How the Truth Comes Out in

The black helicopter came down in a dust storm. As men in dark uniforms jumped out, Elena grabbed Lucian's hand. Their faces were hidden behind masks. It looked like a spiral inside a broken circle and it shone on their bodies.

"What should we do?" Elena asked in a whisper. Her heart was beating so fast that she could hardly hear herself speak.

Lucian looked all around quickly to find a way out. "We run."

Something stopped them before they could move. A woman got out of the plane. She had long red hair that danced in the wind like fire. Even though she smiled, her eyes were as cold as ice.

"Elena Carter," the woman said in a sweet voice. "And Lucian Blackthorn. What a surprise to find you both alive."

Lucian pushed Elena behind him. "Vivian. Still doing the Council's dirty work?"

The woman laughed. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Elena felt Lucian's anger through their bond. It burned hot like fire in her own chest.

"We need to talk," Vivian said, waving her men back. "Somewhere private."

Twenty minutes later, they sat in a sleek black car driving through the empty morning streets of Ravenshore. Elena's head spun with questions. The sun was rising higher, and Lucian sat beside her, unaffected by its light.

"The ritual changed you," Vivian said, looking at Lucian with hungry eyes. "You're walking in daylight. The Council will pay anything for that secret."

"It's not for sale," Lucian growled.

Vivian turned to Elena. "Do you even know what you've done? What you are?"

Elena straightened her back. "I'm the last of the Midnight Coven. A daywalker witch."

"Oh, you're much more than that now," Vivian said with a laugh. "You've created something new. Something impossible."

The car stopped outside a tall glass building in the center of the city. As they rode the lift to the top floor, Elena felt strange energy buzzing around them. Her new senses told her there were vampires nearby—many of them.

The elevator doors opened to a room with walls made of glass. Five people sat at a round table, watching Elena and Lucian with hungry eyes.

"The Shadow Council," Lucian whispered to her. "The oldest and most powerful vampires in the world."

An old man with silver hair stood up. "Welcome, Elena Carter. We've waited centuries for someone like you."

Elena felt Lucian stiffen beside her. Through their bond, she felt his fear—not for himself, but for her.

"What do you want?" Elena asked, shocked by the strength in her voice.

The old man smiled, showing teeth that looked too sharp. "We want to understand what happened in that sanctuary. How a vampire now walks in daylight without burning."

"And we want to replicate it," added a woman with skin as dark as night and eyes like golden coins.

Lucian's hand found Elena's, squeezing tight. "It can't be replicated. The ritual was unique."

"Let us be the judge of that," said the old man. He nodded to someone behind them.

Two guards grabbed Elena's arms. The birthmark on her skin flared blue, sending strands of power up her arm.

"Don't touch her!" Lucian yelled, moving with vampire speed to knock the guards away.

Chaos exploded in the room. Vivian pulled out a strange gun that glowed with the same green energy they'd seen in the refuge. The Shadow Council members moved with incredible speed, circling Elena and Lucian.

"Stop!" The demand came from a new voice.

Everyone froze as the elevator doors opened again. Victor stepped out, his face partially healed from the fight in the sanctuary. At his side stood a small woman with gray hair and kind eyes that reminded Elena of someone she couldn't quite place.

"Elena," the woman said softly. "You look so much like your mother."

Elena's heart skipped a beat. "You knew my mother?"

The woman nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I'm Martha. I was your nanny when you were a baby."

The Council members hissed in anger. "This is a private meeting," the old man said.

Victor stepped forward. "The girl is under my protection. By ancient law, you cannot touch her without her consent."

"Ancient law?" Vivian laughed. "She's created an abomination! Look at him!" She pointed at Lucian. "A vampire who walks in the sun!"

Martha moved closer to Elena, her eyes never leaving her face. "Your parents knew this day would come. They tried to hide you, to protect you from your own power."

Elena felt dizzy with confusion. "But they died when I was eight. In a car crash."

Martha and Victor shared a look that made Elena's stomach drop.

"That's what you were told," Victor said softly. "The truth is much harder."

Through their bond, Elena felt Lucian's shock. He hadn't known this either.

"Your parents were murdered," Martha whispered. "By her." She pointed a shaking finger at one of the Council members—the woman with golden eyes.

"Amara," Elena breathed, recognizing her from the refuge.

Amara's beautiful face showed no expression. "They were trying to hide what belonged to all of us. The last daywalker witch."

Lucian's grip on Elena's hand tightened. Through their bond, she felt his silent message: We need to get out of here. Now.

Elena closed her eyes, reaching for the power that had teleported them from her apartment to the refuge. She felt it stir inside her—wild, unpredictable, but reacting to her need.

"Elena," Martha said, her voice frantic. "There's something else you need to know. About your birth."

The blue light began to glow beneath Elena's skin, spreading across her arms in glowing patterns.

"You weren't just born to the Midnight Coven," Martha continued. "Your father was—"

A shot rang out. Green energy flashed across the room. Martha's words cut off as she fell forward, a smoking hole in her back.

Vivian stood with her weapon raised, her face cold. "Enough family stories."

"No!" Elena screamed. Power burst from her body in waves of blue fire, knocking everyone back.

In the chaos, Lucian grabbed Elena and ran for the windows. Without pause, he crashed through the glass, pulling her with him.

They fell twenty stories toward the street below, the wind screaming in Elena's ears. Through their bond, she felt Lucian's calm.

Trust me? his thoughts whispered in her mind.

Just before they hit the ground, their fall slowed strangely. They landed softly on their feet in the middle of the busy street, surrounded by startled spectators.

"How did you—" Elena began.

"Not me," Lucian said, looking around in confusion. "Someone else."

A black car screeched to a stop beside them. The driver's window rolled down, revealing a face Elena recognized from her visions—a woman with eyes exactly like her own.

"Get in," the woman said. "Quickly, Elena. They're coming."

"Who are you?" Elena asked, frozen in shock.

The woman's smile was sad and caring. "I'm your mother."