“What’s wrong? Avery?” My stomach dropped.

Emma shook her head. “She’s fine, can we talk inside?”

She was making me nervous. I led her inside and sat on the couch.

She reached out and touched the black chunk of my hair. “It’s weird to see that.”

I sighed, remembering her lying there … dead. Yeah, that was weird, too. I squeezed her hand.

“So, what’s up?” I knew my friend. She didn’t look good. Something was majorly wrong. Had I been helping out enough? I had been a little busy with all of this drama and being a new mom was hard.

She looked on the verge of tears. “I think I should move back to Utah and be with my parents. Join their pack.”

My mouth dropped open. “What? Why?” Kai would be devastated, Emma was his favorite. She was my favorite. No way!

“I need more help with Avery. It’s too hard,” she said and stared off, not looking at me as tears fell from her porcelain cheeks.

My heart ached for her. “Well, give us a chance. We can increase shifts. I will move in with you. I thought the pack was helping enough, but–”

“I can’t stay here!” she shouted and started crying. Big sobs racked her body and as she leaned into me and I held her tight.

I grabbed the sides of her face, pulling her up to look at me. “I’m pregnant, okay?” I told her.

Suddenly, she smiled, tears still leaking from her eyes.

“And you’re my best friend. I want our kids to grow up together. You have to teach me how to be a mother. I need you. Don’t leave me,” I whimpered. Screw this dominance thing. I would straight up get on my knees and beg for Emma to stay. I would do anything for her.