Jason sighed as he sat in his cell listening to the guard playing a game on a smartphone. He checked his pockets, having forgotten about his phone. It was gone. They must have taken it, but they weren't too worried about checking for anything else.

"Hey, guard," Jason called out.

The guard laughed, ignoring him as he played his game.

"Did you guys take my phone?" Jason plodded closer and glanced over at him. "Hey, wait, is that my phone?!" He reached out and the guard swatted his hand. "Ow..."

"Sit back down, and be quiet like a good little hostage," the guard said.

"But that's my phone."

"You think we'd give a hostage their phone?"

"Why are you playing with it?"

"'Cause I'm the one who picked it up after it fell out of your pocket and being a guard is super boring."

"My data..." Jason sighed and sat down on the dirty bed.

"No!" the guard cried out.

"What is it? What happened?" Jason gripped the barren bed, afraid of getting close and smacked again.

"The battery died. You can have it back now," the guard dropped it between the bars.

"Geez, thanks." Jason picked his phone up. Figuring the guard would be bored enough to talk to him, he spoke up, "Why are you doing this, anyway?"

"Hmm? Doing what? Kidnapping you? We kidnapped you so Sammy-girl would come back to us."

"But why?"

"We need her power to fight the werewolves."

"Why are you fighting werewolves in the first place?"

"Because they're trying to wipe us out! We're natural enemies and—"

"That's a load of bull," Jason scoffed.

"What was that?"

"Do you know what year it is? Shouldn't you all leave that in the past? There's room enough for both of you, so just give up the fight and get along."

"You make it sound so easy, but clans that have been at odds for centuries—"

"You vampires might have been doing it that long, but remember, the werewolves live as long as regular humans, and so they don't hold the same grudges as those in the past."

"So you claim, but when one kills someone from the other clan, they end up retaliating and it continues the vicious cycle," the guard sighed.

"Is it me or are you tired of fighting the wolves?"

"I would be more than happy to stop fighting; after so many years, it does get quite tiring."

"Have you ever seen the werewolves attacking first or have you merely heard about an incident and then went in a group to retaliate?"

"What are you getting at?"

"What do you think of Evan?"

Will pulled into the parking lot of an abandoned factory. "You sure this is the place?" Samantha asked.

"Fairly certain."

Samantha took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she focused on her senses.

"What are you—"

"Shh!" Will hushed Roy. "Samantha has better senses than the average vamp so long as she's well-fed."

"Oh..." Roy made a zipping motion across his mouth.

She tried to tune out the sounds around her and focus on the factory. Come on, Jason, say something and I might hear you.

"Samantha..." a breathy whisper caught her ears, but it wasn't whom she wanted to hear.

"They're here..." Samantha swallowed. "At least Evan is."

Will shuddered. "Definitely not the voice you were searching for."

"If he's here, then I'm assuming so is Jason."

"They know we're here?" Roy asked.

"Yeah..."

"So much for a surprise; guess we should've parked somewhere else..."

"There wasn't going to be much of a chance to sneak into this factory anyway since they want us to come here," Will scoffed and got out of the vehicle. "There's going to be too many vampires here." Will texted his werewolf friends where they were and that Evan was there. "We can wait for backup—"

"No; they won't wait that long." Samantha stood in front of the car, staring at the factory.

"Um, if we're not pulling a surprise attack, are we just throwing in the towel so they'll give Jason back?" Roy asked, setting up his crossbow. "And why hasn't anyone come out?"

"They're waiting for me," Samantha said. "You two find another way in."

"You're going straight through the front door alone? No way!" Will reached out for her and she sped away. "Friggin' hell... Let's go."

They rounded to the back of the factory. "Who are you?" Two vampires guarding the back door turned towards them. By the time they were spotted, both Will and Roy fired, each hitting their respective vampires in the heart. Will with his handgun and Roy with his crossbow.

"Good shot," Roy said.

"You too."

They exchanged a knowing look and entered the factory.

Samantha walked up to the front door.

"The boss is expecting you," the guard said.

"I'm sure he is," Samantha threw one of her daggers, stabbing the guard in the chest.

A group of vampires rushed outside and surrounded her.

How many men did he bring here to take me back? A dagger in each hand, she charged forward. She kicked the vampire in front of her and turned to slash the next one coming at her. He screamed and fell back, the cut in his chest sizzling.

One of them caught her off-guard, kicking her in the back. She fell forward and rolled. With a quick turn, she threw another dagger and killed another vampire. One after another, she took them down with only a few scrapes.

Clap, clap, clap. Evan appeared, clapping. "With all the running you do, I forgot how well you fight."

"Evan..." Samantha practically growled at him.

"Great to see you in person again, too." In an instant, Evan slammed into her, sending her flying into the wall.

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"Ah," she cried out as her back hit the wall. He's stronger than I remember. I need to get close to him...

"I honestly didn't think you'd bother to attack us since you know we have your boy-toy."

"Just dwindling the numbers," she grumbled as she got to her feet.

"We need those numbers."

"Then you shouldn't have brought them here; you know I've taken out numerous of your vampires in the past."

"And a few recently."

She cringed. I don't relish at the thought of killing, but I'll do what's needed.

"You know, you could've spared them if you came back home to me."

"Home? My home isn't with you." It's wherever my brother is.

"Of course it is; it's where you were born and belong—"

"No, it isn't!" Samantha yelled at him. A couple of remaining vampires flinched back.

Evan narrowed his eyes. "Yes, it is and even if you don't see it now, you will in time," he sped towards her.

She took a swing at him with her last dagger while grabbing the syringe from her pocket. He caught her wrist, the tip of the dagger right in front of his eye.

"Arg," she cried out in pain as he twisted her wrist. She thrust the syringe at him.

"Prohibere," Evan said, holding his free hand up.

Samantha froze. No matter how hard she tried, her body refused to move. "What did you do?" she managed to force words out.

"Did you forget I can use magic? And what is this?" he grabbed the syringe from her hand and examined it.

I... failed...

He pushed a tiny bit out, making sure it didn't drop on his hand and sniffed it. His head twitched away. "Whatever this crap is, it's no use to you anymore," he threw it against the wall and it shattered.

Tiny shards of the syringe splattered at her. She jerked away, able to move again, but still in his tight grasp. "Arg..." Pain spread in her wrist.

"I wouldn't try anything else if I were you; I'll make sure your lover-boy suffers greatly if you do."

Jason... Samantha swallowed. "Is he... okay?"

Evan cocked an eyebrow. "Lover-boy? He's alright for now. I really should make him suffer a bit since you killed a few of my men though."

"No..." Samantha shook her head. "Please don't..."

Evan smirked. "Well, if you come along quietly, maybe I'll spare him any physical pain for now. It seems he'll be good to keep on hand to control you though."

"But he's a teenager! He still has to finish school and—"

"Maybe you should've thought about that before starting a relationship with him, knowing full-well that you'd return to me someday, as always."

He's delusional!

"Come along and I'll let you see him."

"You will?"

"Of course, but after today, he won't be your lover anymore; that role is mine and mine alone."

Samantha shuddered, remembering when he caught her decades ago and used her any way he wanted because he could. The thought of his hands on her body again sent a feeling of disgust through her. Every part of her wanted to flee, but she couldn't, not without Jason.

"Time for your reunion," Evan started walking, tugging her along behind him. He stopped and turned to one of his men. "What of the other two?"

"No one's reported anything," he answered.

"What? Check in with them."

"001 requesting a check-in, over," the guard said into his walkie-talkie.

"010, checking in," Jason's guard replied. "011 and 012 accounted for, over."

They waited, but no one else replied.

"005 and 007, are you there?"

Static.

"You two," he pointed at the two men he had left with him at the front of the factory. "Go find her brother and the other boy."

They both saluted. "Yes, sir. Do we..."

Evan glanced at Samantha. "Capture, don't kill. My darling here would be devastated if we did, and I could use more hostages to keep her in line."

Samantha swallowed. "Isn't one enough?"

"Nonsense; what if I lose one by accident? I can't have you running away again because of a slipup."

He's still as cruel and insane as ever. There has to be another way to defeat him. The wolves should be here soon, but unless he's weakened, they might end up being more casualties.

"What are you two still waiting around for? Go find them or I'll kill you myself!" Evan yelled at them.

They flinched back and ran off as fast as they could.

"You know, your people would be more loyal and stick around if you weren't so quick to jump down their throats and kill them if they screw up," Samantha scoffed.

"What was that?" he yanked her towards him, twisting her wrist.

"Arg," she gritted her teeth. "You heard me!"

"Yes, but I was giving you the chance to take it back," he leaned in until their noses were almost touching and stared into her eyes. "It's probably not a good idea to piss me off."

Samantha glared at him, holding back her screams of pain.

Taking her silence as a sign of giving in, he released the pressure on her wrist.

"Ah..." she couldn't hold back completely.

Evan smiled and kissed her wrist. "Be good and I won't hurt you."

Tyrant.

He led her downstairs and was greeted by two of his men. They walked deeper into the basement, down a dark hallway, and stopped in front of a cell with a man sitting outside of it on guard.

"Sir," the guard stood.

"Jason?" Samantha's eyes widened as she saw him in the cell, blood mashed into his hair and down the side of his head. She tried to run to him and got yanked back, stumbling into Evan's solid body.

"No..." Jason's heart wrenched. They caught her. He slowly approached the cell bars. "Samantha... Are you hurt?" He reached out.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Samantha tried to reach out for him again and Evan tugged on her, keeping them apart.

Evan tilted his head as he eyed Jason. "I thought you'd be unconscious right now after the beating I gave you. You must be tougher than I thought."

"So, now what?" she glared up at him.

"I need to find the other two before we can leave. Has anybody checked in?"

"No, sir."

"You know what, I'll give you two a moment together while I go hunting. Don't say I was never kind to you."

Will... Roy... please stay safe.

"I'm sure it won't take me long." Evan nudged his head towards the cell and the guard opened the door. "I'll see you soon," he kissed her cheek and shoved her into the cell.

Jason rushed to catch her and held her tightly in a hug. Never before had she felt so small and delicate.

Evan slammed the door and walked away.

"I'm sorry..." he said.

"You're sorry? For what?" She wrapped her arms around him, relaxing a bit in his comforting touch. This feels right and wrong all at the same time.

"For being careless and getting captured."

"You only got captured because of me. Everyone seems to end up in danger and hurt because of me..." her fingers dug into his back slightly.

"That's Evan's and his backwards way of thinking's fault, not yours. I don't blame you one bit," he kissed the top of her head.

"You two are so sweet..." the guard trailed off and sighed. "I miss my girl," he mumbled, leaning against the back of his chair.

"You'll see her soon, dude," Jason assured him.

Samantha pulled back, her brows furrowed as she stared at Jason, who shrugged.

"Seeing as this is your last moment together, I'll give you two some privacy," the guard turned away and put on headphones to listen to music.

"He's not such a bad guy," Jason said, talking about the guard.

"You befriended your guard?" Amazing.

Jason led her over to the bed to sit down. "Kinda, but not enough to let me out. To be fair, Evan would murder him for it, so I can't hold it against him."

Samantha touched the blood on his forehead and he didn't flinch. "Did your wounds heal? Did you...?"

Jason nodded and pulled out the vial of her blood. "Will gave it to me just in case."

"He definitely thinks ahead... They didn't search you?"

"Guess they figured they didn't need to take anything other than my phone, being human and all."

Samantha's face lit up.

"What? What is it?" Jason asked.

Samantha glanced at the guard to make sure he was still looking away while listening to music. "I could kiss you right now..." She trailed a hand from his cheek down his neck to his chest and he shuddered.

"I wouldn't mind at all," Jason's heart raced at the thought. He leaned in and she pushed him back a bit. "What? I thought that's why the guard—"

Samantha grabbed his face. "Jason, hold on a moment." He nodded. "Do you have the syringe Roy gave you this morning?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Evan kinda caught me and broke the only other one we have."

"Crap... How do we hit him with it? I mean, you already tried and we can't exactly hand it off to Will. I know the guard's giving us a moment, but he's too afraid to chance something like that—"

"Jason, stop for a second."

"Okay, shutting up now," he made a motion to zip his lips.

"We won't hit him with it, I'll take it."

"What? No way! You can't!" Jason protested. "You know what that stuff—"

Samantha slapped a hand over his mouth. "I know it'll weaken me... to probably a normal human woman, but my blood can be what transports the serum to him and then... Will can take him out."

"We don't know where Will is; you can't make a plan about him without him knowing."

"He's in the factory somewhere with Roy, probably taking out Evan's men while trying to find a shot at him."

"How do plan to tell him what to do?"

"What's there to tell?" Samantha smiled. "Will will know what to do..."

"How are you going to get him to bite you?"

Samantha swallowed. "I know Evan; once he struggles with Will, he'll either use me to bait him or bite me to use my blood for the extra power boost. Either way, he won't want to leave until Will's taken care of."

"You trust him a lot, don't you?"

"Of course; don't you trust Maggy?"

"Well, yeah, but... Oh my gosh, Maggy!" Jason's eyes widened. "What if—"

"Roy's father is guarding her."

"Oh, thank goodness," Jason sunk into the bed, a sense of relief washing over him.

"We're probably running out of time. Give me the syringe." She held her hand out to him.

Jason hesitated. He wasn't sure giving it to her was the right thing to do. What if she took it and he bit her, but because it was diluted by her blood, it didn't work? Then she would be helpless against him and they still didn't stand a chance. "I... won't... I don't agree with this plan."

I have no choice. In an instant, she was straddling him and pinning him to the bed. "I'm sorry, Jason," she leaned in to look him in the eyes, her eyes glowing red.

"No!" He closed his eyes.

Samantha acted quickly. She patted him down, grabbed the syringe from his pocket and distanced herself, zooming over to the opposite corner of the cell. "I'm sorry, Jason."

Feeling her weight gone, he opened his eyes and sat up, looking for her. She was in the corner, the syringe pointed at her neck.

"Samantha, don't! We don't know what will happen to you..." he trailed off as she plunged the syringe into her neck, forcing the serum into herself. "No..." He felt himself go weak for a second.

She tossed the syringe aside and wobbled. Jason rolled off the bed and lunged to catch her. "Sorry..." she mumbled, her breathing ragged. Her face flushed as her whole body overheated. "Whoa, this... is... like having a super-strong drink of alcohol." She clung to Jason to stay standing as the room spun and her body grew weak.

"I can't believe you did that!" Jason snapped at her.

Samantha flinched back. It's the only way...

"Here, sit down," Jason led her over to the bed. He kept an arm around her waist, holding her close as they sat together. "Now how do we get him to bite you?"

"Now, we wait."