Decebel stood and placed Thia in her crib. Her face was as beautiful as her mother’s, and he loved watching her sleep, just as he loved watching Jennifer sleep. He looked on as she turned her little body over onto her stomach, tucked her legs underneath her, and wiggled until she was comfortable. She was safe and he would make sure she stayed that way.

He turned back to his tired, hurting mate. She'd done a remarkable job of holding herself together, but seeing Thia after what they'd been through that day had just ripped something open inside of her. Decebel had let her have all the time she wanted with their daughter, and he'd hoped it would help, but it seemed to just be making her more upset.

"I don't know the answers to your questions. I wish I did," he admitted to her. He got back on his knees, pushing himself in between her legs and wrapping his arms around her. Their faces were close, and he could see the dark circles that marred her fair skin. "It's an ugly world, baby. We know that better than most."

"But children? It's not right." Jennifer shook her head and closed her eyes as if by closing them she could block out the revolting things in the world.

Decebel leaned forward, closing the small gap between them and pressed his forehead to hers. He flooded their bond with his love and comfort. He had no words, no solutions, no answers. He couldn't fix this. He couldn't tell his mate that everything would be okay because he didn't know if it would be.

"Come. You need rest," he told her as he pulled back from her and held out his hand to her.

Jennifer shook her head. "I'm not leaving her."

"Jennifer," Decebel started but her stern whisper cut him off.

"No, don't ask this of me, Dec. I'm sleeping in here until we have to leave in the morning."

He could tell in the stubborn set of her jaw that she wouldn't budge. And she needed this. This was something he could do.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Okay."

On the floor, in the dark of their infant’s nursery, Decebel wrapped his arms around his mate. He held her shaking form as though he could somehow keep her from falling to pieces.

Fane couldn't sleep. His wolf was restless, pacing inside of him. After taking out five covens, all of them fairly small, he didn’t see how they could possibly eliminate all of them on their own. Fane had overheard Peri mention to his father that the pixies had found at least thirty covens in Canada alone. How had they grown to such number without any other supernaturals noticing? Had they all truly become so self-absorbed, focusing on their own races problems, that nothing else mattered? It wasn't really a question that mattered anymore. All that mattered now was dealing with the evil that had unknowingly been festering.

Fane glanced down at his sleeping mate. She was curled up on her side. Her face was usually peaceful in sleep, but tonight, worry seemed to pinch her brow. He ran a thumb across her forehead, hoping his touch would ease some the tension that was still coursing through her. Jacquelyn moved closer to his touch and his lips tugged up in a small smile.

The smile didn't last, however, as his thoughts shifted to the memory of the fear on her face when they'd heard Sally’s screams. His mind was torn about having her with him. He wanted her by his side because then he could protect her. But having her by his side also meant deliberately putting her in harm’s way. His wolf wanted to tuck her as far away from the vampires as he could, but putting her in a cage wasn't the answer, no matter how appealing it was.

After another hour of sitting in the dark thinking too much, sleep finally saved him from himself.

Chapter 11

"They're coming. Those who have some twisted idea that they must be the ones to save the world. When will they realize that as long as free will exists, evil will exist? As long as a being can choose for itself whether they want the peace of the light or the power of the darkness, evil will always gain a foothold." ~Sincaro

1502 A.D. The Red War.

Sincaro pulled the fae blade from his chest with a trembling hand. Perizada’s aim had been true, but not deep enough. He’d seen the look of triumphant fury in her eyes. He was sure she thought him dead when he fell. He wouldn't give her any reason to believe otherwise. Sincaro stayed flat on the ground, pulling himself through the tall grass, further and further from the fighting that continued amongst those still standing. When he finally reached the cover of the forest, he pulled himself up until he was standing and turned back toward the sounds of the dying, the screaming, and those who were quickly overtaking what was left of his race. Their numbers had been depleted to less than two dozen. The fae had nearly accomplished their plan of wiping them out completely. Little did they know, they'd only steeled the vampires resolve to survive. He would disappear with the vampires that were left and slowly they would regain their numbers. He would do whatever it took to build any army that could stand against the fae. His blood was powerful and he would make sure that those new vampires he created were empowered with his own blood. They could then pass it on to those they turned. Then he would seek out a food source that wasn't as easily broken as the humans. They would need something that could withstand their feeding and recover—a renewable food source. His eye narrowed as he zeroed in on the fae who so foolishly believed she'd killed him. They would need a supernatural food source.

With a plan brewing in his mind, Sincaro melted back into the forest. He would retreat to the cover of the underworld, the place where his kind was most at home. It would be the last time he would be aboveground for a very long time.

Jen leaned over with her hands on her knees, panting as she tried to fill her deprived lungs with air. The second day of operation vampire genocide had begun much like the first, and they’d just finished wiping out the first coven. She'd begged Decebel to let her fight. She'd fallen apart the night before and she was so raw inside that she just needed to stab something. He hadn't really liked her outburst of 'Just let me kill something already.' She'd realized that had been the wrong thing to say, but after another thirty minutes of pleading with her mate and Vasile, they'd agreed to let her go in.

The adrenaline running through her veins was like a drug to her. It kept the other emotions at bay and made her feel like she had some sort of control over the chaos into which they were running.