I made my way into the courthouse in search of familiar faces. I scanned the room, and as an elite crouched low and took down a vampire, I saw Hunter in the back corner, defending his own against a small group of bloodsuckers. Beside him, with all of his fierce emotion displayed on his features, I watched Eli slam a piece of metal through Tay’s back and out through his chest. Tay fell to his knees… before turning into nothing. Before Eli could catch his breath, one of Hunter’s vampires advanced on him, catching him off-guard.

I sprinted over to them, ducking and dodging other fights. On the way, I passed an elite who thrust three stakes into a vampire’s chest. As the vampire began to turn to dust, I retrieved a stake from his decaying body for my own use and ran up the four steps before jumping off the edge of the altar, landing right on top of a vampire. I drove the stake down through his spine and pierced his heart. As I fell to the ground with a pile of dust, Eli tore the head off of his own competitor and tossed it away like it was nothing. He started for me, but stopped when he saw Hunter not quite holding his own against the massive, seven foot vamp. I handed Eli my stake and pulled myself to my feet, dusting off the dead vampire. Eli ran up to Hunter’s vampire and drove the stake through his back. The vampire froze and looked over his shoulder. He was way too thick for that one to pierce his heart. Eli took a quick step back and I ran to his side.

“What should we do?” I muttered, gripping his arm.

The vampire snarled, and Eli grabbed me, pulling me down with him as the vampire whirled around and came at us. He held me under his body, tightly against him and I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for impact. It never came. Instead, a large pile of dust rained down on us. Eli was first to move and he slowly released me. I peered over Eli’s shoulder and saw Hunter standing there, twirling a stake.

“That was awesome!” he cheered, making Eli and I laugh nervously.

That was too close for our liking and that vampire was way too big to fight bare handed.

I turned to survey the room and watched as the last vampire had its heart ripped from its chest. Outside, people cheered and I knew then that we had won. We did it.

“How did you get them to help?” Eli asked, pulling me into him.

I shrugged. “I spoke to them, but they didn’t seem too convinced when I left.”

It all happened so quickly. One minute I was getting married, the next the courthouse was torn apart and everyone was in panic. Now, it was over—almost as soon as it began.

“We would have lost if it weren’t for them,” Hunter added. “So whatever you said to them to make them help, helped.”

The three of us trotted from the courthouse and into the air outside. In the distance, thunder crackled, and sure enough, rain began to fall. It wasn’t heavy, it was just right. Just enough for us to cool down. As I held Eli’s hand, no one spoke, instead we looked at the sky, letting the drops moisten our skin.

“Ruby Moore?” A short white-haired woman spoke, drawing my attention. I didn’t let go of Eli’s hand. I wouldn’t anymore. I recognized the woman as part of the council and instinctively, I inched closer to Eli. Her face was streaked with blood, whether it was hers or not, I had no idea.

“Thank you,” she said and I nodded my head.

“Where’s Cesare?”

“We don’t know… he’s here somewhere. We have elite guards combing the city now.”

“I hope he’s going to suffer for the stress he’s put us all through.”

The woman nodded and smiled kindly. “Yes, he will. Whatever punishment you see fit is exactly what he’ll get.”

Me? “You want me to sentence him? I have no power to do that.”

“I’m giving you the power to do that.”

She turned and walked away, leaving us alone.

“I hope you’re going to give him hell, Rubes.” Hunter chuckled, pulling off his wet jacket.

I will. He'll get exactly what’s coming to him.

Chapter Seventeen

“It is with great honor that I offer Mr. Ivan Aleksandrov a place on the council.”

The crowd clapped and cheered, wolf whistled and shouted. Mr. Aleksandrov, in his plum colored robe, strode across the stage to receive his award. It was a pretty award, small and gold, just perfect to sit on a table to display. Everyone was here to see the council open themselves up. Invitations were sent out to others like us to bring them into this no longer secret circle, and despite their fear of having the people reject them, they wanted to make our world a better place. Everyone was happy to learn about the council, they weren’t bitter or mad, and that made me happy. It meant that our society wasn’t all bad, and like any society, faction, or movement, there was always one person willing to destroy it all.

Mr. Aleksandrov cleared his throat before speaking into the microphone. “I feel very honored to receive this award today. The last couple of weeks have been anything but easy. Years ago, if you asked me if I’d have done anything to change the way our society is, I would have said no. Back then, I was ignorant. I was happy being told what to do, but not today. Today I stand proud with a group of very special people. These people taught me that there’s no such thing as black and white and that you should always strive to do the things that make you happy. Sage Sanctum makes me happy. Being a headmaster makes me happy, but I cannot make others happy locked up in the school. It is with great pride and happiness that I accept the seat offered to me and it is with great promise when I say that I will always work for our society, not against it.”

He stepped away from the mic and everyone roared. My cheeks were threatening to split I was so happy for him.

The white haired woman, Fauna, I learned her name was, stepped up to the mic. “Thank you, Mr. Aleksandrov. Inviting Mr. Aleksandrov onto the council was a tough decision. The last thing we wanted was to overwhelm anybody with the thought of being governed by five people, but know that the government structure we have in place will not change. You’re now aware of us, but that doesn’t mean we have to get rid of the higher power all together. As council members, we are very busy and can’t always leave the city, so, we’ve decided to appoint a new figure head as higher power. This new person will lead you and work actively to keep you safe. This person is someone who has sacrificed a lot for this society. This person has proven themselves time and time again and this person is someone who I know, without a doubt, will do great things.”Fauna’s friendly gaze fell onto me. “Miss Ruby Moore, we are offering you the position as higher power, if you want it.”

Again the crowd went crazy and my mouth fell open as I slowly rose to my feet. Beside me, Eli and Hunter clapped and cheered as I slowly walked up the stairs and over to the microphone.

“Uh…” I laughed nervously. “I wasn’t expecting that.” I looked down at the crowd, who watched me with big, awed expressions. What was I meant to say? I cleared my throat. “I’m absolutely floored that the council thinks me worthy of this position, but I’m not.”

The spectators sounded their disagreement, but I shook my head. “I don’t even know how to look after myself, let alone thousands of people.”

Mr. Aleksandrov strolled up beside me and pulled me away from the podium. He moved me to the side where no one else could hear our conversation. “You are ready for this, Ruby. This is what you were meant to do.”

“But I—”

“You are a leader. You are strong and confident. These people need that. Together, we can change this world for the better.”

His kind violet eyes flared, making excitement bubble in my chest. I bounced back to the microphone. “I accept the role as higher power.”

The council members rushed to congratulate me and pulled me over to the side of the stage as Fauna took charge again. “We have too many people to thank for their efforts, too many to name at this moment, but there are four more men that I would like to acknowledge in front of everyone. Like Ruby, these men have fought hard for the truth. They suffered under the hands of Lucian and Cesare, but as of today, they will be guided by Ruby’s soft hands and the hands of the council. In front of you all, I present Eli, Hunter, Lyric and Xavier, previous guardians of Ivan Aleksandrov, with white uniforms and offer them places on the elite guard.

Elites came out holding freshly pressed uniforms and handed them to the boys. I was smiling now, watching smiles spread over their faces.

“We are aware Mr. Reeves is a god, but he defended this city like a guardian would. From this moment forward there will be no discrimination between species. Cesare has proven that it creates a poison within our society. We should not hate love, we should nourish it. Love is the base of all happiness, that, I truly believe.”

My heart swelled and threatened to burst from my chest at any second. I barely had a second to look at Eli before he put his uniform down, jumped up from his seat and leaped the small stairs in two bounds. He crossed the stage in three steps and pulled me into his arms. I giggled, despite my nervousness.

“We did it.” He smiled.“We can be together.”

“We can.”

Eli slammed his mouth to mine, drawing another round of rowdy applause. Finally we were together. Finally we were able to put our love on show and not be ashamed of it… unfortunately, I had something else I had to take care of before I could allow myself to truly be with Eli. I had to talk to Hunter and find a way out of this sire bond.

“And lastly,” Fauna shouted over the top of the crowd. Eli released me. “We have one last matter that needs to be cleared up.”

In the distance, the sound of chains rattling drew my attention and I watched as the elites pulled along a little metal box with bars on the side. The spectators booed and kicked the metal carriage.

“Cesare, former council member. He is accused of many, many things, murder being the most prominent on the list.” Her tone turned dark and hateful. “It’s up to Ruby to sentence him however she sees fit.”

I stepped up to the podium as the elites pulled an exhausted old man from the box. Cesare peered up at me through his dark hair and smirked. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Let him go,” I said. Everyone protested my sentence and I raised my hand, silencing them. “He has ruined many lives… taken others. I’m not like him. If I take his life, it makes me just as bad. So let him go.”

The elites, Tate being one of them, removed Cesare’s shackles.

“If the council approves my sentence, you are forbidden to leave the city. I’ll have Mr. Aleksandrov bind you to this place and you can exist among your people, the people you turned against you, for the rest of your life.”

“You think you’re capable of ruling? You don’t even have the stomach to kill me!” he spat. “You’re weak.”

“Choosing not to kill you makes me stronger, you fool and you can spend the rest of your life trying to figure out how.”

I turned from him and sheepishly toward the council. “Do you approve my sentence?”

The whispered among themselves for a few minutes before giving me and the elite guards standing with Cesare a swift nod. “Shackle him back up until Aleksandrov has bound him to the city.”

Celebrating this small victory, I left the stage to talk to Hunter. I expected him to hate me, but instead, he forced me into a hug. It was a genuine hug, one that radiated how happy he was for me.

“Are you okay?” I asked when he pulled away.

“Sure, I’ll be all right.”

“I wish it could be different, but he—I—we—this is all we’ve wanted.”

He smiled and it was a little sad. “I get it… epic love and all of that. I know now that you never loved me.”

“Hunter—”

“Let me finish, I thought you did—I was certain you did—but the more time I spent with you, I began to notice your patterns. You love me like you love Mila, Lyric, and Xavier. No one makes your heart race the way Eli does… and I’m happy for you. I really am.”

It meant so much to hear Hunter give me his blessing. I thought it would be hell trying to get him to understand, but I didn’t have to tell him anything. He felt it all. Hunter pulled back from me. “I was going to show you after the wedding, but now seems a good a time as ever.”

He rolled up his sleeve and exposed a small crescent moon shaped tattoo on the inside of his wrist. Beside him, Lyric leaned across and flashed me a glimpse of his sun tattoo.

“Don’t say I never do anything for you.” Lyric said, looking back to the stage.

I gaped at him. “You got bonded to a guardian?”

“Yep and since it started working, I haven’t felt any of your emotions.”

I tried really hard to hide my excitement. “Really?”

He nodded his head. “I feel nothing.”

I pulled him into me again, squeezing him as hard as I could. “I feel terrible for being so happy right now, but I can’t pretend.”

“And I don’t expect you to.” He kissed the side of my head. “Now go, go run things.”

I whirled on my heel and went to bounce away from him, but quickly stopped.

“We’re always going to be a team, right? All of us?”

Lyric and Xavier heard me and grabbed Hunter. Lyric tucked Hunter under his arm while Xavier smacked him in the sides. He tried to fight them off, but his laughter deterred any progress he might’ve made.

“We’ll always be a team.” Xavier smiled as they let Hunter go.

I headed back up the stairs and straight into Eli’s arms. I wanted to stay there forever and I would have if Mila hadn’t shown up.