Outside William's house, they all crouched behind a bush, while Aneisha created a shield of energy around them, so they could talk without being sensed by William.

"Are you guys ready?" Sky asked, looking from her brother to Aneisha and then to Tom. Dan looked hard and made of stone, impenetrable. Somewhere in the back of her head, Sky wondered if that's what love did to you, if it made you strong and unafraid, even when you may very well be walking straight into your own death. She quickly delved into Dan's mind and saw an image of Zoe as he saw her, someone who consistently had unimaginable horrors thrown in her path and who, more than anyone, possessed the right to, as soon as the shock had worn off that came with finding out she was undead, take off her necklace and walk out into the sunlight, but she didn't. Instead, she had done what she'd always done – she'd pushed through and fought for her right to live, even when she was technically dead. Sky saw the strength and the passion that he saw in her and she felt the adoration that he felt for her, that pure love that in nine hundred years, she'd never had the privilege of experiencing for another person. It was so strong that it ran down her spine and through every nerve in her body, making her shiver violently.

"I really wish you wouldn't do that." Dan said, casting her a cold look.

"Trust me, after that, I won't be doing it again." Sky replied, slightly shaken. Dan's expression softened and he looked over at Tom and Aneisha. "You two ready?"

Tom motioned to the backpack between his shoulder blades, which Dan knew was filled with weapons, while Aneisha waggled her fingers.

"Sky and I'll go in and then you two follow us. Try and get as close as you can before he senses you." Dan said.

Aneisha nodded. "I can't shield you once you leave us."

Dan shrugged and exchanged a glance with Sky. "We'll have to risk it. Hopefully he won't notice me, he'll just notice Sky."

Aneisha nodded. "Good luck."

Dan nodded and then he and Sky were gone, faint blurs in the distance. Tom glanced at Aneisha and intertwined his fingers with hers. "You okay?"

Aneisha nodded. "Let's do this."

Sky walked through the back door while Dan went around the side. She moved as slowly and carefully as she could, hoping that William couldn't hear her. As she made her way to the kitchen, she thought she was in the clear, until she felt a hand wrap around her throat and hold her up into the air.

"Skylar." William hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." Sky replied, almost forcing the words out from her constricted throat.

"In nine hundred years, you've never come to see me once." William snarled.

"Probably because every time I do, you do this to me." Sky said, kicking her legs back and forth through the empty air between William and herself. William narrowed his eyes at her, but he said nothing as he set her down on her feet.

Sky rubbed her aching throat, but she forced herself to smile up at him and not to look at Dan as he climbed in through the window. Dan gave her a pointed look and Sky yelled, "Now!"

Before William could turn around, Dan was on him, his nails digging into William's shoulder as he plunged one of Tom's daggers into the Old One's lower back, right down to the hilt. William roared in rage and Dan jumped off him, moving to stand beside Sky as the watched him try to grab the handle of the dagger so he could pull it from his back.

Tom and Aneisha chose that moment to crash through the back door, Tom putting himself protectively between Aneisha and the thrashing Old One.

"Dan!" Tom shouted, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a large sword, throwing it towards him. Dan easily caught it, swinging the sword in his hand and then kicked William backwards, into the wall. Before he could recover, Dan was there, plunging the sword through his stomach and impaling him with it. William grunted and squirmed against the sword, but Dan had driven it so far that it had gone through him, pinning him to the wall. As he reached to pull it out, Tom sent another two daggers, their blades coated in Holy Water, flying towards him, watching as they sunk into his shoulders.

Then, together, Dan and Tom surged forward, pinning the Old One to the wall. Aneisha stepped towards him, her expression impassive as she asked, "Any dying comments, William?"

William turned to look at Dan. "She'll hate you, you know. For lying to her. Your beloved will not appreciate being lied to. She won't want to be with you."

Dan grimaced. "That's a chance I'm willing to take, if it means she's free of you." He glanced over at Aneisha and nodded, watching as William's lower leg exploded into flames and he screamed. Over the roar of the flames and his own panting breath, he managed to choke out, "You need . . .You need to protect her. From herself. The Hunters are watching her – watching all of us."

"Neish." Dan said, glancing over at her. Aneisha sighed heavily, but she controlled the flames so that they still surrounded William's leg, but not a single flame touched his skin. Dan glanced over his shoulder at Sky, who silently took his place at William's side as he moved to stand in front of him. "What do you mean, we have to protect her from the Hunters?"

"I picked . . ." William started, looking down quickly at the flames that he could see licking at his leg, but he couldn't feel it. "The girl that Zoe killed. I should have picked someone else. That girl – Keri – she was the daughter of the leader of the Hunters. If . . . If Zoe kills, they'll come after you all. You need to stop her. You need to protect her, my son."

Dan's blue eyes were blazing as he took a step back. "I'll look after her. And I am not your son."

He looked over at Aneisha and nodded. Aneisha stepped forward, her expression dripping with hatred. "This is for my mum, you bastard."

And then, before he could make a sound, the flames completely consumed his entire body.