Where Secrets Lie

Peaceful days rolled by as Kara and Michael spent every waking moment together. They took their time bringing the quaint garden back to life. Being away from the world, allowed them to learn more about each other. Kara's wound had completely healed, but she didn't want to go back to the mansion. She decided she would be perfectly happy spending the rest of her life with Michael in that adorable little house. However, every happy moment was tainted with fear that it would all end. Michael had destroyed the merger, and Kara didn't think that would be the end of it. Her dream, she feared, would soon be shattered, and that moment came sooner than she thought.

Michael's phone began to ring. He looked at it and then at Kara. "It's Logan again." It was the third call from him that week.

Kara motioned to the phone. "Just do it. Let's just get it over with."

"Hello?" Michael spoke in a defensive tone. However, as the conversation continued, his defensive tone quickly turned into one filled with fear. "Don't worry, brother. I won't let anything happen to her."

He hung up but didn't speak to Kara. She looked at him, wondering why Logan would be so worried about her, then she realized that they weren't talking about herself. They were talking about Alyssa.

As Kara and Michael arrived back at the Caswell mansion, Logan stood outside, waiting for them. "What's going on exactly?" Michael asked. He couldn't get much information from Logan on the phone because he was so frantic.

"Where's Alyssa?" Kara demanded.

"Michael, they stopped me!" he said. "I was going to make Alyssa a true member of the Caswell clan today, but Elijah wouldn't allow it. He took her from me." His eyes filled with fear. "Michael, he's throwing her into The Gauntlet."

Kara had no idea what 'The Gauntlet' was, but she did know what making her a real member of the Caswell clan meant. "Are you saying that you were going to turn my sister into a vampire?" she shouted.

"I was trying to protect her!"

"By killing her?" Kara pushed him backward.

"You obviously don't know how The Gauntlet works. Twelve servants go in, one comes out. The one that survives will be turned into a vampire. Alyssa was picked to go in this year. I figured I would turn her instead of losing her completely. I love your sister. I would never do anything to harm her."

His eyes filled with tears that he fought to hold back, and the worry in his voice was real. Kara felt a little bad for chastising him, but her anger clouded everything. "You or Alyssa did not tell me this."

"You would have made her leave," Logan replied, defeated.

"You're damn right I would have. Kicking and Screaming." Kara stormed past the men and into the mansion with both trailing behind. She had no idea where she was going, but Michael caught up to her and grabbed her by the hand. He and Logan led her into the library. "Where are we going? Where's Alyssa."

"I'll show you," Michael said.

He glanced at the books on a large bookshelf for a moment and grabbed one. As he pulled down on it, the bookshelf slid open to reveal a hidden passage with a staircase.

"I should have known this type of house would have that," Kara said, still furious.

She followed Michael and Logan down the stairs to a room beneath the mansion. Television monitors filled the room, and Elijah, Hannah, amongst others stared at the screens with intensity. As they entered, Elijah glanced at them indifferently before returning his attention to the screens. Only then did Kara finally notice what they were watching. On the screens was a handful of servants of the Caswells, battling for their lives.

"Uncle, stop this, now!" Michael demanded, letting go of Kara and stepping in front of Elijah, obscuring his view.

Kara felt a flicker of pride in her man as he stood up against his surrogate father for what he knew was right.

"Yes, Michael. Let's stop this joke about you calling off the marriage to Hannah," Elijah scolded. He seemed unaffected by Michael's sudden bravery and change of perspective.

"It's not a joke," he responded, "As heir, I make the− "

"When your father died, he left me in command of the clan," Elijah interrupted, "I make the decisions, and one of those is marrying you to Hannah Powell to merge the clans."

"It's the only time my father ever made a bad decision. It's about time that I challenged you to receive my full power as his heir," Michael replied.

"You challenge me? After all I have done for you."

"All you have done for me?" Michael's voice was soft. "All you have done is used my pain to brainwash me into adapting this barbaric way of killing humans, condemning them to die for our amusement!"

"You didn't have a problem with it until she started coming around," Hannah said as she stepped in between the two feuding relatives.

Kara cringed at her name being thrown into the mix but was prepared to defend Michael if she had to.

"Ah, yes, Kara, how are you, dear?" Elijah asked with a honey voice and vinegar eyes.