A/N: In honour of CoFA COMING OUT TOMORROW, here is one of the most intense chapters of this story. It was difficult to get the flow right, so let me know what you think!

CHAPTER 25 – Blood Undone

In one motion, Julian turned and leapt at Jacob, who was still lying prone in the middle of the blue-black pentagram. He was so fast that his movement blurred. He was on Jacob before Victoria had finished crying out, "NO!"

Julian tossed aside Jetty, who must have run to Jacob's side without being noticed. She flew and skid across the floor with a desperate cry of her own: "JACOB!"

And then he was biting down on Jacob's neck like a snake's strike, viciously, and drinking from him. Victoria threw herself forward, faster than she though possible. The strength from Julian's blood coursed through her and she slammed into him with all the force she could muster. It was like hitting a brick wall, but they both rolled away from Jacob.

Jake's torn throat splashed blood across the pentagram, which began to glow with blue fire. Julian, his mouth stained red, gave a predatory grin and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them again and fixing his gaze on her. His teeth were no longer sharp and pointed, his face flushed with colour. Vic froze. Is he…?

Kaden, on the other hand, didn't stop. He ran at Julian, blade in hand. Victoria's heart flew up to her throat and she was on her feet again. For a moment she was filled with an indescribable feeling; Kaden was fighting for her still, even after what he had seen.

She was about to step in when Christian appeared in front of her. He grabbed her by the wrists and yanking her forward forcefully.

"Now is the moment, Victoria," he hissed in her ear. "The in-between of the spell, when he is vulnerable. When he is human." So Julian is human again. But why was Christian telling her this? She jerked away from him, scowling.

"Let go!"

"Do it, Victoria," he urged, and Vic heard a certain desperation in his tone. She looked at him carefully, but he just threw her wrists back at her and whirled around, striding away and slipping through a door. Vic didn't follow. That's all he wants, Victoria realized, to be free of Julian. Just like her.

Yet he was too much of a coward to do it himself. Victoria was no coward. She would fight.

But Vic hesitated, looking to Jacob for a second. She saw that Jetty had crawled back to his side and was holding his face in her hands. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips moving rapidly with what looked like a faery spell. Vic opened her mouth to shout at her, but then noticed the blood flow from Jacob's neck slowing, stopping–

Jetty was healing him. And when the faerie opened her eyes, her gaze was pleading and desperate and… full of something else. Something Vic suddenly recognized as love. Or as close as someone so young could get to it. And somehow, she knew that Jacob was in good hands.

Victoria looked back at the two boys locked in the fight. Julian had drawn his own blade from his belt and it didn't matter if he was human again; his skill still outmatched Kaden's. Kaden was currently holding his own against Julian – he was a warrior, after all – but Vic knew that he wouldn't win, and that she couldn't bear to see Kaden hurt. She realized with a start that that was how she'd looked at him the first time Julian had hurt him, in a way that was parallel to the way Jetty was looking at Jacob right now.

Since when had she come to care so much about this strong, beautiful, naïve boy?

She was jolted out of her thoughts when Kaden's seraph blade skittered across the floor as he cried out and clutched his bleeding hand. Julian, instead of going in for the kill, tossed his own blade down and punched him square across the jaw, knocking Kaden senseless to the floor before turning to Victoria.

"One drink from you and it will be done," he said, his breathing ragged. He was relentless, stalking forward. But Vic couldn't help but notice he had lost some of his vampire grace, and as he neared, she could feel the heat of his body, see the pulse in his throat.

Everything had happened so fast up until now, and it was then that she knew what she had to do.

"Stay with me, Maria," he continued. "Let me do this, and once I am immortal you can join me, and we will be together again." And then his hands were wrapped around her upper arms in a hot iron grip, her back shoved against the hard stone curve of a pillar.

"Julian," she gasped his name, and time seemed to slow. His eyes, dark and fathomless, locked on hers. Only they existed. Everything else fell away and he was human again. Could she do this? In that moment, the world seemed to stop as his lips met hers, hands sliding up to cradle her face and wind in her hair. Her own hands came up from her belt, around his body in an embrace–

And drove the dagger home, straight through his back.

She jerked the dagger back out, letting it clatter to the floor. She felt him stiffen, drawing in a sharp breath as he pulled away from her mouth, dark eyes open wide and staring down at her. His lips were parted, but he didn't say a word.

Vic knew the instant he was gone. The warmth had left him once again, and when he crumpled to the ground she went with him, arms still wrapped around him. She didn't realize she was crying until his shirt was soaked with her tears.

Kaden touched her shoulder gently. Her sobs had slowed, but her cheeks were still wet, her face pressed against Julian's cold, silent chest. "Are you hurt?"

Yes. But that wasn't the kind of hurt he was talking about. Julian had loved her, however twisted, and she had loved him back in a way, despite everything. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.

"No," Victoria replied quietly, her voice scratchy. She pushed herself up, feeling the sticky, widening pool of Julian's blood soaked into her clothes. Red, human blood.

She looked up at Kaden, who was staring down at her concernedly, green eyes wide. His jaw was purpled with a bruise where Julian had punched him. She reached up and touched his face hesitantly with two fingers. He didn't flinch.

Then she looked past him, to where Jetty was with Jacob, hugging him tightly. Jake was sitting up, his face bent to rest on her head as he hugged her back. When he looked up and saw Victoria he disengaged himself gently from Jetty's grasp.

They both stood, motionless for a second before Jacob ran to her and she took him tightly in her arms. He almost knocked her over again, reminding her that he wasn't a kid anymore. But in this moment, he needed to be held like one. And she needed to hold him.

"Jacob," she said, just his name, the sound of it carrying overwhelming relief.

Kaden watched, surprised by the intensity of his own relief that Jacob was okay. He was bone-tired and sore all over from fighting Julian, but every moment, every second of hardship, of pain and difficulty, was worth it, just to see the look on her face when Jacob was in her arms again.

Julian was dead – she killed him herself –but he knew as he looked into Victoria's eyes that something in her had died with him. He knew by the sound of her tears, and the silver bracelet that still hung around her wrist, and Kaden knew Julian would always be a part of her. And his chest ached to see her pain, but there was nothing he could do.

It was a fragile moment when Jacob took her hand. Jetty stood to the side, looking small and solemn. Jacob took her hand as well, and Victoria reached out and laced her fingers with Kaden. Her eyes held inexplicable sadness, but that warred with happiness and relief. Kaden held her fingers tightly.

And they walked silently from the house, hand in hand just like that.

Right into the waiting arms of the Clave.