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Chapter Twenty-Three

The full moon hangs low and bloated in the night sky, its silver light washing over the city.

I feel it pulling at my blood, demanding transformation, but I hold it at bay through sheer force of will.

There will be time for that later…

if we survive.

Costin and I stand on the rooftop of what looks like the lovechild of an abandoned castle and an industrial building.

It’s one of the oldest buildings in the city.

The location was my idea.

It’s near sacred ground which carries power that can be channeled.

The high vantage point gives us clear sight lines in all directions.

Most importantly, it’s far from innocent bystanders.

“Are you certain about this?” Costin asks, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of our enemies.

I nod, feeling the cold power inside me stir in anticipation.

After my dream of Conrad, something has shifted.

The detachment remains, but it’s now tempered with purpose.

With humanity.

I doubt that is the gift Conrad meant to give me.

I’m sure he fully believed he could talk me into killing our family.

I guess he doesn’t know me as well as he thought.

“Mortimer won’t be able to resist,” I say.

“Not when he thinks he’s finally going to get what he’s wanted for decades. Elizabeth’s ego will bring her.”

Costin’s expression tightens at his sister’s name.

“The chance to publicly defeat you and prove her superiority once and for all.” I turn to him, reaching for his hand.

In the past he was unable to kill her.

I get why now.

The sire bond is a strong, real thing.

Compound that with guilt and Costin would be physically unable to destroy his sister.

“Are you ready to face her?”

His fingers intertwine with mine.

“This confrontation has been coming for centuries.”

I feel the sadness in him, and the guilt.

When he looks at Elizabeth he still sees the human sister he married to a monster.

“I forgive you.” I squeeze his hand.

I don’t want him carrying me around like a burden.

“One way or another, this was my fate. I’m glad it was you who changed me. I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my sire.”

Red swirls into the whites of his eyes.

His fingers brush my cheek.

He looks like he wants to say more, but we hear Anthony’s voice drifting toward us.

Behind us, the castle’s flat roof has been transformed into a battlefield.

Anthony and some of his friends have spent hours laying down protective spells.

Sully and his most trusted pack members prowl the perimeter, their bodies already showing signs of the approaching transformation as the moon rises higher.

Our childhood friend Peter is with them.

Even Astrid is here, her usual composure replaced by the cold focus of a general preparing for war.

My father, unsurprisingly, chose to remain at a strategic distance.

Yes, he actually called it a strategic distance.

His absence barely registers as a disappointment anymore.

I hear someone climb the side of the building seconds before Sully lands next to us.

He’s half-shifted and breathing heavily as if he’s reining the beast within.

“They’re coming from the east,” he growls, his eyes glowing amber in the rising moonlight.

I feel it too.

There’s a disturbance in the air.

It prickles my skin with the threat of approaching danger.

“Everyone in position,” Costin commands, his voice carrying across the rooftop without needing to shout.

The trap has been set.

At the center of the roof, a complex ritual circle glows with faint blue light.

It’s the supposed sire-bond-breaking-ritual that we’ve circulated rumors of to reach Elizabeth.

It’s convincing enough to fool her, at least at first glance.

Enough to draw her in.

I move to stand within the circle, my heart pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation.

Costin takes his place opposite me, our eyes locked in silent communication.

The plan relies on timing, on Elizabeth’s predictability, on Mortimer’s greed.

And on my ability to control the growing power inside me when the full moon finally triggers my first transformation.

Costin’s head turns to the distance.

A cold wind sweeps across the rooftop, carrying with it the scent of vampire.

Elizabeth.

And she’s not alone.

They appear at the eastern edge of the roof like wraiths materializing from the darkness.

Elizabeth leads, resplendent in crimson and black.

I’ve seen her as a bat, but never like this.

Behind her is a small army of vampires.

Some of them had attacked me with her outside a gas station in my first timeline.

The monsters look less scary now.

The air shifts direction with a sudden bite of cold.

Frost laces the rooftop beneath Elizabeth’s feet as Mortimer appears beside her, not so much stepping from shadows as pulling the darkness into himself to appear.

He drags other magics with him, as if they ride in on his gravity.

I always hated his transportation trick.

It’s unsettling.

His suit is immaculate, but there’s a tremor of violence in the way his magic hisses off his skin.

He doesn’t look at me.

He doesn’t need to.

His presence alone is a promise of pain.

Mortimer’s eyes narrow suspiciously as he looks at the magical markings on the roof and then glances up at the night sky.

“What game are you playing?”

“No game,” Costin says.

“Just tired of the past controlling our future.”

“Brother,” Elizabeth calls, her voice carrying across the distance between us.

“How thoughtful of you to make this so easy for me.”

Costin steps forward, positioning himself between me and the newcomers.

“Sister. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t accept my invitation.”

Elizabeth laughs, the sound like broken glass.

“And miss your pathetic attempt to break our bond? I wouldn’t dream of it.” Her eyes shift to me.

“Hello, little hybrid. Ready to be free of my brother’s influence? Or has he convinced you this ritual will actually work?”

“It doesn’t matter if it works, grandma ,” I reply.

She arches a brow and smirks.

“Is that the best insult you’ve got?”

“Why would it be an insult? That’s who you are to me, grandma sire.” My hands begin to shake.

I feel the moon’s pull.

It’s hard to resist.

Elizabeth grins and spreads her arms wide.

“Do you think you can break your bond to me?”

“I’m going to try.”

“Give it a shot. Try to kill me, little one. I might not have turned you, but you’re still bound by my blood.” Elizabeth takes a step forward, then stops as she notices the protective circles surrounding our ritual space.

“Clever. But not clever enough.”

She gestures to her followers, who begin to spread out along the roof’s edge.

Others land behind her.

I count at least twenty vampires and a dozen magics.

More than we anticipated, but not enough to overwhelm us if our own allies hold.

“Hey, Uncle Mortimer, I’m curious,” I call out, drawing his eyes so that he finally looks at me directly.

“Did you tell Elizabeth about your plans for me? Or is she just another pawn in your game?”

Mortimer’s smile falters slightly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No?” I step forward, feeling the power rise within me.

“Not going to mention the ritual you’ve been designing for decades? The one specifically designed for someone like me? The one meant to extract and transfer magical ability from a blank slate?”

Elizabeth’s head turns slowly toward Mortimer, her expression unreadable.

“What is she talking about?”

“Nonsense,” Mortimer dismisses, but there’s a new tension in his posture.

“The girl is trying to divide us.”

“Am I?” I press.

“Or am I just revealing what you’ve kept hidden? How many allies have you betrayed over the centuries, Uncle? How many schemes within schemes?”

“These markings won’t sever the sire bond,” Mortimer says.

“I told you they were lying. It’s half protection spell and half gibberish. And that bit,” he gestures at a series of markings, “is to summon… chicken nuggets?”

“Enough,” Elizabeth snaps, though her eyes linger on Mortimer with newfound suspicion.

I’ve seen firsthand what Elizabeth does to partners who get in her way.

I watched her tear Thane’s heart out of his body.

If I’m lucky, they’ll tear each other apart and save us the trouble.

“We didn’t come here to talk.”

She raises her hand, and her vampires surge forward.

At the same moment, Sully lets out a howl that splits the night air.

The werewolves emerge from their hiding places around the perimeter, their bodies already half-transformed under the moon’s influence as they scale the side of the building.

Sully was right.

I feel the pack’s raw energy humming in my nerves.

It invites me to join them.

Costin doesn’t hesitate.

He launches himself at Elizabeth.

They crash in midair, twisting violently.

A loud screech echoes out over the city.

Chaos erupts.

Vampires and werewolves clash in a blur of supernatural speed and strength.

The magics release balls of energy that illuminate the night sky with flashes of light.

Anthony and his friends create temporary barriers to protect our allies.

Astrid fights with deadly precision, slashing through her opponents as if she’s releasing centuries of pent-up frustrations.

I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her lethal magic, as I watch it reduce vampires to dust.

And then there’s Mortimer backing away from the front lines as if the chaos will provide the perfect cover. His calculating eyes fixate on me.

I step out of the fake ritual circle, moving to intercept him. The cold magic inside me surges, responding to the danger. It entwines with my vampire’s natural tendencies. I embrace it but no longer allow it to control me. At the same time my predator reacts to the moon’s pull and the werewolf battle raging around us. The primal urge starts to take over, fueled by the flashing lights of magic and the raw surge of emotions. It’s fire to the cold.

“Hello, Uncle,” I say, blocking his retreat. My gruff voice is not my own.

His face twists with rage. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, Tamara.”

Oh, and there’s hunger. The vampire and wolf want to hunt and feed. The need runs through me like lightning. It burns.

“Actually,” I smile, feeling my fangs extend, “I think I do.”

He throws a spell at me. It’s dark and oily as it slithers through the air. I raise my hand, deflecting it with a telekinetic shield. The spell splatters against it, dissolving into black smoke.

Mortimer’s eyes widen. “Impossible. Where did you get that?”

“You’ve been studying me my entire life,” I say, advancing on him. I draw a breath. The vampire doesn’t need it to live, but the wolf gains energy from it. “Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out eventually? That your precious blank vessel wouldn’t fill itself with a power you never anticipated?”

Around us, the fight rages. I catch glimpses of Costin and Elizabeth locked in their own deadly dance, neither gaining the upper hand. Sully and his wolves are holding their own against the vampire forces, their full moon strength making them formidable opponents. Anthony and his magics continue to provide support, though I see them beginning to tire.

And above it all, the moon climbs higher, its pull on my blood growing stronger by the minute.

“How did you get that power?” He backs up, his hands working frantically as he prepares another spell.

“I picked up a few things when I killed your buddy, Leviathan. He had an extensive collection of souls.” I deflect his next attack with a casual wave, the telekinetic force growing stronger with each use.

“He should not have had that power,” Mortimer blusters. “I would have known.”

The moonlight is too much. My pack mates howl. Their cracking bones echo over the roof as they shift completely. My leg jerks, the bone breaking. “I’m done being everyone’s pawn.”

Mortimer sees it too. His lips curl in a calculating smile. “You can’t hold it back forever. When the moon reaches its zenith, you’ll lose control. Just like every other monster. And I cage monsters.”

“Maybe,” I admit, feeling another wave of moon-pull wash over me. My arm breaks and fur sprouts over my chest. “But I’ll still be more in control than you’ve ever been.”

I reach out with my mind, grabbing him telekinetically before he can react. His body goes rigid as my invisible force wraps around him, lifting him slightly off the ground. It’s hard to hold on to as another cracking bone brings me to my knees.

“What are you doing?” he gasps, fear finally breaking through his composure. He kicks his feet and waves his hands as if trying to grasp onto something solid.

“What I should have done a long time ago.” I fall forward and crawl closer, maintaining my hold. “Ending your schemes once and for all.”

His eyes dart around frantically, looking for escape or assistance. “You can’t kill me. You’re not a killer, Tamara. We’re blood. We’re family.”

“I’m not the same person I was,” I answer. “But you’re right about one thing, I don’t want to kill you.”

Relief washes over his face, quickly replaced by confusion as I begin to pull at something within him. It’s not his physical body, but something rooted much deeper. It flows toward me like the cold power already inside me, but twisted and corrupt.

“What—” he chokes out.

“There is still room in this blank vessel,” I tell him, focusing the telekinetic force inward. Fur runs along my back. I can’t hold the wolf back much longer. I pull at the core of his magical essence. My growling voice comes out as a shout. “All the power you’ve hoarded, all the lives you’ve manipulated, all the schemes you’ve woven. It ends now.”

His magic fights back, lashing out against my hold. It’s slippery and dark. My hybrid strength gives me an edge he doesn’t possess. Slowly, painfully, I begin to unravel the complex web of spells and bindings that make up his magical identity.

Mortimer screams, a sound of pure anguish that cuts through the noise of battle. Several heads turn, including Elizabeth’s.

“What are you doing to him?” she demands, launching Costin off the side of the roof. Blood drips from her nose and I smell it calling me.

“Exactly what he planned to do to me,” I reply, not breaking my concentration. “Stripping him of power he doesn’t deserve.”

Elizabeth’s eyes narrow. She makes no move to interfere and help Mortimer. “You can do that?”

“Apparently.”

Costin flies back onto the rooftop, renewing his attack with increased ferocity. There’s something different in Elizabeth’s movements now. She’s not just fighting to win anymore. She’s fighting to survive.

Mortimer’s screams rise in pitch as more of his magic unravels. It flows into me.

“Please,” Mortimer begs, his voice barely audible. “Stop.”

He whimpers as the last of his stolen power flows out of him. I finally release him, and he collapses to the roof. He looks old and frail. The powerful magic that has sustained him for centuries is gone. He crawls on his stomach toward me, reaching out as if he can take back his power. His body stiffens and a breeze whips past, blowing him like snow into nothingness.

I didn’t intend to kill him, but that’s what’s happened.

“Goodbye, Mortimer.” I turn away from his final resting place, toward the larger battle still raging across the rooftop.

The last of my human form disappears into moonlight. Unlike the shifts I’ve experienced before, this is overwhelmingly inevitable. Bones continue to crack and reshape. Muscles tear and rebuild. Fur covers my skin. The pain is excruciating, but I don’t fight it. I embrace it fully. My mouth elongates and a howl erupts from deep inside my chest. The sound is met by my pack, like locator beacons telling me where they’re at.

A scream cuts through the night, sending me on high alert. Anthony. I charge toward my brother.

One of Elizabeth’s vampires has him pinned against a chimney stack, fangs inches from his throat. Without thinking, I rip the vampire away with a large paw and fling him off the roof entirely. I hear him smack into something hard.

Sully runs past, brushing up against me before leaping off the roof after the vampire. Anthony stares at my wolf form and then gives me a shaky nod of thanks before rejoining the fight.

I assess the battlefield. Our forces are holding, but just barely. The werewolves’ moon-strength gives them an advantage, but Elizabeth’s vampires are ancient and skilled. The magics on both sides seem evenly matched. And at the center of it all, Costin and Elizabeth continue their deadly dance, neither able to gain the upper hand. I watch as they transform into bats and dive toward each other in the air.

Two vampires converge on me, and I feel fangs bite into my shoulder. I growl in anger and fling them off. I pounce on the one that lands closest to me. I rip his head from his neck. His heart still beats and I smash into his chest with a heavy paw. His companion looks at me in horror before disappearing into the night in retreat.

I need to end this. Now.

With Mortimer’s power added to my own, I feel stronger than ever. The moon pulls at me, but it no longer feels like an irresistible force. It’s just another part of what I am now.

Moving to the highest point of the roof, I fight the full shift and raise my hands. I stand, half human, half monster. The telekinetic power surges outward in a wave, separating combatants and holding them in place. Not permanently, but long enough to get their attention.

And not all combatants. I let Astrid, Anthony and Costin maintain their free will. Astrid doesn’t hesitate to keep fighting and takes out her opponent.

“Enough!” My voice carries across the roof. “This ends now.”

All eyes turn to me in fear and confusion.

“Elizabeth,” I call. “Your ally has fallen. Your forces are matched. This battle will only end in mutual destruction.”

Elizabeth yanks herself free of my telekinetic hold. Maybe it’s the sire bond running through our line, but she’s too powerful to be restrained for long. She glares at me. “You think I fear destruction? I’ve faced death for centuries.”

“Then face it one more time,” I challenge. “But not with them.” I gesture to her followers. “Face it with me. One on one. Winner takes all.”

Costin’s head snaps toward me. “Tamara, no?—”

“Yes,” Elizabeth interrupts, a slow smile spreading across her face. “The hybrid against the master vampire. How poetic.”

“Tamara,” Costin moves toward me, his eyes pleading. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I do,” I tell him softly. “This is my fight now.”

Elizabeth laughs, moving to stand opposite me in the cleared space my telekinetic wave has created. “So eager to die, little hybrid? Even with your new powers, you’re no match for me. I’ve had centuries to perfect mine.”

“Maybe,” I agree. “But I have something you don’t.”

“And what’s that?”

I smile, feeling the moon reaching its zenith above us. “Perfect timing.”

The new transformation slams into me once more.

The werewolf emerges, but it doesn’t consume me. The vampire and magic remain, cold and calculating. And beneath them both, the core of who I am holds them in balance. No one alive has seen this before. Three natures, one being.

I rise to my full height, a hybrid in true form at last. Not human, not vampire, not werewolf, but something new and terrible and beautiful. Elizabeth takes an involuntary step back, her composure cracking for the first time.

“What are you?” she whispers.

I don’t answer. Words feel clumsy and inadequate in this form. Instead, I move, faster than she can react, my clawed hand closing around her throat. She fights back. Her nails tear at my fur, her fangs snap at my face, and her energy pushes against mine.

But the full moon sings in my blood, and Mortimer’s stolen power amplifies my own. I hold her fast, resisting her struggles, until finally she goes still in my grasp.

“Do it,” she hisses. “Kill me. Prove you’re the monster they all fear.”

I lean close, my muzzle next to her ear. “I’m not going to kill you, Elizabeth.”

Confusion flashes across her face.

“I’m going to do something much worse,” I continue. “I’m going to let you live. Live with the knowledge that you failed. That your brother is free of you. That the power you’ve sought for centuries will always be beyond your reach.”

I release her throat but maintain my telekinetic hold on her body. “You’re going to leave this city. You’re going to stay away from Costin, from my family, from everyone I care about. If you ever return, if you ever threaten what’s mine again, then I will kill you. And Elizabeth?” I lean closer still. “I’ll enjoy it.”

Fear, real fear , flashes in her eyes. She knows I mean every word.

I release her completely, stepping back. “Go.”

For a moment, she doesn’t move, as if she can’t believe I’m actually letting her leave.

“I’m going to kill everything you love,” she warns. “Starting with that human brat. This isn’t over.”

Then, with one last venomous glare, she turns to flee into the night. Costin steps into her path. For a second, I think he’s just blocking her exit. But then I feel the bond between sire and sibling breaking like glass. This wasn’t my mercy to give. It was his.

Costin’s hand dives into his sister’s chest.

Her eyes widen in surprise.

“I guess I can’t be as forgiving of your many sins,” he tells her as he pulls her against him.

Costin holds Elizabeth close, and they drop to the roof. I feel every emotion as it flows through him. Pain, regret, relief. It’s all there.

He lovingly touches her face. As if in slow motion, Elizabeth’s expression grays. I see pieces of ash floating in the air as she slowly dies. The wind picks up and carries her away. Costin lowers his head, remaining on his knees.

Elizabeth’s remaining followers hesitate, then scatter into the night.

The silence that follows is deafening. I stand in the center of the roof, still in my hybrid form. Around me, the wounded are being tended to.

Then Sully’s howl echoes in victory and my head snaps in his direction.

“Go,” Costin whispers, not looking up.

A howl erupts from deep inside and I let the moon take me. I fall to all fours and run blindly after my pack in celebration of our victory.