Heart in my throat, my feet threatened to stop, but I forced myself to keep moving. But before I could say anything Jaime looked back up at me. "Neva's calling!" she smiled. "See ya later!" without a sound, she was gone.

I looked up at Derek, eyes shining with fear, face chalky white. Oh no. No. No. No. What the hell could have Neva told her? Does it matter? What the hell would you be able to do anyway?

Derek's emerald eyes sparkled in the faint moonlight, worry and concern etched deep in his face, making him look years older. I tried desperately to lift the corners of my lips in a smile, but it turned into a grimace. He dropped back, changing his stride to match me step for step. Reaching for my hand, I drew away and lopped my arm through his, almost comically. If it were years upon years earlier in England Simon and Tori would look like our escorts and Derek would be courting me. It was laughable under the circumstances.

"Apparently," I whisper sighed. "Neva has told Jaime everything. She didn't care to elaborate and then disappeared. So I have no clue what to do. Should we release Neva and cripple the Edison Group or try and find another way that won't put other's lives in danger? But then there's the possibility of the Edison Group hurting so many more people." Another sigh. "How do we choose the lesser of the two evils?"

Derek rubbed his big free hand across his now acne free chin. "Make a right here." He told Tori and Simon, who without words of complaint or question, obliged. "We could possibly find a way to release Neva, but then trap her in another place?" He growled with annoyance. "There are so many things that could go wrong, could you control her?"

I choked on a laugh. "I'd have about as much luck at controlling a demi-demon as you would at slamming a ghost back into its corpse. She flat out told me when I was at their headquarters that almost anyone who tries to control a demi-demon ends up dead. It's far too much power."

He thought thoughtfully as we trudged our way through the choking darkness and vast forest. "But you're a powerful necromancer right?" A blush crept its way up my neck and to my cheeks. "You accidentally slammed a ghost back into its corpse without even knowing how." He said pointedly.

"Hence accidentally."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not the point. They haven't seen anyone as strong as you in how long? If you have so much power why couldn't you hold a demi-demon?"

My feet plunged into the soft wet earth and I stared at him in shock. "You are insane. I-I couldn't." I shook my head furiously. "You are freaking crazy! That would be like freaking suicide! Dammit Derek, I'm not that powerful." The last part was whispered, half spoken as if I wasn't sure I believed it or not. The horrible truth was we didn't know how powerful any of us was, and it was scary. Me accidentally being able to slam ghosts back into their corpses shouldn't have been able to happen, but I could do it nonetheless.

Tori met my gaze as we stopped. We should have kept walking, we should have. "But Chlo, think about it." Her expression was thoughtful as she contemplated. "It would make sense, if you could hold it long enough…you would crumble the damned building to the ground."

Simon's hand gently brushed my other arm and I fought hard not to pull away and shoot him an evil glare. I took a breath, goose bumps rising on my arms as I carefully deliberated, knowing I would end up agreeing. "I'll try, but we have to-"A shot sounded, and pain wound its way through my body up from my leg. I crumpled, my arm sliding out from Derek's firm hold. He couldn't catch me in time and I hit the ground, eating dirt as I flailed, trying to catch myself and failing miserably. I can't remember if I screamed, but my right hamstring was on fire, hot wetness ran its way down my leg. The metallic tang of blood filled the air and made my head swim. That's my blood.

Derek said something, swung me up carefully, and took off running. My vision was blurred with tears, wetness streaming down my cheeks in waves. I could hear him swearing under his breath, warmth pressed against my side, reassuring and comfort. Ironic considering the circumstances. "Chloe?"

"Uh?" I managed behind hard lump in my throat.

"How are you doin?"

I looked up at him, blinking away the tears to see his bright green eyes in the dark. "God damn peachy Derek, even though I just got shot in the leg." He chuckled, his chest rumbling as he hurtled a log, managing not to jostle me in the process.

"You sure you're fine?" The laughter in his voice was clearly evident and he wasn't trying to hide it. Snarky comments died in my throat. I'm supposed to be nice.

"Yeah, I'll live."

Tori's voice cackled on our left. "I was worried with that first comment, Chlo. Damn who knew you could get snippy."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up and run, Tori." That's where things went bad. Mrs. Enright stepped out from behind a bush and smiled evilly, snapping her fingers like Glenda the freaking Good Witch and stopping us all in our tracks. I was flung out of Derek's arms, momentum carrying me forward. I hit the forest floor with a dull thump, and a muffled wince. Second time in ten minutes I'd eaten moldy leaves. She chuckled and nudged me with her toe; Derek's growl could've been heard for miles.

"I'm not even gonna waste a binding spell on you, Liz isn't here to help you this time." I tried to sit up, but her black riding boot caught me in the chest and pushed me down, knocking the air outta my lungs in the process. "Tori, what a nice surprise. I figured they would've kicked you to the curb days ago."

Tori's eyes narrowed but she didn't rise to her mother's bate, the tension was easily detected. "It's funny." She said a dour smile on her face. "Team, after team has had ample opportunities to catch you four, and they've failed. Every. Time. There's one of me, and I caught all of you." She threw her head back, hair swinging and laughed. "I didn't even break a sweat."

I fought against her foot, but she pushed me down further, practically cutting off my air supply. "Davidoff thought the possessions would scare you into being stupid, but they didn't. All Chloe had to do was get hurt, and then I got you, right in my hands." So it hadn't been Neva after all. When I released the demi-demon I was going to make sure Tori's mom got lost in the rubble.

A team of people came up behind her, determined looks on their faces. "Take them back to headquarters, Davidoff had some praise to give me. " Pushing me against the ground one last time, she turned on a heel and disappeared into the throng of people.

"Alright people, let's get them in the trucks." One of them said, and then a syringe slipped into my arm, and I fell into the black world of oblivion.