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“Buffy.” I grinned back, nodding to him.

Three more filed in together, taking the seats on the other side of Dom, next to Helen. I couldn’t tell what they were right away, which meant that whatever their powers were, they weren’t animalistic in nature. Which meant they could all be slayers. It was likely. From what Dom had said, at least two of them were.

I studied them. The one closest to Helen was a large, bald, black man. He was handsome, with dark skin and even features, and he looked at absolute ease in the tense setting. That alone meant he was someone formidable. His eyes were so dark they shone black. He had the ageless look that many supernaturals had. He was wearing a simple white dress shirt with tan slacks. He was dressed down compared to the druids, but his confidence made up for it. He inclined his head respectfully to Dom as he stood behind his chair.

The next man was yet another tall, Nordic blond. He, Helen, Christian, and I could have all been siblings. On closer inspection of his dark blue eyes, I thought it a good possibility that he and Helen actually were. I wondered if all the British slayers were related in some way to Christian. It sure looked like at least some of them were. His nod to Dom was particularly stiff. Some hostility there, perhaps? He being Helen’s brother might explain that.

Everyone that entered cast strange looks between Caleb and me, but no one else mentioned it.

The last man to sit made my body go stiff; my blood felt like it was freezing in my veins.

My heart skipped a beat.

“Sit,” Dom commanded the room.

We all sat.

A long ago memory of a man standing in the shadows, a threat in the dark, always waiting to punish, surfaced in my mind. Countless punishments ordered by my father that the shadow man had administered. The shadow-man in my memories had a relic much like Christian’s around his neck. It had been the weapon used in ‘The Purging.’ He would run it down my cheek sometimes, smiling.

He had long unkempt black hair that trailed down the sides of his face to his thick chest, and swarthy dark skin, his jaw shadowed. His eyes were pale green and direct. He wore a well-used, dark gray leather trench coat, buttoned to his throat. Hiding weapons, I thought. Hiding that terrible relic?

He didn’t even look at the others in the room. His enigmatic gaze zeroed in on me and stayed there. “You recognize me?” he asked directly. His voice was gravelly and mean and accent-less, just how I remembered.

I nodded slightly, my hands reaching instinctively for a weapon at my back. There was none. Weapons were not allowed here, and I had assumed I would be safe at a meeting where Dom was presiding. I sent him an accusing look. He looked confused, but I could tell from his eyes that the beast-call was moving through him. He knew that I felt threatened, even if he didn’t know why.

“You must have met my twin,” the man said distinctly. “He was captured by your clan centuries ago. That is why I’ve asked to join this endeavor, actually. I would like to finally get my brother back. And the family relic. It was stolen with him.”

The relief that I felt worried me. Was I that afraid of the shadow-man? It was a child’s horror, from my memories. But that didn’t lessen it. And why should I believe that it was his twin?

But this man did have a different feel… He didn’t stink of the brain sickness like the shadow-man. This was no thrall.

Something that he said bothered me. I addressed it first. “We won’t be rescuing that one.” My tone was emotionless and steady as a rock. “If I see that man again, I will kill him. He was instrumental in ‘The Purging.’ And he beat me regularly as a child, tortured me and my sister relentlessly. So I repeat, if I see your twin, I will kill him.”

The man looked furious. He turned to address Dom. “Arch—” he started but Dom’s expression stopped him.

We all looked at the Arch, who had a look on his face that I couldn’t read, but something about it made my chest ache.

He was frozen for an endless moment, something haunting him, lighting up his lovely, discordant eyes.

“Dom,” I prompted him. He’s distraught, I realized, and wondered if anyone else knew him well enough to notice.

My anger at him fled for a moment, and I felt a flood of concern.

He blinked, running a hand over his face to regain his composure. “Harvey, your brother has been a captive for centuries. His mind has been enthralled for far too long to ever make a recovery. You need to be prepared to confront your twin as an enemy.”

Harvey’s mouth tightened. “All I ask for is a chance to try to recover him.”

Dom and I stared at each other for a pregnant moment. What was he thinking? His mask had come back down, but he was obviously struggling with something.

“That kind of hesitation could get somebody killed in the middle of battle. If he’s fighting with the enemy when we engage, he is a target. I’ll kill him myself,” Dom said, finality in his voice, “and I will make it quick. I’m sorry for your loss, but that’s all I can give you. If this decision doesn’t sit well with you, I’ll understand if you can’t help with the hunt.”

Harvey’s eyes shut tightly for a moment in pain. When he opened them, they were full of resignation. “I trust your judgement, Arch.”

It was a testament to the absolute authority Dom wielded that Harvey could concede such a thing without a fight. Druids were the law, and the law was not questioned. And Dom was their King. There was nothing to do but submit. “If you feel this is the way it has to be, I will accept your decision. Perhaps I have been hanging on to false hope for too long. It is hard to let go of a twin bond. But I still want in. Even if it takes death to free him, I want him free of those monsters.” His eyes shifted to me, and I was surprised to find no animosity there. Was this what the shadow-man was like without my father’s taint? “No offense,” he said.

I raised my brows, surprised. “None taken. I know firsthand how monstrous they are. And I’ve called my clan far worse. I ran away when I was very young. There is no pull of kinship for me there.”

“What is ‘The Purging?’” Harvey asked.