Below in the distance, on the burning island, Titus saw something he hadn't beheld for two thousand years. It was a massive portal made of rock and skull and bone, powered by his energy devices. From the center of the portal poured hordes of the Surge. Legions of corrupted dragons and vampires, flanked by their monstrous creations: the zombies that had been made using genetically engineered vampire blood.

Not only were there legions of immortals pouring through the portal, there were weapons pouring through as well. Huge missiles far beyond the offensive capacity anything the Blackrose or Silverdrake currently owned. Titus let his mouth drop for a split second before accelerating his jet straight into the sky and away from the area. He knew what was coming and needed to get Desdemona to safety.

"This is not good," he said as he drove his jet back home. He needed to get her as far away from here as possible. Even St. Louis may be too close. He contemplated taking her all the way back to California but ultimately did not have the time.

The entire Midwest could be lost to Xander and that would be a catastrophe for the entire country.

Xander had his enclaves in L.A. and New York, but those were his only strongholds. The rest of the country was being held by the allied immortals. Chicago and St. Louis were the strongest footholds between East and West. This invasion was a disaster.

"Why are we leaving?" Desdemona asked.

"There's nothing we can do."

Titus flicked his finger over the glass pad as he pushed his jet to maximum speed. He could be back in St. Louis in a few minutes but he knew that the missiles that were pouring through that portal would not wait. He instructed his dragons to open fire on the portal and try to bring it down.

As he drove away, he continued to watch a feed of the battle from his dashboard. Part of him knew he should be there leading his troops, but he had to get his bride to safety. In that moment, he finally understood Orion and why he had left Titus and the Silverdrake clan to defend themselves at Denver. His love for Lucia was beyond anything else, and he’d needed to make sure that she was safe.

He watched the dragons and vampires bomb the tiny island. But their missiles had no effect. They only bounced off a hard, protective magical shell. Desdemona's magic had only broken the veil, and had not brought down the shield. It was a disaster. They needed stronger magic, but he would not sacrifice his bride to give it to them.

Titus brought Orion up on the screen on his video chat application and quickly explained the situation to his brother.

"I'm on my way and I'm bringing Bridget. She is the second strongest witch at the temple.”

"Come quickly."

Titus ended the conversation with his brother and gripped the wheel of his jet, gritting his teeth as the seconds ticked by. It would take Orion hours to arrive from California and who knew what would happen by then.

When he finally landed on the roof of the Silverdrake Tower, he helped Desdemona out of the jet and led her to the elevator. They got Snowpuff from the penthouse and then went all the way down to the second sub-level basement below the Silverdrake’s advanced technology workshop and into the subterranean fallout shelter, which had been constructed for exactly this purpose.

He showed Desdemona to a comfortable seating area and informed her that she could have anything she needed. There were already several Goudy servants in the fallout shelter, and they quickly attended to her needs. He kissed her goodbye, hating that their honeymoon had turned into a battle for their lives.

"I wish I could have done more," Desdemona said.

"My love, you have done so much, but your battle is over. I need you safe. Promise me you will stay down here.”

"I will, Titus. Please be careful and come back to me. I don't know what I would do without you," she said.

"I will be back. You can depend on it. I won’t let anything keep us apart," he said, resting his hand on her belly.

He saw the light in her eyes when she looked up at him and it killed him to think of her alone here, worrying about him. But there was nothing he could do. He had to go, he had to protect the region and ultimately the world. The Surge had to be stopped honeymoon or not. He kissed her one last time and turned to go, unable to look back.

Titus quickly took the elevator up to the roof and jumped back into his jet. It had been refueled and restocked and it was ready to go. Just two days ago, he had been standing under an arch of white and pink flowers with his bride, and now he was rushing into battle against the most dangerous immortal the world had ever seen.

Titus met up with the rest of the squadrons over the lake in no time, their antigravity jets hung in the air over the dark water. He had an open video chat with the squadron pilots and with Kyran. All his dragons were there but two vampires had been badly injured in the original bomb blast. The Blackrose were down two men and more Surge immortals were pouring through the portal with every passing moment.

It amazed Titus how many immortals had chosen to take Xander’s side. He himself had always resented the veil that brought an end to magic in the world.

"What kind of missiles has Xander brought through the portal?" Titus asked, looking for more information.

They still had a feed from a drone on the island, and he tried to zoom in on the weapons. They looked like human, military grade, possibly even nuclear. This was not good. Not good at all.

"There's a mixed bag down there," Kyran said over video chat. “I think we are seeing the army from Paris, relocating to the island as we speak,” Kyran said.

"We need to put a stop to this now. Orion is bringing the strongest witch he can from the coven to help us take down the shield.”

"They're already arming the missiles."

"They don’t look nuclear. It looks like a combination of ballistic and guided missiles. They're preparing to launch," Titus said. “We have to stop them.”

“We haven't been able to make a dent in their shields," Kyran said.

"The shield in Denver was electromagnetic," Titus said. “This one is powerful magic.”

"Witches are working for the Surge now?" Kyran asked.

"There's no other explanation. I've never seen vampire or dragon magic this strong before. It can only be from a witch. That was Lucia’s opinion.”

“We can’t stop them at the source without a witch. We have to defend,” Titus said, flipping through his dashboard to alert his home base of the incoming threat.

"We have anti-ballistic missiles underground in Chicago," Kyran said. “They will not be able to hit us."

"We have the same but our weapons are old. The human infrastructure is broken and the military no longer exists."

"The southern clans and covens have been confiscating old human weaponry,” Titus said. "But much of it was confiscated by the Surge during the Dark Sun. They were ready for the event before anyone else. And they remain more prepared,” said Titus.

"You think Xander has the power to defeat us?" Kyran asked.

"Maybe we were lucky in Denver," Titus said, unable to hold back his cynicism.

There was nothing he could do as he watched the Surge arm missiles and point them directly at his city, where his bride now sat deep underground, waiting for him. He checked with Orion and found that his brother was passing over the Great Plains. He knew he would not arrive in time to prevent the first strike. The first missile launched from the island, heading toward Chicago.

"Fuck," Kyran muttered.

"We'll see how those anti-ballistic missiles of yours work out," Titus said.

He could not sit there any longer. He had to do something. The vampire squadron jutted away and went off the screen, including Kyran.

Titus led his own squadron out over the lake. The missile would hit at any second. He saw the anti-ballistics missile shoot up from underground from the city of Chicago over video feed, going out to meet the bomb coming toward them.

Kyran's anti-ballistic missile hit the first Surge missile and it exploded in midair, sending chunks of burning debris to the ground below. The Surge shot two more, and they were met in the same manner. But then the Surge shot half a dozen guided missiles, and Kyran's anti-ballistics missiles began to fail. The first bomb hit the suburbs outside the city. The second hit closer to downtown. After three bombs had hit Chicago, they began to aim north and east.

The immortals of the north had fewer resources than the Blackrose or the Silverdrakes. Titus quickly contacted the immortals of the northern cities and let them know that the missiles were coming at any second. Half a dozen missiles flew north, but the bombardment did not end. More missiles were sent off toward his own city, just as Orion and Bridget arrived above the lake.

"We made it as fast as we could, brother,” Orion said.

"I'm here to help," Bridget said, her face appearing over the screen.

"Desdemona was able to wipe away the veil over the island, allowing us to see what's happening down there, but she couldn't bring down the shields," Titus said.

"Did she try?" Bridget asked.

"I didn't give her the chance. I had to get her away from here as quickly as possible. She’s with child.”

"So now you understand what it means to have a wife," Orion said.

"This is hardly the time Orion, but yes, I now better understand your motivations during the battle at Denver," Titus said.

"I knew you would come around," Orion said with a grin, light shining in his silver-blue eyes. Titus rolled his own eyes and put an end to the conversation.

"Please Bridget, concentrate on the shields–we need to stop the bombardment,” Titus said.

Titus watched Bridget close her eyes and take a deep breath. She lifted her hands in the same manner that Desdemona had as a way to focus her magic.

"That is definitely witch magic,” she said. "But I've never seen anything like it before."

"Is there anything you can do?" Titus asked.

"I need to be much closer than this," Bridget said.

“I know what to do," Orion said.

Titus watched his brother open the roof of his jet and jump out, turning into a dragon in mid-flight. Bridget, the brave and athletic woman she was, jumped out of the jet and onto the back of her best friend’s husband in his great silver dragon form.

She flew on Orion's back over the lake and, as they approached the islands with the rest of the Silverdrake squadron flanking them, Bridget focused her energy at the shield and, with one great crack of her magic, brought it down.

As soon as the shield was down, the allied immortals blasted the islands with their own missiles. The legions below turned their attention from attacking the cities to defending their own lives.

Orion flew over the island, raining down dragon fire with Bridget on his back, shooting her blasts of energy at the enemy below. But that didn't stop the Surge. No matter how many blasts Bridget hit the portal with, she couldn't bring it down.

Titus jumped from his own jet and into his dragon form, knowing that his strength lay in his true form. Even the vampires of the Blackrose had descended onto the island to fight face to face with the enemy. Titus flew down and swooped over the portal, raining his fire over the zombies streaming through.

He set them ablaze, but nothing seemed to stop the endless horde. Then he saw her, the dark witch who was responsible for this magic. And she saw him too. Titus watched her gather her strength, using the same type of energetic magic that Bridget and Lucia used. He thought that her blast would be directed at him, but instead she sent an energy ball shooting toward Orion and Bridget.

Bridget fell from Orion's back and screamed as her body plummeted to the ground. In the last minute, she cast a spell that caught her and kept her from being crushed by the force of gravity. She landed on her feet and Orion landed by her side, protecting the witch who was second in command only to his wife.

Titus swooped in to help protect Bridget as she blasted the enemy with her magic. They were being overrun by the Surge. Bridget quickly climbed back onto Orion's back before he leapt into the air. Orion flew away, taking Bridget with him. The dark witch with her long black hair, pale skin, and red lips smirked at Titus as if she knew him.

She stood in front of the portal, where a single man dressed in a tailored pinstripe suit stepped through and took the dark witch’s hand. Xander. But who was the witch? What kind of witch would side with a man like that?

The battle raged on, and there seemed to be no stopping them. Titus focused on burning the energy devices that powered the portal. He breathed his dragon fire at his machines, beating back zombies with his claws. After three strong blasts of his fire, the machines burst into flames, lost their charge, and ceased to power the portal.

But the damage was already done. While they’d already shot most of their missiles, there was still a massive legion of Surge forces. He continued fighting but was forced back by the collective strength of the Surge. There were just too many of them.

Titus jumped into the air, kicking zombies from his feet. He flew back to his jet and jumped inside, telling his men to fall back. They had already lost several good dragons and vampires in the fight. They had to regroup, they needed more support.

This was the worst Surge attack in this country since Denver. Satisfied that they had no more missiles, and that the cities were safe for the time being, the Silverdrakes and Blackrose fell back to Chicago.

They met in the war room to discuss the events of the day, keeping an eye on the island with a drone that flew above.

"The forces are moving. The legions are headed east toward Michigan."

"Where did Xander find that witch?"

"Probably in France," Kyran said.

"Jerith needs to get back here right now," Titus said.

"He's on his way," Kyran said, clearly irritated.

Everyone knew that Kyran could never defend Chicago with the full force of the Surge coming down on them.

"He'll be here by the morning," Kyran said. "We've lost several sections of the city. The people are in a panic.”

"We had three missiles fired on St. Louis. One of them exploded over the river right near the city, but we were able to deflect the other two. Parts of downtown burned but we quickly put out the flames," Titus said. "We need to keep eyes on Xander at all times.”

"Where is he going?" Kyran asked, watching the drone footage. "The only thing in that direction is Grand Rapids."

"He’s creating a base of operations. This is obviously retaliation for Paris.”

"What did you think would happen?" Orion asked, speaking for the first time.

"What do you mean?" Kyran asked.

"Xander took Paris. He took New York and he took Los Angeles. He centralized his forces in those cities. Jerith decided to take Paris back and clearly Xander didn't like that."

"What were we supposed to do? Just give up Paris?" Kyran asked.

"Perhaps, for the time being," Orion said.

"As I recall, Orion Silverdrake, you are no longer Alpha of the Silverdrake clan,” Kyran said.

"Gentlemen," Bridget said, standing.

She wore a formfitting bodysuit in a bright burnt orange that made her look like a fighter pilot crossed with a fashion model with her bright red hair tied back in a tight bun. She was really quite fetching.

"Fighting about this isn't going to help. The one thing I can say for sure is that you need more magic here. There are not enough witches in this region to defend against a mage of that strength. I could barely dent her after I brought down the shield. Which, by the way, was not that strong, but the witch herself is fortified with runes and magic beyond my skill level. I've been studying magic since the sun was still dark, and I'm confident in my own magic, but that witch’s skill is beyond anything I've ever seen before. Honestly, it scares me."

"Well, thank you for that, Bridget. I'm sure it gives us all a lot more confidence," Kyran said.

"I'm just trying to be honest here, gentlemen. Now is not a time for fighting. Now is the time to be frank. We need to make plans. We all know that those who would suffer the most in this are the witches and humans. I do not want to see that happen. This isn't just about the immortal battle. The entire world is at stake. Yours, mine and ours."

"We can't just bring witches here," Kyran said. "The witches are promised as wives to the kings and alphas. They are meant for breeding, not fighting.”

“You will not last long against magic like that without a witch, I guarantee you. That mage is the one who created the portal. I don't think any of you have the magic, or the brute strength, or even the human technology to bring her down."

"We appreciate your counsel, Bridget. It is important that we hear all voices here, and Bridget is giving us another perspective," Titus said. "The magic was indeed strong and we do need defenses against it."

"I will speak with Lucia about this matter when I return with Bridget to the temple."

"There already aren't enough witches to go around," Kyran said.

"We all know that, Kyran," Titus said.

They watched a feed of the Surge ships landing on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.

"We need to fortify our cities, consolidate our strength, and call in reinforcements. I must return to my bride. I want to be informed of any new developments immediately."

Titus shook Kyran’s hand and then slapped his brother on the back. Titus, Orion, and Bridget walked out of the war room and continued together toward their jets.

“Thank you for arriving so quickly, Orion,” Titus said. “And thank you Bridget for putting yourself on the line. You were a great help to us in the battle. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“We are all responsible for the safety of the new world,” she said.

“Your future husband will be very lucky to have you,” Titus said.

“Thank you,” Bridget said. “I’ve been waiting a long time.”

“Do you look forward to being matched?”

“Of course. I look forward to bringing children to my mate when I find him. The strength of the allied clans and covens will prevail in the end. I am so happy Desdemona is happy with you now. We knew she would be eventually, but she had us worried for a while. She refused to understand who she was in her previous lifetime. That information could have helped her a great deal. But we don’t force such things on our acolytes. Remind her to practice her music and carry on her studies. She always has access to our database if she desires. Now that she is mated and bound I’m sure she will be more interested in the information we have available to her.”

“I will definitely tell her,” Titus said, shaking Bridget’s hand one last time before he climbed into his jet.

He was back in St. Louis shortly, landing his jet on the roof of his penthouse. His dragon senses could pick up the smell of fire. A bomb had exploded over the river and the debris had caught fire downtown. His people had put it out quickly but the devastation remained.

He felt deep anxiety in his chest as he took the elevator downstairs to the second subterranean level. When the elevator doors swished open, he found Desdemona in the front waiting room. She shot to her feet as soon as she saw him. He crossed the distance between them and gathered her up in his arms.

She was everything to him and he would never let her go again. He kissed her softly on the lips, face, neck and cheeks. He felt the dampness of tears on her skin and pulled away to look at her, cupping her face in his hands.

“Have you been all right, my darling?” he asked.

“I’ve been so worried about you. What happened? Were you able to defeat them?”

“Come, let’s get you comfortable.”

He walked with her into the living room of one section of sublevel two and had his Goudy butler bring them refreshments. The room was made up with similar furniture as the penthouse with holographic screens that mimicked windows. The screens were set to a tropical beach scene and the air in the room was comfortable and warm.

Benny brought them sweet iced tea and jam covered cookies and set the tray on the coffee table between them. Titus watched Desdemona drink her beverage, enjoying the simple act of gazing at her across the room. He never wanted to lose this. This soft, settled domesticity. He’d never imagined that he would want it so badly. In the two thousand year since she’d died, he had pushed the possibility out of his mind, believing it an impossible dream.

“Orion brought Bridget with him from California and she was able to take down the shield. But she tells me that the witch who created the portal has magic stronger than anything she’s ever seen before. Bridget is convinced we need witches to defeat the Surge.”

“I heard a lot of bombs were dropped on Chicago.”

“That is correct. I was able to take out the generators powering the portal and finally shut it down. For the time being the Surge have no more missiles. But they are taking up encampment on the eastern shore of the lake across from Chicago.”

“And you know for sure that it’s Xander?”

“It is definitely him. I saw him myself.”

“What will we do?”

“We will fight. Jerith is coming back from Paris and will be here by morning. We are bringing in reinforcements from the other allied clans and covens. And Orion is talking with Lucia about acquiring the help of witches.”

“How do you think that will work out, since the witches are fated to be matched with immortal males?”

“The older witches who lost their fertility before becoming immortal may be of great use in the battle. If they choose to fight.”

“I think most of the witches will choose to fight. Most of them were more informed than me. I was stubborn and refused to learn about my own past.”

She laughed and leaned forward to pick up a cookie. He loved the sound of her laughter, but he also loved that she had changed her tune so completely. He knew that she’d been justified in most of her feelings, but was correct in admitting she’d been stubborn.

“You’ve gained much wisdom, my sweet,” Titus said, standing from his own chair to sit beside her on the couch.

She had changed into one of the long, flowing gowns they wore at the temple. She looked lovely in the simulated tropical light flowing in through the virtual windows.

“It’s funny, I kind of like it down here,” she said.

“That’s good, because we may be spending more time down here in the future.”