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“I see it.” I replied, zooming in on Marisol’s face. “Good work.”

A brick lifted of my chest. It was a nice, peaceful feeling of satisfaction. One down, one to go. Because the others didn’t matter much.

“Make sure she stays unconscious.” I instructed Harlen. “I don’t want her getting loose before I get there. Double check the restraints and shoot her again if you have to.”

“Already done.” Harlen assured me. “I gave her another dose of the serum after I got her over to Virgil. According to Natasha, she’ll be out for at least six more hours.”

“What about Morgan? Does she know what you’ve been up to?” I asked, thinking of our newest vampire and if we could trust her with secret information so early in her transformation.

There was a slight hesitation, then Harlen’s spoke. “She wanted to come out with me tonight. I told her you put me on a solo recon mission.”

“Yes, you should always blame me. She needs to understand that everything must go through me first.”

“I think she knows you’re at the top of the food chain.”

“How did she take it— you telling her she had to stay back?” I asked to get a read on her state of mind.

“She understood. I told her I’d call when I was done, and she could meet me at The Castle later.”

That was a smart move. Morgan might be a vampire now, but her humanity was still too fresh, her self-control was too new. Having her present for any violent acts could trigger her.

“Let’s hold off on telling Morgan about our plans for revenge. We need to only share with the people who need to know, and we are sure we can trust. I’m not saying we can’t trust her. I’m saying she needs time to adjust to her new normal.”

“I agree. I want to protect her.”

“And that is your job. You are her maker.” I rationalized. “I don’t want any more heartbreak for Chanel. She loves Morgan.”

“I love Morgan too.” Harlen said and surprised me.

“Seriously? You love her?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Congratulations.” I gave my brother what he needed, which was my approval. “Does she feel the same way about you?”

“I don’t know.” His voice trailed off.

“Well, you’ll have to wait and see. Her emotions are mixed up and amplified. Give her time.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m doing.”

“Good. She wants to be with you. You’re her maker, and she doesn’t seem to blame you for her current situation. I think those are all good signs.”

“I think so too. She blames Teresa. She wants her dead.” Harlen exclaimed.

“We all do.”

“Did you get any intel on how Teresa learned about our location in Michigan?”

“No. I’m working on it, but as of now Natasha can’t figure out how she knew. It doesn’t look like Teresa followed you. Natasha believes she was there lying in wait, meaning she knew about the property in advance.”

“Shit! I’m sure we weren’t followed. It was almost like Teresa was there before we were.”

“Natasha agrees.” I added.

“I told Donté to bring Morgan to The Castle. She should be arriving soon.”

“Good, we need to keep her occupied. This has to be hard for her.”