IMPRESS.

Chapter Fifty-One: B for Betrayal, D for Dark.

[A/N: SORRY FOR ANY MISTAKES]

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I opened my eyes.

Let me rephrase that.

My eyes fluttered open.

When I saw a dark figure towering over my head which seemed to rest on a pillow, I kept blinking until I had completely erased the blurry cloud from my vision.

"Preston?" I confusedly mumbled when his face became clearer and morphed to his body like a puzzle piece.

That smile. It was so beautiful, he was so beautiful. I stretched out my legs, pressing my hands against my bed and pushing my body into a sitting position.

Preston's ink-black hair was swept over his head, doing the signature mysterious look of shadowing his demonic, black and silver-streaking right eye.

"Hello, my beautiful bride," his hand caressed my cheek and a dangerous smirk flashed on his face when that miraculous fire ignited within me and in him.

I faintly smiled before knitting my eyebrows together when I looked around to see Blake, Kai and Preston all in my bedroom, in the castle?

Where is everyone else? What am I doing in bed in the middle of the day?

"I'm-" Preston cut me off with a harmless kiss on my forehead. "-Confused?" All three of them finished for me and I speechlessly stared at them like an innocent puppy.

"Yeah- I uhm-" Mid-stutter I was hit by sudden realisation when I vaguely recalled the events that had led up to this moment. "-Nevermind."

I couldn't remember every detail but I knew whom I was with when I passed out. Preston, for one, wasn't one of those people.

"Are you feeling better? If you don't remember, word has it you passed out and as soon as I got the smallest sense that something was wrong I had to find a distraction and come see you..." Preston stroked my shoulder with his thumb.

I shook my head. I don't feel stable at all, every time I open my mouth I feel like I am going to spew out fire and cause a hazard.

"I honestly think I'm dying... Thank you for worrying but, what do you mean distraction?" I worriedly queried and Kai placed his finger to his lips while shushing me, "nothing at all."

Preston sniggered with his arm swinging over my shoulders, "it's fine you can tell her."

I diverted my attention to Blake who shrugged and crossed his arms before spilling the beans. "We may have created several riots throughout the cities and villages of Aeralin using dark magic, no big deal."

Okay, now I'm anxious. When he says riots I hope they haven't put my brother in danger, "minor riots?"

"No, baby. Minor isn't a word in our dictionary, but killer is," Preston's fingers had found their way to my head, where he was running his fingers through my matted, brown curls carefully untangling the ends.

I lurched forward and looked up at them with widened and alarmed eyes, "but my brother-"

"Don't worry, he is protected. The black witch and Ashira were very persistent in keeping your brother well and alive," Preston assured with a humoured tone as his eyes sparkled in amusement.

I sighed out in relief with my palm on my chest, "thank the gods."

Suddenly I felt a chill rush past me and shivered in response, tugging my duvet up to my chest in reaction to the intense coldness.

"When was the last time you drank your Nixon?" Preston sat on the edge of my bed and tested my temperature by placing the back of his hand to my head, "you are really cold, alarmingly cold. Guys feel her forehead."

One by one Kai and Blake checked my temperature and each grew the same amazed and scared wide-eyed, frowning expression.

I didn't want to tell them and the witches that someone had stole the Nixon, I didn't want to get into trouble with them. Losing a killer and rare substance like that was a big deal.

But, if I lie what would I get from that? I do not want to unexpectedly pass out again.

I lowered my head feeling paranoid that the three were judging me with their scrutinising eyes, "I may or may not have had that stolen a few days ago."

"What?" Preston snapped, his eyes hardening and voice dripping in anger, this was only for him to feel guilty and gently place his hand on mine. "You could be really ill, you should've said something. I'm going to find that son of a bitch and kill them."

"Preston, please," I wrapped my fingers around his hand, "don't kill them."

Preston pulled back as if seeing someone completely different in me, he furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "and why shouldn't I?"

I don't know what came over me, I don't know how or when it came over me but something prevented my good nature to continue speaking for me, and before I knew it I cared for nothing but the death of my thief.

"Because I want to kill them," an evil spark must have ignited in my eyes because the vengeful smile that came on my face had to be accompanied.

Preston slowly moved back towards me, a new kind of lust caused by his approval of my dark side. The impressed smirk on his lips showed that he was intrigued and when he glanced up at Kai and Blake who were also eying me in want, he pulled my lips to his.

He was brave because I am pretty sure I had bad breath right now unless my beauty ability prevented that...

"Then I shall grant you that wish, Natalyaaa," my name sexily rolled off his tongue before he pressed his lips against mine and passionately kissed me with dominant control.

His hand held my head firmly, preventing me from even thinking of pulling away although I was fully enjoying the burning tingles his lips made me feel.

"I have news to do with your mother, Isabella..." Preston abruptly stopped leaving me desperate for more, he traced my lips with his thumb.

I teasingly bit and released my bottom lip, flirtatiously gazing at him, "and what is this news?"

I was intrigued now.

"Does the name Sam Thorne ring a bell?" Preston curiously asked and I thought hard.

Sam Thorne... Sam Th- Wait...

Yes, it does! He was one of the names I came across when looking through the file labelled with my mother's name, the one I stole from Richard Harris' guest room during the IMPRESS ballroom bash.

Iris Haven, Daya El Rigo, Davina Utupris, Kai Lovell (from Chapter Twenty) were also some names I came across when flicking through all the sheets of paper from her file.

I wonder where I left that file actually. Maybe Alaric returned it to Richard Harris before he could notice it was gone. Hmm.

"Vaguely. Why do you ask?" I pulled back my hand from his, slowly regaining consciousness as I grew more intrigued by his question.

"Well, we paid a little visit to this Sam Thorne who apparently was a friend of your mothers, a friend she saved from being slaughtered by the King's mad old ways," Preston informed, "he lives in the rural areas of Agriassi."

I listened but couldn't fully concentrate since I was bothered by the golden question... "How did you know Sam Thorne had any relation to my mother?"

He couldn't have possibly got his hands on the file I'd looked through with my brother, could he?

Preston chuckled, "I thought you'd have been able to answer that yourself," he shook his head in amusement at my curiously risen brows, "I jumped shadow to shadow until I made it into a shadow of your mother's past."

"What?"

Preston looked away so he wouldn't burst out laughing at me, "it's a flashback kind of thing, only shadow demons can view the past, ordinary demons cannot."

I nodded now that it made much more sense, "oh wow, that's amazing."

Stunned wasn't even the word to describe how fascinated and shocked I was by yet another power Preston possessed. "You can say that agai- Ow," Blake was cut off mid-mumble by Kai's elbow that jammed into his ribs.

I held my mouth to prevent myself from giggling and focused on Preston who was mentally cursing at both his brothers, "as I was saying, turns out your mother secretly met up with Sam to give him money that she had stolen from the castle, what a scandal I know."

My mouth was parted in surprise, my mother never mentioned barely anything about her castle days nevermind stealing.

"Long story short, Sam definitely didn't kill your parents, he was loyal. However, he mentioned that before your mother's demise, she kept meeting up with a man," Preston explained and I sat up, even more, showing interest in the subject.

"And the name of the man?" I pushed.

"Daya El Rigo, a name that hasn't been uttered in front of King since his thing with your mother," he replied without stalling.

I know Daya El Rigo for definite, Iris Haven mentioned that name. What she said in relation to that name was not positive either.

She suspected that Daya El Rigo was the killer. "I know that name too."

"Well, in order to find out more about Daya El Rigo I went to visit more people I had seen in your mother's past. Davina Utupris was another," Preston continued, "a vampire widow, who wasn't exactly living in grand conditions. When I mentioned the name Daya El Rigo she freaked out, saying repetitively that he was bad news, bad news that your mum got involved with. So did many others."

None of this was making sense, I had no idea my mother even had any friends never mind secret boyfriends she met with whilst married to my father.

Were my parents ever in love then? Or was it a cover up all that time? Because what was my mother secretively doing with different men behind everyone's backs?

Something tells me the relationship between my mother and father was just for a cover-up, for the whole fling with the King thing. I mean they may have been in love, but only for a short while...

I'm only trying to be realistic here. As much as it pains me to think like this, I needed to be honest with myself.

"And did you stop there?" I asked.

Preston exhaustedly sighed out, "yes, but only because I had my own suspicions and the search for an answer to your village fire seemed futile going around people like that."

"Then who do you suspect?" I questioned, my hand flying to his wrist as if I needed his answer urgently.

Preston combed his hair with his fingers and thoughtfully twitched his nose, "I suspect the witches," he shrugged, "and whenever I suspect someone, I'm always right."

I was internally screaming, my eyes growing huge as a result and my lips parting into an O. Is he joking with me? How would that- Why would he-

"What?!" I exclaimed standing up from my bed but only to fall back due to my instability. Preston caught me in his lap with his arm looping around my torso so I wouldn't completely fall back.

Kai and Blake were observing, knowing smirks growing on their faces when I landed in this intimate position that Preston very much enjoyed.

"What do you mean you suspect the witches Preston? Why would you suspect the witches? I thought you-" I couldn't even comprehend my own thoughts enough to voice them and cut myself off.

Since I only sat on one leg of his, he was able to face up and meet my worried eyes, and his hand stroked my thigh in a comforting manner.

"Remember the first time we met and I asked you why you were helping the witches?" He asked and I nodded.

Preston stopped rubbing my thigh and focused on what he saying, "something about your response didn't sit well with me, it was strange... it didn't make sense for you to trust the witches if your mother never even mentioned them at least once to you."

I mean she did try to tel- no actually she didn't. I lifted my head trying to figure out if my mother ever did try telling me about the witches even once...

And realisation hit... She didn't.

"As soon as I saw you I wanted you as my Queen, and for that to happen I needed to keep you safe and joining you was the most efficient way to do so. Baby, I think they are planning to use you for more than just your abilities for something much bigger than just the rule of Asten..." Preston dug his hand into his black tailcoat pocket.

I knitted my eyebrows together, "and do you know that for sure?"

"Well, we never trusted them from the start, and our lack of trust in them was confirmed when Kai and Blake here said they overheard them talking about using your blood to rid every supernatural creature across the realms but the witches."  

Preston's hand finally left his pocket and in his hand was a small dark crystal. "It was then confirmed when earlier this week Ashira told me to find a way to sneak this into a drink of yours without getting caught by you or anyone else."

A shot of pain struck me in the heart, I felt betrayed, hurt, annoyed and angry.

Very very angry.         

"And let me guess, that thing is deadly?" I guessed, pointing at the diamond-shaped crystal spinning between his fingers.

"Ding ding ding. Except it won't kill you because it contains traces of Nixon, it won't kill me either. But this crystal is popular in the Shadowlands, little do the witches know. It is supposed to make you a blood slave to whomever's blood it was made with. And as soon as I saw it, I knew the witches were certainly bad news."

I buried my face in my hands and agitatedly groaned, it was then when I saw the colour of my necklace turn a hellish red, a red I had never seen it turn before. It seemed my necklace had many meanings that I was yet to learn. Red could mean so much, it could mean danger, love and it could mean I, myself am a threat.

"I can't confirm that they killed your parents just yet though, there is still many more questions to be asked."

When did life get so complicated? I should have taken it seriously when my mother told me not to trust easily because that's exactly what I have been doing, a lot of people had said it to me too, even my brother.

Alaric had no idea that I was even involved with the witches, that should have have been a sign for me to stay away.

I trusted the witches too easily and never questioned why my great grandmother and my mother died under their protection? Was it because my pureblood grandmother couldn't handle the power she possessed, was it because my mother wouldn't entirely dedicate herself to the witches?

So many questions, yet so little answers.

"What do I do?" I ran my fingers down to my chin and stared at the boys for advice, the more I thought about the witches the more furious I grew and they knew that when they watched my hands ball up into fists.

A glass vase shattered across my bedroom and the pieces scattered to the floor as tiny as crystals. "Good good, don't bottle up your feelings, don't conceal your frustrations. Let it all out..." Preston soothed and pulled us both to our feet.

"What you do in a circumstance like this is you join us, join my brothers and I, Natalya," Preston persuasively said with his lips to my ear and hands on my shoulders, "there are more of us who'd be grateful if you helped us take this realm and Hellstone too, think of it as payback for your mother, father and grandmother."

Kai and Blake's eyes were glimmering with an evil spirit and it was compelling.

I liked the darkness I saw dancing in their irises. I wanted to bask myself in it.

"Think about it..." Preston massaged my shoulders, his voice ever so haunting, "you and I, ruling together, happy together. Your brother and best friend beside you and my brothers and sisters beside me. Imagine how good we'd look and be together."

I shut my eyes briefly imagining what life could be, and what I imagined was far from white clouds, halos, angels and fairies, instead, it was a hell swarming with shadows, demons and dark magic. In a faraway distance, I sat on a throne made of bones with a smokey black crown on my darkly dyed, wavy hair and to complete this sinister picture was my hand securely locked in Prestons.

"It's too good to be true," I muttered.

Whenever I am with Preston, I can breathe well and I feel protected. I want that feeling to remain with me forever. "I swear to protect you always," his fingers brushed against my neck, warmth consuming me in response, "you and I both know you need my help, my help to teach you how to monitor your powers and how to control the darkness growing within you."

He is right.

"You'd really help me?" I raised my eyebrows whilst Preston draped his arms over my shoulders, pressing his front against my back.

Blake tilted his head, "is that even a question?"

"Of course he'd help, he is whipped to the extreme," Kai laughed out, grinning in an attempt to tease his fellow brother (friend), Preston. Blake laughed along with Kai, in which Preston lifted a middle finger at them both before tucking my hair behind my ear.

"What they said," Preston murmured in embarrassment, "I'd do anything for you." 

I looked down at my necklace and for the first time it wasn't vibrating nor was it flashing or sparking or changing colours. It was still a hellish red, you wouldn't think its original colour is green looking at it.

Something tells me this red means love, danger and trust combined. Deep down in the root of my heart, I knew I could trust Preston and his intimidating brothers.

"Demons are chronic liars," I reminded him and he chuckled, his breath fanning my ear, "yes but we are also chronic truthtellers. And besides, don't you miss your best friend?" Preston smirked with his chin propped on my shoulder.

I whipped around, "Harrison?" 

Preston wiggled his finger at me, "that's the one, ahh what a good guy."

I arched my eyebrow, "funnily enough my best friend has been missing." Pres feigned confusion. "I know right, out of nowhere, he just vanished. It's a good thing though since Zac wants to kill him. But, why on earth do my instincts tell me you guys have something to do with his disappearance?" Crossing my hands, I knowingly stepped towards Preston, Kai and Blake.

Their hands simultaneously rose up in surrender, "hey when did you go to earth?" Preston joked and I shook my head putting up with none of his humour at this moment in time, "where is Harrison?"

"Okay so we may have given Harrison a slight makeover," Kai confessed dropping his hands down to his sides, "we told him what might occur, we had an idea that people who want both Redwell brothers dead so we kidnapped your best friend."

Preston quickly clapped his hands and yelled, "Harrison, you may enter!"

A wind blew out of nowhere, blowing my hair back into a natural mess and someone who I assumed was my best friend rushed by me like a rapid blur. I had to blink a couple of times to restore my vision and when I could see again, a man dressed in black head to toe like Preston and his brothers stood in the centre of my bedroom.

I stepped forward only to be protectively stopped by Preston's outstretched arm.

Harrison created anticipation from me before finally turning around on his heel and revealing himself. 

I accidently stumbled back into Blake, gasping in the process at my best friend's new transformation. "What did you do to my best friend?"

Don't get me wrong Harrison looked absolutely sexy. I don't even know where to begin, he looked like a demon although he was a vampire. His hair was no longer dirty blonde, it was almost jet black like Prestons, combed over in a stylish fashion, his facial hair was cleaned up and neat and his eyes were completed with streaks of