Memphis was an eight hour drive away across state lines and to Zac, it felt like the other side of the world. As soon as Gabby pulled up a map on her cell they got into the car and were on the highway. Alex and Liz remained at the manor as promised. The sooner they left, the sooner they got there.

Zac hardly said a word to Gabby, still angry that she had allowed the grimoire to be taken, but he hardly gave it more than a brief thought. He was focused on Aya. If she'd been hurt, or worse, dead, he didn't know what he'd do. It was partially his fault that she was in this mess. After all, he'd been the one to convince Gabby to summon her in the first place, alerting Katrin to her whereabouts. It was the first time in a very long time that he felt responsible for something other than what happened to their family all that time ago. He couldn't help Sam more than he had, but he could at least attempt to get Aya out of this, whatever condition she was in.

“What do you propose we do once we get there?” Sam asked, breaking the silence, his eyes on the road.

“There would have to be witches and vampires there,” Gabby said. “I think we should just grab her and go.”

Sam glanced to Zac, who sat in the passenger seat beside him. He hadn't said anything since they got into the car. “What do you think, Zac?”

He was looking out into the dark night as it flashed past, seemingly deep in thought. Sighing he said, “First we case the joint, buildings, entrances, exits. Gabby should sense out any witches and vampires who might be hidden by their magic and what their locations are. Keep an eye out for any traps, magical or otherwise. Determine where Aya is being held. Only then can we devise a plan.”

“Well, there you have it,” Sam said, wryly.

“What if they find us out?”

“If there's anything hostile, kill it,” Zac said, looking back out the window. There wasn't much they could do until they got there and he settled down for the long haul.

Gabby had been awake for a long time, having been through a great deal since leaving the manor the day before. When she fell asleep, the brothers left her, content to wake her once they arrived.

It was past midnight before they reached the site of the factory. They left the car off the side of the main road, hidden behind some trees and walked the rest of the way, keeping off the service lane. The chain link fence that had once surrounded the property had half fallen down, so they had no issue trying to get Gabby in.

Once they reached the edges of the yard, the surrounding plant life began to thin, exposing them more than Zac liked. Circling round the property they found a rise close to the main entrance and he made them crawl on their stomachs so they could peer over the edge. From here they had a good view of the factory, which turned out to be the site of an abandoned silo and storage yards. Train tracks still ran through the remains of buildings that, at one time, would have stored a great deal of grain for export.

In the center was a large yard, clear except for a few old shipping containers to the left side, flanking a half fallen down warehouse. The roof was badly rusted, most of the sheet metal fallen down or missing completely. To the right, on the opposite side of the yard, was the silo, it's roof linked to the warehouse by some kind of walkway and chutes that once fed grain into waiting trucks and train cars. Old foundations of other buildings remained around the rear of the property, having been knocked down haphazardly. It was like someone had run out of money before they could complete the job.

At the outside edge of the warehouse was another service lane, where two black jeeps were parked side by side. Someone had left them there in preparation for a quick getaway if needed.

Because the warehouse was only partially standing, Zac could see through to the rear inside wall, where a room still appeared to be intact, a green metal door closed over its entrance. There was no other exit other than gaps where windows once were. He assumed there was another exit through the room and this was inhabited.

Zac passed this information to Sam and Gabby. “There's movement somewhere, but I can't tell who or what it is.”

“There’s witches,” Gabby whispered. “Two or three, I think. The silo is spelled. It's a good bet that that's where Aya is being held.”

“Can you disable the spell?” Sam whispered back.

She was silent for a moment. “No.” She shook her head. “We have to either render the witches unconscious or kill them to break it.”

“Then we kill them,” Zac snorted.

“I can't kill another witch, Zac,” Gabby protested.

“What do you think Aya would do? They're obviously corrupted and well past saving. Do the world a favor,” he said sharply.

“Are there any vampires?” asked Sam, pulling her attention off his brother.

“One,” Gabby said. “In the warehouse.”

“Where are the witches?” Zac asked.

“Behind the silo.”

“Let's go.” He grabbed Gabby's arm and pulled her down the rise and into the yard and as if on cue, three female witches came out into the open to meet them.

The light breeze around them began to pick up and Zac glanced to Gabby who said, “They're controlling the wind.”

The three witches were advancing on them, the wind swirling fast, the dust from the yard creating a miniature tornado around them. Gabby had to take control of the wind from them or they would be overwhelmed.

Zac and Sam flanked her as she let her earth sense wash over the yard. They wouldn't be able to do much to help her, but their presence reassured her; at least a little. Immediately, she felt the power of the three witches combined into two spells. The one controlling the wind and the other sealing the silo. She could easily overpower them and wrest control over the wind from their grasp. It would be simpler than when she had called the grimoire back to her, even without her Grams' help.

The tornado that whipped around them was designed to detain. For what or who, Gabby wasn't sure. There was only one vampire here. Unless... The vampire was as old as Aya or Katrin was being summoned. Either way, she had to overpower the witches and fast.

Gabby felt the power flow from her, even before she meant to release it. As the tornado sped up, she knew it was too much, but could do nothing to stop it. Her intent had been unleashed and it had to run its course. The witches fear echoed through her open earth sense, making her bones ache. They were afraid of her.

Crying out in pain, she felt their life forces ripped away into the tornado, whipping around her. Suddenly, the wind dropped, the trash and plant life that had been picked up, dropping abruptly. They were left standing in a clearing, surrounded by a barrier of chaos. The brothers glanced at her nervously, having seen what had become of the witches, their bodies disintegrating before their eyes.

She knew that the pain that had ripped through her was her power tearing them apart. There was nothing left of them to say that they had ever been there in the first place. Gabby was numb with shock and fell to her knees. She was more powerful than the three of them combined and it terrified her.

The moment the witches disintegrated, the vampire was revealed.

Cursing, Zac swung around to find a male vampire directly behind him. Ducking just in time to miss being punched in the face, he kicked the vampires legs from under him, pulling out a stake he had hidden in the back of his jeans.

Sam pulled Gabby out of harms way and ran forward to help his brother, who had been knocked across the yard, the stake falling harmlessly to the side. The vampire turned on Sam as he advanced slowly, sizing up his opponent, who hadn't said a word since he'd appeared. He knew they had to end this quickly; otherwise it would end very badly. He made a grab for the stake, aiming it directly at the sweet spot. The heart.

Fortunately, Zac had the same idea and came up from behind, grasping the vampire around the neck, disorienting him for a split second. It was more than enough time.

Sam drove the stake into the vampire's heart at the same moment Zac snapped his neck.

“Can't be too careful,” he declared when Sam raised his eyebrows. He let the corpse fall to the ground as they moved off towards the silo.

“That was way too easy,” Sam said, looking around the now silent yard.

“Gabby,” Zac called, frowning.

Gabby came up behind them and pointed to the door. “The spell is gone. Aya is in there. I can sense her.”

“I don't like it,” Zac said, agreeing with Sam's observation. “Let's get her and get the hell out of here.”

Before they could try the door, a loud gasp drew their attention back to the yard behind. Looking back, Sam cursed as the vampire he had just killed stirred, sitting up and wrenching the stake from his chest. Muscled arms reached up and twisted his head to the side, correcting the haphazardly fused bones with an audible crack.

”That feels better,” he snarled, looking up at the three of them. “Who wants to die first?”

“How the hell did he come back to life?” Sam said in shock, pulling Gabby behind him.

“I'm one of the first,” the vampire spat, advancing on them. “I can't be killed by the likes of you.”

Sam balked and held his arm out to keep Gabby behind him. A founding vampire? They had to do something to distract him long enough so they could find Aya and get the hell out of there. There was no way to kill this vampire. He was a true immortal.

Gabby pushed past Sam in a moment of bravery and stood in front of them, her eyes narrowed in challenge. The vampire laughed at her as if she was nothing but an annoyance. The smile wiped right off his face when he fell to the ground clutching his head, roaring in pain. ”Go!” Gabby yelled at them wildly. “I can't hold him long.”

Zac grabbed Sam's arm, realizing she was restraining the vampire, and pulled him towards the silo. They had to free Aya before it was too late.

Aya didn't know how long she had been hanging in the silo, her blood slowly draining from the wounds in her wrists and ankles. She felt it trickling down her arms, staining her clothes, sticking her shirt to her skin. She had become used to the smell hours ago when she had lost track of time. If she lost enough blood, she would desiccate and then she could sleep. Sleep seemed like bliss compared to the delirium that was setting in.

She was vaguely aware of a dark form standing in front of her. Sluggishly, she lifted her head an inch and blinked, trying to clear her vision. Everything was blurred, nothing was making sense, she wasn't sure if anyone was there. She drew a ragged breath as she heard her name, but no one alive knew her true name. Not even... She forgot who. Wasn't she helping someone?

The figure was still hovering in front of her, whispering her name, calling out to her through the darkness. Then she saw his face, shimmering skin and blue eyes. Her brother! How she had longed to see her brother again.

“I couldn't save you,” she muttered through the haze, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I'm sorry, brother...”

He hesitated when she spoke and she didn't understand. Her brother was dead, wasn't he? The figure reached up and wiped her tears away with a stroke of a thumb. Suddenly, she was dropping to the ground, the chains that held her giving way. The figure grasped her around the waist, supporting her limp body as she slumped over their shoulder.

It's not your bother, it's not your brother... she kept telling herself as she was lowered to the ground. It's a hallucination. If that was true, it could only mean it was Caius come to hurt her again. Then she realized that there was two of them, the other one had let her down. If she didn't attack now, she wouldn't have any hope of escape.

Ignoring the searing pain in her wrists and ankles, she lunged for the nearest form, the chains dragging through the dirt. Before her fists could connect, she was pulled up short. Falling backwards, she screamed with pain as her arms were wrenched over her head.

“She's weak, go!” She heard someone yell.

On her feet in a flash, she made for the source of the sound, but suddenly there was an iron grip around her, pinning her arms to her sides. Struggling, she couldn't free herself from the tight hold of her assailant. Crying out in fury, she felt the chains wrap around her. She wouldn't be imprisoned again, not by anyone. Struggling, she tried to break her bonds, but couldn't move. Her wrists felt like they were on fire, the hooks dragging against torn flesh.

The more she struggled, the quicker she weakened, finally falling to the ground. Her legs curled to the side, the hooks still protruding from either ankle, hands behind her back. Taking heaving breaths, her head hung exhausted, tangled black hair falling about her face. Whatever you're going to do to me, bring it on, she thought.

She felt hands on her face, tilting her head up. She shook her head to knock them away, but they held firm. Blinking hard, she tried to focus on the face before her. Through the heavy fog that clouded her mind she realized someone was speaking to her.

“Aya, it's okay,” the voice was saying. “It's Zac and Sam. We've come to get you out of here.” There was a hard impact to the air and the face looked away towards the source.

“Shit,” said the other figure. “Gabby is losing her hold on the vampire. We don't have much time.”

She knew something bad was happening, but she didn't care. It would be so easy to close her eyes and let the darkness take her again, but the hands pulled her face back up.

“Aya, please. We need you. Come back.”

She blinked hard, grimacing, her vision clearing slightly, “Zac?”

“Yes,” the voice was relieved. “Can I let you go now?” Weakly, she nodded and the chains began to loosen. “You look like hell, Aya.”

“Very perceptive, Mr. Degaud,” she muttered, trying to smile. The chains had fallen away, but the hooks were still embedded. Grimacing, she reached down and pulled the annoying pieces of steel from her ankles, blood now free to gush unhindered.

“Shit, let me do that.” He pulled her close, bracing her with one hand while the other traced the length of her arm. She hissed through her teeth as he slid the meat hooks from her wrists one at a time. Her blood was everywhere, but the wounds began to heal enough to stop the flow. Collapsing back into Zac's arms she sighed deeply, gazing up into his eyes, her fingers tracing the edge of his jaw. He'd come for her... No. They'd come for her. She let her hand drop limply, squeezing her eyes closed.

“You've lost a lot of blood. You need to feed,” he said, his brow creased in concern.

“No,” she said, shaking her head.

“It's okay, Aya. I want you to.” Zac pulled her closer.

“The vampire is still outside,” Sam said. “Gabby won't be able to keep it up for much longer.”

“Gabby?” Aya said vaguely, like she was trying to remember who she was.

“Yes, Gabby.”

Her eyes widened and she snarled, “Caius.”

Before Zac could ask any questions, Aya grabbed the hair at the back of his head and wrenched him to the side, exposing his neck. He gasped in surprise at the sudden pain as she sunk her fangs in and drank. Pushing him to the ground, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and was across the room and outside before they could react.

Aya was a little impressed. When she emerged from the silo, she saw Gabby mere inches from Caius' most fearsome vampire face. All fangs and black eyes. She was staring him down, holding him in place with her will, moments from death. She'd finally found her true powers.

Walking up to her, Aya placed her hand on Gabby's shoulder and Caius' simultaneously, breaking the spell. As he stumbled forward, the force in her outstretched arm brought him to a stop. Gabby gasped, blinking wildly and scrambled backwards out of the way. Sam was there, grabbing her around the waist, hauling her to a safe distance.

Aya held Caius' shoulders, pushing against him as he reached up and grasped hers in return. They were face to face, their foreheads touching.

“You will never win against me, witch,” he threatened, the grunt in his voice betraying the fact that he was using all of his strength to hold her back.

“That's where you're wrong, Caius,” she snarled in return. “I have skills you've never seen.”

“You'll never get the chance to use them.”

Abruptly, Aya shifted her weight down slightly, ramming her shoulder into his stomach. He had been pushing against her so hard, that the forward motion sent him flying across the yard behind her. She heard the bang as he collided with the side of the silo.

He scrambled to his feet with a snarl and rushed her, knocking her off her feet with the force of the blow. Twisting to the side, she rolled out of the way of Caius' boot, narrowly missing a blow to her ribs. On her feet behind him, she punched his spine, aiming to snap it, but he twisted to the side at the last second. She cried out in pain as his elbow came back to meet her jaw, which made an audible crunch as it shattered.

Turning, Caius' hands grasped empty air. Aya was on his back, an arm around his neck, her hand on his face. She wrenched with all her strength trying to snap his spine, but he threw her over his shoulder. Landing heavily, her eyes widened as Caius' bulky form loomed over her. They were evenly matched in strength and skill and could be here for hours at this rate.

Grabbing her around the neck with one hand, Caius picked her up off the ground and let out a deep rumbling laugh. A look of triumph was plastered across his face as he began to squeeze, cutting off her air supply. Instinctively, she clawed at his hand, trying to free herself.

In the corner of her vision, she saw Sam and Zac approaching in Caius' blind spot. They would be torn apart if they tried anything.

“Stay back!” she yelled at the brothers, holding her palm out.

“Once I'm done with you, whore, they'll be next. Won't be much of a challenge, but they will beg me to kill them all the same.”

She felt a familiar twist of rage building inside of her and closing her eyes, she called for it. Reaching up, she grasped Caius' wrist, a familiar burning sensation travelling up her arms like thousands of electric shocks. Opening her eyes, a blue glow surrounded them, popping and fizzing, making the air thick with the tangy scent of burning copper. Caius' eyes widened in surprise as the blue energy travelled down her arms and began to crawl over his forearm.

Aya had never felt her power stronger than this, the biting taste for revenge was overwhelming. This man, this vampire, had been responsible for her family’s death and her torture and imprisonment. He would die like the others. At the mercy of her rage.

As the fire began to travel down his arm, Caius gasped in pain and dropped her. She fell to her knees for a moment before getting up, using the upward force to push the air from his lungs with a hard jab from both palms into his gut. He doubled over, clutching his stomach. For a split second he was disorientated and it was all it took for Aya to plunge her hand into his chest.

Clutching his still beating heart in her right hand, she clasped his shoulder with her left, her lips to his ear. “This is for my family,” she whispered and poured all her rage into him.

He gasped and clawed at her hand, but he was already turning grey, his skin withering, crackling with the strange electricity. Only when his heart finally collapsed in on itself, the ash falling through her fingers, did she push him off her onto the ground. Staring down at his corpse, she didn't feel anything. The burning rage had left her and she was empty.

She was vaguely aware of Gabby and the brothers hovering at the edge of her vision. Now she would have to explain herself to them. They weren't meant to see what she could do, she hadn't used this part of herself since... It had been two thousand years. She suddenly felt very far away and it was only adrenalin that was keeping her on her feet. She closed her eyes and wished them away.

There was a comforting hand on her arm. “Aya.” It was Zac. Of course it was him.

Looking up at him she saw the expression of awe written on his face. Glancing at Sam and Gabby revealed their mingled awe and fear. At least they were smart. Zac should be afraid of her. She wondered if she should compel him again. Compel them all to forget how she had killed Caius, but she doubted it would work now. She was done.

When she didn't respond, Zac put his arm around her waist, guiding her away from the yard to his car that was parked back towards the road. Sam hovered behind to dispose of Caius, as she was put in the back, the seat belt fastened for her. Gabby sat beside her and clasped her hand, the brothers in the front.

Gazing blankly out of the window into the night she managed to whisper, “Thank you.”