Can The Secret Circle's New Bad Boy Go Good?

And here we thought Nick was the resident bad boy of The Secret Circle...

Last week's arrival of his brother, Jake (Chris Zylka), signaled a new danger for the coven. Although they've been reluctantly trying to recruit this new Armstrong brother to replace the dearly departed Nick (RIP!), little do they know that it's actually Jake who has brought the witch hunters to Chance Harbor!

The Secret Circle boss dissects Nick's death and the coven's possible replacement

Beginning with this week's Halloween episode (Thursday, 9/8c on The CW), we'll see that Jake has set off a dangerous series of events stemming from a long-nurtured resentment and hatred.You see, he was distraught over the death of his parents in that mysterious event 16 years ago that claimed the lives on many of the circle's families and is determined to prevent such an incident from ever happening again by eliminating the coven. "He knows where magic can go," Zylka tells TVGuide.com. "Magic going to that dark place took everyone's parents 16 years ago and he's well aware of that and is bitter about it."

But will his new dealings with the circle make the bad boy have a change of heart?

"Jake's on a pretty dark path," Zylka says. "He comes here with one thing on his mind, but once you come into the circle and you feel the emotions and attachment, it's almost undeniable. However, Jake may be one of those people that is strong enough to deny those feelings because of all the hatred he has towards the people of this town.

The Secret Circle Exclusive: Hunter's Stepfanie Kramer to play creepy Charles' mom

"I wouldn't count it out that he could maybe feel a connection with a circle, but he's come to Chance Harbor with a goal in mind and that's all he has in his mind unless someone or something can clear it up," he adds. 

Cassie (Britt Robertson) may be the one person who can stop Jake in his quest for revenge. "She is new and she is accepting of most things," Zylka explains. "She gives Jake the benefit of the doubt. This may be the first time anyone has given him the benefit of the doubt because of his past. Just the feeling of being given a second chance, it's like, 'Why wouldn't you consider that?' This is a girl he sees a lot in and recognizes how powerful this girl is."

Their connection has already sparked hurt feelings in Faye (Phoebe Tonkin), his ex, and Adam (Thomas Dekker), whose family Jake stole from before leaving Chance Harbor. "Knowing Faye, she's not going to be too happy about it," Zylka says about Jake and Cassie's new bond. "She's going to try her best to get in between that."

The Secret Circle Love Triangle Scoop: Diana is losing faith!

Zylka adds that the coven is still waiting for Adam to eventually snap, considering his history with Jake. "We've touched a bit on Jake stealing form Adam's father (Adam Harrington), but there's something else there, and we'll see how that unfolds with what really did happen between the two of them," he says. "There's going to be that tension drawn out as much as possible before either one of us really explodes."

With this growing camaraderie with Cassie, however, Jake will be forced to choose sides. "He's definitely going to try to fight [his loyalties between] both families," Zylka says. "The witch hunters took him in, and it's like a boy raised by wolves. The circle is obviously his new family, so which one is going to have the greater influence?"

The Secret Circle airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.

Do you think Jake will choose the witch hunters or Cassie and the circle?