"Here they are." Parked in front of the large marble steps that led up to the front door of the mansion, Hunter and Trish opened the trunk of the car. The lids popped open open and four trash bags laid inside.

Julian descended the stairs, his hands folded behind his back. Sonny stood behind him. Ric stood to his left. Julian found it hard to control his anger. These people who had once been welcomed into his home, had been his guests on my occasions, had turned their backs on him, plotted his demise. They looked up at him with grins of pride and eyes of innocence. They had fooled him, and he would not let them do it again.

"Very good." He looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to rise. All who stood outside were well fed. Keeping Sydney inside had been a problem. She wanted to run out and kill them herself, but Julian couldn't let that happen. Not only would it ruin their plans, but she was too close to her first feeding. The only blood she had tasted was that of Kindred, and she would soon need something more. Should something go wrong, her need would become a hindrance, and the wrong Kindred might have ended up dead.

Trish stepped around the side of the car and approached Julian. There was the slightest hint of hesitation as she took his hand and pressed her lips to his knuckles. Her pause was small, but Julian noticed it, possibly because he knew her true thoughts. "Traitorous Gangrel scum," she muttered as she stepped back. "They make Kindred look like savage beasts. They disgrace us all."

"Their deaths are just," Hunter said. He stayed back, not moving forward to kiss the prince's hand. "They have been taken care of, and I can but hope that the true villain will be punished."

"Truly, a primogen should better be able to control his clan," Trish said.

"And a prince, his city?" Julian's lip turned up into a sneer, then quickly fell until his mouth was a thin, straight line. "Prince and primogen should both be strong. And treason should be punished to the furthest extent of Kindred law."

Hunter looked at him curiously. He didn't know where Julian was going with this, but he didn't think it was where he wanted him to go. He stepped back, taking Trish by the arm. He pulled her with him until they were on the other side of the car. "Sonny," he said, looking past Julian, "are you here to explain these deaths?"

"Maybe." He moved a little closer to Julian. "Or maybe some others. A cop is always useful as hell."

A thud behind them turned Trish and Hunter around. The primogens of Toreador, Gangrel and Brujah stood behind them. Each in turn dropped a plastic garbage bag to the ground. Morgana stepped forward and kicked her bag. "Here are the heads of your traitors." Her eyes burned on Trish. It was all she could do not to rip the woman's throat out right there.

"What do you mean, our traitors?" Hunter tried to remain calm. "We are the ones who brought the bodies of the Gangrel trash that tried to take the prince's human. If anyone here is traitor, it's the one who left these people in charge."

"The traitor," Cash said with a sneer as he approached them, "is the one who thought he could take control of this city." A low growl tore out of his throat. "The one who convinced those idiots in the trunk that they could ever overpower their primogen."

Julian appeared in front of them almost magically. He reached out and instantly had Hunter by the throat. The others were closing in around them, but Julian's attention was on the neck in his hand. "You think to destroy me? To destroy what I have built in this city? To destroy those that I love?" His eyes glowed bright yellow and his face wafted in and out between man and wolf. His fingers dug in deeply. "The only one here who will be destroyed is you!"

In an instant, Hunter shifted into wolf. Seconds later, so did Trish. Hunter clawed himself away from Julian's grasp, then took off across the pavement. A few feet away, he and Trish came to their feet as man and woman, both with Dragon's Breath in their hands. The barrels exploded and phospherous shells flew across the open space. As the others dove to the ground, their own guns came out.

Morgana scurried over towards Julian. Cash, Dave, Ric and Sonny pulled out their guns and started to fire. At the sound of gunfire, Sydney came running to the door. She bolted down the stairs, then stopped about halfway down as her body started to shake. The sun was higher and yet, her skin was colder. Her stomach churned. Julian looked up and saw her. He took off towards her as a phospherous shot just barely missed her head.

From the entrance gates, a new voice was added into the mix. Frank's early arrival was only going to cause more of a dilemma. He would have to be erased again, because there was no way that he would trust his partner again after learning that he was Kindred. His footfalls were heavy as he ran towards the sound of gunfire. He skidded to a halt as he saw Sonny running towards Julian, firing along the way.

Morgana's scream pierced the night, louder than the blazing gunfire. "Julian!" She ran towards him, but Sonny would get their first. The two went to the ground, but still, Morgana ran. She dropped down beside them and rolled Sonny to the side. There was a smoking hole going through the center of his body. The world didn't hold enough blood to make him whole again. Julian was singed, but still alive. He sat up painfully and Morgana ripped his shirt open, determined to make sure that he was alright. His skin was red and tender from the heat, but there were no holes.

With a roar, she whirled around. She ran across the ground on all fours until her entire body was covered in fur. She jumped at Trish. The blonde went down beneath her paws. Before her head hit the ground, Morgana's teeth were in her throat, ripping the skin. Her fur was mottled with blood, but she didn't care. Nothing would stop her until she was sure that this traitorous bitch would stay down for good.

Hunter stopped his firing and stared down as his lover was devoured by her primogen. In his moment of pause, the others swarmed on him. Any one of them would have killed him had Julian not stood up and yelled, "No!" Slowly, the others turned towards him, though they still held Hunter in place. Julian stumbled forward, holding his stomach. His eyes passed sorrowfully over Sonny, then turned back to the traitor before him. "Bring him to me."

As Hunter was brought forward, Julian felt a breeze behind him. He turned to see Frank rushing over to his partner. Right then was not the moment to explain things. That was the moment to finish business. Hunter was dragged before him and dropped to the ground. "Julian..."

"You have betrayed your clan, and plotted the death of your prince. For this, the sentence is final death."

"Julian..."

"Judge," he muttered, "jury, and executioner." He put his hand out and Daedalus appeared beside him, wielding a large silver blade. Julian's hand wrapped around the handle. He rose his arm and brought it down diagonally across Hunter's chest. Before he could fall, Julian plunged the knife into his heart. He twisted, then jerked it out.

Hunter dropped to his knees, his eyes wide. Slowly, he began to fall forward. His body shuddered, then he fell to his face. Julian's body slumped and Morgana was there for him to lean on. He turned behind him. Frank was still leaning over Sonny's body. "I'm sorry, Frank."

He looked up then jumped to his feet. "You killed him!"

"They killed him. He was Kindred. He was my blood."

"He was..." He looked down at him as though it was just dawning on him. "All the time... he knew..."

"Sonny knew you wouldn't have been able to handle it. He was your friend, and I'm sorry, but I was his sire, and it means more to me than you know."

"He was a cop!" He turned back to Julian. "You cover up the mess that your people cause. How do you cover this up?"

"As you said, he was a cop." Sighing, he turned back to the others. To Dave, he said, "Put them in the car. Drive them out of the city and incinerate the car." He turned to Cash. "Take Sydney and teach her. She must learn to feed or her it will torture her." To Ric, he said, "Take the bodies from the trunk and bury them with the heads." Once more he looked at Frank. "Kindred business is for us to deal with, and we'll do it our way."

Daedalus stepped forward. Softly, he said, "I will tell Stacy that it is done and safe for her to go home."

"Good." Julian nodded. "Her job in the morning is to put the spin on this. Tomorrow, we will see just how suited she is for the job that has been given us." He slumped more, then brought himself back to his feet. He leaned his head to the side and pressed it against Morgana. "Now," he said to her, "we will go upstairs and tomorrow, we will take that walk on the beach. Because I am prince, and I keep my promises."

Morgana lifted her hand and lightly touched his cheek. "We will walk because I am your Toreador, and you need the moment of dance that only I can give you."