I waited till I was out of sight before shifting. A greyhound with strong legs could travel more quickly than a human without drawing attention. If I happened to pass by people walking their dogs, one quick glare at the canine would be enough to make sure they stayed silent.

My sister had become both an ambassador and celebrity for shapeshifters over the summer. We knew that someone would have to represent the pack for the humans once everything went down, and almost everyone nominated Nicole. Since the big plan to move into the public eye was a success, she stood in the spotlight for us all. As I came around the corner of her street to see yet another forsaken crowd of press and people who had nothing better to with their lives than stand on the sidewalks all day, I tried to find another way in. A way that wouldn't involve me walking between stranger's legs and snapped pictures of me.

Nicole's condo was pretty standard for what you'd expect from a small-town high school teacher. A second-floor space opened up to a small balcony painted a deep shade of orange. Large capital letters carved from maple wood were painted in metallic gold and hung above the balcony's entrance. Letters carved just to make sure that everyone who took a glance up would know that NICOLE SIN lived there.

Just as I raised my head to find those letters, a tall blonde stood at the edge and waved wildly down at me. "Hunter! Hey little brother, come straight up!" she beamed. Almost immediately, attention switched to me and my cover was blown. I resisted the urge to growl at cameramen...up until one of them brought his camera too close to my nose.

"Damn it, Nicole." I took a few tense steps back before leaping up against the wall and springing onto the balcony. I would have preferred to be discreet, but a little display of acrobatics isn't bad either.

"Nice jump, Hunter. It's good to see you're not getting fat," she said as I rose onto two legs and shifted into a human form. She threw a robe at me quickly and I wrapped it around myself as soon as I realized she had company.

The hair along my arms tensed instantly as I recognized the sickly-sweet scent of a Blake. The demon girl herself sat at my sister's table with a cup of tea and a tiny plate in front of her. Emilia Blake's contrasting dark skin and bright blonde hair made her easy to recognize. A metal chain- the same metal chain that was used to tear apart innocent women and children- was piled on the floor under the table.

Emilia's head was turned slightly so that she could glower at me from the corner of her eyes. I would rip her apart right then and there, but Nicole put a hand on my shoulder. "It came knocking a short while ago. Apparently, it has an offer for the Lycans, but it's too afraid to approach the queen directly."

"I will not humor you referring to me as an 'it'. Unlike your kind, I am always, unquestionably a woman."

"You are a murderous demon that doesn't deserve to be personified in any way, so it doesn't matter what you want to be called. Keep in mind that you are still an invader in my family's territory, so this much courtesy is only due to you being a guest in my home." Nicole returned to her seat opposite the demon. I was amazed that my sister could remain so composed in the presence of this particular demon after what she has done.

"I will get down to the point then. You and your pack of beasts have until the end of the month to vacate Viridian entirely. My family has arranged an agreement that should be more than acceptable for your leaders.

"If you all retreat back into the caves up north that you came from, we shall not pursue you any further. Otherwise, you'll all be terminated without hesitation." Emilia took a sip of tea. "I'm sure your queen shall be happy to keep her pet monsters alive and serving in whatever den you clawed out of."

I was about to walk over and snap her pretentious little neck, but Nicole made it clear that this was her matter to settle. So, I held back watched her stare down the brightly-dressed murderer. "What makes you think that you can terminate anyone of us now?" she asked.

"Our...extended family has already gathered in and around the town. Even as we speak, you and your pack are surrounded on all sides. Not only do we overpower you, we outnumber you as well. If you do not leave before we lock down the borders, you will have no chance of escape. We will cast a field over this town that will put every human to rest before we move in to put an end to your race.

"You cannot win. Your young will be eradicated, your warriors will be extinguished," she glanced at me quickly "and your royalty will be decimated all at once if you do not retreat permanently. One way or the other, your kind will be purged from this sweet and innocent town by the end of the month. That is both a threat and a guarantee."

Emilia finished her cup of tea and then stood up. She cautiously reached under the table to retrieve her weapon and I recognized the metal as true silver. The kind of silver that could bind to the actual soul of a shapeshifter. It was meant to be worn by werewolves and other powerful shifters as tool for keeping us stable, but the demons began using it as weapons against us. Instead of keeping our souls intact throughout transformations, their silver was used to try and tear our souls apart.

"I do hope you have enough intelligence to heed our warning. Bringing the cameras and attention to the town was a clever way to buy yourselves time, but your time has almost run out. Even if the humans are willing to protect you, they will not be able to interfere with the work of angels." She began heading for the door and I was tempted to run her through with my claws before she could make it.

The hatred and anger I felt towards her entire family had never wavered for even a second despite how much I resisted thinking about them.

"Before you go, I would like to point out a flaw in your logic." Nicole rose from her seat and when she did, her body was raised to a height of at least seven and a half feet. The giant woman towered over the five-and-a-half-foot girl before speaking. "You assumed that you are stronger than us because you massacred a bunch of lesser Beta children in an ambush. Yet, you and your twin could barely survive in a battle against an Alpha who was worked into a blind rage.

"We have more than one trained Alpha now. We have the eldest and most powerful family of Lycans on the planet. We have a small army of vengeful Beta that want nothing more than to defend our territory from invaders. So, when you return to that brightly colored pit you call home, remember that strength or numbers do not intimidate us, it only brings us together."

With that said, the demon left and Nicole slammed the door. Seeing and hearing the ferocity coming from her eyes and words, I was reminded that she was my older sister. And in a family of shifters, the eldest child is always the most dangerous.

I loved writing this chapter in particular because Nicole is one of the characters that had more of a behind-the-scenes role in the first book. Let me know what you thought of the way she handled things with one of the Blakes!