PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

The Hadden Coven of Pittsburgh successfully relocated nearly three-quarters of its membership to the mountain retreat located just south of Pittsburgh. Two units of soldiers, led by Killian Frey and Noori Hasan, remained in Pittsburgh.

The Cyprian Knights also remained within the city, holding back the tide of the abhorrent shadows. Nathan's hex plagued the Hadden Center but was also bleeding out into the city, affecting hearts and minds.

Master Hadden settled his people in the mountain lodge and assigned Josef McQueen, his second in command, to care for and protect their people. He traveled between the two sites, spending the majority of his time in Pittsburgh with his soldiers.

It soon became clear that splitting his forces between Pittsburgh and the mountain lodge would not be sufficient in the long run. It was unknown how long it would take to find a Charmer to reverse Nathan's hex, and in the meantime, the negativity and hopelessness continued to grow within the city.

He called his leadership together and ordered them to put out a call for soldiers and warriors looking for a coven and a cause and prepared to fight. It was not without risks, but Nik trusted the knowledge and skill of his leadership to sign up only the best. Those chosen would become full members of the Hadden Coven with all rights and responsibilities in accordance with their rank and station.

The first unit of recruits, numbering thirty-five, arrived at the mountain lodge within days of the call to begin their training. When finished, they would take their place beside their fellow soldiers in Pittsburgh.

After approximately two months of recruiting and training, Master Hadden had an army prepped and ready, and among their number, to his great pleasure, was a hellhound. Their strength, tenacity, and imperviousness to magic, among other things, made the hellhound a valuable addition to the team. Many highly skilled men and women joined the Coven from across the nation, some looking for a home and some looking for a cause. All were welcome.

Soldiers were stationed at the Imperial Club an exclusive and luxurious club located downtown and owned by the Hadden Coven. It used to be the home and the command center for the Hadden Coven before the move to the Hadden Center. The Imperial continued as the elite nightclub and maintained a coven presence, but the power center had shifted to the financial district and the Hadden Center.

Now the Master and his army had come home, and the Imperial was brought back to her previous level of power and importance, and she was more than up to the task. It remained open as a working club and appeared as nothing more than that to the locals but beneath the glitz and the glamor was a finely tuned and battle-ready army of vampires and a hellhound.