Heya Readers,

As you can see I decided to enter in the Watty Awards of this year. In part also to show you that I truly intend to finish the story! :)

Please vote, I'll greatly appreciate it!

With love,

Robin

--------------------------

Nathaniel didn't come to bed with me that night, instead he said he had to work to get some things arranged for our departure. That however didn't mean he didn't come with me to tuck me into bed and sing me his lullaby till I fell asleep.

Nor did it mean that he didn't take the time to make love to me even before that, he really did mean it when he'd said he planned on sex every day. I wasn't really complaining about that either of course.

He held me cradled in his arms while he sang until I fell asleep but the knowledge that he had to leave as soon as I'd dozed off didn't help. I just knew I wouldn't be dreaming nice things that night.

When I woke up the next morning Nathaniel still wasn't there but as I started to get up to get dressed he just came into the room. 'Already up a ghrá mo chroí?' he asked as he tugged me into the circle of his arms.

'Forgive me for leaving you alone all night... There's more to arrange than expected, did you sleep alright?'

He brushed his hands over my back and then pressed his lips against my temple while I just enjoyed the closeness for a moment. 'I was right about expecting dreams...' I told him honestly as  I remembered the night's images.

'I kept remembering good days with my mom and then every time the image of her upset and broken after that Demon visited spoiled the memory...'

Nathaniel didn't say anything as he rubbed circles with his fingers on my scalp with one hand and on my back with the other. Enclosing me with warmth and something intrinsically male that I loved very much. It chased away the dreams with an ease I didn't expect.

After a quick shower and a hurried breakfast I made my way to the SUV parked in front of the house. Kissing Nathaniel goodbye just a little worried. That feeling from yesterday, the one spelling out doom had only increased and I think everyone was feeling it.

Pretty soon things would come to a conclusion, an ending and I wasn't sure any of us was going to like the result. Was it going to be an all-out fight against Thornten's forces? Was he going to risk it? So far all we'd received from him was that warning through Deidre and the abduction of Mattis, the missing guard and the death of Chimali.

Nathaniel had let slip that this was all rather mild considering the stakes so far. The fact that Mattis' body hadn't turned up yet in some gruesome way meant he was most likely still alive and possibly being tortured just because they could.

I knew that made Nathaniel sad even though he tried to hide it, all his time as a Regis hadn't hardened his heart and shielded him from the cruelty of his world. I knew that and admired his strength as he survived and ruled his life and this country.

There was a Witch driving us to school today and I wondered where Jaden was for a moment. I didn't mind if he wasn't there but it surprised me that Nathaniel would trust a Witch who clearly wasn't a Taoiseach with my life.

The witch was called Gareth and he'd been the one to find Chimali's head, I remembered seeing him. He was kind but very lean and sinewy, his frame a little too skinny to be called attractive but it radiated power nonetheless. I had the feeling that the magic that ran through his blood and gave him his skills and talents, spells, was causing him to look so skinny. It didn't sit right with me.

Missy wasn't there yet and neither was Jake but the car pulled away from the house and drove me to school anyway. 'Aren't Jake and Missy coming?' I asked as soon as Gareth set the car in motion.

He shook his head, 'Missy will let Elliot teleport her to school, they had something to do.' A wry smile send my way through the rearview mirror. 'Jake was withheld too by a certain redhead I believe...'

His expression told me what he thought of that, contempt and a little disgust. He clearly disliked Deidre and I felt instantly sorry for the girl. Nobody around here seemed to like her, all of them judging her by the little they knew.

Still, if she'd managed to make Jake decide to stay home today? Did that mean they'd made progress? That they were actually starting to try and breach the gap between them?

I was already so very used to living with the Flynn's and speaking with people telepathically that my cellphone ringing startled me. The caller ID was unfamiliar so I picked it up with a little caution.

'Hello?' I kept my voice down and leaned back so that Gareth, my driver and guard couldn't hear what I said automatically.

'Amelia! I'm glad I finally reached you!' Jessica's voice greeted me. For once she sounded surprisingly nice, a genuine kind of nice that didn't suite her one bit. It immediately set off the alarm bells in my head.

'What do you want?' I snapped, anger towards her for all that she'd done to me resurfaced and made me sound acidic.  I didn't bother to hide it, she deserved what she got, every bit of it!

'Tut tut! Not so snappy dear, I called to do you a favor here!' the woman said, her tone of voice condescending now. The belittling words did nothing to ease my anger, instead it only flared hotter and came closer to the surface, breaking whatever tranquility I had.

'What do you want?' I repeated my question, my voice if possible containing more venom than before.

'I found some old things in a few boxes, I believe they might be from your mother... I thought, maybe you'd be interested to have them?' Jessica said, her voice sounding kind and nice again. It gave me shivers even as my heart stuttered for a moment at the possibility that there might be more things of my mother left.

Especially so close on the heels of the dreams I'd had last night... It was like salt on already festering wounds.

'Why would you want to do that? You've never given me the time of day, you hate me!' I told the woman. I knew without a doubt that she was somehow trying to lure me to her. To get me to see her and when I did she'd probably try to sell me to some vampire again. Like she'd done with the Johnsen's, with that Dmitri.

I wasn't sure what she knew about all of this. If she actually knew about Nathaniel being a vampire... Or about vampires in general but her looks and her behavior that night I left seemed to indicate that she had some knowledge at least.

'Can't I do something nice for you once in a while?' Jessica said, her voice completely innocent. She was a damn good actress when she wanted to be...

'Would you cut the crap? What do you really want?' I told her.

A silence on the line for a moment and I contemplated just hanging up and forgetting about the whole thing. Something stopped me though.

'Alright, I'll tell you what I want girl and I'll tell you how it's going to happen!' all the nice, sugarcoated tones had disappeared as she spoke now. Brusque and businesslike she sounded nothing like her usual self, at least nothing like how she sounded when talking to a man.

'If you want to see that guard alive and well, you come with me after school without a peep. I'll be there with my car to pick you up, as soon as you get in I'll make sure that guy gets his freedom back. Got it? And not a single word to Nathaniel or any of his cronies!'

I swallowed, my life for that of a guard I didn't know? My life and that of Nathaniel. That's what she was asking... It was utterly bewildering to hear her talk about Nathaniel and the good men that served him that way. She really did know about the entire supernatural world, I'd have never guessed.

'What will you do with me if I come with you?' I ventured to ask. Hoping that she'd give me a straight answer.

'Ooh nothing too bad dear, you'll only be a bargaining chip for a short while. As soon as Nathaniel surrenders some of his territory or as soon as he offers me a better deal than Thornten does you're free to go. Unharmed! My word on it.'

I found that hard to believe but on the other hand... If she was looking for either a good deal with Nathaniel or to fulfill the one she had with Thornten. There was no reason to harm me otherwise was there? And despite everything she'd done, Jessica wasn't the type to get her own hands dirty and slap me about just for fun. Unless you pissed her off.

'You have all day to decide what to do, but if you speak a word to anyone about this you can be sure that your guard will be dead. I'll make sure it won't be a pleasant death either!'

A silence as she let her words sink in before she added: 'You better be there at the end of the day Amelia.' Immediately after the call disconnected, right on time for me to look up and see that we'd just rolled into the school's parking lot.

Gareth the Witch that drove me to school waved once but didn't ask who had called me and didn't even look like he'd noticed a thing. As I climbed out of the car and hurried into school I shivered again. See, that feeling of impending doom had been right. That call boded nothing but bad things.

A little shocked and dazed I wandered through the rest of my school day as I contemplated on what to do. It caused Nathaniel to frown when he saw me in class and check up on me and my mental state several times during the day.

Thanks to Missy's lesson's however he was unable to gleam from my mind what had happened in the car. The disturbing phone call went completely unnoticed it seemed. Instead I reassured him that it was only because it was sinking in how rapidly my life was changing.

Even Missy seemed to buy that when she popped into her seat that morning just before the bell rang to signal the start of first period. As we talked throughout the day she appeared not the suspect a single thing. We talked unhindered by teachers and students with our mental contact, it was quite cool if I hadn't been too occupied to appreciate it.

I wanted to ask her or Nathaniel if it was possible to track my thoughts. If it was true that Jessica would know as soon as I told either one of them about the call. But I was scared to ask even that for fear of her finding that out! I did not want to kill poor man by making a stupid move...

Devon wasn't in school and neither were a lot of the other wolves but Nathaniel was convinced it was because of the extra security around the school he'd brought in. Plus the fact that the alpha position had changed from Jeremy, to his son Devon. It wasn't unheard of that after such a thing the wolves spend some time together to reinforce bonds.

Even the grizzled Mr. Reynolds was missing, according to Missy he was a low ranking wolf though and he now had to listen to anything Devon said. I felt sorry for the man because he seemed really nice and kind despite his rugged appearance.

Eliza was still acting out of the ordinary too. Wearing a surprisingly small amount of makeup, slightly more demure dress and hardly paying attention to the male populace in school. In fact she appeared lost in thought, a frown of confusion almost a permanent fixture on her face.

I wondered if she knew about what her mother was trying to do, was Eliza also part of this plan. Did she too work for Thornten? Was she even now spying on me to make sure I didn't tell anyone about the call? It was tearing me up inside not to know!

But she was rude as usual to the girls she hung out with, at least that hadn't changed.

When school was over Nathaniel telepathically told me it was safe to make my way outside on my own. There a vamp I didn't know would pick me and Missy up and drive us home.

Outside I spotted the SUV turning into the parking lot just as I stepped out the door, but as I started across the tarmac I noticed the dark green Porsche Jessica drove...

Remembering her phone call I stared for a moment. Saving the guard taken and getting back more of my mother's things... At least if that part of her story had been true.

It was without a doubt a trap, it had to be. Else she wouldn't insist that I come alone and not tell anyone would she? Of course she'd openly admitted that I'd be a bargaining chip as soon as she had me. But would she be using me against Nathaniel or would she really try to scam Thornten too and try make a deal with my Mate?

I'd be crazy if I went with her. I didn't doubt that Jessica didn't have the resources on her own to hold of the Regis of North America. But Thornten might and if she was working for him...

Chimali's memory flashed through my head. Could I allow another to die for my safety?

I bit my lip and started towards the SUV, knowing that it was what I was supposed to do. What everyone would want me to do and certainly what Nathaniel would order me to do if he knew. He'd of course try to safe Mattis but if he had to choose between me or the guard there really wouldn't be a choice to him.

He'd save me, no question about it and he probably wouldn't even lose sleep over it either. He was right too, if Nathaniel died and he would if I did, the entire world as we knew it now. At least America would change. People I loved and cared for would die trying to fight to make things right. Like Jaden and Sammuel and even grumpy, horribly arrogant Lysander.

A way's behind me the door opened and Missy stepped outside, confidently walking over to the same car I was headed for.  She didn't appear to have seen me though.

In a split second my body jerked to a halt and I ducked behind another car. Shocked by my actions I tried to get up again and make my way to the SUV and Missy. Yet my muscles wouldn't obey, locked into a crouch to hide myself from safety.

What was happening? In panic I tried to open my mouth to scream, simultaneously opening up my mind to scream for help. Missy would surely hear me and so would Nathaniel.

Yet instead I felt intense pressure on my head, hard enough to make my vision swim. Just hold I thought, if I don't show up in the next minute at the SUV they'll look for me. Yet whoever it was that was controlling my body and crushing my head seemed to know this too.

I was still clawing at my muscles and the constricting pressure on my mind when my body jerked into action again. I was running, ducked low behind the other cars towards that green Porsche waiting for me. One door was already open and I was thrown into it, roughly.

The moment I was inside I felt control return to my body, I could move my own shaking hands again. Lifting my head I came face to face with Jessica.

'Hello Amelia, I'm glad you decided to join us,' Jessica said gleefully from behind the steering wheel as she pulled away from the curb.

'Very glad,' added Devon with a smirk from the back seat. Resting his elbows on the chairs in front of him so he could lean his face in close to me, sniffing at my hair.

The car was already speeding away and the doors locked but still I grabbed the door handle and tried to open it. 'Let me out! Where's that guard? Where's Mattis! Let us go!'

'Not so fast dear, first you have to meet someone else, after that you're free to go!' Jessica patted my leg as if to comfort me, driving down the familiar road to the big house.

'Remember our deal Siren!' Devon barked at her and I shivered. Oh no... Jessica never intended to deal with Nathaniel and she never intended to let me go. She'd already promised me to Devon! This was bad, very bad.

I tried again, with as much force as I could muster to shout out mentally towards Nathaniel or Missy, anyone. Yet sharp pain made my head hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before, that pressure constricting around my head. Not even a beep made it out.

'Of course I do! She's free to go with you and birth happy little cubs in a dozen as soon as this is over. I won't forget if you do your job right!' Jessica hissed back at him, her scarlet red nails now tapping impatiently on the steering wheel.

There wouldn't be much time to get me to the house and hide me I assumed. By now already they knew I'd gone missing and they'd start looking, but Jessica abducting me wasn't on the list of things expected, of that I was sure.

Until her call this morning I hadn't known she'd been involved in any of this! Why did I stupidly hide that knowledge from my friends and Mate? Idiot!

Devon smirked as he ran a hand over the exposed skin of my throat and shoulder. Right across my mark. 'It's all in vain my sweet, soon, soon you'll be free of him and we'll spend eternity together!'

I shivered and tried to suppress the disgust I felt but he noticed and his eyes darkened in anger. He'd so lost it! If he thought I wanted to be with him, if he thought Nathaniel was doing this against my will... Because that sure as hell was what his words insinuated.

Yet I could only assume now that it was Devon that was blocking my mind from contacting anything. Since when could he do this? Had he been hiding the skill? And was it him or Jessica that had controlled my body like a puppet and got me into this car?

The house appeared all too soon and I prepared to make a run for it as soon as the doors would open. My hand straying towards the belt of thin knives around my waist, I had to summon up some anger, which wouldn't be hard and maybe then I could stab Devon and trap him between forms!

I was pretty sure that was my only chance, because despite everything, I knew I couldn't stab Jessica. I didn't know if she had fast healing abilities or not. Siren's were unfamiliar territory for me and it appeared that's what she was, at least Devon had called her one.

But Jessica drove the car straight into the garage and when they at last opened the door to let me out it wasn't just Devon and Jessica. There was two wolves, already shifted and two more burly guys that must be wolves too, each in their mid-twenties.

That wasn't all, with them stood a slightly stooped, red scaly creature. It appeared humanoid except that it wore no clothing and had no distinct external marks that declared it male or female. It also had a row of black horns on its head and boney ridges along it's back.

It was hissing menacingly and it confirmed a cliché: it stank of sulfur. Clearly it was some sort Demon, one that couldn't mingle very well among humankind.

'Now, don't even think about trying anything!' Jessica said with a smirk as she dragged me with her out of the garage and through the kitchen.

I never thought I'd think this but I almost hoped Mr. Taylor was home or would come home, the man I'd thought to be my father. I was sure that he knew nothing of all of this and that he'd be shocked and call the police or something. Maybe even call Nathaniel...

No such luck though.

We encountered no one and soon I was pulled down a small stairs on the other side of the house and into a basement. The place completely bare except for a mattress that looked very disgusting and smelled horrible, the walls concrete. No windows anywhere.

'Stay,' Jessica said as she let me go in the middle of the room, as if I had anywhere to run to...

The wolves and the Demon like creature surrounded me as Devon stepped forward and ran his hands down my shoulders and over my back. 'What are you doing! Don't touch me!' I snapped immediately and I tried to push him away.

'Now don't be like that! I'm doing this for your own good,' he said, slapping me across the cheek hard enough for the sound to bounce and echo against the walls. He resumed running