Carriages upon carriages had arrived to the estate. Emily stood by her window, watching yet another guest, another potential victim arrive. The occupants, a Lord and Lady from a near estate, exit the carriage. They were dressed for finery and frivolity. A traditional ball held by her family. A masquerade. She'd once enjoyed the night, having a reason to interact with people who were unaware of whom she was. Now the bait to lure her to her excision by her father.

Emily turned from the window and lifted her mask from her vanity. She placed the lace covered porcelain eyes mask over her face and looked into the mirror. She wore a fine white satin ball gown. Her shoulders were bare as the straps fell over her arms. The bodice and hem of the gown were embroidered and embellished with black thread and lace. Her mother's cross lay against her chest, her reminder and protector. Her brown curls fell effortlessly around her face. She turned from the vanity, moving toward her fate. She opened the door and ventured toward the stair case.

Emily could hear the music and laughter emerging from the ballroom. She took hold of the railing and descending the stairs. Each step seemed to take an eternity to make. Her hand trembled against the banister as she moved. Still she pressed on. Those voices, the laughter, the people within her own home were the reason she'd accepted this fate. The reason her mother had died in the beginning.

Her body felt like lead as she stepped off the final step. Emily turned the corner and continued to make her way the ballroom. As she ventured through the halls, her attention was drawn to her home. Portraits and paintings she's once found pointless, now seemed to mock her as she passed. Each stroke of the pen or brush seemed to taunt her of her impending death.

Emily passed through the opened doors into the grand ballroom. The walls and tables were decorated in fine red linen cloth. The fine glass ware was set on the tables. On the upper level of ballroom, the orchestra played exquisite waltz music. All the guests were dressed finely to match, each wearing a unique mask of their own. Emily ventured around the edge of the ballroom, watching for any sign of her father. But amidst the dancers and masks, Emily couldn't decipher who was who within the party.

A young woman stood on the edge, near the wall. She was a beautiful young woman, younger than Emily. She wore a flattering grey dress and matching mask. Her long brown hair was pulled into a bun to support her masquerade. But it was her partner that caught Emily's attention. Half of his face was covered in a white mask, but the remainder was exposed. He stood beside the young woman, conversing with her. Influencing her.

Emily took a deep breath. It was time to end what had been started centuries ago. She walked toward Ethan, keeping a great enough distance that he could not directly make a move for her without attracting attention to himself. She couldn't take on her father and Ethan at one time. Another bit of advice from Matt, divide and concur. If she could separate Ethan from her father for long enough, she could dispatch them.

Emily hurried past Ethan. She caught sight of his attention shifting to her fleeting figure. If she did this right, he wouldn't be too far behind her. She hurried out of the ballroom and closed the doors behind her. Emily took a deep breath. She needed a place to confront her brother. The house would be too dangerous for the guests. The forest would be no advantage to her. But the tunnels would be. The tunnels ran underground through every property of Order members. Matt had even explained that was how he'd gotten Emily out of the mansion that night.

Emily turned from the ballroom and hurried toward the tunnel entrance. Matt had told her the entrance was in the underbelly of the mansion. In the cellar. Holding the skirt of her dress, Emily ran toward the cellar. She hurried around the corner to the cellar door. She through it open and ducked inside. Emily ventured further into the tunnel using only the light from above to guide her. With her hand along the wall, she felt the smooth stone for the trigger.

Her fingers fell over the jagged design of the orders symbol. Emily pushed the trigger, catching the sound of Ethan's footsteps coming up on her. The stone wall slid open, reveal the torch lit tunnel. Emily quickly slipped inside, leaving the passage open for Ethan to fallow. She hurried through the passage, putting as much distance between herself and the mansion.

"Running away dear sister?"

Emily stopped. She turned slowly. Ethan slowly walked through the tunnel toward her. He'd removed his mask, revealing his horribly disfigured face. His skin was smooth, but stretched across his face. The corner of his right eye was forced closed by the burn, courtesy of the holy water canister she'd thrown at him.

"I never thought you as a coward, Emily. I actually admired your bravery-or was it stupidity- in coming tonight." Ethan said.

"I came to stop more deaths on my account." Emily answered.

"Do you think it's going to stop once you're dead?" Ethan asked.

The weight of her steak increased in her boot. She knew the killings would never stop, not after she was dead. "It doesn't have to end this way Ethan."

"I'm afraid it does Emily." Ethan answered.

For a moment, they stared at one another. Time froze within their steel gaze. Neither one was willing to make the first of many deadly strikes. Then, Ethan lunged toward Emily. Emily moved to her left. She brought her foot to the wall and used it as leverage to flip herself over Ethan. As Ethan charged to her last position, Emily reached toward her boot as her stake began to fall out. Emily landed not too far from Ethan. He turned angrily toward her and charged again. With the stake in her hand, Emily quickly moved into her defensive positions. She held onto the stake and followed Ethan's strike. Each grasp for her brought the stake to his hands. The garlic and holy water soaked stake burned him at every attempt.

They separated from their close combat. They slowly began mirroring each other's steps, moving in a small circle. Ethan glared at Emily while she simply followed him with her eyes. She could see the burning flesh of his hands and exposed wrists.

"I must admit sister, you have improved greatly since our last encounter." Ethan said.

"Did you honestly think I would allow my murderous father and brother to come for me without fighting?" Emily asked.

Ethan smirked, making him appear ever more deadly. "I'd hoped not."

"And you have received your wish." Emily answered.

Ethan charged again. Emily readied herself defensively, but in the midst of his attack, Ethan changed directions on her and she lost sight of Ethan. She stood in the silent corridor, waiting. Suddenly he came up and ripped the skirt of her dress. Emily turned toward him, but he was already gone. Another rip to her dress came from behind. Ethan came up behind her and struck. Emily had but seconds to duck, but Ethan's nails raked over her skin. Emily moaned and stood up. She could feel the warmth of her spilt blood roll down the fresh cuts along the back of her neck.

Ethan chuckled and attacked again. This time Emily was ready. She watched as he changed course again, but this time predicted where he would appear. She caught him coming up behind her and drove the stake through his hand. Ethan cried out and recoiled from Emily. Blood poured from his open wound in his hand. Ethan seethed in pain.

Emily took a step from him and ripped her tattered skirt from her dress. She untied the ribbon to her corset and removed the remnants of her gown. She tossed the fabric aside, away from her. She stood in the corridor in her black trousers and white peasant top. Emily felt the immediate freedom in her movements. She looked back at Ethan, recounting Matt's words to her in training.

"They're not your family Emily. Family does not shed their own blood. They are monsters who will stop at nothing to kill you. Do not let your feelings for them stop you."

Ethan looked up at Emily. "Never thought you would ever spill a brother's blood."

Emily shook her head. "You're not my brother anymore."

"Then what am I?" Ethan asked.

"Just a monster that needs to be stopped." Emily answered.

Ethan snorted lightly. "I can live with that."

"But for how much longer?" Emily asked.

Ethan smirked. "Only you can answer that question dear sister." And he vanished from her sight.

Emily inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The lights vanished and she stood in darkness. She felt her training return to her. She could hear everything, even Ethan's movements. She could hear him moving around her, slowly growing closer. He was coming up behind her, going for the kill. Emily spun around fast and struck out with her stake. But Ethan had anticipated her defense and moved slightly. The stake still drove into his body, but not his heart. Ethan's hands lashed out and slashed across Emily's stomach. Emily cried out and removed her stake from Ethan. Both moved back, tending their injuries.

Ethan's slash had been deep in her side. Even with her hand and arm covering the wounds, she could still feel the large quantities of blood emerging from the wound. If she didn't kill Ethan soon, he would kill her merely by falling unconscious from blood loss. But Ethan was fairing no better. The stake to him had rendered him left arm useless in his attack now. It hung lifelessly by his body. Both were dangerously wounded and both would surely die. Only one would die more quickly than the other, and both knew who.

Ethan charged again, this time directly for Emily. He slammed into her body, throwing her toward the ground with his body on top of hers. Emily hit the ground on her back and began sliding. She cringed painfully as the rough stone scraped her back. She kicked the ground, flipped them both over. Ethan was now sliding across the ground with Emily on top. She quickly drove the stake into his chest just as his claws slashed over her leg, throwing her off. Emily hit the ground and rolled into one of the corridor pillars.

Ethan skid into the wall far from Emily. Emily groaned and pushed herself up from the ground. She looked over at Ethan, lying on his back, breathing heavily. His head turned, looking around the corridor. His eyes found Emily. The bloodlust, the furry, the hungry, everything that had made Ethan a threat to her…was gone. His eyes looked at her in confusion, hurt, love. Everything he'd been before their father had destroyed their lives.

His lips trembled as he uttered a single word. "Em."

Ethan fell limp against the ground. His pale skin dried just as Ryan had months ago. His dried body dissolved into dust and blew away down the corridor, leaving Emily alone.

Emily exhaled painfully. She groaned as she rose to her feet, using the pillar as support. She pressed her arm against her side in attempt to stop the bleeding, but her injured leg remained uncontained. In her present state, she wouldn't be any match against her father, no matter how hard she fought. She would pass out from blood loss before she could even come close to delivering a devastating blow to him. She had to seal the tunnel before he found her, give her a better chance of returning back to the Order. Emily turned and traveled back through the tunnel. She slowly started limping through the tunnel.

Suddenly a strong force slammed into Emily, throwing her backwards. Her back slammed into the wall, knocking the breath form her lungs. Emily slid onto the floor gasping for air. Her vision spun dangerously, giving her no valuable images of the corridor in front of her. Someone grabbed her hair, lifting her head from the ground. Emily groaned in pain.

"It's over, Emily." Her father snapped.

"No." Emily said. She reached for the knife on his hip, but her father grabbed her hand, breaking the knife from her grasp.

Suddenly his grip over her was ripped apart. Her head fell back onto the ground. She heard something slam into the far wall of the corridor. Emily opened her eyes again and looked up. Through her blurring vision, she could see her father across the corridor from her and Matt standing between them.

"Matt?"

"You've stood in my way for the last time Anderson." William said.

"There won't another time, Devon. Not after tonight." Matt replied.

"You cannot stop me. I'm older and stronger than you. I have your blood, Rebecca's, and my son. I have more than enough strength to kill you." William said.

"Be that as it may, I have something you don't." Matt said.

"And what could that be?"

"I have your blood. And I have Emily's." Matt answered.

William growled viciously. "Impossible."

"When did you last stand in the sun?" Matt asked. "I did just this morning."

William snarled and charged Matt. Matt easily moved around him, allowing William to rush past him. He turned quickly, kicking William in the back. William staggered to the ground. He turned around and rose to his feet. "I must admit, Matthew, you have improved greatly."

"Did you expect me to spend two centuries doing nothing?" Matt asked.

"I'd hoped not. This should make your death that much more pleasurable." William answered.

"We'll see about that."

William nodded. "So we shall." He charged Matt.

Matt met William. He brought his arms up, blocking William's strike. He matched William's movements, leading him from Emily. Matt caught hold of William's arm and twisted it behind his back. He drove his knee into the back of William's, forcing him to the ground. William grunted as his knee was kicked from beneath him. He reached back with his left elbow, hitting Matt in the side. Matt grunted and lurched forward. William slammed his hand into Matt's and threw him over his shoulder onto the ground. Matt gasped in pain. William swung his arm down, right for Matt's head. Matt quickly rolled out of the way of Williams strike. The stone floor shattered beneath William's force. Matt rolled into the wall and inhaled deeply.

Emily dragged herself from the fight, behind one of the pillars. She took hold of her tattered dress remains and ripped a large strip of fabric. She quickly tied it around her leg, biting back the cries of agony as she did so.

William smirked. "I sense you're slowing down, Matthew. How peculiar. Are we injured?"

Emily took a sharp breath in. She looked out from behind the pillar. Matt was breathing heavily. She noticed the growing red stain on his white shirt beneath his coat. Had Matt been acting on a bluff? On an easy victory against her father? Had the wound she'd inflicted caused more injury than she intended? Matt's arm hovered over his wound.

"So we are." William said. He chuckled darkly. "You may have my daughter's blood, but it does you no good while dying Matthew." He charged Matt again.

Matt quickly ducked William's blow. The stone shattered above his head. Matt quickly rolled onto his shoulder, bringing up into a crouching position. He leapt back as William swung for him once more. William's strikes came quickly, each one as deadly as the last. Matt's focus was entirely on defense. In his current state, he would never be able to deliver a deadly blow. Not without some outside force.

William swung for Matt's head. Matt brought up his arm to block. William used Matt's upper body diversion against him. He swung his left leg up, kicking Matt's wound. Matt cringed in pain and doubled over. William kicked Matt again, this time in the face. Matt stumbled backwards into the wall. Blood trickled down his lip. The blood stain on his shirt grew larger. He would last much longer. Matt reached behind his back for his stake. He'd have one shot at this. Just one.

Emily dragged herself across the floor to her fallen dagger. Her battered body screamed in agonizing protest. The stone burned her leg and stomach with every motion over it. She reached her arm out for the hilt. She glanced over to Matt. Her father would kill him if she didn't do something. Not too far from them, Emily spotted the stake that'd killed Ethan by Matt's foot. Her fingers scraped over the hilt. Emily grabbed the dagger and pushed herself up onto her shaky elbows.

William moved closer to Matt. Matt moved as fast as he could, pulling the stake from behind him. He drove the stake towards William's chest, but William caught it. He held the stake, matching Matt's strength, overpowering him. William ripped the stake from Matt's grasp and shoved it into his chest, just below his heart. The force slammed Matt back into the wall. A simple push of the stake and Matt was as good as dead. William grabbed the dagger tightly in Matt's chest.

Suddenly William's back arched. William cried out in pain. Emily stood behind him. She held her dagger against his back, embedded near his heart. Emily slammed her elbow into the side of William's face. He turned quickly, catching her wrist. With a simply twist, the bones in Emily's wrist snapped. William kicked Emily's side, bringing her painfully to her knees. He reached behind and pulled the dagger from his back, tossing aside.

William grabbed Emily's shirt and lifted her up. "It's finished."

"No!" Matt yelled. He ripped the stake from his chest.

William bit into Emily's neck. Emily cringed as he father began to draw from her. William suddenly released Emily, tossing her aside. His mouth hung open as he cried out in pain.

"What's the matter father?" Emily asked. "Is my blood too much for you? Or is it the holy water?"

Matt wrapped his arm around William's neck and drove the stake through his heart. William looked down at the stake in his chest. He dropped to his knees in a stupor. His skin began to tighten around his face. His skin grew pale and began flaking from his body. William staggered forward onto the ground. His body burst into a cloud of ash on impact. The tunnel fell into a sudden silence.

Emily exhaled deeply. She laid her head against the stone floor and closed her eyes. It was over. It was finally over. And not a moment too soon. With the battle finished, Emily became fully aware of the extent of her injuries. Her wrist trembled over her body as she tried to slow the bleeding from her wound. She could hardly feel her leg at all, or much else for that matter. The extensive blood loss was beginning to affect her mentality.

"Emily." She heard Matt call.

Emily opened her eyes. Matt was leaning over her. He pressed his hand over her wound. Emily barely felt his touch.

"I'm sorry…I stabbed you." She mumbled. "I did mean to hurt you so."

Matt smiled lightly. "You didn't."

"But-"

"Remember what I taught you, lure them. Make them believe they have the upper hand." Matt explained.

Emily smiled. "Looks like I still have much to learn."

"We'll pick up where we left off." Matt explained. He carefully stood with Emily in his arms. "Once you're healed."

and breath! please note the next two hcapters are itty bitty. i'm not joking.