Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Petronus roared as he dove for one of the guns they'd brought with them. Carrick wasn't sure if the ancient vampire meant to shoot the creature right through the windshield and to hell with the consequences but it didn't matter as the pilots banked the plane sharply and the winged monstrosity unhooked his claws and disappeared from view.

Carrick flattened himself against the back wall as both of Petronus's aides rushed to arm themselves. He thought this whole horrid trip had been the worst night of his life but now he realized things were about to get much worse. He'd never heard of anything like that creature apart from fairytales about demons or gargoyles. Then again, if vampires and werewolves existed, what else could be out there?

Another thought struck him as he fumbled with the weapon one of the others pressed into his hands. What if that creature had freed William after all? Maybe one monster was helping another. He half-expected some huge, white Lycan to just show up and attack them next. He knew how to use the gun as Petronus insisted on everyone at his coven having firearms training, but it was one thing to fire at a target and another thing to try and take out an aggressive, flying attacker.

"Where is he? Come on, you bastard." Petronus was on a swivel looking out each of the small windows trying to spot the next attack. The pilots were flying low trying to use the huge fire as a cover hoping it would blind anyone who looked in their direction. The other vampires were all in battle mode, their eyes glowing that eerie blue in the dim cabin.

None of them knew when the next attack would happen but they knew their attacker wasn't going to just give up. Carrick had to force himself to remain still, listening for any sign of what might be outside the plane. He didn't even know where they were heading right now. There was only blackness outside the plane so they had obviously veered away from the explosions that had leveled the ancient prison.

"Sir? What was that thing?" One of the Death Dealers that had accompanied whispered. If a Death Dealer was afraid of this thing, what hope did a lowly archivist have? Petronus gave him a look of contempt.

"That thing is what's left of Lord Marcus. Obviously he was exposed to his brother's virus and became a monster as well."

"That was Lord Marcus?" Carrick's thoughts were spinning out of control. Had it been William's blood that had changed a vampire Elder into that creature? Would they all end up like that? The vampire archivist envisioned a whole horde of monstrous hybrids rampaging everywhere, slaughtering everything in their path. It could bring about the extinction of all life on Earth if it was as contagious as he'd heard.

"If anyone sees him, sound out immediately." Petronus was clearly frustrated. He was a vampire of action and standing here waiting for an attack was trying his patience. As if in answer, there was the sound of metal screeching above them and all four vampires looked up as though they could see through the metal.

"If you get the opportunity to shoot him, take it. That's an order." Petronus glared in Carrick's direction for a moment but the archivist had every intention of shooting Marcus if he was able. He might be terrified but that didn't mean he wouldn't defend himself.

The door suddenly buckled as a huge weight was thrown against it. They all backed away but there was no further movement. Was Marcus going to take the plane apart piece by piece? Considering airplanes hadn't even existed the last time he'd been awake, maybe he didn't know what he was doing and was testing different methods.

They needed to land and soon because in the air they were no match for the winged monster. Too bad they were in the middle of steep mountains with no likely spot for a landing. Perhaps if they hadn't blown up the damn castle, they could have landed in that narrow spot where the helicopters had been but that was gone now along with everything else.

There was the sound of something tearing and then a strong odor made each of the vampires frown as they tried to place it. The plane lurched and then the engine began sputtering.

"He cut the fuel line!" One of the pilots yelled, terror evident in his voice.

"Is there anywhere to land quickly?"

"There's a space up ahead if we can get to it. It would help if we could lighten the load, sir."

Petronus snarled and ripped the door open. They were low enough that the pressure outside wasn't going to suck them out but the air blasted through the cabin making all of them scrabble for something to hold onto.

"Rip the seats out. Get rid of everything but the weapons." The two Death Dealers and Carrick hastened to obey, grabbing whatever they could and tossing it out the door into the darkness. Vampire strength was coming in handy as they were able to hold their own against the wind.

Carrick didn't know if Marcus had been left behind or if he thought he had ensured their death by cutting the fuel. At any moment he expected a snarling monster to appear at the open door and shove its way in to kill them all. The thought occurred to him that even if they landed successfully, they would be vulnerable on the ground to a winged monster who could easily attack them from the air but what choice did they have? Even vampires likely wouldn't survive crashing into a mountain.

"We're still too heavy, sir." The pilot called back as he struggled to control the wavering aircraft. Petronus snarled in irritation, sounding more like a Lycan than a Blood and then he took a few of the heavier weaponry such as the grenade launchers and tossed them out too. The plane leveled off a bit so it must have actually helped.

Carrick tried to peer out the closest window but it was too dark to see where they were. They had to be close to their landing site but he had no way of knowing if they were going to make it or just smash into a mountainside instead. The air was freezing as it rushed over them and swirled around the cabin.

"Someone close that door." Petronus was standing by the front cabin looking over the pilot's heads at whatever was ahead of them. The Death Dealers didn't move and Carrick realized he was the closest one and they expected him to do it.

The archivist inched forward until he could reach the door. It didn't pay to think about the possibility of falling out so he concentrated on clutching a bar on the wall while grabbing the door and trying to pull it towards him despite the wind dragging it back outward. It shouldn't have been this hard to close it but even his vampire strength couldn't make it move more than a few inches. It was almost as if something was holding it open…

Almost as soon as this thought went through his head, there was a wrenching sound as the door was ripped completely off its hinges and before he could even react, a huge, clawed hand came through the opening and yanked him forward. Carrick couldn't even scream as he felt himself falling through the darkness and then he was brought to an abrupt stop.

Dangling in mid-air, Carrick didn't dare move enough to see above him but he could feel the air buffeting him with each stroke of Marcus's wings. He shook in fear, expecting to be dropped to his death at any moment. Hot breath flowed over his face as he locked eyes with the mutated Elder. There seemed to be amusement in those dark eyes.

"What do we have here? A cowardly vampire? Any Death Dealer would have attacked me by now even if it meant his own death."

"Please sir. I'm just an archivist. Lord Petronus dragged me along against my will. There's no reason to kill me."

"Kill you? I saved you for a reason. If you stayed on board that plane, you'd be dead but I think you're more valuable to me alive for now." Carrick gaped at him, unable to process what was happening. Why was he being spared? What did Marcus mean when he said he'd be dead if he stayed on the plane?

The sound of an explosion tore through the air. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a fireball bloom in the darkness. Horror rushed through him as he realized it was the plane. He had no love for Petronus but the ancient vampire had at least been a known quantity whereas Marcus and his motives were a complete mystery.

"Right on time. That's one of the bastards down but there's plenty more to go. Did that fool really think I would let him escape? I admit it was amusing playing with his fears but it's more satisfying knowing he's gone. The humans do make so many fun toys these days."

"What did you do?" Carrick's mouth was dry, he was shivering with the cold air and his continuing fear, but he had to know.

"Explosives attached to the fuel tank. I just had to wait until I secured a prisoner before detonating them."

"What do you want from me?" Carrick could think of several possibilities, none of them good. Marcus's expression was impossible to read in the near-dark but his teeth gleamed white as he leaned in close until their faces were almost touching.

"Just a little information. Try not to struggle. I wouldn't want to drop you just yet." Before Carrick could ask what he meant, the mutated vampire's head snapped forward. He had time to register the teeth being buried in the side of his neck and the bloom of pain and then everything went away.

The helicopter ride seemed to go on forever. Strapped into his seat, Singe could only keep an eye on Lucian in the seat across the aisle. The Lycan Alpha was slumped in his seat with his head leaning against the wall. His breathing was even but Singe could still smell the coppery scent of his blood with a faint tinge of silver overlaying it. He'd cleaned the wound as best he could but a more thorough treatment would have to wait until they reached safety.

It was pitch black outside and everyone else was asleep or absorbed in their own problems. The whir of the blades was distracting rather than soothing and Singe found himself twitching anxiously in his seat. So much had happened in such a short period of time and his mind whirled with a litany of questions.

Would William's treatment hold? Where had Marcus gone? Could the events of today spark a whole new phase in the war or could it finally lead to the peace they'd always wanted? There was no way of telling how many people Petronus had contacted and whether they'd believe him enough to mobilize a large response.

They'd counted on the vampires largely being complacent about the supposedly dwindling Lycan population while they'd built up their numbers in secret. But there were plenty of vampires who remembered William and how terrifying a threat he had been. If Petronus had told all the coven leaders that William might have been freed, they would stop at nothing to hunt him down along with anyone who helped him.

Despite all his worries, Singe must have drifted off at some point because he was jolted awake by the helicopter landing. Corvinus ushered them all off only to board another one and keep travelling. Apparently, Alexander was concerned about being tracked and was trying to throw any pursuers off their trail by having several of his copters flying in different directions.

It was nearly dawn by the time their third copter arrived at their destination. Singe was surprised to realize they were on a ship when they disembarked this time. He could smell the ocean and feel the slight motion of the waves even though this was a fairly large craft. As soon as they were all off, the helicopter took off and headed back out. It left the scientist slightly uneasy as it was another escape route if something went wrong but they'd trusted Corvinus this far so hopefully he knew what he was doing.

"Welcome to the 'Helena.' The others are already here so why don't we join them below decks? I'm sure you're all famished." The immortal human led the way towards a doorway while crewmembers did their best to stay out of their way. Lucian was walking under his own power but his movements were stiff and careful which raised come concern from Singe.

Below decks, Alexander led them to a cafeteria. It was deserted of crew members but Raze, Isadore, Selene, and Michael were there. Raze jumped up as they came in and hurried towards Lucian. The beta wolf looked concerned as he approached his alpha.

"Sir, they said you were hurt." He was obviously looking Lucian over, trying to find any signs of how serious it was. Lucian was limping a little and looked pale but he waved off Raze's concern.

"It's not that bad. I'll live. Are the others here as well?"

"All of our people and the other vampire are here. Anton and Greta are keeping an eye on William and Karl in the infirmary."

"William's condition is stable? No problems?" Singe couldn't help but feel anxious. He wanted to be here to keep an eye on Lucian but he really should go check on his patient. Lucian patted him on the shoulder.

"Go on, doctor. I'll be fine and I'd prefer you monitor William right now." Singe had no choice but to obey his alpha. He followed a crew member down a long hall to the ship's infirmary. He could have located it by smell alone but he let the human lead the way.

The room was small but laid out in an efficient manner. There were five narrow beds, three of which were occupied. William was chained to one, still clad in the protective suit minus the helmet. The chains were silver which would definitely help if he woke up and started struggling but the first Lycan was still sound asleep.

There were two empty beds and then Karl occupied the fourth. Singe hurried over to check on his packmate. The older Lycan was unconscious but his wounds showed signs of healing. There was an IV in his arm but no other medical assistance which made sense. Most human drugs didn't work well on Lycans or vampires. Their metabolism burned through it too fast. Karl just needed to rest and he should recover fully.

Greta was curled up asleep on the last bed. Anton sat in a chair between the two and gave Singe a tired smile. Everyone was exhausted after these harrowing hours escaping from the destruction of the prison. Anton had been the one who had spent the most time with Henryk. He was probably blaming himself for not realizing what the former Lycan was planning to do.

"The doctor just stepped out. He said Karl was healing well and he should be fine. No one knows when William might wake up so one of us has to watch him at all times."

"It doesn't have to be you. You need to rest too. You're no good to the Pack if you work yourself into exhaustion."

"I haven't been good to the Pack in so long. All those wasted years. I think you're the only one besides Greta who still treats me the same way, my friend."

Singe was a little uncomfortable at the sentiment. He'd tried to keep himself occupied in his work and not get too attached to anyone. Pack members died all the time and while Lucian and Raze were friendly towards him, they had their own concerns and often left him alone for weeks at a time as they'd laid the framework for their grand plan to end the war. Anton had been his closest friend for years before he'd lost his way. It had hurt more knowing his old friend wasn't dead but imprisoned and lost.

"You're still the same to me. Anyway, I'm here so you can get some sleep if you want. Has anyone located Marcus?"

"Not from what I've heard. I prefer to keep watch. Greta can relieve me when she wakes up."

"At least promise me you'll eat something. We all need to keep our energy up."

"Yes. We've still got a long way to go." Anton's eyes strayed to William for a moment before he slumped down and rubbed at his face. William's scent was still an odd mix of Lycan and something sharper and more primal that made their inner wolf wary.

Singe went over to the bunk to examine his patient more thoroughly. William was breathing evenly. His heartbeat was faster than most Lycans but it was beating regularly so the Lycan doctor didn't think it was a cause for concern right now. His albinism made his skin very pale under the fluorescent light. His hair was a very pale blond, almost white. His face looked very young. If he didn't know how old William really was, he would guess his age at mid-twenties rather than well over a thousand years.

The door to the infirmary opened and he turned to see Dr. Jablonski entering. The human scientist looked utterly cheerful without the exhaustion that everyone else seemed to be feeling. Then again, he'd been evacuated earlier so maybe he'd had time to get some proper sleep. He was carrying a covered tray and the smell coming from it made Singe's stomach growl. Anton wasn't the only one who hadn't eaten lately.

"Room service!" Pawel grinned at having the attention of both werewolves. Greta stirred and then opened her eyes, sniffing the air with interest. Pawel put the tray down on a nearby table and then handed out plates of pork cutlets and glasses of water. They all ate their fill and felt much better afterwards. Singe hadn't even realized how hungry he really was until now.

William didn't stir, even for the scent of meat. Either he was really in a deep, healing, sleep or not even the prospect of food could wake him to his new reality. Singe glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was already past dawn. The vampires would be trapped in their covens but they had plenty human connections they could mobilize. Still, it gave them a cushion of time to plan before nightfall.

Lucian came in after Pawel had departed with the trays. He seemed to be moving better now and he waved off Singe before the doctor could do much more than get to his feet. His eyes swept the room, taking in all its inhabitants before settling back on William.

"Status report, doctor." Lucian seemed relaxed which meant whatever he'd discussed with the others wasn't anything immediately troubling.

"William seems stable. There's no telling when he will wake up. His body has taken quite a shock. Karl is recovering. He should be up and about in a couple of days." Lycans healed fast but Karl's side had been ripped open and the deeper the wound, the longer the healing. "And you, sir? Are you sure you don't want me to take another look at your injury?"

"No need. I had Michael finish the job. There's no time for weakness, not now." Singe felt a twinge of jealousy and a perfectionists need to check the wound himself but if Lucian wasn't interested, there wasn't much he could do. The overhead speaker crackled to life, making all of them look up instinctively.

"All senior personnel on deck, please! We have incoming." Lucian snarled a little at whatever this new problem was and then motioned Singe to follow and practically ran to the upper deck through a maze of narrow corridors, nearly running over some of the human crew members as he went. Singe struggled to keep up with his Alpha's longer strides but curiosity made him move faster than he was accustomed.

The sky was overcast and the air smelled of salt and the promise of rain as they emerged above decks. Alexander was standing near them, looking westward. The vampires were nowhere in sight, apparently unwilling to test their supposed immunity just yet but Raze and Michael were both present.

"No need to worry. It appears Marcus has decided to rejoin us." Corvinus sounded annoyed with his eldest son but Singe could only feel relief. He'd been picturing enemy aircraft bearing down on them, weapons firing nonstop, like he'd experienced during the Second World War. He supposed one winged monster was preferable to that.

Marcus appeared as a dot in the sky that steadily grew bigger. Broad wings swept him through the air strongly as he angled down towards the ship and his allies. Singe frowned as he realized Marcus was carrying something rather large. As he got closer, they could see he was clutching some large bundle wrapped in cloth. What could be so important that he would slow down his flight to bring it with him?

Marcus landed gracefully, his wings folding back as he regarded them with a menacing grin. He deposited the bundle on the deck as he transformed back into his human form and Singe's eyes widened as he realized what was so familiar about the wrapped shape. It was a person, or rather a vampire judging from the acrid smell and the rapid heartbeat. Why on Earth had Marcus brought a vampire here?

"Would some of your men mind moving my guest below decks? I'd rather not have him burn after all the trouble I went to bring him here."

"Who have you brought us? Petronus? This doesn't seem like a good idea." Alexander stood stiffly, eying his son as he tried to figure out what was going through the hybrid's mind.

"Oh no, this one is a useful fount of information and I'd like to keep him alive a little longer if I can. Don't worry about Petronus. What's left of him won't be bothering any of us again." Marcus's grin widened at his father's disapproval.

"Are you saying...?"

"Yes. Petronus is dead."

A/N: I apologize about the long wait between chapters. I've been battling illness but I'm still plugging away at both my ongoing stories. I'm determined to keep updating them but I can't say how long it will take for the next chapter. Hopefully, not as long as this one did.