I hadn't been to a club since I was in University. And even then, those experiences were totally few and far between. I wasn't a party goer. I was a nerd who liked to be social sometimes. I had to sooth my social anxieties by reminding myself we were on an important mission. Which only proved to enhance my other kind of anxieties.

  Adewale stood beside me in silky black dress pants, with a white shirt underneath, buttoned up just enough to expose the top of his chest. Black suspenders kept his pants up, and he slung his blazer over his shoulder.

  It was impressive to see everyone all dressed up, but it felt weird to be out like this. Amelia had done her hair for the first time in ages, all put up with spiral bangs hanging on either side of her face. Her black dress clung to her body, which was a huge difference from the baggy hoodies and sweatpants she had been wearing lately. She seemed confident, like her old self, like the excuse to be out doing something had empowered her. Nim stood beside her, arm in arm, the two having bonded quickly. Nim's black and red dress was split up the middle, and woven back together with a corset style lace on either side.

  Tadashi wore what he normally wore; comfortable pants, a black dress shirt and his bandana, keeping his hair out of his face. It had taken a bit of persuading to get him out. Since Ethan had left, Tadashi had only seemed interested in training, his normally reclusive behavior exacerbated.

  And then there was August.

  Much as I had met him, he wore baggy carpenter jeans, with too many pockets, and a bright pink Hawaiian shirt with vibrant yellow pineapples on it. Adewale had tried to talk him into wearing something else, but the man refused to wear anything else. I wasn't even sure if it was the same outfit he had worn when I met them. Had he even changed his clothes?

  We stood outside the door to Sanctuary, on a small side street of Spadina Avenue. There was a Seven Eleven across the street and an empty unit beside it that looked like it hadn't been rented in decades. You couldn't tell the nightclub was here unless you knew about it; it was just a blacked out glass door with a normal pull handle, like so many other shops on the road. Above, a white sign with a light behind it showed a white, even sided cross, with a red background. It looked like a blood bank, no pun intended.

  Okay, maybe a little intended.

  Adewale opened the door and ushered us inside. I swallowed hard as we were met with a black stone staircase, leading to a basement and the heavy thump of bass.

  "Move it or lose it." Nim exclaimed loudly, dragging Amelia behind her as the two moved for the opening, surprisingly fast in heels. August followed in behind, and then Tadashi, who shot me a concerned look. Adewale motioned for me to go, but my feet wouldn't move.

  "Are you alright?" He asked, closing the door. He touched my arm with his big hand, and I got goosebumps from the sudden warmth.

  "I'll be fine. I'm just not great in crowds. Especially not crowds were I could potentially be a late night snack." I chuckled, which did nothing to settle my nerves.

  "You can return to the Cathedral if you have to. There is enough of us to handle any issues that might occur." He said it with such confidence that I almost turned and left.

  "No, no. I'll go. I just...normally when I go to places that are jammed packed and loud, I have my emotional support Erik." I confessed. Ade nodded and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

  "Then tonight, I shall be your emotional support Adewale. Hopefully that is enough." He grinned with his teeth. "I will not leave your side."

  "Thanks, it will be more than enough." I told him, letting him steer me inside with minimal resistance.

  Once inside, the bass was so heavy I could feel it in my skinny chest. My heart began to synch up with the rhythm and I stared out to the neon lights that flashed off of pale skin, pressed closely together in the middle of the dance floor. There was a railing the ran along the outside of the massive square, leaving space for people to stand at tall tables and lean into each other's ears to talk and drink. It was hard to see at first, but many glasses were filled with a viscous, red fluid; blood.

  As Ade and I moved around the perimeter of the dance floor, it was easy to pick out who here was human and who was not. Eyes that flashed like night time predators, glowed in the dark, darting to us as the scent of new blood hit their nostrils.

  We had agreed to split up and look for information, with Tadashi and August at the bar, Nim and Amelia on the dance floor and Ade and I securing the perimeter, patrolling. Adewale and I found a mostly empty table to stand next to, peering out over the railing, looking for the girls.

  "I don't see them." I panicked. Adewale placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in to speak loudly into my ear.

  "Far right corner. They are making their way to the middle." Ade tried to point them out, but I couldn't really see. The railing was about six feet higher than the dance floor and I still couldn't pick them out in the writhing mass of bodies.

  "I've got a bad feeling about this." I muttered to myself, drowned out by the music. We weren't standing there long before two women approached us. They waved, almost synchronized as they walked up, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I looked to Adewale, who made a simple gesture with his hand for me to stay put. It took everything in my power not to bolt. When they were close enough for us to be able to hear them, I was immediately overwhelmed by their perfumes. No, too strong for perfume; pheromones.

  "You boys looking to feed us?" The one closest to me asked, her breath hot on my neck. She ran her tongue along my jugular and I was sure I was done for.

  "Not tonight ladies, our apologies." Adewale spoke loudly, his deep voice loud enough that I could hear him with the table between us. He gently nudged the one on him away, but mine persisted.

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  "Aww, does your friend usually speak for you?" She laughed, nipping at my ear. "You're shaking like a terrified little mouse. Are you sure you're not prey, little mouse?"

  I clung to my table, for fear that I would fall over. My eyes had glazed over and it was hard to think for myself. Maybe I was here to be prey? Why did we come here again?

  "He's not interested. Please leave us." Adewale tried to sound confident, but could hear his uncertainty too. Maybe we should just let them feed on us, maybe just a little, I thought.

  "Enough. Leave them." Another voice said, ringing out over the music. The two women barred their fangs and hissed, their eyes flickering with primal hunger, but they followed the command, darting back off into the crowds.

  Before us, stood a man in a white suit, pristine and glowing against his pale skin. His black hair was slicked back, with more grease than I'd ever seen Anders use. Despite that grease, his hair still hung in a part that fell in front of his red eyes.

  "Ravenous little things." He said, looking at where the two women had disappeared. He turned to us and made a motion for us to follow. I looked to Ade, who shrugged. Two other men in black suits, covered in tattoos, moved to block our way back. The invitation was a command.

  We followed behind the man in the white suit, as he led us up a flight of steel grated stairs, and into a small room. I looked behind me to see if I could see the others, to give them some sort of signal about where we were. The door closed behind me and suddenly, I could hear again.

  I turned around slowly to take in the office space, with its large windows to over look the entire club. The carpet was a deep crimson, with black walls and decor. A Victorian style chair with red velvet sat high behind a black desk. It occurred to me that Nim and her outrageous dress would fit right into this room.

  "Have a seat, Chosen." The man in the white suit said, motioning to the chairs in front of the big desk, before he took a seat in the bigger one. Ade and I exchanged a cautionary glance, before sitting as instructed. Now we were stuck, and if we wanted out, it would likely be a fight.

  "How do you know who we are?" Adewale asked, leaning back into his seat. I felt myself trembling as I looked between the man's unblinking red eyes and the door.

  "We can smell your kind a mile away. Mortal, but that's not quite all. Something a little sharper, there's the tiny taste of magic you all carry." He said with a faintly Russian accent.

  "I didn't realize we had a smell." I chuckled nervously, until those red eyes bit into my soul again, which promptly shut me up.

  "One Order member walking into my club is no reason for concern. Seven in the span of a few weeks, makes me nervous. What business do you have here?" His voice was deadly serious, the voice of a creature who's nest we had intruded upon.

  "Seven? There is only six of us." I blurted out before Adewale could give him a proper response. The man in white waved his hand dismissively.

  "A white haired Guardian was here briefly, weeks ago. Said she was only here for the scene and wouldn't cause any problems. You six on the other hand..." He rested on the final word as he mulled us over, like a wine tasting. "...You look like problems.

  "We have come looking for information." Adewale interjected quickly, before I could say anything else stupid. "There are dark things shifting around in the shadows and we need help if we are to stop it."

  The man in white shifted in his chair, grinning to show his fangs.

  "Why do you think I would give you information for free? Information is a currency just like any other." He sneered.

  "Then we'll trade." Adewale shot back without missing a beat. I was glad for his strong presence in that moment, as my own spine had turned to jelly and my head was still reeling from the pheromones.

  "That will depend on what information you seek." The man in white's eyes flashed dangerously. "And what you are willing to give." He leaned over the desk.

  "Let us restart. I am Dimitri, Elder of Clan Mikhailov, at your service." He extended a pale hand out, which Adewale shook.

  "Adewale Solarin, of the Cathedral Branch. And this is Orion Wells." He introduced.

  "Ah, both family names I know well. Although I did not know that Gideon sired any progeny." Dimitri offered his toothy smile. Ade simply shrugged, hoping his name would carry enough weight.

  I didn't realize my own parents had made a name for themselves either. It was hard to think of either of them as some legendary heroes. My Dad was always puttering around with his head in a book, barely aware of his surroundings and my Mom was so uptight and short fused, it was hard to imagine her being as proficient as stories told.

  "What information are you looking to find, son of Gideon?" Dimitri sat back in his big Victorian chair and crossed his legs.

  "Damien, the son of Eris. He is recruiting in the Old World, trying to stir up a revolution. Where was he last seen? What is he looking for? What can you tell us about him?" Adewale asked, sitting forward on his seat. His leg was bouncing, but I couldn't tell if it was anxiety or excitement.

  "Ah yes. Damien has made quite the name for himself as of late. The Old World is in quite the stir." Dimitri chuckled. "However, he was unsuccessful in recruiting Lilith and the forces at the Manor, including Clan Mikhailov. So he launched an assault, stealing many Non-Human children in the process. For what purpose, we don't know."

  "Stealing kids? That's about as evil as it gets." I chimed in. Both Ade and Dimitri look at me, as if they had forgotten I was in the room. I felt my face flush red.

  "Last we heard, he was trying to get back into the Order databases, looking for some kind of science project from back in the day. Might have something to do with the missing children." Dimitri shrugged, as if it didn't matter.

  "I can't begin to imagine what he's searching for. The Order databases are secure, it would take a skilled hacker to get inside." Adewale shook his head. I made a whining noise that brought their attention to me again.

  "So, maybe not like, super secure. I mean, it was kind of a challenge, but it wasn't that hard to get into." I winced as Adewale glared at me.

  "So you're saying that there is a breach in the Order's digital defenses?" Dimitri mused. I grimaced.

  "Where was he spotted last? Do you know where he is hiding?" Adewale asked, trying to take the focus off of my blunder. Dimitri shrugged again.

  "He was here not too long ago. He's been trying to incite a rebellion amongst the vampires, especially the youthful sires downstairs. Clan Mikhailov has moved away from feeding on humans and offers synthetic alternatives, which we serve here at quite the discount, I might add. But the young ones, they still crave the real thing, and you wouldn't believe how many humans with vampire fetishes wander in here, practically begging to have their blood sucked."

  Adewale and I looked at each other, sharing our gratefulness that Dimitri had not let those two women eat us.

  "I cannot control all of them, and the other Clans are not excited about moving to a synthetic. They still view humans as cattle; livestock to be bred and slaughtered. This is why I sought out refuge for my Clan at the Manor. The world is shifting to darkness, just as you said. And I will not have my Clan swept away in that darkness."

  "Do you know where he went after coming here?" I asked.

  "He was seen exiting to the subway station." Dimitri told us.

  From there, he could have gone anywhere, even into an Old World trains station. And I wasn't going to be able to hack every single camera to track him down. It felt like a dead end again.

  "Did he give any indication of where he might strike next?" Adewale asked, before I could get the words out.

  "He said something about taking vengeance on the son of his mortal enemy. Something about the sins of the father..." Dimitri frowned with recall.

  My blood went cold.

  "Erik's in trouble."