Gabby opened the front door to the manor. It bothered her that the brothers never locked it, but they were vampires. Surely it didn't matter either way. Walking into the parlor, she found everyone assembled and waiting for her. She wasn't sure how she should break the news to them. Aya's confession the previous night had come as a shock, but deep down she wasn’t really surprised.

She was more than a vampire, Gabby knew this, but what else was a mystery. That much Aya had proved at dinner. They had talked for a long time once she’d admitted who she was. Gabby remembered how much she had said, but how little she’d revealed. It had taken some time to convince Aya to come to the manor to speak with everyone, especially after Zac’s behavior. She still had a lot of questions and was sure everyone else would have just as many.

“So, what's the big scandal, Gabby?” Zac was lounging back on the sofa, clearly annoyed.

Gabby crossed the room and dumped her bag on the coffee table, placing her grimoire carefully beside it. It was best she just came out with it. Rip it off like a band aid. “Last night after leaving Alex's, Aya confessed to me that she is the Witch Hunter.”

“What?” Sam exclaimed, standing up to face her. ”And you believed her?”

Gabby shrunk back slightly. “She gave me no reason not to. She told me that she had been threatened by Katrin while she was at Alex's. While we were all there in the house.”

“Katrin was in the house?” Zac had sat forward at this, worry etched on his face.

“She said she appeared to her in the bathroom mirror. She couldn't touch her, she was only a projection.” Gabby took a few steps back before saying, “I told her to meet us here.”

Zac was on his feet. “Gabby, be careful what you say next.”

“She can answer a lot of our questions, Zac.” Sam placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “If she is the Witch Hunter as she says, then we would have no chance against her if she really wanted us dead.”

Zac glared at Gabby. “Well, she sure has a talent for manipulation. She could be anyone or anything.”

“Well, she's coming here any moment, so you can ask her yourself.” Gabby crossed her arms across her chest defensively.

“We don't even know who she is! She could be coming here to kill us all!” exclaimed Liz, who had been listening in horrified silence.

“I for one don't believe that the spell would be in the grimoire unless we could trust it,” Gabby said. “It hasn't lead me astray yet and now more than ever, I truly believe it was our only option.”

“Oh, now you agree with the spell,” Zac huffed.

“Now that I've spoken with Aya, yes,” she said evenly, her eyes narrowed. “Now who's the one with regrets?” Zac snorted and she continued her scolding. ”You begged me to cast the damn spell, Zac. Besides, I don't think she's just a vampire. She can do things that you can't.”

“And what else could she be? You think she's some kind of super freaky hybrid?”

“I'm not entirely sure.”

“Nice work, Gabby. You're a wealth of knowledge.” Zac rolled his eyes and clapped his hands.

“Oh, shut up, Zac. It's your fault we're in this mess. Next time be careful who you piss off and you wouldn't need my help.”

“What can I say? I do a lot of things I don't need to do, but I do them anyway.”

“That's enough you two.” Sam's calm voice cut through the tension. “We should hear what Aya has to say first before jumping to any conclusions.”

Aya had arrived some minutes ago. The front door had been unlocked, as a seemingly abandoned house with two vampires didn't need any security. She remembered the house that had once stood here near the edge of the swamp and its current incarnation was dilapidated. She wondered what had really happened, but she knew that vampires had been responsible for this and much of the destruction in the South. The walls seemed to echo with some kind of supernatural interference.

She could hear raised voices coming from down the hall. Of course they would be arguing. The brothers especially—they seemed as different as night and day. Aya strolled towards the action, taking in the old paintings along the walls, landscapes and portraits of long dead southern plantation owners. Very French.

She stood in the doorway of the large sitting room and surveyed the scene. Zac and Gabby were bickering like children in front of the massive fireplace, which was popping away merrily. Sam was being the level headed mediator and Liz was rolling her eyes with frustration. Liz had so much to learn about life, her stupidity made her gag. Although no one had noticed her, she feigned throwing up on the carpet. Silently, she made herself comfortable on the ancient brocade sofa and watched the show.

“We at least need to ask her what she knows,” Gabby was saying. “She told me she knew the witch Katrin. If she knows her, she might at least know where we might look next.”

“I don't trust her,” Zac growled. “She played us for fools.”

“She's the female version of you,” said Sam, earning himself a menacing glare.

“And you are a fool,” snapped Liz.

“Oh, yeah, Liz. Your entire life was my fault,” Zac snarled.

Liz went to slap him but Sam put his hand on her shoulder to calm her. “Shut it, Zac. I don't care whose fault this is, but you're my brother and that makes it my problem as well.”

Zac begrudgingly took a step back and raised his hands. “Fine. The sooner we talk to this ancient bitch, the sooner we can kill Katrin.”

“I wouldn't call her that to her face.” Gabby raised her eyebrows. “I bet she could snap you in half.”

Aya lounged back on the sofa and watched them argue about her. They still hadn't noticed that she was a mere two meters away. She really was too sneaky for her own good. ”You know,” she quipped. “It's extremely impolite to talk about someone behind their back.” She grinned in satisfaction as they all jumped.

“Fucking hell, Aya. How long have you been there?” Zac exclaimed.

She smiled wickedly. “A while.”

“Do you want us to trust you or not?”

She paused a second and pretended that she was thinking it over. Shaking her head, she said, “Doesn't bother me. We want the same thing, to a certain extent. Trust is optional.”

“To you, maybe.” Liz stepped forward. “But it's important to us.”

“To twenty first century do-gooders, maybe. Trust is not a huge priority when dealing with vampires.” Aya moved forward fluidly, until she was directly in front of Liz. “Is it exhausting holding onto so much of your humanity? Denying what you have become?”

“Back off,” warned Sam as Liz visibly cringed under her imposing presence.

Aya glared at him from under her eyelashes, the light from the fire making her expression almost demonic. “You decided to cast a spell in a moment of desperation not knowing what would happen. Now I am here and here I will stay.”

“But we don't know anything about you,” Liz said protectively.

Aya narrowed her eyes at the young vampire. “And what would you know? You've been a vampire less than a year. To me, that's a blink of an eye. A piss in the ocean.”

“Then, how old are you really?” asked Zac from behind her.

Looking back over her shoulder she stated, “I think it was about the year forty-six. Anno domini. But I could be mistaken, your mind starts to deteriorate when you're an ancient bitch.”

Zac narrowed his eyes and didn't say anything.

“But, that would mean you're nearly two thousand years old,” Sam said in a small voice.

“Is it really so hard to believe?” It felt good not having to hide herself anymore, letting her anger guide her words. They all looked alarmed at the notion of her being so old. They mustn't know much about their own kind at all. “And how old are you?”

“Why do they call you the Witch Hunter?” Gabby asked, changing the subject before it came to blows.

“That's self explanatory,” she replied sarcastically. “If a witch uses their power for evil, then it’s the end for them.” Aya dragged her finger across her throat.

“Why witches?” asked Liz.

“Why not?” She raised her eyebrows. The tone in her voice suggested that this was her final answer on the subject.

“And why is Katrin after you?” Sam asked gently.

“Probably the same reason she's after him.” She pointed to Zac, avoiding his question. “Because we all pissed her off.”

“And now she knows you're working with us,” huffed Zac.

“Am I now?”

“Two birds, one stone,” Gabby whispered, shaking her head.

“We don't really have an option. That's why they used the spell,” Sam said reluctantly.

Aya curled her lip in a snarl at the memory of being forced awake by it. It had felt like she’d be doused with a bucket of cold water.

“Do you know who wrote the spell in my grimoire?” asked Gabby, picking it up and turning to a place marked by a slip of paper.

Aya looked at the page Gabby pointed out and sighed. “I helped your ancestor, once upon a time. I can't believe that idiot wrote a spell. At least it's not specific, but troublesome.”

“What do you mean, troublesome?”

“I've done a lot of things to annoy many people. None more so than Katrin. I get followed by her thugs more often than not, so you can understand why this spell is inconvenient.”

“Is that why you hid yourself from us? For fear that we were working with Katrin?” Sam asked gently.

“One reason,” Aya confirmed. “Though, fear had no part in it.”

Zac snorted. “Of course not.”

“Why could you come into Alex's house without being invited?” Liz asked.

Aya thought for a moment, then said, “I can walk wherever I want.”

“But, why?”

“Because I can.” The statement was final.

“Zac, remember the vampire you killed. He was one of Katrin's, wasn't he looking for someone?” Sam prodded. “And he's what started the mess with the werewolves.”

“And what happened to them?” Aya asked, knowing full well she was what happened.

“Gone. They won't bother us again.” Zac glowered as if remembering something horrible. “The vampire was looking for you, Aya. No doubt about it.”

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“I remember because I made fun of him. He said he was looking for a woman; black of hair, blue of eye. And you're the only one fitting that description around here.”

“What was his name?”

“Alistair something. Payne? I don't really remember.”

“And you killed him?” Aya cocked her head.

“Yes.”

“Good. He was annoying.” She seemed satisfied.

“You knew him?” Sam asked.

Aya snorted in frustration. “It doesn't really matter now. Unfortunately, I've lost the element of surprise, but we can work with that. Katrin was watching you somehow.” How the hell had they tracked her here? Again?

“How could she be watching us?” Liz looked horrified.

“Katrin is a very old witch, Liz. She found a way to stop her spirit passing on, thus remaining in an in-between place to continue influencing the living. She has many vampires and witches in her following and can see many places through the eyes of others.”

“So you think there's someone physically watching us?” asked Zac, knowing full well that at least one vampire had them under surveillance.

“Perhaps. It's hard to tell. Usually, I can sense who's around, but a witch can help shield them. Especially now that Katrin knows I'm here, that's even more likely.”

“Then it would all be in our best interests if you stay here with us at the manor,” Sam stated. “As you said, they're after you as well. There's plenty of room and I'm sure Zac won't mind.”

Zac glared at his brother. “Actually, I do mind. What's to stop her killing us in our sleep? All we have is her word and after all the lies she’s told us—”

Aya rolled her eyes. “If I wanted to kill you all, Zac, I could have done it a million times by now. Besides, I've only ever told you the truth with a few glaring omissions.” Zac huffed in annoyance. “Katrin has caused me much trouble in the past, so I would really like to finish her off. I have no issue with you other than that you're an asshole.” Gabby let out a laugh at Aya's statement. “I won't murder you in your sleep. Cross my heart.”

“If you cross the line, Aya, be warned—”

“What are you going to do Zac? Punch me like a twenty pound weakling?” She walked around him, sizing him up. “I'd like to take you down a few pegs.”

“Cut it out, you two,” Sam said firmly, ever the level headed mediator.

Gabby cleared her throat, changing the subject yet again. “So, what do you suggest we do? Go on the offensive or defensive?”

“There's not much we can do until either Katrin shows herself, or one of her followers appears. Which won't be long.” Aya shrugged. “Once the witch has come out of hiding, we need a way to break her hold on the living and send her to the other side for good. There's some witchy homework for you, Gabby.” Aya doubted that she could find a way; she seemed totally unaware of her potential. It radiated all around the young witch, but telling her as much would defeat the purpose. Gabby had to find it for herself.

“I'm only new at this, Aya. I don't know what good I can do.” Gabby tried to hide the panic in her voice, but it wavered, giving her away.

“I'm sure you'll find something.” Aya smiled for the first time. “We'll have a lot to keep us entertained in the meantime.”

“Like what?” Zac was still annoyed.

“Staking vampires, thwarting assassination attempts. You know, all the fun stuff.” Aya groaned inwardly at the awkward silence that followed. What a boring bunch of vampires. Even she had a taste for a little persuasive violence now and then, but perhaps not quite as persuasive as ripping apart werewolves had been.

“Well,” Liz proclaimed to cover up the awkward silence. “It's rather late, so we better be going home. Could you give me a ride Gabby?”

“Sure.” Gabby looked relieved as she gathered her things, her mind seeming preoccupied with the task Aya had entrusted her with.

“Speak to you tomorrow.” Liz gave Sam a quick kiss on the lips as they left the parlor, the front door closing a moment later.

Zac glared at Aya and disappeared from the room without a word. Sam shrugged apologetically. ”Do you need to go get anything?”

“No.” Aya shook her head.

“Nothing? No clothes or anything?” He seemed a little taken aback. She supposed most people had some stuff, a change of clothes would be normal, even for a vampire. She wasn’t really what constituted as ‘normal’.

“I'm not attached to possessions.”

“Well let me show you upstairs. We have a spare room you can use.” He cocked his head towards the door.

Sam led her up the stairs and opened the first door next to the landing. “You can use this room. The bathroom is through there. It joins to my room on the other side. If you need anything, let one of us know. If you want to buy anything I can give you some cash, we don't make a habit of compelling people if we don't have to.” He turned and walked back to the bedroom door. “And we don't eat them, either.”

Aya nodded her understanding and he closed the door behind him. How the hell had she wormed her way into the Degaud manor? She didn't intend to harm any of them, but it was way too easy. She made a mental note to have a word with Sam about security.