DAWN POVEverything looked foggy as I blinked my eyes open, and my body felt too heavy for me to lift. It felt freaking awful, and a tangy taste seemed to be etched deeply In my mouth. I was never drinking again. After some seconds of trying to move my limbs and torso, I finally got into a seating position, and I had to pause because it felt as if everything around me was spinning in my head.Blinking, I took in the grand room that I was lying in, but nothing looked or felt familiar. My mind was a blank slate, and the foreign feeling made me frown. Something was missing, something felt off. The door flung open and I jerked to see the intruder. A girl with short curly blue hair stepped into the room, the worried look on her face morphing Into a wide smile once she saw me."Oh my gosh. You're awake. You gave me such a fright" she grinned as she rushed towards my bedside. It was uncanny but she looked oddly familiar. Her hands reached to touch my forehead and I flinched back. She st
Gracie gasped awake, her vision foggy until she blinked a few times. She looked around the car, then exhaled in relief when she saw Gabriel still seated beside her in the car, even though there was dried blood on the side of his face.The nightmare or the accident had been so horrible, and when Gracie checked to see if Dawn was still in the car, her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. The front of the car was also wrecked, but it wasn't too serious as to cause a fire or stop the car from moving. Gracie's eyes lingered on the space Dawn had occupied, which was vacant, and the cross necklace that she'd worn was the only thing left of hers on the seat. They were also just parked beside the road, in the middle of nowhere. Gracie panicked, then shook Gabriel harshly. The shove jolted him awake, albeit disoriented."Wake up! Dawn's gone. Dawn is missing" Gracie yelled, her voice making him wince and come awake. "Dawn is gone, Gabriel!" the panic in her voice made Gabriel fully awake
"I need you to make me an amulet," Seth said, the glare on his face ferocious as he stared at his father.They had gone back to their Mansion and the faint scent of Dawn that lingered in the air was driving him to a point of insanity.Fatimah stood beside him, her appearance still weak since Seth hadn't allowed her to feed since they left where he'd found her.Osiris's brows furrowed. "Why? So you and this poor girl can go after Alaric and get yourself killed?"Seth growled, his fist clenching by his side and he was going to unleash it when Fatimah interrupted him in a cool voice. "I might be weak but I am definitely not poor Sir, let's get that out of the way, and yes, I need the amulet so that I can murder that piece of shit who made me this weak"."I don't have the strength to indulge in your foolishness. You can't beat Alaric, I thought Killing your mother would make you wake up, but I was clearly mistaken".The next few second was a blur as Seth flew at him, his fist connecting
"Now what the hell do we do?" Gracie asked, her gaze darting to Gabriel who had been quiet for a full thirty minutes after their car broke down while they were still stuck on the road with no sign of civilization in sight. They hadn't even reached the first town before they ran out of gas. The forest grazing each side of the road was mortifying and she was pretty sure that wild animals resided in them. It was just a matter of time before they came out and made a meal of them. Gracie felt hungry and her throat was raw and dry from dehydration. She wondered how long they could last without food or water. She wondered if Dawn was still alive or if the bloodsucker had already drained her dry and discarded her body somewhere no one would ever find her. The thought made her sick to her stomach, but there was nothing left for her to throw up. Gabriel's voice seemed to come from far away when it reached her ears. Gracie turned to face him, a confused expression on her face."Huh?" "I said,
DAWN POVI was a mess. My body was changing, I could feel it and the medicine Hayden had prescribed was not helping with anything.Instead, it acted as a suppressor making me feel tired and unable to do anything but sit and stare into space while my flesh tried its possible best to rip itself off my skeletons. I was sensitive all the time and no amount of comedy show took away the feeling. I honestly felt as if I was dying.Hayden was always around but never came into my room and sometimes I would catch him and Masika discussing in low monologues about how everything was going to be fine in just ten days, and to wait it out since she was sure that I wouldn't die.Talk of the devil and he shall appear. Masika walked in with a fruit bowl, a wide smile on her face."I know you must be starving. Take this first, then I'll make you something to eat so you can take your medicine".I forced a smile on my face and collected the bowl from her, my hands connecting with the tip of her nails.Wh
Stepping up to the abandoned-looking house, Seth scanned the vicinity, his sense picking up a vampire just a door away from him. All the windows were boarded up to block out the sun and it looked like a ramshackle. He inhaled deeply just to make sure that it was just the three of them and that there would be no surprise from nowhere. A faint scent of dark magic wafted up to his nose. Seth glanced at Fatimah who just shrugged and raised her shoulders with a 'don't ask me any questions and just follow the flow kind of look."I hate the company that you keep" he muttered and Fatimah smirked despite the tense atmosphere."Too bad you are one of them, so just so we are clear, do you hate yourself too". He glared at her and she grinned. "Not having a blood supply makes you always Cranky doesn't it. Damn being able to walk in the sun if I get to suffer that attitude of yours".Someone coughed from inside the door before Seth could get a snarky reply out of his mouth. "Are you both going to
Fatimah must have sensed his dark intentions because she was suddenly by his side, her hands grabbing onto his."Calm down first Seth. It is not over yet", she assured then turned to face Pierce. "You must have seen something before you were shut out. We just need the minutest of detail. Think Pierce, it can be anything, even a meaningless piece of item..."Pierce's brows furrowed, then his eyes widened as he picked up something in his memory. "An island. Very far away, but it was almost invisible as if it was cloaked in thick darkness or something."Fatimah and Seth exchanged a look. It was just the same way Alaric Mansion had been invisible even tho it was there all because it was cloaked with dark magic. "There are thousands of islands..." Fatimah started, then paused. "North or South".Pierce shook his head. "I did not get any bearing. Just a flash of the place where my magic was being repelled from as I was flung out".Seth hated that they were back to a dead end once again. Mas
Dawn groaned as Hayden held her down, the click of the sturdy cuffs clicking around her hand making her headache. She had known something was off about her whole situation and hearing both of them talking confirmed all her suspicion. "Why the hell are you doing this?" Dawn asked, her panic rising as Hayden went further down her body to cuff her ankles. Once he made sure she was held in place, he got off her and then walked towards Masika.Masika smiled as she stepped beside Dawn's bed, then her gaze shifted, her eyes raking over everything in the room as if it wasn't her house. "Hmmm, why am I doing this? I'm afraid that even if I give you a reason you still wouldn't understand"."I thought you were my family! You lied to me"."Yes I did" Masika roared and was suddenly in her face. "May the gods forbid I was related to someone as you are. You are filth beneath my feet". Masika scoffed. "Do you know how annoying you are... It is bad enough that I can't see what is going on in that h
Epilogue. Getting back home took three whole days, but Dawn enjoyed every bit of it as she learned more about the extent of her powers. Seth taught her how to haunt, and after their hunting session, they explored and strengthened their mate bond until it felt as if their heart beat as one.Dawn could hear all of Seth's thoughts after she drank from him twice during their journey back home. She tried to keep it from him, but he soon figured it out when she kept laughing and blushing around him even when he was quiet. His thoughts made her feel good because they showed how whipped he was for her since he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was as if he totally changed from the brooding chaotic vampire to a lovable cuddly one with a dazzling smile that made her heart skip thousands of beats anytime he directed it at her.Seth pulled closer to her as they finally stepped foot into Syracuse."I'm thirsty" he whispered and Dawn looked at him incredulously."Are you never not thirsty"."Y
Masika blinked her eyes open as she waited, and felt nothing on her skin. Seth stood in front of her, his hand mere inches from her exposed throat. Masika dropped her hand, and stared at him, waiting for him to cut her down. "You will not be performing your stupid sacrifice tonight Masika, and look at that," he said pointing at the little hole in the walls. "The sun's already rising, and the little portal that would have provided you with your indestructible armies closed up," he told her, pointing to the charred circle where the two crosses stood.Masika looked at it, then at the red lights slipping through the holes in the wall. It was all over. Even if she wanted to perform the sacrifice it would take another century before she could attempt opening another gate to the underworld, and during that time, Seth would have gotten stronger and his Mate would no longer be a fledgling. It was all for nothing, but she wasn't going to accept defeat. She wasn't going to go down alone after e
DAWN POV.I'd welcome the cold feeling of both pain and pleasure as he gulped down my blood, and every euphoric feeling he felt overwhelmed me until it felt as if my heart was going to stop and for a second it did, or maybe it was more because I found myself floating through an endless spaceI saw and heard nothing. There was only thick darkness, and I felt cold, too cold. Voices seemed to reach me from a faraway place. I could tell that a war raged on and that the room was filled with supernatural beings trying to kill each other, but the pain of a particular person seemed to rend through my heart each time his voice reached my ear. My Mate. Seth. "You do not get to touch her" he roared, and I could feel him punching the various beings in the room as they rushed at him."You are not strong enough to stop me. I am the most powerful sorcerer, and I am going to finish this sacrifice even if I have to use your dead heart and hers." Masika screamed and a blast of dark energy was sent h
Seth gasped, his eyes flying open. And without even checking for Dawn, he could feel the heat that surrounded him from the warmth of the mate bond he shared with her, but she was different. Her scent was stronger and that awoke a hunger in him that had his fangs aching."Seth" her voice reached him and he turned to face her, his eyes greedily taking in every inch of her as he struggled with everything in him that wanted him to follow his instinct and quench his fiery thirst. "Are you alright" he forced out of his throat Instead, his fangs ached and refused to retract.Dawn stared at him before a smile touched her lips and that alone made him feel that his dead heart was suddenly thrumming in his chest and trying to beat its way out."I never thought I would be so happy to see you," she said, shaking her head as she stared at him, her gaze piercing through his soul.Seth swallowed, his throat parched dry as he watched her. His mate. The one he was destined to be with all his life."I
"What do you mean not to involve the cops? My daughter has been missing for two whole days. Are you going to keep lying to me that she is on an errand... I bloody know she is not, so you both better start talking" Amore yelled, her chest heaving as her gaze darted from Gracie to Gabriel. "Say something" she screamed when they both remained quiet."You wouldn't believe it if we told you. You'll think we were a bunch of raving lunatics" Gracie got out in a small voice as she twisted her fingers in worry, her gaze darting towards Gabriel, an unspoken question of what to do in her eyes each time."Bunch of raving lunatics... What the hell are you talking about... Just tell me where Dawn is, or I am going to go to the cops and you both will have to explain yourself there" she yelled, her hands making wild gesticulations in the air just to get a reaction out of them.Gabriel rubbed his hand over his face as he released a big sigh, his shoulder sagging dramatically.Amore lost her will to sc
A DAY LATER."I found her" Alaric announced as he stepped into the room where all the preparations for the sacrifice were being made. "She put up a good fight for a fledgling dragon, but there was nothing I couldn't handle on my own, especially with the substance you gave me." He bragged, his gaze fixed on Masika's back. A group of vampires accompanied him, and in their midst was a huge cage where Dawn lay. Her eyes were closed, and the pained expression on her face distorted her features even as she lay unconscious. Masika let out a loud sigh, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the table she stood against. "Can you believe it father" she got out gravelly, her fingers tightening against the edges of the desk she stood in front of. "Seth choose that pathetic being over me... I thought I was the love of his life, I thought he had hated you all this while because he thought you were the reason why I betrayed him, so imagine my shock when he told me that it was never because of me and
SETH POV. The energy around us burned as it started fading away and then we were all standing in the middle of the apartment. Masika had managed to get us to the island in a day with her dark powers. The blood I had taken from Fatimah-although not much-still flowed through my veins and it dispelled all the weakness that I had been facing all the while.Once, the energy of her powers faded away, the scent of Dawn's blood wrapped around the house thickly and my fangs elongated, my heart warming up at the thought of seeing my mate again, that was until the putrid scent of the dead vampire who laid a few feet from us distorted the scent in the air."Where in the dark hell are we? What the hell happened here" Fatimah asked, looking around the building before gazing back at me. She moved towards the body, her eyes taking in every little detail of it. "That is a gruesome way to die, but I must say it looks so clean, it's like a piece of art," Fatimah said as she inspected the severed head o
Gracie forced an assuring smile on her face as she walked towards the table where Gabriel was seated with Dawn's mother. They had managed to calm her down but she still looked agitated, especially since they couldn't exactly tell her that Dawn was missing and that they might never be able to find them."Where did you say Dawn went to. I have been trying to reach her and she's not been answering my calls. Do you think she is angry at me"."Of course not, Miss Amore, Dawn loves you so much, she is not angry with you"."Then why won't she pick up my calls? I was so worried, I had to rush here. I've... " She faltered, her throat moving as she swallowed. "I've been having nightmares".Gabriel reached to take her shaking hands in his and the woman finally managed to take in a deep breath."It's ok Miss Amore. Dawn will be back before you know it. She's on an errand right now, but I assure you she'll be back soon. You just have to be patient. "I know. I know" she said in a shaky voice and h
Dawn POV.The world was quiet, but inside me, a fire raged and I couldn't even scream out anymore. I closed my eyes, welcoming every scorch and the pain that accompanied it. I was changing into something I didn't know and I could tell that it was triggered by the bite of Seth on those countless occasions that he'd almost drained me dry. Speaking about Seth, I could feel him getting closer, and with that feeling came a certain level of relief, then dread because without opening my eyes I could see everything that was bound to happen once they got here. Masika would be able to carry out her sacrifice and Seth was going to die at the hand of the woman he loved, the one who killed his mother and destroyed his whole life without ever finding out the truth. He was going to die at the hands of the woman who made him into a monster and drove him to run from anyone that tried to understand and love him.I didn't know how or when but I'd learned to accept Seth for who he was. He wasn't perfe