Erin snagged Jonno as he was leaving the guild. The slayer violently kicked and struggled as she clamped a hand over his mouth but a quick hiss of "it's me," shut him up immediately. He allowed her to pull him into a thick group of trees just out of sight of the main building. As soon as they could no longer see the car park Jonno ripped himself free and whirled around.

"What are you doing here!" His face didn't look too good, his face was blotchy purple-red where she'd smacked him with a clipboard, apparently she'd hit him harder than she'd thought. "You're lucky Onika just left to get the car – if she sees you we're both in trouble!"

She shrugged. "I needed to speak to you. Sorry about the bruises by the way; they look painful."

"So I've been told." The slayer scowled. "What was so important that you couldn't wait?"

It was more than important that she was here. It was driving her insane! Being there, knowing what he did, having to touch him like she was still under his thrall. She felt violated, and disgusted, and betrayed, all over again. "I need to kill Mir."

"You what?" He looked confused, then his face clouded over with rage. "You just broke him out! Why the bloody hell didn't you want to kill him while he was still in a cell!"

"It doesn't matter that why I changed my mind." She said firmly. "All that matters is that we need to kill him."

Jonno blinked at her. "You're having a laugh right? Coming here to check I'm not going to do something stupid? Because eighteen hours ago I was begging you to let us take Mir out and you wouldn't let me! You beat me to a pulp to get him out." He glanced at the sky, a pale pink sunset with streaks of black night creeping in. "I don't have time for this Erin, I don't know what your game is but I have things to do, important things!"

It took Erin a moment to realise that Jonno had just referred to her the way someone might refer to Ingrid. He headed back the way they came but she blocked his path.

"I'm serious. I want him dead." Just thinking about him sent stabs of hatred shuddering through her bones.

Brown eyes studied her carefully. "You're serious…?"

She nodded, expression determined. "I need you to help me."

The slayer quietened and looked to his shoes, drumming a hand on his stake. Erin could see the cogs in his brain whirring. Finally he raised his gaze to look at her, almost struggling to meet her eyes. She couldn't imagine that she looked the sanest of people. Not with his presence in her head and his scent on her clothes. Once she'd killed him she'd burn these clothes. She'd burn him to for what he did to her.

For his enslavement of her.

"I'm sorry, Erin," His voice was calm and placating. "I can't help you."

"Why not? You're a slayer!"

"And Mir's the Chosen One – I don't think I can kill him and I don't really want to – not if he's trying to make peace again."

"Come on, Jonno." She snarled, almost laughing. "Mir's going to slip back into old ways soon – it'll be easier if I'm helping you."

Her words left an awkward silence and the slayer took a definitive step away from her. He made eye-contact with her and smiled sadly. "It's funny you said that. Because I think he has slipped back into old ways."

Then he left and Erin couldn't even summon the effort to yell at him.

They didn't understand. They couldn't feel the connection she felt to Mir and they couldn't possibly comprehend what he'd done to her for the last several months. All this time she'd thought she'd loved him but it had been a farce.

Because the moment Mir kissed her, the moment he truly loved her it undid everything he'd done to her.

The loyalty that had been growing from the moment he'd begun to hate her vanished the second he said he loved her.

Oh the irony. Erin's lips curled in a growl and she glared in the direction Jonno had left in. He didn't understand that Mir was a monster, that he wouldn't let her go, that the hold that his bite and the loyalty had on her wouldn't end. The loyalty would only break if he was dead.

Jonno darted back out of the trees, doing his best not to shoot a glance back at the blonde. He was starting to wonder if Erin was losing it. Her eyes had been almost too intense to look at. Pale green rimmed with red and rage, a fire burning in her, one of the deepest fury. He had no idea what Mir had possibly done to set this off but it was evident he couldn't trust Erin anymore.

Onika was parked with the car one arm dangling out the window, face hovering above the air conditioning unit with a relaxed smile. Her calmness was a welcome reprieve from the hatred that had a hold on Erin.

Jonno hoped in, praying that she didn't ask where he'd been.

"What did she want?"

"You know?"

"It doesn't take a genius to guess." The slayer winked and smirked proudly. "Olivia said you and the girl had a thing or something and considering the vampires had just put out the order it was logical that was someone would come talk to us about it, so what did she want?"

Vampires didn't do logic. "She didn't want to talk about the new order."

Something in his voice gave him away and Onika frowned. "I'm guessing it wasn't good news?" Her hands were already reaching for the key to the UV cannon stored in the back of the van.

Jonno lowered her hands. "It's not a problem for the guild. Just personal." He switched on the radio before she could ask for more. An obnoxious dance beat came through the speakers and Jonno turned up the volume, fixing his gaze out the window.

He wanted to blame Mir for the insanity that emanated from Erin; every moment in her presence had made him fear that she'd attack him just a little bit more. If he blamed Mir for the craziness that she radiated then he wouldn't have to kill her.

But he got the feeling that this madness was home-grown.

The pulsing song stopped to move onto the next equally annoying beat but Onika switched the radio off. "Do you want to talk about it? If you don't I can turn the stereo back on but I don't really want to go deaf just before facing a bunch of vamps."

He sighed. "Erin wants to kill Mir."

"Hang on – the girl? I thought they were in love or somethin'. Didn't she beat you up just to get him outta there?" The sky had darkened as they'd driven with stars glittering above them.

Jonno drew his gaze away from the window and looked at Onika. "Apparently something changed – really fast. Honestly it reminds me of one of the guild's early experiments on..." He stopped.

"What?"

Shame, deep, deep shame and guilt and grief burned in his chest with the realisation. As he remembered more about the project and what it heralded he knew what would be done, what had to be done.

How could he have been so stupid! The signs were suddenly glaringly obvious and Jonno felt sick for not realising earlier. It was obvious! A year ago it had been equally obvious but Jonno, too caught up in his own problems, had missed it.

Oh Erin, poor poor Erin. No wonder she was losing it.

"What!" Onika barked.

There was a lump in his throat and a stinging sensation behind his eyes when he looked at the slayer. She only glanced away from the road for a moment but when she saw his face she blanched. "This is bad isn't it?"

"Not for the guild."

"Shove it Jonno. If it's bad for you then we gotta do something about it." Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Tell me what's wrong, what was the guild experiment on?"

"Vampire bites and loyalty."