The Black God

"What's there?" Ashley asked.

"That happens to be the location of Jonny's headquarters."

Ashley's smile faded. What was her brother doing with Jonny that he sent her the Black God's headquarters location as the default emergency point?

"Wanna tell me what this is about?" Jenn asked.

"No. I already promised Xander I'd tell him everything when this is over. He wants me to learn life lessons, so I am."

"Yeah, and he's about the only one who can help you survive these lessons." Jenn held out her hand.

Ashley took it, uneasy gaze on Jen's features. The world swirled and blurred around her, materializing a fraction of a second later. Ashley hated relying on someone else's Travel skill but preferred to hit the ground fighting.

Jenn had taken her to a forest somewhere. The scents of pine trees and ocean were heavy in the air, along with a morning breeze.

"Where is it?" Ashley asked and glanced towards her feet. Jonny had once hidden her underground, because the Others and Guardians couldn't sense anyone hiding underground.

"Straight through there." Jenn pointed. "I'm giving you a ten minute head start before I call Jonny to remind him not to do anything stupid."

Ashley nodded. She'd been able to face up to five vamps at once, but an entire headquarters teeming with them? She'd probably need some backup or at least, someone to help her survive long enough to get to Jonny and demand to know what he'd done to her brother.

The thought of Brandon in danger banished any fear or doubt. She drew a breath. "Thanks," she told Jenn and then strode in the direction the Guardian had indicated.

Ashley drew two batons as she walked through the forest. The top of an A-frame roof soon peeked through the branches of pine trees, and she emerged from the forest into an open area leading up to a quiet, rustic hunting lodge.

While large, it wasn't exactly what she expecting after seeing Damian's sprawling headquarters in Texas.

She gripped her weapons harder and started forward, unafraid when it came to protecting her family. It was smaller with few signs of activity.

The first vamps on guard to challenge her appeared from the woods nearby. Ashley took them down quickly before striding up to the lodge and pausing before the front door.

Knocking didn't seem quite right, although barging in didn't seem smart either.

Then again, she was there to see Jonny, not hide from the vamps.

Her mind made up, Ashley twisted the doorknob before gripping her baton and nudging the door open with her hip. The open space of the foyer and what was once a reception area for the lodge was filled with more vamps than she'd ever seen at once. They were moving between places, some talking to one other, others on cell phones.