(Mike's POV)
He knew something was up when it was Adeline that walked down the stairs first later that day, instead of William.

She yawned and stumbled slightly down the stairs, as if she hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before. He smiled as he took the stairs two at a time, one arm going around her shoulders to support her.

She giggled, but didn't shake him off.

"You must really think I'm out of it if you're doing that," she mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"I do…and honestly, I'm surprised you're up before William, normally he's the one leaving you to sleep."

She shrugged, "Rough night, and don't take that out of context. It's more or less a situation and he needs to lay low today, said you and Brendon have to watch me."

"Watch you? Adeline, you're not five, can't he see th-"

"I'm pretty sure he just doesn't want me doing something stupid and someone to watch me to make sure I don't, because last night…I…I sort of drank the entire bottle of valerian extract."

Mike's green eyes widened, "Drank the-"

"I want my nightmares to stop. Thought maybe if I had enough of the sleeping aid, it'd put me into an eternal sleep."

"You tried to-"

She put a hand over his mouth, turning to glare at him.

"Just don't say it. The very thought of that hurts me now, after what William did for me. I can't…I can't let him risk himself again like that."

"Like wh-"

"I love how you're trying to ask questions when I'm still explaining. William found me and bit me, was able to suck most of the valerian out of my blood, but ended up giving the effects to himself. That's why he's upstairs still, the valerian's got him like how I was on painkillers after the fight. Completely out of it and fading in and out of sleep."

Mike only blinked; surprised the oldest of them would risk himself.

"Right…so he wants us to watch you so you don't do it again. Well, there's not much to do around here."

"I have an idea." She said, glancing toward the door, making sure Brendon wasn't within earshot.

"What's that?"

"…When's the last time you've used your ability for fun? I was thinking…we could play a prank on Brendon, if the three of us go hunting or something. Sound alright?"

"Well, what kind of prank?" he wondered, already heading toward the door.

She smiled, "You'll see."

When Brendon, Mike and Adeline reached the forests they normally hunted in, they split up. AJ had told Mike the plan, he was to project the image of AJ walking, then suddenly transforming into her wolf form ad injuring herself, forcing the older vampire to realize just because she was part lycan didn't mean she was different from the rest of them.

After he had come to her aid to inspect whatever injury she supposedly had, the real AJ was to jump out, intending to scare him.

When Mike heard the howl of the illusion AJ's wolf form, he smiled. She had made a good point, he hadn't used his ability for fun in years, and it felt good to just mess with people again, even it was technically his brother.

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(Brendon's POV)
He had heard Adeline's howl, and it sounded like she was in pain, perhaps she'd phased wrong and something had moved the wrong way, or she had run into something.

Seeing the blonde she wolf laying between the trees, he approached slowly, completely unsure how to handle it. He never had liked wolves, partly because one of his friends from his circus days had been mauled by one, and had died in his arms after a show.

And Ryan still showed up in his dreams every now and then, urging him to accept the half-lycan that had become the matriarch of the coven.

But Brendon just couldn't, he remembered too much bloodshed and pain and sadness and loss, all things no one ever wanted to deal with. He had remembered, the night Adeline's friends had shown up and they'd fought the first time in her apartment, that he had question William's willingness to care for the injured girl, simply because of what she was, no matter if they were playing the game or not.

And now, looking at the wolf before him trying to stand, her front paw held at an angle as though it were sprained, he couldn't help but feel sorry for all the resent he had harbor toward her, simply because of another's bite.

"Adeline? What did you do, did you fall and sprain something?" he asked, bending to gently feel her paw.

The wolf actually looked at him and smiled.

For a moment Brendon wondered if this was a cruel joke just to teach him a lesson, and he would have been right, if he'd remembered to stay vigilant to his surroundings.

Too bad he never saw the real one running towards him, jaws open with wild, primitive 'thrill-of-the-hunt' excitement in her eyes.

Somewhere up in the trees, birds flew away, startled at the sound of a body hitting the ground.

(AJ's POV)

She smiled, phasing back into her human form, grabbing her gun and firing it at the now decapitated vampire, laughing like it was a game. Watching the body turn to dust, she stripped out of her clothes, into the second layer she'd put on before they had left.

One layer to splatter blood on, one to act like everyone was okay. She was sure the ghosts would like that she'd thought of that, yes, they would be pleased. The only thing left to do now was kill Mike.

'This should be easy…I'm really starting to like this game….it's better than the one I played with William! I wonder how many…oh, how many will they let me kill? I wonder if-'

"ADELINE!"

Hearing him shout for her, she turned around and took off, back towards him, making sure to come up with something to see.

"Where were you? We should head back now, it's been an hour…and I need to feed, I forgot how hungry producing those illusions could make me…and speaking of which, where's Brendon?"

She shrugged.

"You really don't know?" he pressed, feeling uneasy at the look on her face. It seemed like she wasn't showing any emotion.

"Well," she started, looking at the ground, "I know…but…" she looked up and smiled, "If I told you…" she stepped closer, gaze darting all over, but eventually settling on his lips, "I'd have to kill you."

He stepped back as she moved forward, confused by his reaction.

"Adeline, what are you thinking? You can't just play games like that…"

"Well, for starters, I'm thinking you look like you haven't kissed anybody in ages. I also have noticed the way you act around me when William's not around – I'm not stupid, I know how you feel. Don't think I don't catch the little longings glances you throw in my direction as he walks me up the stairs, or the way you sneak past our door when you think we're asleep. I know you wish he was you."

She rattled off, smiling. Sure, almost none of that had been true, she was just saying it to get under his skin, but the part about him looking like he needed to be kissed was true.

"What? Adeline, I've never wanted to b-"

So, without warning, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his a millisecond before her hand reached for the gun, already cocked at her side.

Pulling away, she watched his eyes widen as realization hit.

"That's why you tried to drink the valerian…you're gone already, mental. You have no reasoning. That's why William wanted us to keep an eye on you…and…with Brendon – you killed him, didn't you?"

She grinned, "Y'know, for an older vampire, I'd think you'd had that figured out the minute I said 'but then I'd have to kill you.' Because now I am. Say goodbye, honey."

And with one shot, the first of the killings was done. Reduced to ash, with no trace as to what had happened.

Only Adeline knew, and, unfortunately, the guilt was going to cause her to cave. Knowing that there was only one person she could truly trust with the information of what she'd done, she turned to head home, wanted to vent to Adam about the ghosts and their torments, what they had driven her to do.