She declared, and once again, the hunters moved, this time in an organized manner. They charged towards us in unison, a triumphant roar on their lips, but suddenly it transformed into screams of pain as they suddenly fell to the ground, twitching like insects. Screams of panic filled the air.

"Good job distracting her," Blaise said, his face gleaming brightly against the light of his electricity as the first waves of hunters fell to the ground. The smell of burned flesh quickly enveloped the building as Blaise effortlessly barbequed those humans.

I watched as my mother visibly straightened, her eyes now trained on Blaise, dancing with amusement and interest. She had just watched Damon shoot ice out of his hands as though he was the snow queen herself, walked straight out of a fairytale, and now, Blaise could command lightning with just the wave of his hand.

"How fascinating," she muttered under her breath, keenly observing Blaise.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood as I walked closer to Blaise, using my body to shield him as best as I could once I noticed my mother’s eyes trained on him.

"It seems like both brothers have been blessed by the fae," my mother mused, her voice loud enough to serve as a warning for the hunters at the back of the room who might not have gotten a clear sight of what just transpired. "Be wary of the twins," she said. "Who knows if they’re capable of more spells."

And they were. My mother didn’t know, but I had seen much more come from a snap of their hands, a wordless command to manipulate the forces around us. I gulped, straightening my back as I held out a hand protectively in front of Blaise. My mother eyed my mates as though they were lab rats fresh and ready for an experiment.

"How long can you keep shooting out lightning at them?" I asked in a murmur, trying to keep my voice as low as possible.

"Not continuously," Blaise admitted, frowning slightly. Electricity crackled in his hands, but they weren’t substantial enough to bring on a storm of thunder and lightning like before. "I think the wolfsbane your mother added to the curry even affected my powers, not just my wolf."

"Then we can just―"

My words were clogged in my mouth when I caught a strange wave of blood filling the air. The room was already full of the coppery stench, but all of a sudden, it seemed as though the number of corpses on the ground had been greatly amplified.

I turned my attention to the door in horror, watching as the door that I had just jammed was broken down, the pole I had used splitting into two. The people who walked in weren’t humans― not with that sort of strength that could bend metal in half just like that. Rather, a familiar face stood right in front, his violet eyes surveying the sea of people until it finally landed on me.

A smile stretched his lips.

"Harper," Gus said, my name falling from his lips as smoothly as butter. "A party and you didn’t invite me? How cruel."

Those behind him cackled and snarled, proudly displaying their fangs in the haunting glow of the daylight. Creatures of the night — vampires — now walked among us in the day. The windows were large and sunlight poured through, yet, they had no qualms about standing right under the sunlight.

Gus was one thing― he had most likely lived for centuries, with his powers cultivated and magnified over the years. However, what about the fledglings that filled the rest of the army?

Gus, who had caught sight of my frown, gestured to the window with a laugh.

"Aren’t these windows magnificent?" he asked. "Madame Veronica specially commissioned it for us. How thoughtful she is."

I growled, eyeing the glass with realization. "Yes," I replied. "How thoughtful of her to protect the vampires, yet harm her daughter’s development."

"Oh, for heaven’s sake, Harper, wouldn’t you let that go?" my mother said, rolling her eyes. "It’s for the betterment of your future. You would’ve been happier living among the humans, and now that you have unfortunately found your mates, I don’t mind letting you keep Blaise as a companion. He will just have to undergo some minor changes, that’s all!"

"Undergo some changes?" This time, it was Damon who spoke.

He stepped forward, and when he did, a few hunters came over with their weapons raised, ready to stop him. Damon did not even hesitate to conjure an ice dagger in his hands, jabbing it right in their faces before flinging the blood off his weapon.

The vampires chuckled as they eyed the fresh blood, barely able to contain themselves. They were like hyenas eyeing their latest scavenge, eager to dive in and eat, if it weren’t for the command of their leader. Only Gus remained elegant and poised as ever, watching without flinching. Yet, I didn’t miss the subtle bob of his Adam’s apple.

"What the fuck did you do to my brother?!" Damon yelled in rage, coming closer and closer with renewed vigor. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He all too easily swerved and dodged the attacks of the hunters and their attempts at protecting their leader, effortlessly taking them out as blood splattered across the walls. Every silver bullet shot was either absorbed into the ice armor or dodged by him, and even when heavy silver weapons hit his flesh and left him battered and bruised, Damon disallowed it to show on his face.

Unfortunately, the cock of a gun stopped Damon in his tracks. He hadn’t stopped when others had their weapons targeted at him, but this time, it was my mother who wielded the weapon. She had a sadistic smile as she gazed upon Damon, holding the gun up so that it was Blaise and I who faced the barrel of it.

"I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you, Alpha," my mother said, spitting out the last word as though it was venom. "Unlike my daughter, I’ve been told that I am a very good shot."