"Rosto and Jenn?" Daydream squealed. "Oh I never would have guessed. And in the supply closet none the less. Oh Rosto, you dirty boy." Daydream found the whole situation hilarious and not disturbing. How were we best friends?

"Why aren't you mortified, like me?" I demanded.

Daydream gave me a grinning shrug. "I'm not his adopted big sister. I see him as a very attractive young man. And Jenn sees him even more so, apparently."

I groaned and stuffed my hands in my sweatshirt. We were sitting outside in the area that overlooked the training grounds. It had stopped raining and the sky was completely clear with the bright half moon lighting the few overachievers who were still training. It was nice and quiet, something we didn't get much of these days.

Connor still hadn't woken up from his prophesy induced sleep so Erol volunteered to keep an eye on him, rather than deal with me. Couldn't blame him. I was a total creep with the insensitive way I'd blown them off. Still, what was done was done. There was no going back and no point in regretting. Jordan stayed on the other side of the compound with some girls gathered around him while he sniffled about me. I had a feeling he was going to bounce back no problem. David, who wasn't allowed to train after injuring himself in the fight the night before, was being kept busy by Aldo. The guy bugged me but David seemed to enjoy talking to him. Everyone else spent the rest of the night training for the first time in a week.

So, with everyone else busy, I spent the whole night alone. I oversaw some training and got in some sparring but I felt completely separated from the nearly three hundred people around me. I should have been used to this. I'd spent the last few months pushing people away so I could be a more efficient general. But tonight, the loneliness ached. It was nice to finally get some time with Daydream.

"So," I sighed, trying to get the subject away from Rosto's sex life (EW!). "What do you think of all that stuff Connor spouted off last night?" I never got the chance to ask her since everybody split up to calm the troops and get things ready for training and I hid in my room wracked with fear.

Daydream looked thoughtful for a moment before blowing air through her parted lips, sounding kind of like a horse. "Hell if I know."

"But you're a prophetess," I chuckled, "aren't you supposed to understand the visions of another?"

She shook her head and played with her long black hair. "I'm with you Mari. I don't think he's Nyx's. If he's blessed by some other god…maybe their prophets work differently? I don't know! Just sounded like nonsense to me."

I stared up at the moon. "Bummer. I could have used a hint or two."

"We'll all help you, Mari," Daydream quickly replied, placing a hand on my arm. I looked over to see her staring at me with a concerned mother look on her face. "It isn't all up to you. You have a support system for a reason."

I nodded and forced a smile. Would any of them want to help me if I kept at this distancing myself thing? I had told Daydream about what I said to Erol and Jordan. I didn't need to tell her why I did it. She completely understood. I mean, I could tell she didn't necessarily approve but…she understood. And she definitely didn't make me talk about it, which I loved.

I opened my mouth to respond to Daydream's supportive words but she quickly looked out into the darkness. "What is it?"

"He's here," she replied.

"Who is?"

She looked at me like I was an idiot. "Lucas." I sighed and glanced down at the people who were coming in from training. He was probably waiting for them to disappear just in case. Damn, I thought. I really don't want to do this yet. "So what do you think?"

"We wait and hear what he has to say," I sighed, accepting the inevitable. "Desmond will somehow know he's here and sneak out to supervise so…I guess it couldn't hurt to get this out of the way."

Daydream nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

When Lucas finally appeared from a shadow he seemed disappointed that we weren't surprised. "Was I being noisy or something?" he asked, leaning back against the railing.

Daydream gave him a weary look. "You don't exactly have a presence that can be easily ignored.

I stood in front of him and crossed my arms over my chest. "What do you want? Spit it out quickly before the warriors notice you're here."

He smiled, humor dancing in his green eyes which, I realized, were even more piercing now that he was physically here. He pushed back his sandy hair. "I should think it's obvious. I want our teams to come together. I have nearly four hundred vampyres in a compound not too far east of here. Together, we could do some good. Plus I know of several smaller groups of vampyres and humans who would readily join us. Many have heard of you, through prophets mostly, and have expressed interest in finding and joining you." He stared hopefully into my eyes.

"I'm sorry," Daydream scoffed, "but don't you hate humans?"

Lucas turned to Daydream with a hard expression on his face. "I could do without them, yes, but I don't hate them, per se."

"You do realize I'm a human, right?" I said, daring him to respond.

He smiled down at me and I suddenly realized how much taller than me he was. "Well, you're a special human. But, yeah I do realize you're human. You kind of reek of it." I pursed my lips in irritation. "Look, the point is, we have a common goal. It's like you said," he sighed, nodding to Daydream. "We all believe vamps have the right to exist. And…for now that's what matters."

I stared up at him. "You've killed humans."

"Only the ones who needed it. Besides, I hear you have a similar reputation." I continued to stare. This should have been a black and white situation. I had killed to protect myself and my groups. I didn't drink their blood and get off on it. So why didn't it seem like a black and white situation? Why did it feel incredibly grey? "So what do you say?"

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Would you take an oath, should we agree to this arrangement? An oath to the group. An oath to protect everyone, human and vampyre, in battle. Because I can't be worrying about infighting. War is too difficult with three sides."

Lucas nodded. "I agree completely. That's why I wanted to team up." I stared, waiting for his answer. He rolled his eyes. "Of course. I would take an oath and make everyone in my army take an oath."

I looked back at Daydream for a yea or a nay. Her face was blank. I rolled my eyes. She was just going to be a spectator in this match. "We'll discuss it. Come back tomorrow night for an answer. Might I suggest you come in astral form? Just in case."

He agreed, placed his fist over his heart and exited. "Oh goddess," I sighed, placing my hands over my face. "What just happened?"

Daydream chuckled dryly. "Three became two, just like Connor said."

I sighed and looked out at the horizon. "Everyone is going to be so mad." I took a deep breath then turned to Daydream. "We should get inside, rain is going to start up again."