“Why do we have to hide?” asked Cecilia, shoving clothes into a light blue duffel bag. Selene sighed, she knew that look, it was the look of “why me”, a look her mirror had made her very familiar with.

“I’m sorry, I really am, but they—”

“They found Miranda, which means they were probably watching her, which means that they are watching us. Yeah, I know.” Cecilia shoved the last of her clothing into the back and zipped it shut. Shoving her bangs out of her face, she leaned against her bed frame. “I just wish this wasn’t happening. No one deserves this.”

“I understand.”

“Has anyone informed Jason’s mother yet?”

“No, not yet,” she said, peeking over her shoulder at Jason on the balcony, his head hung low. “Jason’s trying to figure out how to tell her, and Laura, well, she just wants to be left out. She somewhat knew that this was going to happen. I don’t blame her for wanting to be left alone. I actually wished she hated me just a little. It would be fair, but she’s too understanding.”

“I still can’t believe Miranda would do what she did.”

“She wasn’t herself, not anymore, and I can’t hate her for that. She knew she was going to die. Her letter is proof of that. She was more of her own person for a little while there, so I can’t hate her. Katherine, I can, Katherine I can always hate.”

“Even I hate Katherine. She murdered Pietro—”

“Horrifyingly, yes.” Selene sighed. “He should have treated her better, though. I was the only person he wasn’t an obnoxious ass to. That’s probably the reason I love Jason. Pietro is more of a fond memory now.”

There was a moment of silence between them before Cecilia cleared her throat. Selene looked at her abashed. How had she gotten so off topic?

“So where are we going? If they notice we’re gone, they’ll obviously start looking.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m counting on them watching. This place, Nicholas’s place, and Jason’s are all going to be decoys. If they think this place is spellbound, they’ll assume you’re here under house arrest. I’ll have Void, Vega, and Ettore make daily trips to your places. They’ll be watching them too.” The glass door behind them opened, letting in the cold air behind Jason.

“Hmm, well, I don’t think his mother will be happy with the impromptu visit.”

“I don’t care.” Selene looked over at Jason, standing at the glass doors, his gaze still fixed on the starry night. “Are you ready?”

Cecilia stared at Jason, her frustration fading away. “Uh, yeah. Are we really going to catch the train?”

“Nope.” Selene walked over to Cecilia’s large oval-shaped mirror. “Cecilia, how fond are you of this mirror?”

“Um, not that fond, I bought it at a thrift store.”

“Good.” Selene picked it up and made her way to the Calling Circle. Back in the day, it was just called the Rune circle, but times changed, and even Selene had to admit that Calling Circle seemed more appropriate. The Runes were set to call on magic and the Gods. There were two sets of circles forming it, each one made of Runes with no duplicates. The diameter of the Circle was roughly three feet. The circle was a necessity in Witching life. You couldn’t enter a house without seeing at least one.

Selene had Void hold the mirror while she grabbed a Sapphire from her bag that lay just outside the circle. It was uncut and unpolished, making it appear foggy. Next, she grabbed a Water Gem, a clear gem with Water swirling inside. The gems were unnecessary, really, just served as magic enhancers. If only she had them so many years ago.

Shaking her head, centering herself, she closed her eyes, pushed the old thoughts aside, and tapped into the power that was inside of her. She felt her body warm up and could feel the dagger sheathed on her thigh grow colder, as though it were in pain. Ignoring it, she clasped the gems, one in each hand, before slamming them together, crushing them.

“Sancti dea, audire me. Aperire ostium.” She said, rubbing her palms together, crushing what was left in her hands into a fine powder. She blew the powder out of her hands and watched the dust swirl to the appropriate runes as the liquid from the water gem pooled at her feet. Stepping out of the circle, she hesitantly grabbed the mirror. The last time she had performed this particular spell had been the night of the Eclipse. The night she died. Pushing those feelings aside, she swore this would be different and smashed the mirror into the circle. The mirror broke, and as it shattered, it turned into a liquid pool of silver. Calling Jason over and speaking.

“Focus on your house.” Jason nodded, taking her hand while he closed his eyes. Selene watched the pool shimmer and settle, showing a calm sitting area from where there was a fireplace and three beige sitting chairs.

“Whoa,” exclaimed Nicholas. “Even Cecilia could never get this spell right. Why do you think she buys her mirrors at the Thrift Store?” He laughed while Cecilia scowled, crossing her arms.

“It’s not that hard,” said Selene, trying not to laugh at the face that Cecilia was making. “It just takes a little willpower and concentration. Having a purpose helps, and the gems work as a little cheat.” She leaned against the sofa on her left, not letting go of Jason’s hand. “You all go. Blake, Void, stay behind for a second.” They nodded, and then suddenly, lips were pressing against hers. The kiss had a sense of urgency in it, the way his lips pressed and moved, making hers sore. It made her feel as though her heart was breaking.

“Be quick,” he whispered, before falling through the liquid glass, his hand slipping from hers. Everyone else quickly followed, leaving her alone with Blake and Void.

“What do you need?” asked Blake, stepping to her side.

“I need you to go fetch Zoë and tell her to bring her stash of Fairy Dust.”

He scrunched up his eyes, confused. “The Witchling? Why?”

“Because she’s powerful, Blake, besides,” she continued on smiling, “I’ve noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time with her. Why?”

Blake smiled at her, “She reminds me of someone we used to know.” Heading for the dark void that Void opened. Turning back, looking suddenly very serious, he said, “You know, Selene, you don’t have to be so strong.” She gave him a weak smile, watching him walk into the darkness before him.

As Selene waited, she thought about what he had said. She didn’t have to be strong, that was true, but she needed to be. Selene knew that the moment she let her emotions take control, let the walls she built fall, all would be lost. She would lose her focus. She would break down and cry. Sorrow…when would it all end?”

“Oh, this is just the beginning, Selene Sintas.”

Selene spun around, finding herself face to face with a woman who looked a lot like She of the Light. Except her eyes and hair were pitch black, making her dull skin look like hard porcelain. It was her horror, her nightmare, staring straight at her with a vicious little smile.

“You’re the dark one.”

“Very good. You know, your creation was a mistake. You threw off everything. I blame my brother; he always needs to interfere in the war between my sister and me. She made good use of you, but so did I. You are very fun to play with.” She laughed. It was a cold laughter, mocking, cruel, making her blood both boil and freeze at the same time.

“What do you want?”

“I want what is mine. What I breathed life into.” Her black eyes widened, making her look insane. “I’m so close to getting it back, Selene. It’s pathetic how much my sister adores you.” She bit down on the side of her lip, smiling, letting a dark chuckle escape her black lips. “It makes my life so much fun though.”

“What was yours?”

“Nuri!” she screamed, frightening Selene. “He was mine. His shadow is mine. I want him back. He’s more than just that shadow trapped in that blade. I want my Shadowling back, I want my firstborn back. I lost Senid, a pity, but a brilliant sacrifice I won’t let be in vain.”

“Just take me.”

Eying her, she let out a shrill laugh, tracing a cold finger down Selene’s face. “Oh, how cute. You really are clever. But no, I can’t taint you. I tried once, tried to take the little darling of light. You should have died. It would have sent him into oblivion. But that didn’t happen. No, I won’t take you; instead, I’ll give you a choice: Eris or Jason?”

Selene shook her head frantically. “I won’t choose.”

“You will have to choose, especially if things take a turn for the worse.”

“I can’t.”

“You will have to. The pieces aren’t set yet, the choices not yet made. Save one and damn the other.” Her laughter continued, bouncing off the walls, making Selene’s ears bleed. “Oh, I hope Eris leaves Jason alive! Tick tock, tick tock. Start deciding, little human.” She vanished in a swirl of shadows that licked at the air like flames. Selene barely had a moment to regain herself when Blake and Void returned with Zoë.

“Hey Selene, is everything okay?”

“I need your help.” She looked at her, still in shock, hoping it didn’t show, hoping no one could see the fear and anguish in her eyes.

“Let me guess, Shadowlings and uninvited Vampyres?”

“It’s like you can read my mind.

Zoë winked. “Maybe I’m just a little more insightful than that.” She offered her a smile. But it was forced, Selene could tell that much by the sadness in her drooping eyes. Her golden eyes were contracted like the cat she was inside, angled, sharp irises, and her face had no warmth, drooping at the side while it rose on the other. She vanished in the pool of silver at her feet, followed by Blake and Void. Selene stood there, staring down, needing a moment to herself. Closing her eyes, she closed off her emotions, building her walls higher, before taking a step, letting the liquid envelop her skin. It felt like the ocean before a storm, smooth and tranquil.

Her feet touched the ground as she landed agilely, knees bent, torso bent forward, helping her keep her balance. Through the vibrations in the air, she felt something thrown her way. Selene, standing, muttered a dispersal spell, snapping her fingers for a theatrical effect.

“I am not one to trifle with right now,” she growled, uncaring if this woman was Jason’s mother.

“Mom, this is Selene.”

“I know who she is!” screamed Jason’s mother. “She is the reason Pietro died! I will not—”

“It’s a little late for that, considering my brother killed Miranda.” The room fell silent. Worried glances were exchanged between the people in the room, and Jason’s mother promptly shut her mouth, her rage clearly replaced by fear.

“What?” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

“My brother killed Miranda. She went looking for him; she wanted to talk to him about Jason, and now she is dead and Jason is next.”

“Why? Why would he want to kill my son?”

“That’s something I don’t understand either,” said Cecilia. “He knows you loved Pietro. Why wouldn’t he just give you another chance?”

“Because I killed Katherine, not just for revenge. I was hoping that the Vampyre King would kill me. Eris swore to me that he would not let me get that close to death again.”

“He’s always been a pompous ass,” added Blake in a low voice.

“In any case, I need to spell this place quickly. There is a rune, one of my own creation. It keeps out Shadowlings. That catch is, you need to use a Shadowling Blade or else it won’t work.”

“What about Vampyres?” asked Nicholas.

“I doubt Eris will issue an order to send Vampyres. No one will cross Selene,” stated Blake. “Besides, all of us Hunters are loyal to Selene first and Eris second. If there is an order, we would catch wind of it and scare the coven back into its proper place.”

“Or tear it into pieces,” added Jeanette, looking dangerous with her arms crossed and muscles flexed.

“I’ll do the first rune. Zoë, please hand everyone some Fairy Dust.” Pulling out her dagger, Selene approached the fireplace, digging her blade into the stone, ignoring the dust that floated downward. This was her rune, her creation, and it was a damn good one.

Taking a step back when she was done, she examined her handiwork, a tri-moon design with criss-crossing infinity lines.

Blowing Fairy Dust onto it, she muttered a binding spell. Vega, Ettore, and Void let out moans of anguish and receded into the hallway.

“A little warning would have been nice,” groaned Ettore.

“You know what I was doing,” she said simply, sheathing her dagger. “Ettore, if you don’t mind handing out some daggers.”

“Only if everyone promises to give me some forewarning.”

Void surprisingly smacked him behind the head. “They promise Ettore.” Ettore gave his brother-in-law a glowering stare before handing out some daggers to the Witches and Vampyres in the room.

“Why are we spelling this place?” asked Jason.

“This will make it harder for Shira and Evida to locate you,” began Ettore.

“And if they ever locate this spell, not even Eris would tear it apart,” continued Selene. “There are too many people working the spell.” Selene grabbed a vial of Fairy Dust. “That’s why your places will be decoys. If one of you Shadowlings wouldn’t mind.” Vega was the first to open a portal.

“See you all very soon.”

***

The house was secure, as were the apartments. Selene was happy for that. But still, nothing was really safe. She adjusted her sunglasses. She knew it was silly for her to be wearing sunglasses indoors in the middle of the night, but it was better than spooking the Real Estate Agent with her red-rimmed eyes. She looked at Jason, who was leaning against the glass doors that led onto the twenty-fourth-floor balcony overlooking Nephilium.

“As you can see, it is fully furnished, the electricity and water connection spells are already set up and are holding strong. The calling circle is clean, freshly polished, and in perfect working order. Both circles and runes are smooth and perfect.”

“How much is the rent?”

“It’s…well, if you don’t mind me asking, are you even old enough to be renting this place?”

“Believe me, I’m much older than I look.”

“Oh, okay. Well, the rent is 3.6 Felucians a month. I hope that’s okay. You see, you’ve picked one of the more expensive apartments.”

Selene fished through her bag and pulled out an uncut diamond the size of her fist and a ruby that was a bit smaller. “This should cover it, right?”

“Uh, oh my yes.” The Real Estate Agent stared at her, awestruck.

“I’m an alchemist,” she shrugged.

“Oh! Well, excellent. You must be very powerful to conjure these.”

“I’ve always been told I was a prodigy.” Selene looked around. “How much for the year?”

The Agent licked her forefinger and looked through the pages. “That would be 48.6 Duo-Felucians.”

Selene nodded and dumped the contents of her purse onto the living room table. “Do me a favor and try to keep this to yourself.”

“Of course!” She beamed, pulling out a pen from the front breast pocket of her navy blue suit. Handing over the pen, she held out the open folder. “I do still need your signature for my records.”

Understanding, Selene signed her name on the dotted line. After that, she watched her leave, locking the door behind her. Jason still didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I had a choice. I have faith in you, and I believe Eris will do what you want. It just looks like he cares about you a lot.”

Selene nodded. “He does.” Looking wary, she pulled out her dagger from her purse. “I should spell the place while the moons are still high.” Jason nodded, turning back to face the city lights. Selene hoped Jason was right about her brother.