“So we have everything we need?” Kris clarified, “you aren’t going to realize we missed something halfway through casting the spell?”

“No,” Alexandria told him, “and if the situation wasn’t so serious, I’d be offended by that question.”

“Now all we need to do is find where Shin is hiding,” Suho smiled, “then we can seal him away for good.”

“I’m worried he might have left the country,” Nara spoke up, “we haven’t heard anything from her lately. No dead bodies, no reports of blood bags being stolen from the hospital, and no contact.”

“Are we sure he’s still here?” Sehun asked. the rainbow haired werewolf looked down right depressed without Jina around, like a puppy who’d lost his owner. Bora noticed that his brothers – minus Tao, Xiumin, Baekhyun, and Luhan – looked just as sad at the absence of their own friends. Seeing them so upset just made her feel worse about how things had ended up.

Maybe she should have lied to N. No. No, that would have ended worse.

“I know he is,” Suji frowned, “he wouldn’t leave yet, not without getting back at Bora for locking him away for so long.”

“It’s kind of sad, isn’t it?” Suho sighed, “That we have his hate for Bora to thank for keeping him here. That without his grudge, he’d be long gone and destroying other people’s lives.” The others nodded before starting to plan out their next move.

“I can’t help,” Luhan suddenly said, “After today, I’m sorry but I just need some time.” Bora nodded, gesturing that he could leave. Without another word, he left, leaving everyone else but Bora confused.

Luhan didn’t think Bora was a monster. He didn’t want to think that, anyway. But he’d known Jessica a couple of years ago when she was still human. They’d gone to school together and been friends. She’d been so nice, so kind. He couldn’t think of anything she could have done to make Bora turn her against her will. Bora wasn’t a monster – she couldn’t be – but Luhan needed some time to sort out his thoughts, to rid himself of that little bit of doubt that nagged at him.

“What happened?” Kris asked once Luhan was gone.

“We ran into someone I turned a few years ago,” Bora explained, “a daughter from a Hunter family who attacked us. The night after they attacked, I attacked them. I’m not proud of what I did that night, but I stand by it because that was what I thought was best at the time.”

Kris and Suho nodded, knowing exactly what she was saying. They had been in positions that hurt and killed others for the sake of protecting their brothers before. They, as leaders, had been the ones who had to make that call that ended the life of another person several times. It never got easier, it always left them feeling like monsters of the most despicable kind. But would they rather feel awful then let their family get hurt? Yes. Without a second thought, the answer would always be yes.

“I remember that attack,” Gayun recalled, “It took most of us a couple of weeks to recover. Hyuk had so many splinters of wood in his back I couldn’t believe that he was still alive. Suji had a stake in her chest so deep we had to cut it out. And don’t even get me started on the damage they did to Jina.” Her voice grew darker with every word, a clear sign to everyone just how bad the attack had been.

“I believe you knew the family,” Bora sighed, “they had a daughter called Jessica. Luhan apparently knew her.” The eleven hybrids gasped. They’d known her alright. She’d been their classmate before vanishing.

“Was she involved in the attack?” Kai asked, not sure if he wanted to hear his answer.

“She was there,” Jiwook replied, “she and her sister watched from the car. They had a great view of what was happening, but I didn’t see if they took part like their family did.” The hybrids nodded. While they were relieved to hear that Jessica and her sister hadn’t taken part in attacking their vampire friends, knowing that they had stood by and watched wasn’t as relieving a thought.

“Did you tell Luhan this?” Kris asked.

“No,” Bora told him, “I didn’t want to sound like I was justifying my actions. Luhan knows me, he knows I wouldn’t do something like that without a reason.” Kris nodded.

“What if he thinks you’re a monster now?” Suho asked. He didn’t think Luhan would come to think that of Bora, but the chance did exist and he wondered how Bora would deal with it.

“I’ll deal with that if it happens,” she replied, “but until then I think you should all avoid us, too.”

“Why?” Tao asked, looking alarmed as he glanced between Bora, Gayun, Suho, and Kris.

“Luhan needs your support,” Bora reasoned, “until he makes his decision. If you keep hanging out with us, it’s like telling him you don’t support him needing time and it will put a wedge in your relationship.”

“It will only be for a while, though, right?” Kris asked, “and you aren’t going to do anything stupid like take down Shin until we come back, right?”

“Of course,” Bora replied, “so long as you do as I ask.”

“Then we’ll go for now,” Suho nodded, ignoring the cries of protest from the others, “and once Luhan makes his decision we’ll come back.” Suho knew that Bora was right and he also knew that she wouldn’t take no for an answer. This was clearly important to Bora, so as her friend he would do as she asked.

The eleven hybrids then left, bidding the five vampires goodnight before following after their brother. Several of the hybrids looked rather upset – mostly Tao, Baekhyun, and Xiumin – but they all did as Suho and Kris said. They had to trust in the three leaders, knowing that they would never knowingly lead them wrong.

“What are you doing here?” Luhan asked once they fell into step with him.

“Supporting you,” Kris replied.

“I don’t think they’re monsters,” Luhan admitted as the twelve hybrids walked away, “but I just can’t be around them right now. I can’t be around Bora right now.” The mental image of what Bora had done to Jessica and her family was too fresh.

“Agreed,” Kris nodded, as did the others. They weren’t fools, they knew that their vampire friends had done horrible things in the past, justified or not. But it was one thing to know something had happened, it was another to have the evidence of that something placed right in front of you. Luhan had that evidence shoved right in his face by a person who had once been a trusted friend.

“It will just be a few days,” Suho said, turning to Luhan, “once you’re ready to face Bora again, we’ll all go back.”

Luhan just nodded. He glanced at Tao, looking mournfully back at Bora’s home as if hoping to see Gayun. Xiumin and Baekhyun looked upset as well, their own friends still resided within the mansion. He knew his brothers didn’t want to leave, but they did it because of him. Because he couldn’t face Bora right now and they wanted to support him. It was their loyalty to him that made them walk away now because if they weren’t so loyal they wouldn’t be with him now.

Suho and Kris shared a look, knowing what Luhan was thinking. True they didn’t have any problem with the vampires that caused them to walk away. True they were doing it to show support for their brother. But Bora had also requested this and that was what had decided things. They didn’t know why she wanted them gone, but something in her eyes told them not to argue.

Kris glanced back at the house. A part of him wondered if maybe he should have argued with Bora. Maybe he should have stayed. No, he had to trust that Bora knew what she was doing. Yet the feeling that something was wrong still nagged at him.

A/N: Don’t worry, Luhan will be back. He’s just a little upset right now. He’d know Jessica for a long time, so naturally her words would have an effect on him. The real question should be about Bora: is she going to do something stupid? She did seemed rather intent about getting the others to leave.