Selene sat in the room, staring down at the body. They had been late by just three hours. Only one good thing had come from this disaster: they finally had a scent. She surveyed the room and stared into the darkness, the shadows on the walls, high and low; some even looked misplaced for one second and then fine the next. Perhaps a trick of the mind, but there was still something wrong with the room other than the unusual darkness. All the evidence was here, laid out for her. There was even a dead body. It all felt wrong.

Selene felt something moving in her mind and looked up at Hetiro as he continued to try to worm his way into her psyche. With blinding fury, she shoved him out of her mind with such force, gratified by his wince.

Bristled, Selene returned her attention back to the body. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the room. The stench of Darkness was everywhere. Selene made her way to the body and knelt down to examine the wound. Gabrielle knelt down beside them and stared at her uncertainly.

“What are you looking for?”

Selene’s eyes slanted in confusion. “Don’t you smell it? The Darkness?”

“No. What Darkness?” Selene watched as Gabrielle’s jaw tightened, making her quickly regret her choice of words. She couldn’t give Gabrielle more ammunition to think her crazy. Doing that would quickly make her life forfeit. Biting the inside of her mouth, she shook her head.

“Forget it. It’s nothing.” Selene stepped up and moved away from the body to allow the Enforcers to bag the body and move it onto a stretcher.

“The other Roamers said they saw Axel around the Darkling District. They said he seemed lonely.”

Selene shook her head. “That girl lived here, and I’m willing to bet that the reason he killed those people was so he wouldn’t kill her. He loved her.”

“You’re making assumptions,” growled Gabrielle.

“No, I’m taking in the facts.”

There was a brief silence until Eno coughed, gathering everyone’s attention. “Well, now he’s on the run, and we still need to stop him.”

“What would you do, Selene?” asked Penelope.

Selene smiled at the exchange of fearful glances between her comrades. The comment, however sly, had been unintentional, lacking the malice any of the others would have used. It seemed that she was genuinely curious. Selene’s violet eyes flitted past Penelope’s shoulder and towards the window where the sun was setting. “I’d head for the forest.”

“Then let’s go.” Gabrielle walked off. Her comrades followed after, all but Hetiro. Selene caught the glimpses from her friends as Hetiro made his way to her. She made a slight nod of her head, urging them to follow Gabrielle.

She had to admit she crossed her arms and wanted a moment alone with him. “Shouldn’t you be going?”

“Shouldn’t you?”

“Gabrielle can handle things, can’t she? She is the oldest, after all.”

“True, but even we admit, you are the best hunter there ever was. That’s why Gabrielle can’t understand how you let there be five victims.”

Brushing her fangs with her tongue, her arms tightened around her. “True enough, I’ve been off my game. Go figure. Happens, doesn’t it?”

“You know I can read your soul.”

“Oh yay, a mind and soul reader. Anything else?”

“I know about Jason. Even a sly glimpse into your thoughts let me decipher the secrets of your soul.”

“Stay out of my head,” she hissed, growing rigid.

“Eris is looking for him.” Selene’s heart stopped, and she stared at Hetiro, frightened.

“What?”

“Eris is looking for Jason; he knows he exists. I can’t read more of his thoughts; they seem locked away and hidden. Selene, your soul is light, pure, and pained. His—his is darkness.”

“Eris is good.” She said, trying to convince herself more than she was him.

“Is he? As a friend, I am telling you to be careful.”

“Friend?” Trying to imagine any of these Vampyres as a friend was hard, but the look in Hetiro’s eyes was sincere.

“Yes, friend. It’s why I haven’t told Gabrielle you buy Fairy Dust nor that you are involved with a Witch who has an uncanny resemblance to Pietro. So yes, a friend. I see what they don’t, even after you killed the Levine siblings. You seem to be nothing but light.”

Selene almost laughed. “Glad to be seen, I guess.” He smiled at her, and she hesitantly but gratefully returned it. “Let’s get going.”

***

Selene stood at the edge of the forest and the city. She made the wind blow towards her and closed her eyes for focus. Except she couldn’t focus. Hetiro’s words rang through her mind. Eris knows Jason existed, but how? What was going on? Did he know about her relationship with him? Selene shook the thought away. If he did know, she would be in serious trouble. She bit down on her lip and pushed her hair over her shoulder to braid.

Somewhere in the distance, a twig broke, jerking Selene to her feet. She ran in the direction, and in the corner of her eye, running ahead of her, was the Vampyre Axel. Selene surged forward, her arms pumping at her sides, her feet, in thick heeled boots, drummed against the ground, breaking branches and leaves in their wake. Looking ahead at the back of Axel’s head. His feet pounded against the ground, harder and faster, as he tried, in vain, to escape her.

But she needed to stop him; needed this chase to be done with. Urgently, she looked ahead of her for something to slow him down. There was a log right in her path, ready for her. She increased her speed and slid on, kicking up the log with such force, hoping it would hit its mark.

One, two, three…

The log slammed into his, sending him crashing into another tree dazing him as he fell to the ground. Selene approached him, dusting off the dirt from her red and black corset. Finally, the Vampyre who had complicated her life, who had killed so many and had brought the Garrison down on her, was at her mercy. He looked up at her, catching her off guard. The fear in his eyes was not a look she had expected to see in someone who was supposed to be insane.

“You’re making a mistake,” he said as he tried to crawl away from her, blood dripping down his face from the gash on his forehead.

“You aren’t the first person to say that.”

“I am not the killer. I’m innocent.”

Cocking her head to the side, she gave him her most sardonic smile. “So you’re saying you don’t know how that girl came to be dead in your apartment.”

“Oh, I know how Selene Sintas. I’m being set up.”

“By whom, huh? Why would anyone set you up, hmm?”

“Your brother.”

Selene’s anger flared. “You’re lying.”

“You’re blind. Eris is behind this. All of this.”

“You filthy lying killer!”

“I’m innocent!”

“No, you’re not.” Selene lunged at him, but he fought back. He punched her, hit her in the jaw, kicked her, tried to push her off him, trying to escape. But she would not budge. Her nails tore at his shirt, pulled at his hair. He screamed when she bit into his arm and kneed him, with all her might, in the stomach. Finally, she was on top of him, her black hair disheveled, her hands around his throat, her nails dug in deep to hold him still. She could barely recognize herself as she stared at her reflection in his eyes. His eyes were now filled with pity more than they were fear.

“Sh-shadowlings.” Selene’s fear took control, and her love for her brother joined it. Without realizing it, she snapped his neck, ripping open his neck in the process. Scrambling away from his limp body and lifeless eyes, hands covered in blood, and for the first time ever, she truly felt herself break.