(William's POV)
William froze, had she just said she'd killed the other girl?

"You…you killed her? Adeline, that's not exactly 'fixing it', in fact that's only made matters worse for me! You can't just go out and kill when you feel like you've been threatened! As the group of vampires that control the city, we have an air of normalcy and control to maintain! Is the body demolished at least, dust, something?!"

She stared at the floor, "N-No…I thought you…I thought you'd be proud of me. I got rid of a threat…to protect us, baby."

"Protect us?! PROTECT US?! Adeline, I wish you'd learned sooner, you do not, DO NOT, risk your own life no matter WHAT the circumstances! I know that girl was after Gabe, but for you to kill her, you could have brought not only your old roommate and the lycan and his friends down on us, but also your victim's network! If she had any friends and they find out, we're-"

He had forgotten she was there, having gotten lost in the rant. It took him a moment to realize she was crying, and normally, tears wouldn't bother him. Human males were predisposed to feel for a girl when she was crying because of the hormones secreted when she cried, vampires, on the other hand were different. But not this time, the tears spilling down her face brought those human feeling backs to life.

And he was powerless to stop his own reaction, in that he grabbed her face and kissed her.

When he pulled back, his thumbs brushed her cheeks, wiping what remained of her tears away, careful when it came to the eye that had been bruised.

"I'm sorry. I've just been really stressed lately. Forgive my yelling, I normally would never raise my voice, and most certainly not towards a lady."

She nodded, biting her lip, "It's alright. And if you're stressed, I think I can fix that."

William rolled his eyes at the crooked smile that had formed on her lips, but shook his head.

"As much as I'd say I'd like to, I'm going to say no. If what I think is going to happen is on the way here already, we're going to need all the rest we can get."

(Amelia's POV)
Meanwhile, Amelia was getting nervous. It was almost time for them to leave and Charlotte was nowhere to be found. What was worse, she wasn't picking up her phone.

"Come on, Amelia. We can't afford to wait any longer. We have to go," Bob said.

She nodded and followed him out. Everyone else was already waiting for her.

"You guys ready to do this?" Sebastien asked, looking right at Amelia.

"Yes. It's been a long time coming," Bob remarked and everyone nodded.

They walked out of the apartment building and onto the street.

"All right, so one more time, just to make sure that everyone is clear on the plan, Amelia is going to the mansion first, alone. We'll follow behind her and Bob will hide us with those protection Charms he found yesterday. While Amelia is in there, we'll use the Extendable Ears in order to hear everything that is being said and if it sounds like trouble, we'll come in and help. Everyone got it?" Sebastien asked

There were nods from everyone. With that, they set out in search of the mansion. Amelia walked in front of them. Eventually, they came upon a little forest. As Amelia was about to enter, Seb said, "Amelia wait, I smell something."

She turned to look at him. "What do you smell?"

"I smell it, too. It's blood," David replied, sniffing the air. As they walked towards the scent, Jeff kept one hand on David's shoulder, just in case. He was a relatively young vampire and they didn't want him doing anything stupid.

They came upon a clearing. Seb went first, trying to find the source of the smell. When he found it, he let out a curse in French.

Everyone came running. When Amelia saw what he had found, she gasped. Laying on the ground, with a knife in the chest, was Charlotte!

Amelia knelt down next to her friend.

"Who did this?" she asked quietly
Seb knelt down next to her and inhaled.

"AJ," he said after a moment.

Amelia immediately stood up. Her mind was made up.

"That's it," she said, her fists shaking with pure rage. "That bitch is going down!"

She began walking again. When she got to the edge of the forest and could see the Dandies' mansion, she stopped and turned to her friends.

"Find a place to hide and keep the Extendable Ears out. If it sounds like trouble, don't hesitate to act."

"We will. May Brother Orion watch over you," Seb replied with a bow. Amelia nodded.

Bob immediately began casting both verbal and nonverbal protection spells around the perimeter. They listened with the Extended Ears with baited breath.

Amelia walked towards the mansion, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Calm down, child. All will be fine. If you find yourself in danger, I shall remedy the situation," the demon reminded her.

"Thank you, my lady. I appreciate it."

With that, Amelia continued walking. Not bothering to be buzzed in at the gate, she easily scaled the fence. When she finally got to the door, she wasn't sure of what to do. She knocked on the door and waited to be let in.

After a moment, the door opened and she found herself staring at AJ. She looked a little worse for wear, but she still had the same goofy smile that Amelia had come to know and love.

"Hey there, Rae! How's it going?" she asked as she embraced her friend

"I'm not doing so well, AJ," Amelia replied as she stepped into the mansion.

"Oh really? Why not?" AJ asked

Amelia stopped short and turned to look at her former friend.

"Because you killed Charlotte."

"What?! Charlotte's dead? I had no idea! Who would have done that?" AJ asked, feigning surprise

"Oh please, don't give me the old, I'm innocent act. It's not going to work. So why'd you do it?" Amelia questioned

At this, AJ dropped the act and instead studied her nails. "She threatened the coven to which I now belong."

"Excuse me? The coven to which you now belong? What kind of garbage is that?"
AJ pulled down the shoulder of the shirt she was wearing and Amelia immediately made the connection when she saw the bite marks.

She laughed. "I can't believe that ugly bastard let you in his bed. Remus would have a fit if he saw you."

AJ shrugged. "What does it matter? All Remus did was die too soon, leaving me alone."

"But now I'm not alone, and I'll never have to be," she said as she beckoned someone with her finger.

Immediately, six vampires came out of the shadows and surrounded Amelia.

"What are you going to do now, demon? You're all alone, outnumbered, and clearly outmatched," said the vampire with shaggy black hair.

Amelia smirked. "Well, then, let's even the odds."

She ceded control of her body over to the demon and allowed the demon to possess her. She sank to her knees, and to the vampires, it looked like she had simply passed out. Soon, she began screaming and her body contorted at unnatural angles. A blinding light filled the room, and when it cleared, standing where the girl had been, was a demon. The demon was almost six and a half feet tall, with speckled down feathers and a large pair of wings folded up on her back. There were razor sharp talons on the end of each finger and toe.

The vampires retreated slightly at the sight of the demon.

"Nice trick. I can do that, too," AJ stated as she phased into her wolf form.

Just as AJ and the vampires closed in on the demon, everything went black!