The early morning air was heavy against Aya's skin as she sat in the garden. The manor grounds hadn't been tended to in a long time. They were wild and green, full of flowers that tended themselves despite the moisture of the swamp, shaded by the long branches of whispering willows. Usually, she would just enjoy being here, but today her thoughts were troubled. It had been several days since the brothers and Gabby had freed her from the silo; several days since she had killed Caius. She'd come one step closer to what she'd pledged to do, but in doing so, she'd done the one thing she shouldn't have. She'd drunk Zac's blood.

She looked up as Sam sat down beside her and wondered what question he was going to ask first. The air was silent around the manor, which meant Zac had gone somewhere else. She didn’t want to deal with his questions today.

“How are you doing?” he asked, taking in her faraway look. Predictable and such a Sam question.

“After all the time he's spent hunting me, you'd think I'd be glad he's dead, but I don't feel anything.”

She felt his apprehension as he asked the next burning question. “In the silo, you thought Zac was your brother?”

“It was an hallucination,” she replied, curtly.

“What happened to him?”

“He was slaughtered in his sleep,” she spat at him. “Do you want a play by play?”

“No, I'm sorry. It's just, you're a hard person to read.” He sighed, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Who was Caius exactly?”

“He was one of the first vampires. One of the family called the Romans,” Aya said matter-of-factly.

“And how old are they, these Romans?”

“Not much older than I,” she replied. “Maybe a year or two, I'm not sure.”

“Why are they called the Romans? Where did they come from?”

Aya sighed at the barrage of questions. They would ask them eventually, best to get it out the way. Besides, she'd rather talk to Sam about this. He was much more understanding than Zac and at least he would stop when he knew he couldn’t get any further. “They were part of the Roman armies that invaded Britain around 43AD. I don't know much about their human lives other than one was a high-ranking officer, others foot soldiers, lower ranking officers. I suppose they all wanted what most humans want.”

“And what's that?”

“Power. Immortality.”

Sam nodded, agreeing to a point. “And what did you do to Caius? To kill him?”

“I stole his light,” she said, referring to the story in Gabby's grimoire, reluctant to explain further.

“Aya, I don't understand. It was magic, wasn't it?” he asked, confused, almost desperate for answers.

“Sam, that's the one thing I cannot explain to you. I am indebted to you for coming to free me, but this? This, I cannot give you.”

He stared at her for a moment and deciding not to push her further, nodded and looked away. They sat in silence for a while and it was almost companionable, the two of them enjoying the wildness of the garden. It reminded her of many things, but she closed her thoughts off to the memories. She'd been to many places, done many things, and punished many people, none of which bore another thought. At least not today.

“You've changed him, you know,” Sam said carefully, breaking the silence. “Zac. He's different around you.”

“How so?” She frowned. This was one of those things she didn't want to talk about.

“He cares about something other than himself.” He laughed weakly, shaking his head.

Aya grunted, pulling her knees up to her chin, feeling uneasy about what Sam hinted at. Zac had been through enough without this. One day she would have to leave and he would be back at square one. Even she had enough heart not to do that to him.

“Aya,” Sam said, picking up on her uneasiness. “It's a good thing.”

“If you say so,” she whispered, not believing him.

Zac had never been to Gabby's apartment before. It sat on the top floor of a complex of twelve similar places, six flights of stairs and no elevator. She must love the view, because the climb would have been a deal breaker.

They sat on the floor in the lounge, a silver bowl between them, the grimoire off to the side. Gabby was chanting under her breath, eyes closed, a faraway look etched on her dark features. He hoped that this would help them find a way to end their founding witch problem once and for all. The lingering threat was wearing thin. They had already thwarted one attempt at Aya's life and they mightn't be so lucky the next time.

His thoughts were more troubled than usual. Aya was amazing. What she had done to Caius; that was something else. So much more than a regular vampire was capable of. What was she? Maybe when this was all over, she would give him some answers.

And he had to find a way to tell her how he felt.

Focusing back on Gabby, he concentrated on the spell she was casting. She'd found an incantation in the grimoire she hadn't been able to read until she met her grandmother. A spell for knowledge. It would reveal the path to the thing that they most desired and of course that was bringing and end to Katrin. All of her previous attempts at seeking out the witch had been fruitless; attempts at finding what anchored her spirit to life had led to nothing.

The only reason Gabby had invited Zac into her apartment was the fact that he wanted Katrin to die a true death as much as she did and that meant a better strike rate for the spell. He was connected on a personal level and so was she.

She had been muttering her incantation under her breath for ages and Zac was positive that it wasn’t working. She did seem different after everything that had happened at the silo, her increased power was blindingly obvious with the way she obliterated those witches. He’d never seen a witch do such a thing and he was glad that she was on their side, but it didn’t help them right now. Nothing was happening.

Just as Zac was about to complain that she was taking too long, he felt the spell cloud his thoughts. That probably meant it was working after all.

Gabby smiled in relief. “I can see a way forward, but I need to speak to Aya.”

When she mentioned Aya, Zac's expression slackened and his eyes went blank. Gabby waved her hand across his line of vision, but he didn't react. It took a moment before he came back from wherever it was he went. Blinking as Gabby came back into focus, he realized she had been shaking him. He groaned, holding his head in his hands.

“Zac, what is it?” Gabby said, concern in her voice.

“She fucking compelled me!” he roared, knocking the bowl across the room. It clattered to the floor loudly, its contents spilling everywhere. Gabby scrambled backwards, suddenly aware of being in the same room as an angry vampire.

“Who?” she whispered, afraid of provoking him.

“Aya! Fucking Aya!” He was on his feet, pacing back and forth, thinking about what he would do. He forgot that Gabby was in the room he was so intent on his thoughts. He roared again and left the apartment in a whirlwind of fury, leaving Gabby shaking on the floor.

Aya liked to sit in the study. She knew it irritated Zac, but he had stopped asking her not to ages ago. It felt comforting, especially after her earlier conversation with Sam. She spun the globe in the corner, running her finger along the surface, waiting to see where it would land once it came to a stop. Katrin wouldn’t try anything right away, not after she’d killed another of her so-called children. Her finger landed on France. She had been in France before coming to America.

She could hear the tell tale hum that announced Zac had come home. He was in the doorway looking at her. ”Hello,” she said, not turning around, spinning the globe again. When he didn't answer straight away, she knew he was angry.

“I was just with Gabby,” he said, restraining the anger in his voice.

“Were you now?” She smiled to herself. Her finger landed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

“I helped her cast a spell.” He was cracking.

“And what kind of spell did she cast?” The globe spun again.

“A knowledge spell.” The tone in his voice unsettled her.

“Be. More. Specific.” She disregarded the globe, allowing it to spin freely.

“A spell to find the knowledge to obtain what one desires the most.” He was right behind her now, his gaze burning into her back.

Aya stiffened. “And what happened?”

“Gabby learned a way to stop Katrin. She needs to speak to you.”

Turning her head slightly, she asked, “And what did you learn?”

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around abruptly, pushing her back against the wall. Her expression darkened in warning, but Zac ignored it. “I remember everything,” he snarled, holding her in place across her chest with his arm.

Aya's eyes misted over into shimmering pearls and she pushed him across the room. He collided with the opposite wall, his shoulder leaving a hole in the plaster. He fell to the floor with a grunt, but she was there, picking him up by his shirt. “If you remember everything, then you know it was all for your own good,” she spat, dropping him on his face.

Zac was back on his feet in a second. “After everything that's happened, how could you compel me?”

“I saved your life, Zac.”

“Only from the werewolves.”

Aya closed her eyes, trying to control her anger. “I also saved you from me. You saw what happened to them when I lost control. You saw what I did to Caius.”

The anger faded from his face into one of surprise. “I don't believe you.”

“Then you are a fool. You've only seen the smallest part of me. The smallest part of the monster I truly am. No one could love a walking horror such as I.”

Zac was dumbfounded. After all they had gone through together, he had felt that he had become closer to her than ever. He knew there were parts of her life that he would never know, she was two thousand years old, but he refused to believe the things she was telling him. He'd never felt anything like what he felt for Aya. Seeing her angry and in pain, it tore him apart. He thought back to the night they had spent in the motel, the way she had kissed him and when he'd healed her wounds in the silo, she had gazed up at him with such tenderness. She felt the same, she had to.

“You can compel the memories from me, Aya, but you can't compel away my feelings,” he said evenly.

“Get out!” she yelled at him.

“Aya, please,” he whispered.

She stared at him with a wild look in her eyes. “Leave.”

Zac stared at her, unable to control himself. He wanted her so much it made him ache. He pushed Aya back against the wall and kissed her passionately, pressing his body into hers. His left hand pulled her hips against him and his right held her face to his, fingers wound in her hair. And she kissed him back just as deeply and he was lost. He was hers, body and soul. Suddenly, she pulled away and pushed him back, a look of dismay on her face.

His heart sank. “Aya...”

“Don't,” she whispered looking towards the floor. “There's so much you don't understand, Zac. So many things I can't tell you. So many reasons why this can't be.”

He took a step towards her and she held him back with her arm. “Please,” she whispered.

“Aya,” he whispered huskily.

“Please don't make me do this.” He could see the tears welling in her eyes. She was struggling with her feelings.

“Do what?”

And she was gone so fast, he felt it must have been a dream. He brushed his fingers across his lips and sighed. He knew now that he loved her and it made the love he had felt for Liz incomparable. What he felt for Aya consumed him and he would gladly die for her if it meant she would live.

Gabby was about to knock on the front door of the manor when it burst open, her fist poised mid-air. Aya stood in front of her, glaring as she dropped her hand awkwardly. She guessed she was too late.

“Aya,” she gasped. “I was coming to see you before... I got here as fast as I could.”

“If you're talking about the knowledge spell, I found out about that.” Aya rolled her eyes, pushing her backwards off the porch and into the yard.

“I'm sorry,” she stammered. “I didn't know it would work the way it did. I had no idea...”

“I hear you need to speak with me,” Aya interrupted, still rattled by the argument with Zac.

“Yes, I have an idea. The spell revealed a loophole to Katrin's spell, the one holding her spirit,” Gabby began. Whatever she had compelled from Zac, she'd better leave it alone.

Aya pressed her finger to her lips to silence her. Understanding that other ears were listening, Gabby nodded. The vampire grabbed her arm roughly, guiding her down the driveway and across the yard. They walked right down to the lake, standing right on the shoreline. It was an abnormally cold day, the wind rippling the surface into waves that lapped the rocks at the waters edge. A noise that seemed sufficient in covering their conversation to a point.

Once she was certain they were alone, Aya turned to Gabby. “There is much that I would like to tell you Gabby, but I cannot. For now, you will have to trust me.”

Gabby nodded uncertainly. “I'm sure it will all make sense one day, but for now as long as we can banish Katrin, then I'm satisfied.”

“Good.” Aya was pleased. “What did the spell reveal to you?”

“Katrin is channeling some serious power in keeping her spirit attached to life. A power that is very much like... Well, I'm not quite sure how to explain it. It feels like death.” Gabby didn't quite understand. “Like a negative energy.”

“Negative,” Aya mused.

“In science positive cancels out the negative, so I'm hoping that counts as the same for witches energy.”

“What do you suppose the positive would be?” Aya's brow furrowed as she thought over this.

“The positive is you, Aya. That's what the spell revealed to me. You're the key, but I don't know what that means exactly. I was hoping you might know.”

Aya was silent for a while, contemplating what she had learned and knowing all too well it may call upon abilities she had lost. Abilities that no longer existed in this world.

“Were you a witch, you know, before?” Gabby asked hesitantly, when she didn't answer.

Aya frowned at her question. “Not exactly. I had a lot of things in common with your kind, though.” She said this with a finality that dissuaded her from asking more, but she continued. ”When I was changed, many things were taken from me. Abilities that were second nature disappeared and were replaced with vampire traits,” she said with a little sadness. “I can only do this with you, Gabby. You complete the parts of me that were stolen. Together we have the power to destroy Katrin once and for all.”

Stolen. Gabby now knew that Aya had been turned against her will and it made her understand a lot of things about her. Why she was the way she was. She suspected her drive for punishing witches came from a need for revenge, to set things right.

“What was stolen,” she murmured. “You had abilities like mine? Like a witch? My Grams called you one of the stars.”

“You're a rare witch, Gabby.” Aya didn't answer her question. “You've unlocked your potential, but have yet to see the limits of what you can do.”

“How can you tell?” she asked, confused.

“I can feel it.”

“Really?”

“I knew who you were the first moment I saw you,” she said. “I could tell exactly which line you were descended from and how strong you were. And before you ask, it's not Katrin.”

“Thank god. Who then?” Gabby wanted to know more than anything.

“Ismena,” Aya said, looking out across the lake, fixing her gaze on a point far into the distance.

“Did you know her?”

“Not well.” She turned back to her and smiled. “She was a dear friend of my mother. She was one of the five founding witches. All humans. Katrin betrayed the other four in her lust for power. Before the others had realized, she had already created the first vampires and by then it was too late. It was all they could do to save their own lives, let alone anyone else's. They disappeared after that. I never saw any of them again, but I suspect they would have tried to end me as well if they knew my fate.”

Gabby didn't know what to say, how could they prevail? ”What makes you think we can succeed where four founding witches couldn't?” she asked.

Aya smiled sadly. “They didn't have me.”

Gabby didn't know what she meant and wasn't sure she wanted an explanation. Aya had known the founding witches who were the beginning of her kind. The beginning of magic. How had they come into their power? Were they given it, or born to it? She was unsure if she was ready to know the origins of power, when she could hardly control her own.

Aya glanced at her, sensing her uneasiness. Gabby still felt remorse over the three witches in Memphis; the ease of which she had obliterated them. Things just kept getting even more complicated the deeper she got into this mess.

“I would have killed them, you know,” Aya said, quietly. “They were in league with the oldest vampires ever and not to mention Katrin. They had given themselves over to evil.”

“I know,” Gabby whispered. “But it doesn't make it any easier.”

Aya shook her head. “It never does.”

They were silent for a time, their thoughts running off in their own directions.

“I think I know what to do now,” Aya said uncertainly, breaking the stillness. “I can do most of it, but we have to join minds so I can lend your powers. Don't worry. I used to do it with my brother when we were children. It's not hard, but you will feel a little tired when I draw on your power.”

“Okay.” Gabby nodded. Aya had a brother?

“I know,” Aya said. “It's not much to go on, but I don't see any other option. It's our first and only chance. I don't know what will happen if we fail.”

Gabby hoped her trust in Aya would be enough to see them through. “Then we better win.”