She stood alone, staring out of the high windows of her flat. In her hand, she clutched her phone and there was a number highlighted on the screen.

"Sorry, I missed you. Leave a message and I'll get back to you, soon as."

Where are you? She thought.

Hanging up the phone, she tossed it aside and turned to stare out at the city of London. The Thames bridge was bustling with late-night activity. Taxi's, buses, and other transport hurtled around the place, dropping passengers off at destinations, and picking others up.

Despite it being dark already, the night was still young.

Buzz. Buzz.

She turned and snatched the phone from the desk. "What happened? Are you okay?" she asked, immediately.

"Ellie?"

She sighed. It wasn't him. "Cole, hey," she said, running a hand through her hair.

"What's going on? Everything alright?"

She couldn't tell him. He wouldn't understand.

"Yeah. Everything's good."

"You sure? That pick up sounded frantic. What's up?"

"Honestly, Cole, everything's fine. I just thought you were someone else, that's all."

The line was silent before Cole replied. "Dad wants to know have you made a decision?" he asked.

"I thought I had more time?"

"You've had all the time in the world, El, we can't give you any more. This is happening, and it's happening now."

She swallowed. This wasn't good.

"We're leaving first thing tomorrow," said Cole. "Dad wants your answer by first light. If we don't hear from you, then we'll know you've chosen the wrong side."

"There shouldn't be any sides!"

"Wake up, Ellie!" Cole snapped. "This is a war. There are always sides. We just hoped that you would choose the right one. The one you born into."

"I wasn't born into any side. I make my own choices, Cole. I'm not a warrior, remember? I'm a leader!"

"A good leader knows when to be a follower. Unfortunately, for you, little sister, you still have a lot to learn. Good luck. I'll make sure Dad knows your decision."

She paused, glancing out at the brightly lit city again. "I'm sorry, Cole," she apologised.

"So am I."

Click.

BANG!

THUD!

She whipped around as the door crashed open and a body was tossed inside.

Running out from behind the desk, she knelt beside the body. His arms were bound behind his back with silver masking tape, and his eyes were closed. His breathing was laboured but he was, thankfully, still alive.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked a male voice. He had a British accent.

She looked up. Her eyes were hard with fury and contempt.

"Pretty little thing, aren't you?"

She slapped away the hands that had reached for her. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!" she snapped. "I'm Ellie Bronwyn, and my father will not be pleased with the way you're intending to treat me."

Laughter. That is all that met her words.

"Graham Bronwyn has no control here," a second voice said. Again male, and also British. "He works for us."

"My father works for no one!" she said.

"He does now."

Two strong hands grabbed her shoulders and hauled her to her feet. She struggled, kicking and squirming around. She threw her head back, wincing slightly as it connected with the man's nose. He released her with a howl.

She hit the floor on her knees and quickly scrambled across the wooden panels to the bedroom. She hooked her fingers into the floorboards and pulled two loose, digging around inside for a small crossbow.

"Come here!" the man said, grabbing her ankle and pulling her back out into the living room.

She rolled onto her back, kicking at his hands. "Get off me!" she yelled, holding up the small device and firing it. A pin hit the man squarely in the head, knocking him back. She knew it wouldn't hurt him, but it would give her a few spare seconds to grab her gun.

"Idiot!" the second man said, stalking past her companion. He grabbed the teenager's ankles again and flipped her over.

She groaned as her head hit the wooden floor. Her eyes slid out of focus for a few seconds, and she could just make out the hazy silhouette of a person standing over her.

"The others will be disappointed to learn that a hunter has swapped sides," said the second man. "It's a shame, really. But if you intend to protect them, then you can die with them, too."

Movement near the door caught her eye. Her friend was waking up. Slowly coming out of the wolfsbane induced coma they had put him into after they had caught him. "I'm curious," she said. "Before you kill me. Answer me this: what wolfsbane did you use on him?"

"What kind of hunter are you if you don't know that?" the second man asked.

"I guess I could ask you the same thing," she said. "Because he's not a regular werewolf. He's part Kanima."

The two British Hunters looked around as a growl echoed from the other side of the room. The creature they had captured was fully awake, and now back on his feet. His eyes had shifted from normal blue to green with black slitted pupils, fangs protruded from his gums, and each finger now housed a curved claw.

"And both sides are pissed!" he growled.

As both hunters initiated a fight, she scrambled back into the bedroom and reached beneath the double bed, pulling her gun from its confinements. She then got to her feet and rushed back into the living area. It was like a tornado had blown through. Pictures and lamps had been smashed, pillows had been ripped apart, and there were claw marks in the walls and furniture.

But, right now, none of that mattered. All that did was finding out who had sent the Hunters.

"Ellie!"

She turned and held up the gun, firing a single round and hitting one of the Hunter's in the shoulder. He staggered and fell to his knees, before toppling forward and landing on his stomach, right at her feet.

Breathing heavily, she lowered the gun and looked across the room. She gave a tired, yet relieved smile and stepped over the Hunter, throwing her arms around her companion's neck and hugging him tightly. They broke apart briefly, and their lips met.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded and looked back at the hunters. "Better than this pair," she said.

"Good. I wouldn't have wanted to kill them prematurely."

She smiled and kissed him again.

"Now, let's get some answers."