"How did we miss this?" Zach paces in front of the computer monitors in the surveillance room. His ocean eyes are bloodshot and his hair stands on end from his hands constantly running through it. Even from here I can see that his nails are bitten down so low they are almost bleeding, but his hands still keep trailing towards his mouth.

Last night, Lideri had dismissed me and Caleb from his room and asked us to fetch Zach, who of course went racing there as soon as he heard he was summoned. They had been holed up for hours, I assume to discuss a way forward, while Caleb took me back to the hospital wing and tucked me into bed.

This morning, I had been awoken by someone named Angie, who is apparently the resident doctor here. She quickly became my favourite person in this place when she handed me a cup full of pain killers with a bright smile and a glass of water.

By the time Caleb came to fetch me, all my aches and pains had been reduced to a dull throb and I was feeling more than a little antsy. I wanted to be involved in whatever they were planning and help figure out what our next move is.

Now, sitting in the comfortable chair and watching Caleb play with the monitors and Zach walking back and forth, I can't help but feel that no plan has actually been set into place yet.

"He was smart," Caleb says. "That's why it took so long to catch him. Clearly, we underestimated him."

"We're going to have to find them and hunt them down, one by one, before they can come to us." Zach runs his hands through his hair in frustration again. "We're no match for them if they all come together."

"Pardon my interruption," I cut in. "But aren't there more Vampire Hunters? Surely it's not just the three of us?"

"They're spread out all over the world chasing down their own leads, Peyton," Zach explains patiently. I almost fall off my chair when his words aren't accompanied by his usual sigh that normally follows my questions. "Caleb and I are the only ones here."

"And me," I add but Zach ignores me, his arms crossing over his chest as he makes another turn and stalks towards the other end of the room.

"We've never dealt with anything of this scale before," Caleb tells me. "Even Lideri is worried. We don't know how many there are, or who they are. This could end badly." He glances at Zach who has reached the opposite wall and is now approaching again. "For all of us."

"How long do we have Peyton?" Zach asks. "Did he say?"

"He was a little preoccupied with killing me." I shrug before realizing that my sarcasm probably wouldn't be appreciated in our current situation. "Sorry, I mean no." I shake my head. "He just said 'soon', whatever that means. But," I try to look on the bright side. "They have no idea where we are, we should be safe here."

Zach finally stops pacing and looks at me. "Peyton, I'm not worried about them finding us. I'm worried about what they will do if they don't. They'll draw us out by going on a killing spree. And in the meantime, who's to say they won't turn more people to strengthen their numbers?"

If Zach is this scared then I know that this is bad, even worse than I had originally thought.

"Well then, Caleb." I swallow loudly. "I suggest we start up our training again, immediately."

"I think that's a good idea," he nods grimly as Zach starts up his pacing again.

¤

"Come on, Jennings." Caleb releases his foot from my throat and I finally take in a deep breath. "I know you can do better than this."

"Excuse me for being a little sore from the beat down I received two days ago," I grumble, pushing myself back to my feet while my body screams in agony. The morning dose of pain killers that Angie gave me are starting to wear off and it doesn't help that Caleb has added a few new bruises to my already impressive collection.

"You're the one who wanted to start training again straight away," he points out. "You have to learn to fight through the pain."

"You have to learn to be more gentle," I counter.

He moves closer to me, until his face is an inch away from mine. "This isn't a joke, Jennings. I saw what was happening in that room. The way he threw you," he stops, gulping loudly and cupping a hand to my face. "You're lucky to be alive. I would really like to keep you that way. You still owe me that favour."

I'm about to respond when someone clears their throat from behind us. Caleb jumps away from me as though he's been electrocuted, his hand falling to his side. I turn to see Lideri limping towards us with his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

"Caleb, I wonder if I could have a word alone with Miss Jennings." Lideri says, his eyes narrowed at our proximity.

"Of course," Caleb nods once. "I will go find Zach." And with that he hurries out the training room, leaving me alone with an angry looking Lideri. It takes a great deal of will power for me not to beg Caleb to stay. I feel like I'm going to need back-up during this conversation.

Lideri crosses the room and makes himself comfortable in one of the chairs. Even beneath all his scars, I can see how worried and scared he truly is, though I doubt he would ever admit that. "I find myself at a loss, Miss Jennings," he starts. "I never thought that we would come to this."

I really wouldn't mind some clarification on what he's talking about, but I'm too scared to ask.

"It appears we are approaching war." His voice lowers slightly and I have to step closer to hear what he says next. "And we are greatly out-numbered."

"Do we know how many there are yet?" I ask. Zach had been tasked with searching the surveillance footage throughout the entire town, trying to pin-point the individuals that Henry had turned. It was a time consuming and monotonous job, which I discovered when I offered to help him yesterday.

"Eleven, so far. Zach is continuing his search. I am hoping that is all."

Eleven doesn't sound too bad, until I remember that we are talking about ruthless killers who have a mouth full of weapons and are much stronger and faster than humans. Eleven vampires could destroy our entire town, leaving bloodshed and bodies wherever they went.

It chills me to my very core to think that Henry is the one who started this. The man I had been dating before I found out his true identity is responsible for destroying so many lives. It's not just about the people they've killed, it's also about the ones that Henry turned; he stripped them of their lives without a second thought.

I really do have crap taste in men.

"I need as many hunters as I can get," Lideri continues. "This goes against everything I believe in, Miss Jennings. But I am going to ask you to fight with us."

He acts like I was going to sit back and let them do this without me.

"I would have done so anyway," I point out. "That was our deal."

"Ah yes, the deal," he shifts uncomfortably in his chair, confirming my suspicions. If we hadn't been facing a war, he would never have let me join their ranks. He would probably have let me stay here, under their protection, but never would have allowed me out to actually face any vampires. "How is your training going?"

I'm caught by the change of subject and it takes me a moment to formulate a response. "I'm still recovering from the fight on Saturday, but it will be okay."

"And how are you recovering mentally?" When I look at him in confusion, he continues. "Many trainees struggle with their conscience after their first kill. They struggle to separate the human from the vampire and it can lead to very dark thoughts."

I consider his words carefully. I did have a moment straight after I had killed Colton where I struggled to accept that I had murdered someone. But since then, I've been too preoccupied with recovering and the other vampires Henry turned, to think about it too much. The fact that I had forgotten about it shames me slightly. Before Henry turned him, Colton was just a fraternity brother making his way through college.

He probably has a family that is wondering where he is. I took him from them.

No, I didn't. Henry did.

"I hadn't really thought about it," I admit. "But the way I look at it, Henry is the one who ended his life. Colton was dead before I even came along."

"There may be hope for you yet." Lideri nods approvingly. "Always remember, we kill the beasts and not the person. Our job is a hard and lonely one, but we make the world a better place. One mythical creature at a time."

"To save the many, we must sacrifice the few," I attempt to remember the quote but probably get it horribly wrong. Lideri either takes no notice, or has never heard it before.

He nods once and gets to his feet. "One more thing, Miss Jennings. I'm sure you're aware by now that I do not approve of relationships between Hunters."

I open my mouth to protest but he continues without letting me speak.

"Before you deny it, consider the scene I just walked in on." He raises his eyebrows knowingly at me and I feel my cheeks heat up under his scrutiny. "There is a reason I feel this way. Relationships tend to serve as distractions; emotions have no place in this world. I cannot have Caleb lose focus because of you."

"I understand-," but he cuts me off.

"That being said, I can see that this talk may have come a little too late. Caleb is already very clearly infatuated with you, though I do find it hard to see why." His mouth twitches up in a smile and my jaw almost drops to the floor.

"Was that a joke?"

"I'm not completely devoid of humour, Miss Jennings," he says in a tone that suggests otherwise. "Perhaps, next time before you judge me, you could consider the weight that I carry on my shoulders. This position is not an easy one."

He's right. I have no idea what it takes to run an organization as big as this one, nor the responsibilities that come with it. Who can blame the guy for being a little strict?

"Now, I cannot stop feelings from developing but I can advise against them. Distractions lead to death and emotions end to pain. In our line of work, people die all the time. Keep that in mind going forward."

I nod, stunned into silence and confused as all hell. I want to ask him if he knows this from experience, but it's far too personal and none of my business. I don't want to dredge up old wounds just to satisfy my curiosity.

"Anyway Miss Jennings, I must go to the control room and check on Zach's progress." He turns to leave, and even though I didn't quite understand the conversation that we just had or where Caleb and I stand with him, one thing does stick out to me.

"Peyton," I call out and he looks back at me, one eyebrow quirked up. "Please, call me Peyton. It feels rude for you to call me 'Miss' when you are my leader."

"Very well," he half smiles again, almost flooring me. Two smiles from Lideri in one conversation must surely be a new record. I must remember to ask Caleb about that. "Peyton."