The next night King and I flashed to the old Farmhouse that at one time was going to be my home away from home. I was uncomfortable even though the place was vacant. Sam hadn't been kidding when she said that the Pack had uprooted.I could smell the remnants of the Pack, but it was an old smell. They had been gone for a while, but that didn't mean that there weren't some here right now. I sensed less than a dozen, Paul among them.Paul waited for us in the living room. A long time ago I had confronted Sasha in this room, listening to her tell me how many times she had fucked my husband. Three months ago or ten years ago, that didn't matter. You never got over shit like that."Thanks for coming," Paul said. "Hey, King. I appreciate you talking to my Council." He gave my son a smile."Is my sister here?" King asked."Sorry, buddy. BJ is at home." He gestured to the door "I'll take you to the lodge. We'll be holding Council there. This is kind of an official thing.""Wait," I said.

Damn. That was pretty damn smart.I licked my lips. We had to do this together. It was the only way that it would work. If the Wolves got rid of only the Elders and the Councils that they presided over, then that still left the OG's and the demons that controlled them."We're taking out the Rectors, and you're taking out the Elders," I said calmly. "All we need to do is coordinate. There's no reason why we can't at least do that."They talked internally, and I waited anxiously. If their prejudice didn't allow them to see that we needed to work together, then we would have to do the most damage that we could alone.Paul sighed. "The Pack agrees to coordinate our attacks with yours.""But we don't agree to align ourselves with the Vampires," Sasha said with a cold glint to her eyes. "Fair enough." I sensed what she was really saying: "After we each clean house, we will be coming for you." I gestured for King. "Let's go, son."King frowned at the Council. "Thank you for listenin

"I don't know about that," Alexis said."Alexis. I have my entire Council and my Angel of Death. The Rectors won't have an opportunity to implode me because I'm going to implode them.""You'll have to fight Ferris," Alexis said. "He's formidable.""We will deal with Ferris. I'm sending King to the Underworld to stay with Bassma. He'll be okay.""Yes he will," Alexis said."So are we in agreement?" I asked."Yes," he replied. "I won't tell you the obvious: to take care of yourself and that I love you. These things you already know."I didn't want to answer because I didn't want him to hear that my words were much braver than I was.~*~I contacted my Council and told them exactly how we needed to play this. Tonight we were going to change the world. I didn't tell Paul because I didn't want the Wolves attacking and causing us to lose the element of surprise with our attacks on the Rectors.I gave King a hug and kiss goodbye. I tried not to worry him by clinging to him.Lov

Since becoming a Vampire, there were times I didn't like Kaniji. She persecuted me out of jealousy and was the epitome of the mean girl. But seeing her broken like a cartoon caricature was a terrible sight. Despite being my sworn enemy, Kaniji had come to my aid every time I needed her.I knelt beside her. "Is she…going to make it?""These are not mortal wounds," Tony said."We need to feed her," I said. "She's going to need our blood."Tony sliced through his wrist and bled into her parted lips. Frank and Cyrene quickly did the same. Some of Kaniji's pain seemed to recede, and she began to moan in agony. I raised my wrist to feed her, but Tony stopped me."You've lost too much already," Tony said. "You both need to feed and rest."I gnawed my lip. "We'll get her home. We did well today, but we need to do better. I knew the Elders didn't know how to fight, but what they throw at us and how they bend us could wipe us out in seconds.""No shit," Frank said while looking at Kaniji

Ignacio, King, the rest of my Council, and I were sitting outside. No one else in the Bolivian Council had been able to get up off the floor.Frank, Tony, and Cyrene tried to be involved in the conversation that Ignacio and I were having, but they were too preoccupied with the sun and their own return to being human—or nearly being human—to pay much attention.King had never seen the desert and was examining the packed sandy dirt and digging up small rocks."I take it that your Elder Council have all met their final deaths," Ignacio said.I met his eyes. "Yes. But they had already proven that they couldn't be trusted.""And their deaths had nothing to do with them decreeing your punishment by metal or that they imprisoned you for so many years in Limbo?""Would my answer change what you intend to do next?" I asked."No.""Will you fight with us?""How do you intend to fight?" he asked.He wasn't committing one way or another. I took a chance and told him about the Wolfpack, b