I waited till the last demon crossed the threshold before slowly making my way towards the gates. Though the other side of the gates actually held the small road that led out into the city I kept visualizing the House of Night we had created the night before. I could see all the buildings perfectly. I could see the paths lined with Natasha's potent sleeping flowers and I could make out the shape of Nyx's fountain flowing with Erin's enchanted waters. Shaunee's stars filled the sky twinkling just a touch brighter than normal and Stevie Rae's trees filled the school grounds.

I took a deep breath closing my eyes and pulling in all my concentration as I stepped through the gates. I hoped that my friends would be able to pull me through. They had already crossed into that reality, but now that the demons were there I wasn't sure how well they would be able to focus. I felt the weightlessness consume my body and for a moment I felt like I was floating through the air. I swallowed hard willing myself to our alternate House of Night and felt the soft tickles of Marla's silver wisps as my feet once again seemed to touch the ground.

"Concentrate on Zoey and don't break this circle," Aphrodite was yelling to Damine, Erin, Shaunee and Stevie Rae as I opened my eyes. I looked around the circle quickly. The silver string that held us all together still shone brightly but had been joined by Marla's gift. The silver wisps danced around us and the wolves paced forming a defensive line all their own. The five of them along with Jack, Marla, Jaylynn and my grandma held the circle together while everyone else had scattered across the grounds to fight the demons.

Dragon, Darius, Stark and Erik were using the weapons they had made the day before to fight off the gigantic creatures. I cringed as one of them lunged at Erik, but smiled when Erik was just a little bit quicker. He turned to the side lifting the small like staff in his hands. It resembled a staff but wasn't one. Instead both sides had small gleaming blades that sparkled in the moonlight. He spun back bring the left side of the staff forward and connecting with the creatures heart. I heard its roar and was sure that the small metal blade couldn't have done any actual damage, but the demon fell over. It's roars and screeches were ear shattering and the earth trembled as it thrashed. It was in obvious pain. Clearly something had been put on the weapons and I made a mental note to ask about it later.

"It's about time you showed up," Aphrodite said pulling my eyes from the scene for only a moment.

"Yeah keeping this circle intact has been a nightmare," Stevie Rae said directing a tree towards one for the demons headed towards us. I watched as the tree's roots sprang up trapping the demon that fought to regain control. It tried to use its own powers of possession, but failed. The tree was directly connected to earth, or in this case Stevie Rae, they couldn't possess them without possessing Stevie Rae as well. The tree tightened its hold strangling the demon. Stevie Rae muttered a few words softly and clay and stones began to fly from the ground covering the demons reptile like body. It claws and spikes batted at the earth that was flying at it from all directions but it did no good. The tree released its hold and the demon fell to the ground weakened but not dead.

"Water, cover it," Erin said pointing to the demon's clay covered body. Water instantly shot from the fountain sliding across the grounds like a slithering snake. It rose up spinning around the demon and soaking it through before disappearing altogether.

"Fire, burn it," Shaunee added. Fire crackled and sizzled from under her and then shot out along the ground. The grass turned orange as the fire traveled beneath it and the earth warmed around us. Heat swelled underneath the demon sending piles of steam into the air. The wet clay dried and encasing the demon in a tomb.

The whole fight was amazing and yet terrifying. We had all managed to stay alive so far but we were still out numbered. Natasha and Neferet were also fighting with a few of the weapons the warriors had made along with Anastasia and Lenoboia. My mind reeled as I watched their grace. I knew each student was taught a form of self defense, but to actually see High Priestesses yielding a weapon was amazing.

Neferet spun a sword in a deathly arch and I watched mesmerized as it connected with a nearby demon slashing him through the chest as it moved towards her. Its roars filled the cold night air and it once again reached for her only to be stopped by another stab to its heart.

Natasha was fighting just as hard and the rhythm of her movements looked like a dance. She spun and parried moving with speed and strength that I would have never thought possible. Her blade thrust forward penetrating the demon with deadly force. Still I was sure that her wound hadn't been lethal enough. It looked as if it had only pierced the creatures shoulder. I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion as it stumbled backwards away from her and then fell to the ground. It was asleep and I could now just barely make out the purple tint of the night flower gleaming along the edge of her sword. The silver I knew to outline the plant sparkled as she turned and began fighting the next demon that approached her.

I turned my attention towards Stark, but really should have never been concerned. He had his bow and arrow pulled as was shooting at anything that moved towards him. With his ability to always hit his target and with whatever substance they had used to coat the weapons, the demons never stood a chance.

A roar sounded to my left and the earth shook pulling my attention back closer to our circle. I swayed as a tree crashed to the ground catching myself on Aphrodite's arm. She looked at me for a moment, but any comment she had was silenced when four gigantic monsters broke through Stevie Rae's earth defense. The wolves attacked barking and growling as they charged at the beasts. The largest of the pack leaped through the air its teeth connecting with the demons scaly arm. I watched horrified as the demon roared and then with one quick motion slashed its spike through the air slicing through the wolf's body. It howled in agony as it was tossed through the air as if it was nothing and the connected with the ground a few feet away. Blood pooled around the animal and I swallowed down my own tears and sadness as its cries filled the air.

"Adix!" Marla's desperate cry sounded from behind me. I turned to see her running across the circle and only just grabbed her before she reached the silver line that kept us safe from all spiritual attacks. "Let me go!" She cried fighting against my hold. Her dark hair flew around her and her liquid eyes were wide with terror and determination.

I pulled her back and then swung around as the earth trembled once more beneath us. "Damien, use wind now!" I yelled as I desperately tried to keep Marla calm.

I looked to my grandma who took Marla into her arms holding her gently as a gust of wind blew past us. The force should have been enough to knock over trees and small building structures, but for the demons all it did was slow them down.

"We won't be able to hold much longer," Aphrodite said looking into the distance to where Darius was fighting two demons at once. I could feel her concern and fear as she watched the man she loved fight for his life and ours. She was right. We wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

"Then let's get out of here and trap these earth shaking freaks," Erin said sending water from Nyx's fountain towards the demons that were fighting through Damien's wind.

"I completely agree, twin," Shaunee said.

"Zoey, for once I'm with the Dorkamese twins," Aphrodite said glancing back at me. "The plan was to get them here and trap them. Let's do it."

I nodded and then began to concentrate on the mist I had placed around the walls of the school. It was our spiritual attack. I had created the mist through spirit and Nyx's love and it was the one thing I knew would weaken the demons and keep them trapped. I pulled the mist forward a few feet so that there was space between it and the walls of the school. I then slowly began to direct the circle in that direction. I looked to Stark and nodded at his unspoken question. He would tell the others it was time to retreat. Once they crossed the mist they would be safe. The hard part would be getting them all there.

Stark was the first to reach us. He pulled back his bow and began aiming at the demons that were targeting the others giving them enough time and space to get through the mist. I held my breath as each of those I cared about made a brake for the circle. Neferet, Natasha, Lenobia, and Anastaisa fought along the way watching each other's backs and whispering words I couldn't understand. I watched fascinated as the cats that had been cloaked by the night began appearing and attacked the demons that were still surrounding Dragon, Darius and Erik. They hissed and bit furiously and I watched stunned as each demon they encountered fell to the ground writhing in pain.

"I figured a snake or a spiders bite could inject poison, why not a cats?" Neferet asked giving me a little wink. "After all, they are far more intelligent creatures," she said as a huge orange cat that looked exactly like Skylar jumped into her arms.

"Unbelievable," I whispered shaking my head, but it was enough. The cats had caused enough of a distraction for the last three warriors to get away and cross the silver mist and our circle. "Alright, Shaunee, it's all you," I said giving her a little smile.

She smiled back wickedly doing a little dance as we made our way closer to the gates. She reached both her hands towards the sky pointing to the various stars while whispering one word, "fall." The stars streaked through the night sky temporarily lighting the darkness and hurting our eyes. They hit the ground with enough force to shake the buildings that surrounded us and in minutes the entire campus was ablaze. I stared in awe for several seconds just admiring the dancing flames that covered the castle like structures. It was like being caught in the middle of a fairy tale. Something beautiful and breathtaking. The sounds we were leaving behind, however, weren't beautiful. The demons screamed with rage as they were consumed by the flames that wouldn't kill them but were too strong for the demons to escape. They were trapped in another spiritual reality that now mirrored where they had belonged in the first place.

Marla's soft sob pulled my attention back to the circle in time to see Adix's body disappear into the fire a few feet away. I shed a tear of my own knowing that the wolf had given his life for us and for her and I wished beyond anything that I could have saved him.

"Shhh," My grandma whispered to her soothingly rocking Marla in her arms.

"Zoey, we have to go," Natasha said softly and I nodded. The fire was spreading and I gave the scene one last look before heading our circle towards the gate.

"Keep together and concentrate on where we want to go," I said closing my eyes once more as we crossed the threshold.

If I had been concentrating more maybe I would have realized that the House of Night was not where I was supposed to be. I opened my eyes feeling the hard road beneath my boots as I gazed at the school campus around me. Everything was quiet and I pondered over the fact that none of the other students were up yet. I looked back over my shoulder to find the others only to see the burning House of Night still on the other side of the gate and none of my friends in sight. Street Cats. I should have been back at Street Cats and this House of Night wasn't real. It was another illusion, another reality.