Selene tore off the head of the Vampyre on trial. Her brother had ordered her to hunt down the renegade and bring him to justice. Jeanette and Blake, her second in command, took the body away for burial. At least now, the lives he had taken had been avenged. Two witches and a Reborn, dead, taken so young. This death, though, would not be mourned.

Looking over at her brother, she sat on his right side. She really needed this meeting to be done and over with; there was somewhere else she needed to be, someone she needed to see.

Selene looked around the Covenant, catching the looks of fear that fell on her. Others were older than she was, of course, from the previous regime that slaughtered her people, but Selene was the fastest and strongest of them all. Her runes glowed as she made the lights flicker. Amusement tickled her spin as she toyed with the electricity in the hall. She heard Nivette, her brothers’ consort, giggle. Her brother merely smiled.

“I do hope you all know by now that taking a life is prohibited. Do so, and your life is forfeit. You’re all dismissed.” Selene stood up only to find her brother’s hand clasped around her wrist.

“Where are you going?”

“Hunting, maybe a walk.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been hunting that Vampyre for two weeks, brother.” She smiled and gently uncoiled his hand from around her wrist. “I need a little me time.”

“Be back by dawn, all right?”

“Don’t worry,” she said, bidding him farewell as she took off. Briefly stopping in the hallway, she looked at her watch and swore. Selene hated to be late.

***

Selene entered the simple one-bedroom apartment through the window. She had lied to her brother, but she knew his reaction if he knew. Eris would disapprove; given the past, his anger might get the better of him. Locking the window behind her, she crept inside.

Flicking a switch and turning on the light, she went to the kitchen. She hadn’t truly been fed in two weeks, but regular food would have to suffice for the time being. She could (and most likely would) grab a snack in the Dark Alley, also known as the Darkling District beneath the city, created and lived in by the scum of Witches centuries past. If there was anything she hated more than a renegade Vampyre, it was a Darkling, a Dark Witch.

Selene grabbed a suitable snack and a fruit bowl and headed to the living room, kicking the fridge door shut. Sitting on the sofa, she waved the television on with her magic. Amazingly, word had already reached the news that the Vampyre Selene had executed had been found dead, his body burned to a crisp. A pity she would not get full credit. Many people preferred to ignore the existence of Vampyres, even those that were good.

The door lock clicked open, and she was at the door. The person swore as he entered, his hand flying over his heart that was beating faster.

“Dammit, Selene, don’t do that.”

Selene almost laughed. “Forgive me, Jason, I forget how easily you Witches scare.”

Jason rolled his teal-colored eyes as he entered the apartment, bolting the door shut behind him. “You used to be a mere Witch once upon a time, Selene.”

“That was a very, very, long time ago.” Selene had moved out of his way in the small hallway connecting the living room to the entrance. Jason dumped his backpack onto the ground and tossed his keys onto the small desk in the hallway, large enough for only a bowl to sit on top of it.

“You keep saying that.” He looked at her. “How have you been?”

Selene smiled. “Sometimes I forget you are not like Pietro. He would have gone digging through my thoughts.”

“I respect privacy. However, if you don’t tell me, I will go against those wishes.” His grin betrayed the lie.

She waved away his joke. “No need. I was hunting that Vampyre, the one who had those three murders on his hands.”

“You found him?”

“Yes. He stood trial by my brothers’ council and was found guilty. I executed him.”

“You took his life and don’t even care?”

How callous he made it sound, forcing her to look away. “I care more about those innocent lives. Their blood is on our hands as much as on his.”

“Why do you say that? Because you turned him?”

“Yes. He sought us out, dying from that lung disease; we gave him a second chance. We traded three lives for one. Three innocent lives for one. Our background check was not thorough enough. We let sympathy blind us.” Inside, she seethed, covering it with a nonchalant shrug as she walked back to the living room. Maybe seeing him was a bad idea. He wasn’t Pietro. He may look like him and have his abilities, but he wasn’t him.

“Selene, your Coven did a good deed. You are not responsible for what he did with his second chance.” He was closer, his hand wrapped around her wrist, sending a shiver over her skin. Selene stared at his fingers before looking at him and smiling.

“Maybe not, but mistakes like that cannot be afforded.”

“That…is true.” He released her, crossing her arms. “You haven’t truly fed, have you?”

Selene shrugged, acting like it was less of a big deal than it was. “I was thinking of getting a little snack in the Darkling District when I headed home.”

“No need. I work part-time at a Hospital, remember.”

“It’s better when it is fresh.”

“Perhaps, but this’ll do, won’t it?” His brow creased as he picked up his bag. Inadvertently, she licked her lips. Jason laughed, reaching into his bag. He pulled out a blood bag and tossed it to her. Her hand caught the bag easily in mid-air, and her mouth quickly found the opening, suckling on it like it was a juice bag. Jason smiled at her, charmingly and sweetly, unlike Pietro had in his arrogant fashion.

“Thank you,” she said, taking a break to wipe a drip down her lip.

“Think of it as a welcome back and job well-done present.”

“Don’t humor me.”

Jason laughed and headed to the sofa. “But that’s half the fun.”

Selene growled, following him back onto the sofa. Then, there were those moments when he was exactly like Pietro.