Nyx POV

Several hours later, I was in Clarke's room, looking up at the ceiling as I tried to catch my breath. Clarke was doing the same.

"I don't think I can move," Clarke spoke through gasps of air.

I chuckled breathily and replied, "I'll take that as a compliment, love. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Mm, I think I might have pulled a muscle or two."

I rolled onto my side and kissed her gently, "I'm sorry. I forget that I can get a little over exuberant during this time of the year."

"Just a little," she laughed and traced over the length of my neck and shoulder, eliciting a slight shiver in response.

"I'm being modest, okay."

She stretched slowly and I took that time to admire her beauty. She saw me watching and ran a finger lightly on her stomach making her skin break out in goosebumps. I growled low in my throat and captured her hands, pulling them above her head as I kissed her hungrily.

I eventually woke up and looked out of the window, noticing that it was nearing midnight. Clarke was asleep and since I was awake, I decided to take a shower. As I showered I took a moment and sent caresses down my bonds with my other loves and they sent one back. I sighed in contentment and turned my focus on relaxing my muscles under the pressure of the water.

I was lost in my thoughts when a sharp pain exploded through me making me double over and cry out in pain. I whimpered as the tears coursed down my face, mingling with the water. I searched my mind for the cause and found it. Lexa and Dani's bonds were weakening. Something had happened. Something very, very bad. I called out to them but I couldn't get an answer. I tried Indra, but I was met with the same silence. That's when I started to shudder and new pain coursed through me. It was so bad, that I couldn't cry out. I reached out blindly and turned the water off. I tried to climb out of the shower as the pain rippled through me and I felt my own power surge. I cried out when I realized what was happening. I was being forced to become de Pakstoka. I cried harder because I knew Lexa was dying.

There was an anguished cry from the bedroom and I knew Clarke had felt it, too. I crawled out of the bathroom on all fours until I could finally wrap my arms around her. She cried into my shoulder hard and I could barely rein in my own tears as my body continued to ripple and writhe as the power settled around me.

The door slammed open, slightly knocking it off its hinges.

"Rein it in, Nyx," Seph yelled as she came closer.

I groaned in pain and replied, "I can't! It's Lexa. Something's happened to her and I think she's dying. The power's passing to me. God, it hurts so damn much."

I reached for Clarke's hand and brought it up to the inhibitor and used her thumb to deactivate it. I dropped her hand and it immediately clung to my shoulder. I removed the disc and felt my powers settle and the pain lessening. I closed my eyes and sent waves of healing power down my bonds to keep Lexa and Dani alive and stabilize them until I could get there.

"Seph, get Cora, Lincoln, Damien, and Abby up here right now," I commanded.

She nodded and flew out of the room to do as I told her.

I extricated myself from Clarke and made her look at me, "Clarke, honey. I'm keeping them alive right now, okay. They'll be stable until I get there, but I have to leave for the capital immediately."

"Don't, don't leave me," she wailed.

"I don't want to leave you, niron, but I have to. I need to. I'm de Pakstoka now. I have to find out who did this and execute them as soon as I get the information out of them I need. I'll make sure that they both live. I swear to you, Clarke. I swear to Mother Earth that I will do everything possible to bring her back to you alive."

"You do," she whispered.

"I do," I said and kissed her. "I've got to get dressed, okay? I want you to put some clothes on too. You're going to see a lot of guard movement and a lot of people scared, but I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that? Can you be strong for me and Lexa and Dani?"

She nodded mutely and I slowly got up. I went around the room and started pulling my clothes on as Clarke did the same. There was a pounding of footsteps and then they filed in and kneeled in front of me. Abby stood stunned at what they did and I motioned with my head to her to go to Clarke. She moved around us and went straight to her, where I heard the crying start up again.

"I believe that the mansion's been attacked," I told them. "Lexa, Dani, and Indra are hurt badly enough that I can't get a response from them. I want all council members in the bunker and sealed up tight and warded. No one gets in or out. I want the Manassas pack and mages in this compound then seal it up with wards. I want this camp sealed up and make sure Raven gets the shield up and running. I want double guards on the bunker, compound, and walls. Understand?"

"Yes, de Pakstoka," they said as one.

"Persephone you're in charge of the council members. Cora, the compound. Lincoln, the camp. Damien, I need ten able bodied men in a transport and ready to go in 15."

"We'll make sure it'll get it done," Seph said as they stood up.

"Good. Once I ascertain the damage, I'm shutting down the mansion. All important personnel, information will be coming here. This is the new capital. Once I have the three VIPs stabilized and secure, they'll be traveling with Ben in his truck along with an armed escort. I'll let Persephone know when they're on their way. I'll be staying there until I get it all straightened out. In the morning, I want another wall built along the entirety of the city. Get as many mages as you can to build it and then ward it tighter than an oil drum."

"Yes, de Pakstoka," they replied and took off to do their jobs.

I sighed and walked back over to Clarke and Abby.

"Abby, I need you to take Clarke into the bunker and sedate her. She's going to be feeling everything through the bonds. She'll lose her mind if she stays awake. Understand?"

"I understand. Find these people, Nyx," Abby replied fiercely.

"I intend to," I replied just as fiercely. "Get her out of here."

She nodded and helped Clarke to stand up. When she was standing she lunged for me and kissed me greedily. I hugged her tight to me and then turned her over to Abby. I ran up to my room. I pulled off my clothes and searched for my tactical gear. I dressed quickly and all the weapons I had in my room, I strapped them on and then ran down to the garage. I suited up in my armor and packed all the weapons I could onto my bike. I revved the engine and tore out of the garage and raced to the main gate. The armored transport was waiting and the gate open. I gave the command and we were racing towards Clifton.

We arrived in two and half hours and I skidded to a stop in front of the fountain as I took in the damage. The upper floor was gone and one of the wings was completely blown apart. One of the guards ran up to me as the transport pulled over to the side.

"Stokripa, you don't need to be here. We've got everything under control," the guard said.

I let my power unfurl slightly and he staggered to his knees, "Like hell you do Lieutenant," I turned to my guards and said, "Spread out. Look for any missed survivors and begin digging through the wreckage for the point of origin."

They took off towards the mansion and I hauled the guard up to his feet and dragged him over to the side and said, "You better explain how this happened, Lieutenant, or you will be missing body parts."

He stammered out, "There was an explosion a little over three hours ago. We have yet to determine the cause or the point of origin. We've been evacuating the survivors and built a triage in the back courtyard. That's all we know at this time."

"Round up all the council members, heads of security, and I want a headcount of everyone here and I want to know who's missing or dead. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, de Pakstoka. We managed to pull Ms. Devereux, Ms. Rendon and Pakstoka Indra out from the wreckage. They're in the medical wing being treated. We've posted guards at every entrance and walking the perimeter."

"Good, you're not completely incompetent. Now go and get me those reports."

"Yes, de Pakstoka," he said and ran.

I walked over to the medical wing and made my way to the emergency triage. I walked in through the double doors and stopped. I growled threateningly as my rage built and I stalked to where I knew they were being worked on. I wanted to wail at what I saw, but I couldn't. I left my rage simmering as I dismissed the healers to the side. I held my hands out and slowly lifted the shrapnel from their bodies and when the last of it was out, I tossed them aside and began working on repairing their broken and bleeding bodies. It was time consuming because I didn't want to give their bodies any more reason to quit. When I was done, I looked at their vitals. They were stronger and steadier, but they weren't quite out of the woods yet. I ordered them to finish my work and turned abruptly and walked back out into the carnage.

One of my guards ran up to me and bowed his head before he said, "de Pakstoka, we've found the point of origin and are removing the debris carefully so we don't disturb any evidence."

"Good, take me there."

He took off running and I followed, easily keeping up the pace. We came upon the small group that was slowly removing the debris while trying to make sure the rest of the structure didn't fall down on them. I immediately stabilized the structure and ordered them to stand back. I gently lifted the debris off of the area, keeping what was underneath from moving. When the last of the debris was gone, I entered the area and started scanning it. I found bits and pieces of metal and plastics and set them aside until I couldn't find any more. One of the guards had moved the pieces to a table and waited for me. I nodded in thanks and slowly rebuilt it, piece by piece. It was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle, but eventually it was remade. It had indeed been a bomb and a concussive one at that. I let the pieces fall back apart and took one to sniff it. I let my wolf rise a bit and we inhaled deeply. I recognized the smell and growled. It was a mixture of ANFO, RDX, and EGDN. It was common in the Coalition armory. I inhaled again and picked up the two separate scents that did not belong to anyone I was familiar with. I shifted quickly and prowled around to find their scents, they were still fairly fresh, so they had recently been here before the explosion went off.

Find them.

They immediately shifted and took in their scents and took off to find the two responsible of this. I shifted back and headed straight to Ben's lab. The area of the building was intact and I knew that Ben had warded the room to withstand a nuclear bomb blast.

I pulled out my communicator as I made my way and said, "Ben, do you copy?"

Almost immediately Ben answered, "Oh, thank god, Nyx. Are you here? Is it safe to come out?"

"I'm here and it's not quite safe yet," I answered. "Let me in."

The ward came down and I strode in and quickly locked the door and the ward. Ben ran to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back just as tightly and then pulled him away from me so that I could look at him.

"Are you okay, Ben," I asked.

He nodded hard and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I shit my pants when the explosion happened, but the wards held. I could hear screaming and shouting after my hearing cleared. Is, is everyone alright?"

"No," I said. "Lexa, Dani, and Indra were severely injured in the blast. I've got them healed up as best I can right now, so their stable and we'll be able to move them soon to Manassas. Please tell me you copied the packs' servers."

"I did. As soon as I started working on the shield problem with Raven and Monty. Something told me to do that and I've been backing them up daily."

"Good man," I said smiling at him. "I want you to pack everything necessary and have it ready to move out at a moment's notice, okay. By the way, did you happen to build any inhibitors?"

He grinned at me and pulled out a small box of the discs, "There's over sixty in there. I know that's a bit overkill, but you know."

"That's fine, Ben. You did good building this many. I might just have to use them all."

He pulled out a large bag and dumped them in and handed it to me, "They're already geared to your biometric thumbprint. So, all you have to do is slap them on and press the head."

"Ah, Ben you've outdone yourself," I said and gave him a hug. "Look I've got to go now and get these bastards. I want you to stay here and keep the ward locked until I tell you to. Do not let anybody in. No one."

"Yes, ma'am. I'm not leaving."

"Good, I'll radio you when it's safe to come out."

I walked out of his lab and waited until I felt the ward lock behind me and then made a beeline for the office. It looked like a tornado had torn through here. I growled at the mess and hoped that whoever had been in here hadn't found anything important. Once more, I used my telekinesis and gathered every piece of paper, picture that could be found. I pulled out hundreds of folders from the desk and placed them into the duffel, grateful that Ben had the forethought to give me a large one. When I'd gathered everything I could find, I walked around the room and went to every hidden spot that I'd ever been shown. They hadn't been touched and I removed everything from those spots. I walked over to the bookshelf and pulled a book down to open a secret room. This is where all the highly classified information was kept. I gathered everything up and pulled the hard drives. Satisfied, I went back to Ben's lab and dropped everything off but kept the inhibitors. I walked out back and began inspecting the triage and that's where a couple of my guards found me.

"de Pakstoka," one of them said, "We've found the men. They were three miles east of here on foot. We've brought them to the holding cells and have warded the cells."

I nodded, "Take me to them."

They escorted me to where they were holding the perpetrators and I growled when I recognized the man who had been pointed out to us by Clarke. I said nothing as I slammed his head against the table and placed a disc on him and activated it. I left his cell and went to the next one. I felt my rage build as I saw that it was Councilor Drovich. Instead of slamming his head down, I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall and placed a disc on him.

"I should have known that you'd be involved with this, Drovich," I snarled, my face mere inches from his own.

"You should be destroyed, Nyx Allistar. With your powers you could destroy the world," he snapped at me.

I slammed him against the wall again and replied, "You attacked the wrong women, Drovich. Now, I'm de Pakstoka and you are dead."

I dropped him and he collapsed, holding his neck. The ward locked behind me.

I turned to the men who had followed me, "Strip them completely. I don't want to give them any chance at killing themselves until I have all of the information out of their heads."

"Yes, de Pakstoka," the said and they each entered a cell.

I walked out of the cell and was greeted by the Lieutenant that I had spoken to earlier.

"The reports you asked for, de Pakstoka," he said bowing his head.

I scanned the reports and noticed that a quarter of the guards were missing.

I glared up at him and said with deadly steel in my voice, "Where are the guards that are missing from you roster, Lieutenant? And you better not lie to me."

"Their whereabouts are unknown at this time, de Pakstoka," he replied trembling.

I growled loudly and demanded, "I want all of your men in this courtyard in five minutes, Lieutenant. I don't care if they're helping. They are to drop what they are doing and get here. Now!"

He nodded and I heard the call go out. I heard mad scrabbling as I waited and I picked up an ammonia smell, the damn Lieutenant had fucking pissed himself. I scanned his mind and discovered that he had been involved as well. I took a disc out and placed it on him. He yelled out in surprise.

"Run, you die," I said, my voice deadly and he nodded weakly.

I placed shackles on him and then turned to the men assembled in front of me.

"Attention," I commanded and they immediately fell in. "You run, you die."

"Yes, de Pakstoka," they yelled out in unison.

I scanned their minds and found about ten more traitors. I pulled them immediately to me and held them in place as I put inhibitors and shackles on them.

I turned my attention to the ones still standing in formation and said, "These men were all involved in tonight's attack. I have placed inhibitors on them so that they can no longer use their powers. Five of you will escort them to the holding cells, strip them of their clothing, leaving them naked. You are to remain guarding their cells until it is time to deal with them. The rest of you, I am missing nearly twenty guards from the roster. Find them, arrest them, strip them and place them in the holding cells. Now, who's ranking?"

One of them stepped forward and replied, "I am, de Pakstoka."

I walked over to him and handed him the list, he nodded and then took over the men. I turned to one of mine and he directed me to where the council members were being kept under ward. I entered the room and they all started clamoring at once.

"SILENCE," I yelled and they quieted immediately

"Now see here, Nyx Allistar," one of them stood up and said, "We demand to know why we have been placed under guard and ward."

"Sit down, Councilor," I replied coldly. "You will not speak to me in this manner. Until further notice, I am de Pakstoka. You are here because the mansion has been compromised. This is for your own safety."

"Lexa," Councilor Gardner whispered horrified.

"She's stable as are Dani Rendon and Pakstoka Indra. That is all the information I can give you at this time."

"The people responsible for this," Councilor Stevens asked.

"Caught."

There was a nods of approval, but something caught my attention and I turned to look at Councilor Collins. I quickly scanned his mind and motioned one of the guards that had entered with me to place him under arrest. I placed an inhibitor and he was escorted out of the room.

"My apologies, Councilors," I replied without a hint of emotion. "I seemed to have missed one."

They sat in stunned silence as they looked at one another and I said, "Now that that matter is cleared up. I can speak to you about what is going to happen. Once everything has settled for the moment and it is safe to begin transporting the wounded, you will be escorted to Manassas. As of right now, Clifton is compromised, placing each of you at risk. There will be quarters waiting for you which will be warded and guards roaming the perimeters. For the time being, Manassas will be our new capital until another city is found and fortified. You will not be leaving this room until it is time to go. Your belongings will stay here until we have a chance to clear the house of personal items. If you have medication that you absolutely need, one of the guards will gather that up and bring them to you. Understood?"

They all answered in the positive and I said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Councilors, I have work that must be done."

With those final words, I left and began helping with the rescue operations. When we had found all the survivors of the blast and the dead, did I finally stop and grab a quick bite and drink. I walked over to the holding cells and grabbing a camera to record their confessions, I headed to the interrogation room. A guard went and grabbed Kilpatrick and then sat him at the table roughly and shackled him to it.

I forced my mind into his and said, "You will tell me exactly who sent you here, what your job was and all the information you have learned since being appointed Councilor. Do I make myself clear?'

"Yes, de Pakstoka," he replied dully.

"Then let's begin," I said as I sat down opposite him. I turned on the camera and asked, "Who do you work for?"

"The Coalition."

"How long have you been in their employ?"

"I was recruited by them when I was 22."

"How old are you now?"

"36."

"14 years, is that correct?"

"It is."

"What was the intent of placing you here in Forest Pack territory?"

"To keep a record of all activity in Northeast Border and Pack."

"Where's this information stored?"

"In my home underneath the floorboards of my bedroom."

"Is that the only place?"

"No. I have also information hidden in my room here at the mansion."

"Was your room destroyed in the blast?"

"It was."

"Is the information still intact?"

"No, I burned it before the bomb was set."

"How did you recruit Council Drovich?"

"I didn't. He approached me."

"What did he tell you?"

"That you were a threat that needed to be eliminated at all costs."

"Did he explain why?"

"Yes."

"What did he tell you?"

"That you command five powers that peg out."

"Has this information already been sent to the Coalition?"

"It has not."

"How did you become Councilor?"

"I bribed the heads of the Northeastern Pack into voting me into office."

"Which heads?"

"Pack leader, Second, Gate Commander, and Sheriff."

"Monetary?"

"Yes."

"What was the intention of the blast?"

"To remove de Pakstoka and you from power, leaving a power vacuum."

"I see. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

"Only that there is a tunnel that leads from my house, which is at the border of the town, it leads underneath the border and comes out to a cabin two miles east of the border."

"What will I find there?"

"My written reports of my findings. Hard drive containing those reports. My contact at the Coalition along with all emails exchanged."

"Is it warded for protection?"

"It is."

"What happens if the ward is broken?"

"The cabin will be burned to the ground, the servers will be wiped and electrocuted to remove any evidence."

"Which hand do you use to unlock the ward?"

"My left."

"Thank you for speaking true, Kilpatrick. You have been found guilty of committing treason of the highest order. You are guilty in the attempted assassination of Lexa Devereux, Daniela Rendon, and Pakstoka Indra. You are guilty of mass murder. You will be executed at dawn. If you have any family, they will summarily share your fate."

I let go of his mind and he crumbled as he began to sob at my judgement. I stopped the video recording and the guard escorted him back to his cell. I got up and waited for Drovich to be escorted to me.

Once more, I grabbed hold of his mind and forced him to tell me the truth.

"You will tell me exactly who sent you here, what your job was and all the information you have learned since being appointed Councilor. Do I make myself clear," I informed him, my voice deadly this time.

"I understand, de Pakstoka," he replied, his voice just as dull as Kilpatrick's was.

"Who do you work for?"

"No one."

"You did this of your own free will?"

"I did."

"What was your intent?"

"To kill you and your family."

"Why?"

"You are too dangerous to be kept alive. You pose a threat to the safety of the Forest Pack."

"Why am I too dangerous?"

"You possess five powers that peg out. You are the most powerful were in the pack. You are the strongest in the pack. Once I saw the display of your true power, were my suspicions confirmed."

"When did you begin watching me?"

"When I witnessed your display of five powers when you were a child of 10."

"Were you keeping tabs on me the entire time?"

"Yes."

"How many guards are in your employ?"

"Thirty."

"Where would they go if they were compromised?"

"To a safe house ten miles west of here."

I informed the ones that were on the search of where they would be headed.

"Did you have a hand in allowing the spy to enter the territory?"

"Yes."

"Why the Western Border?"

"The Councilor and Gate Guard had already been bribed by the Ice Pack to allow entrance for their information gatherers."

"Spies, you mean?"

"That is correct."

"Did you help the spy escape?"

"I did."

"Was your intent to assassinate Lexa Devereux, Daniela Rendon, and Pakstoka Indra?"

"Not assassinate, but to draw you here in order to kill you."

"Did you know that Kilpatrick was here to assassinate Lexa Devereux and myself?"

"I did not."

"Do have anything to say in your defense?"

"Only that I did this to remove a viable threat to the pack."

"Very well. I find you guilty of treason of the highest order. You are found guilty of the assassination attempt of Lexa Devereux, Daniela Rendon, and Pakstoka Indra. You are found guilty of committing mass murder. You are found guilty of bribing Northern Pack leaders and mansion guards. You will be executed in the morning."

I let his mind go and he tried to fight his restraints and come after me. I sat coolly as the guards tranq'd him and removed him back to his cell. I removed the flash drive of the camera and stored it in one of my chest pockets.

I went back to the medical wing and checked on them. They were just about stabilized and ready to be transported.

"How much longer," I asked the head healer.

"Give us an hour and they will be ready to go," she answered.

"Good," I said and nodded. "Inform one of my guards when they're ready."

"Yes, de Pakstoka."

I next went to the triage and inquired on the status of the wounded. They were already stabilized and were awaiting transport. There were 20 wounded. There were 10 dead from the blast. I had them record their names and ordered them to remove all personal effects so that they could be given to their family members. I kneeled briefly by the dead and prayed for their safe journey to Mother Earth and prayed that she would protect and comfort them.

I sighed and got up and wobbled a bit from exhaustion. One of the healers came over and took me to a separate space where she hooked me up to an IV and forced me to eat some bars of fruit, nuts, and honey. I nodded my thanks and sat there overlooking the death and destruction. It saddened and angered me at the same time. As soon as I could, the Forest Pack would be sealed off from both the Ice Pack and Coalition. I took out my communicator and called every Gate Commander to lock down the border until further notice. I informed the Eastern Gate Commander that there may be a purple buggy heading to them with a possible escort. If it approached, they were to hold them at the border and I was to be informed immediately.

I informed my guard that I wanted enough transports to take the 20 wounded, medical staff and healers, the councilors and the majority of the remaining guards. I waited for their confirmation and then I removed my IV. I went to the garage and drove our truck closer to the medical wing, then went and retrieved Ben and his equipment. I personally escorted him to the truck and helped him stash his equipment and still give space to drop the bunks and move around. Ben, laid out the passenger seat and made it into a bed. I told him to stay in the truck, while I got them to move everyone onto the truck and strapped in. I watched in despair as they were loaded up and wanted to cry seeing them unmoving. I knew they were still alive, because I could still feel the bonds and I was still using my healing powers on them.

Everyone else was soon loaded up and I moved to the end of the drive. Laying my hands on the ground, I created a straight path between here and Manassas. Moving trees out of the way and clearing any rubble. When the dirt path was smooth, I overlaid it with a solid piece of nearly polished granite. I was making sure that there would be enough friction so that the trucks wouldn't lose control. I stood back up and went to the lead escort.

He bowed his head in respect and I said, "I've made a straight path to Manassas. You should reach it in half the time. I'll radio them once you begin to move out. Take the wounded, Ben and the medical staff and healers straight to the bunker and help them transfer them to the medical wing. Persephone will tell you where the Councilors will go. Once that's done find the Barracks Commander and he will tell you where to place the men. I am ordering you to make sure they eat and rest for a full 12 hours. I want a roster of the guards sent to Lincoln and I will add them to the guard detail. Am I clear?"

"Yes, de Pakstoka. When shall we prepare for your arrival?"

"Two days," I replied. "Head out whenever you are ready."

I stood back as the convoy slowly started moving out. When the last truck was out of sight, I pulled out my communicator.

"Persephone," I spoke into the communicator.

"I'm here," she replied. "Are they on their way?"

"They are. I've built a road and they should get there in about half the time. Lexa, Dani and Indra are stabilized and their bodies are on the mend. I'm keeping them that way until I know that they're in Abby and Jackson's hands. There are 20 wounded with them. I've also sent the majority of the guards here with them as escort. Make the Barracks Commander aware of it so that he can have barracks prepared for them."

"Did you catch whoever did this?"

"I did. I'll inform you all when I get home. Manassas is going to be the temporary headquarters until I can find a suitable city."

"Ben?"

"He's fine," I replied with a smile. "The ward held and he stayed there until I gave him the all clear. He only shit his pants."

"Thank god," she whispered to herself.

"I heard that, Sis."

"Shit."

"Don't worry about it. The executions will happen first thing. Then we'll bury the dead. Final sweep to make sure I didn't miss anything and then I'll be on my way. I should be there in two days."

"How many dead?"

"10," I replied bitterly.

"What are you going to do with the residents?"

"I'll have them start packing up and instruct them to move to Manassas. How's the construction of the second wall?"

"Slow, the earth and metal mages we have are working until they are nearly completely depleted. They can't start again until late today."

"Alright. What they don't finish, I will. How many structurally sound homes do we have?"

"Twenty in the first wall and I haven't received word yet on the homes outside the wall."

"Okay. Listen, I need to get some rest before I execute these bastards. Leave a message once they've arrived and are set up."

"Okay. Stay safe, Sis."

"I will. Love you and let Clarke know that, too."

"I will. Love you back. Now go get some rest."

"Aye, Aye, Second."

We ended the call and I took my bike into the garage and warded it. I shifted and curled up to sleep, my guards outside protecting me. I fell immediately asleep and didn't wake up until my alarm sounded. I immediately checked the communicator and let out a sigh of relief when I saw her message. I finally let go of my healing of the three and left the garage. As soon as I appeared, one of them handed me meat and coffee. I sat down on the fountain and ate the meat raw and drained my coffee. I got a refill and sipped it as I made my way over to the jail. The traitors were taken outside and lined up against the outer wall. I held them in place as I removed the inhibitors, because I was not about to waste them. Keeping them in place, I sliced both of Kilpatrick's hands off for the wards and handed them to a nearby guard. Then I stepped back and without a word, they were shot. I watched dispassionately as they burned. When they were nothing but ash, I had the 26 traitorous guards brought out. I split them in half and sent one half with the guards to bury the dead. I once again held them in place as I removed the discs and they were summarily executed in the same manner. I swept the mansion one more time and had the guards remove the personal effects of the untouched rooms and had them loaded up.

Next, the guards took me the center of the city and I called a general assembly. I informed them of what had happened and told them that they needed to pack up their belongings and make their way to Manassas as soon as possible. They didn't hesitate nor question my orders, but immediately got to work. I went straight to the nicest hotel and took over the penthouse. I had food and drinks sent up for me and my men. After I ate, I went into the bedroom, stripped off my clothes and took a long shower until all the dirt, grime, and blood went down the drain. I wrapped myself in a robe and took my clothes to someone to have dried cleaned. I was assured that they would be ready by morning. They also gave me some clothing to wear in the meantime. The clothes were comfortable enough to sleep in and I crawled into bed where I immediately felt the emptiness of not having someone sleeping beside me. I slept twelve hours straight and when I came out of my room, a hot breakfast was ready for me. I dug in hungrily and they left me alone until I was done.

"De Pakstoka, an hour before you woke, the Eastern Gate Commander informed me that the purple buggy you asked him to look out for has arrived at the gate and woman has been yelling at him to let her through," one of them informed me.

I laughed and then thought, Scarlett, is that you cussing out my Gate Commander?

It sure as hell ain't Santa Claus. Can you tell this damn fool to let me in?

I nodded and the guard who'd informed me called the Gate Commander to allow her entrance.

Done. Just head straight to Manassas. Lexa and Dani are on the mend, but they aren't conscious yet. Clarke is probably beside herself and in their room. All wounded are in the bunker's medical wing. I'll be heading back in a bit.

Tell me you got the bastards who did this.

I did. They were executed yesterday as soon as I woke up.

Good girl. I take it that you're de Pakstoka now.

Yes. It sucks.

I'm sure it does, sugar, she chuckled.

I've got to get ready if I want to get on the road soon.

Alright, I'll see you soon.

Bet on it.

I changed my clothes and tucked away the ones that were given to me and we headed back to the mansion. I surveyed the damage and I wanted to cry. Generations of Devereuxs and Allistars had lived and worked there and it broke my heart seeing all of that gone. On impulse, I went into the house and carefully made my way to the spot that would have been directly underneath Lexa's room. I sifted through the rubble and my heart lodged in my throat when I came across what used to be the statue I had made for her when we got engaged. I clutched it to my chest and with a heavier heart, I left the mansion for probably the last time. I pulled my bike out of the garage and tucked the statue into a weapons case and started it up. I took one last look, and then we were headed to Manassas