Chapter 1 Her heart was beating rapidly, sharp pain shot up her arm making her jerk up in pain, “she’s  waking” the voices surrounding her sounded alarmed, “give her another shot” another voice  commanded. Somehow, she did not like the tone of that voice, fear gripped her heart as she  felt herself drowning, the pressure above her increased pushing her under. “I’m going to die” a  small shrill voice commented within her as she struggled to break free. But before she knew  she drifted off into the darkness.

*** Clarissa felt as if it was a dream. It was her fourteenth birthday, her mom, dad and elder  sister Amelia were out shopping for her party while she went to her boyfriend Liam’s house.  Her sister wasn’t a fan of boys. She did not know why but generally she hated everyone. She  did not have friends, except for her. Otherwise she was loyal, kind, brave, smart and everything  in between. It’s just that she did not trust anyone except for her family members. 

While Clary  was average height with chocolate brown curls and deep brown eyes her sister had pitch black  hair and dark brown eyes that were almost mistaken for black.Hey Clary!” it was Liam with his blond hair and deep blue eyes that she fell for every passing  second, god! she was blushing. They’d been together for almost a year now. Liam had the  perfect family, both parent’s doctors and elder brother Zayden was working in the lab and also  part time in the army and Zayden’s best friend Ender living together with his girlfriend Jessica.

“ They were close friends and both families saw the best of each other. Her sister was good  friends with Jess but as expected her sister despite the boys. She especially did not get along  with Zayden, they were equally talented and there was nothing better than bickering at each  other for them. But Clary sort of had a feeling that they secretly fell for each other, she  knew deep down it wasn’t just love but love that was building between them.

“Are you ready?” Liam asked softly, slipping his hand to hers, she smiled at him, “yes! we just  have to wait for the rest of my family to come.” “birthday shopping?” Zayden called from where  he sank down in the soft cushions on the sofa beside Ender who laughed silently. She could feel  the sarcasm in his voice, they clearly wanted to irritate her, “boys!” Jessica snapped “leave the  child alone!” She came to the living room with drinks. Everyone was suddenly thirsty grabbing  their cokes. They waited patiently till her family came.

“Let’s start decorating,” Esme Lee’s mom said, trying to make it cheerful, so her boyfriend’s  parents and their friends started decorating. After hours of hard work their hall looked  glamorous. “Oh Clary! it’s going to be amazing” Jessica smiled. But before she could comment  the phone in the hall rang interrupting her rudely. Hello!” Esme answered the phone with her cheery voice, but suddenly it was shrill, “hospital?” she gasped, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Someone spoke behind the line, “no, it can’t be!”  Esme was about to cry, the voice continued then it was gone. The shock in her face was clearly visible her boy friends’ mom stared blankly then dropped the phone, “Esme!” Liam’s dad was soon  behind her gently holding their crying mother, “what happened dear?” he asked gently.She  wiped her tears and sat down taking Clary’s hands, “I’m sorry love, the hospital called and there  has been an accident.”

 A soft chill ran down her spine, “what accident, who was hurt?” her  heart was drumming in her throat, her mind jumping into all the worst possibilities it could come  up with. She felt Liam’s strong arms tightened around her, “Your parents have passed away”,  those words she knew will haunt her throughout her life. A sob escaped her lips and she dared  to ask the question that knew would break her even more, “what … what about Amy?''

Her eyes  filled with dread, a small smile left Esme’s lips, she couldn’t help noticing how Zayden’s head  snapped up in worry. “She's okay, she’s in the hospital, we have to go get her.” A collected sigh  escaped her friends, she couldn’t wait to see her beloved sister, she had never felt she could lose her before but now she felt like treasure.

Chapter 2 She didn’t expect to wake up again, she didn’t remember what had happened after she drowned,  in fact she couldn’t remember a single thing, who she was or who her family was. Where was  she? Some part of her wondered. She lay in a bed and everything around her was very plain,  from curtains to bed sheets. That's when realization hit her, she was in a hospital bed with all  sorts of machines connected to her.

She tried to remember what had happened before the  operation, she was in a car with two other people, her parents? She didn’t know. But then  something attacked them from the opposite direction. Her vision was gone for a moment then  when she had opened her eyes everything was red and the people in front of her were gone.  She ended up here, but she couldn’t rest. Something gave her a sense of insecurity she couldn’t  resist. She knew she had to get out of here. 

Because she was in danger, she didn’t know how  but she could feel it, like she’s been watched.She didn’t think twice, she removed the oxygen mask on her face and pulled out the iv in her  hand, that’s when she realized her movements weren’t normal.Instead everything was so fast  and as she looked around her, she realized her vision was so good, everything was so clear and  accurate, beautiful.

  Was her mind playing tricks on her? She did not know that was until she came across a mirror. She was inhumanly beautiful, her skin pale and granite, her ebony hair  tumbling down her shoulders and her arms muscular and lithe. But the most outstanding change  was that her eyes were pitch black with a scarlet red ring that glowed in the middle, “oh god!”  she whispered to herself. Am I going insane, she wondered to herself?

But suddenly a voice interrupted him, “Miss Amelia, so good to see you awake!” a gentle voice  exclaimed. She turned around to see a doctor. He looked around twenty but his deep brown  eyes looked ancient, something wasn’t right. He looked like her after she woke up, who was he?  Fear bubbled in her. She had to get out of here and fast. Then something clicked, “Amelia?”  she questioned “is that my name?” the doctor nodded, “do not fear your family has arrived,  come I’ll take you to them.”

She did not trust him but if he was going to get her out of her mind then she had to take a  risk. The doctor took her to the reception, it was crowded with patients and she felt like a  thousand different voices were ringing in her ears and her nose picked up a various number of  different smells. “what was happening to her, was she going crazy?” a small part of her mind  questioned. Then suddenly a sharp pain rushed from her gut , her heart was beating rapidly  and before she knew what she was doing. 

She was walking past a shocked looking family waiting  near the reception towards a man, he was covered in blood , like he’s been in an accident and  the smell was killing her, she wondered what it would feel like to taste the warm crimson liquid  oozing out from the fresh wounds.She was thirsty so much that her throat burned, a low growl  rippled through her, part of her stopped and listened in shock but her body refused to stop  moving.

 But before she could go much further strong arms circled around her waist and pinned  her above a shoulder taking her back to her room. She shrieked, didn’t they understand that  she simply had to taste it. Everyone was staring at her but she no longer cared, she had to  taste it, she did everything to free herself but the doctor was too strong “I shouldn’t have  brought you out” he muttered as the family she saw in the reception followed them silently. 

She was pissed, she was no longer going to cooperate, before she could move much of an inch  they were in the room and the family was waiting patiently.Just after they entered the doctor  nodded at a young boy from the family, “lock the door!” A few long silent seconds passed but she was done holding her temper, she trashed toward  the young boy angrily, but he caught her hands as she reached for the door.Before she knew  what was happening, they were tangled, she could not resist to admire how handsome he looked.

He had the same ivory skin as her, with thick black hair and gorgeous deep green eyes and full  lips that were very hot. God! Was she hallucinating? He looked down at her with a questioning  face, a series of emotions flooded him, happiness, confusion, fear and most visible one was  longing.This made her smile, whoever he was she didn’t have to think twice to decide she  trusted him. “Amelia, what happened?” he questioned.

 His voice, god it was so deep and it made  her tremble. But before she could answer she felt a wave of dizziness hit her, she knew she was going to puke. She pushed her dream boy away and made it half across the room before  she collapsed vomiting. She was horrified to see crimson red liquid pour out of her mouth, “was  she going to die again?” part of her wondered. *** A few minutes later she regained consciousness enough to hear the people, it was her family by  the tone of their worried voices discussing something.

 She couldn’t understand as confusion  clouded over her and the blood from the iv-line seeped into her gradually taking away her thirst  along with the burning sensation that clouded in the base of her throat. She was drowning again,  part of her was desperate to break towards the surface but the rest of her body disagreed,  taking her deep into darkness and keeping her within its grasp.Clarissa was trembling, she knew something was terribly wrong with her sister, she changed  inhumanly beautiful and terribly strong. 

if she wasn’t mistaken, she saw sharp fangs cutting  through her sister’s lips as she struggled against Zayden. But the strange thing was that she  was the only one surprised by her sister’s transformation. No one else seemed scared nor reacted  badly towards it. Especially Zayden, he did look surprised although did not fear. What were  they hiding? She suddenly started to doubt how much she actually knew about her boyfriend,  who was currently looking extremely guilty and surprised and about who her sister really was.

 

“What’s going on?” she demanded, everyone looked at her at once. Zayden’s head snapped in  her direction. That’s when Carlisle started to speak, breaking the silent tension spreading  through the room. “It's quite not possible, we always thought your family was human, but  apparently not, your sister’s transformation quite brings out the fact.”He looked at her if he  was testing a theory on her then smiled, “And you!” she looked up question at him, “what me?"

 ''That's when she heard her boyfriend intake a sharp breath, “I haven't seen this before, but you have  nature related powers, you can control plants and animals, no wonder I was tamed”. She finally  started to understand why her parents always protected them, why they were home schooled till  high school.And why they were very cautious getting them everything they needed and never  letting the outside world know of their existence. “Okay, what about the rest of you what  powers do you have?” she questioned understandingly and equally accusing.

 “Well, I am a  werewolf,” Liam replied, pointing at himself, Jessica is the princess of technology, and Zayden  is the prince of power. She smiled, no wonder he acted so reserved and fearless, “so what  powers does he have?” she questioned. Zayden smiled, “I’m a mix of all magical creatures, part  wolf, fairy, vampire and wizard. But my vampire and wolf sides are the power-fullest. As for  the rest of the magic it’s still locked waiting for the right time.”

 That’s when he started to explain how their magic chooses their mates who will be equally  powerful as them, if not anyone else will be rejected. Clary started to understand why he was so reserved, but there was something suspicious, “But you got along with my sister? so does  that mean she…” she trailed off suggestively. Zayden actually blushed and looked at his father,  who smiled, “we don’t know Clary yet but if she is Zayden’s mate then surely, she will possess  his mark, just like you have your boyfriend's one.”

 She looked down at her wrist where a  miniature golden wolf was shimmering, taking her breath away. In the corner of her eyes she  noticed Liam’s face lit up with happiness. But before she could open her mouth a soft growl  rippled through the room, she looked up to meet her sister’s shimmering ruby eyes which were  staring angrily at them. Amy?” Jessica whispered, however Amelia completely ignored her and started to rescue herself  from the various tubes and machines connected to her body.

“She did so very aggressively as if  she was desperate to free herself. The parts where the tubes were connected to her ivory skin  were bubbling with crimson-gold liquid but the problem was the blood wasn’t red like normal  mortals have but it was special, Clary watched in wonder as the drop of blood changed color  from gold to black.Jessica knew that her friend must be in pain with the wounds in her body  so she reached forward to help her remove them more slowly.

That’s when the doctor, Henrik, stopped her, “Don’t! it’s not a good idea, she doesn’t trust you at the moment so her body has  turned defensive '' when she looked up questioningly at the doctor, he pointed at the dark  threat of veins spreading through Amelia’s body. “That’s her venom spreading through her,  every vampire has venom however I’ve never seen anything like this, her venom is spreading  along her veins if anyone touches her, they are likely to get poisoned.”

Chapter 3 Amelia felt relief and horrified at the same time, after listening to the doctor she knew that  nobody here could harm her as they were unable to touch her. She not only saw the dark venom  that spread along her body but felt it spreading within her giving power to dominate this room  of people. No one moved, though the blonde girl, no younger than herself, remained trying to  prevent her from hurting herself, a worried expression spread through her face.

Her body ached and the sharp burning sensation did not leave her throat, she wanted to scream  in frustration. But she was worried that she might give them the wrong impression.  The hospital’s  various odors filled her nostrils, she had to get out and somehow as if he read her mind the  young boy reached out to take her hand, “let’s get you out, your thirst must be maddening”, his  voice was silky making her relax immediately. 

His fingers threaded with hers, surprisingly they  were the same temperature and she noticed how clearly she could see his beauty. He moved  himself with such confidence that made her wonder if he wasn’t afraid of what’s around him.As they walked through the corridor the smells were killing her inwardly, without her own  knowledge her sharp nails were digging into the young boy’s lethal for arm, however he did not  remove or act harshly towards it instead he placed a protective arm around her shielding her  from anyone who got closer enough to touch.

Her heart was thundering against her ribs, but they managed to make it all the way to the waiting sleek black Ferrari, it was very clear that  these people were having their own good share of wealth. The boy made it across the car to  open the door for her, she smiled after all he was so gentlemanly. “Please” he nodded, she  smiled and trembled in careful not to hurt him.

After she sat down comfortably in the seat he  went around to the drivers and then waited patiently without driving. However, she did not have  the patience of a god. She wanted to leave the hospital grounds as soon as possible. That’s  when he sighed understanding her confusion. He suddenly reached out to place one of his hands  in seat, his long thin finger wrapping gently around her neck the touch so soft as a feather. 

she froze up unable to resist the exposure of the veins in the base of his elegant throat exposed  to her. She did not want to harm him, she clawed her fingers at her sides and crushed her  eyes shut.Those few seconds seemed to lengthen with time, he gently reached out to pull the  seat belt then suddenly she felt coldness creep between them as he moved away from her.

Part  of her was so glad as she knew she could not resist to keep her growing claws from piercing the  base of that gorgeous neck, but the other part wanted him close to her, as realization hit her.  With this boy she could be herself, he wasn’t afraid of her, he meant no harm either. With  him she felt different, for the first time after she awakened, she felt safe.The car moved smoothly through the gravel road, and the silence between them lengthened, she  did not want to speak, and he did not try to pry into her privacy, she knew he was unlike any  other.

 He kept to himself and did not trouble her like others might have tried questioning her  with unnecessary questions. The silence between them lengthened, the handsome savior beside  her stubbornly refused to be the first to break through its coldness. “What's your name?” she  looked up questioningly. “Zayden '', he replied, not taking his eyes from the front of the car.  What a suiting uncommon name, she liked how it sounded just like him, independent.“Did we  know each other well?” he nodded, so slightly that if 

she wasn’t paying close attention, she  would have surely missed it. “But just don’t take my word for it, I know you must be feeling  confused especially with your memory loss. So, for your own protection don’t trust anyone yet,  it’s better that way.” She watched him for a moment unsure if he was joking, but his expression  was grave enough to tell her he was serious. So strange she wondered if he was actually giving  her a choice. She decided to wait, he was right, maybe she should not trust any of them yet.  Right now, her safety was the priority.

She watched as the background changed, the car turned towards a smaller road. It was getting  darker by hour; the tall trees present at either side of the road stood bent towards the road.  Fear gripped her heart, dark shadows crept through the trees. Her sensitive ears picked up  various different smells, and she could hear leaves rustling as small creatures moved through  the darkness. Part of her was lost in thought, it looked as if a horror movie was waiting to  happen. “don’t be afraid,” Zayden’s velvet voice whispered next to her, sending her heart to an  extreme stop. 

She looked up startled at him, but only to find his glittering deep green eyes  watching her filled with curiosity. For a moment she forgot everything they stared at each  other for what seemed to be an eternity.But suddenly Zayden broke eye contact looking ahead at something, she watched his expression  change from the calm boy who was there before her started to shut down until his face showed  no emotions at all.“Let's go, the others are waiting till we come.” he nodded towards her back.

 She was breath taken when she got out of the car, they stood in a large garden that seemed  to go on for miles. Surrounded by sky rocketing pine trees and a great bricked wall that seemed  to separate these grounds from the outside world. “These walls are there to protect you from  dangers lurking outside, don’t leave unless it’s very necessary and be careful.” Before she could  say anything, he disappeared into the rooms within the Magnificat bungalow before her.

It was huge, a house big enough to hold a hundred people in it, surrounded by an infinite maze  of different walls and gardens. This, she realized, is the moment her life changes forever.  Something was wrong, there was tension building inside her and she had to let it out. However,  before she could move a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, her own defensive reaction was  not what she expected. She turned defensive against the one who touched her. 

She was a  rather elderly woman, inhumanly beautiful, with chocolate brown hair and warm gold eyes which  watched her with immense love.“Hello dear, we did not meet before. But I am Zayden’s mother.  Your sister’s boyfriend’s mother as well.” She nodded at the young boy standing closely next to  the younger girl who had been the one next to the elder girl who had tried to stop her.“Yes,  that’s your sister, Clary and your friend Jessica. I am sorry about your parents, but we are fortunate that you survived.”

Her kind tone was meant to be warming, she knew this woman  loved her and was only trying to make her feel welcome. However, the mentioning of the accident sent a throbbing pain through her. She could not hold it any longer. She wanted to be alone away  from these people, and the fire was burning her throat. Her veins felt as if they were on  fire and her head was spinning. She desperately had to get away from these people and fast. “Can I rest?” she asked, her voice very distracted, her desperation was getting the better of her.

Just then the others reached them, and Clary, as if for a habit, reached out to slip her hand  into Amelia’s. she froze, tension rippled through her, unknowingly she pulled her hand away she  knew she meant no harm however the pain in her sister’s face was plainly visible. She looked so  close to bursting into tears, but at the moment it was the least thing that worried her. Some dangerous part of her threatened to tear out of her and sink her sharp fangs into the thick  veins that were greatly spotted with her new-found sharp vision. 

She was about to reach in for  Clary’s hand to sink her teeth into them when a strong irresistible force pulled her hands away  forcing her to pay attention towards it.“Don’t! she’s your sister and not something you can take  yourself out at.” Zayden growled, making her angrier, that’s when she lost her careful control.With a growl that rippled through her she attacked Zayden, her nail sharpening to make claws  that sank into the broad muscular shoulders of her rescuer.

 Her fangs exceeded to sink into  his arm that was keeping her from reaching her sister. All the others except for the adults  looked terrified at her sudden transformation. But the sweet fluid that filled her mouth was  irresistible. She watched, unable to break her grip from his arm, something filled the air  between them. It was almost as if she could hear his thoughts. He was in pain but her attack was well expected. She wanted to move but couldn’t, she looked up at him begging him to forgive  her, telling him in unspoken language that there was nothing she could do.

Chapter 4 Zayden was not surprised, he was waiting patiently to see how long she could hold her thirst,  and it was long. Whatever powers she possessed it was clear she was powerful. Normally  newborns are supposed to be restless, always trying to feed from the time of their awakening.  But in Amelia’s case he was shocked that she managed to hold her thirst this long.It had been  at least a few hours from the time she was transformed, even if she was an original vampire  born with the vampirism in her blood. 

like himself it was unlikely to hold the thirst this long.He  knew how it felt when the feeling took over you, there is nothing you can do to stop. But another  strange thing was that he, who was usually a mind reader and given how he was a very powerful  one as well, could not reach her.He felt her mind alright, it was like a ruby shimmering in  between a million other stones. Her mind stood out from the rest, powerful but unreachable.Part of him was worried he knew she was his mate, however to be this powerful was unlikely.

The pleasure ran through him, as she fed from him. Part of him was embarrassed of his own  eagerness to keep her close to him, but he felt her feet give away beneath her. She was passing  out, the time she stayed without drinking was too long. “Amelia!”he gathered her in his arms  and looked worried at his father, “she’s waited too long, she needs to feed otherwise she will  die.” His father acted fast, opening the door to Amelia’s room and running to his lab to get a few  blood transfusions.

Zayden, laid her beneath the soft sheets, she looked peaceful, pale  complexion equal to him and read lips parted with her breath. Her dark hair was tumbling down  reaching her hips. And beautiful marks that spread through her body, and he watched as the  blood seeped into her body much faster than normal, she was recovering back to health. “Don’t  worry, she will be fine” his mother whispered gently, taking his hand to lead him outside, “you  should rest too, we’ve all had a hard day.”

In his own room, he felt reckless. Who was Amelia really? What type of creature was she, yes  from the looks of it she was an ordinary vampire but judging by her strength and actions so far  something seemed very off about her? Initially he had no partner chosen for him but he clearly  saw how Amelia had his mark, a sharp cut of an eclipse moon in her left shoulder. It symbolized  that he was the heir of dawn and dusk, but if she had that mark who was she?

A million  questions bubble in his mind; he couldn't get his head straight, after so many years of peace  that on earth was challenging his existence.He knew that it was not possible when he was created into life the elders made sure he would  not develop feelings for no one, so that he would not have any weak points for their enemies,  the shadow clan to see.But the circle of light, which was a group of most powerful warriors  chosen to ride beside him to win the battle against darkness, was incomplete.

 Was the missing  warrior Amelia? His head hurt, eventually exhaustion clouded his mind and he too fell into deep  slumber to recreate the energy he lost. **** The weight above him struck him down keeping him beneath it, unable to breath he struggled  sharp pain ran through him. He felt helpless; he tried summoning his powers but nothing appeared  before him. No one was around him to help him, it was cold and darkness surrounded him, taking  away his vision.

Then suddenly he heard a voice, his vision tunneled into a green room, he could not see anything but he could hear, “now, I can finally create my ultimate weapon against the  circle of light and when time comes, we can destroy them.” The scene shifted to a small figure  lying broken in the ground then darkness returned leaving him with a million questions in his  mind. So, the dark lord has created a weapon against him. He had to find this weapon fast and  destroy it before it's too late.

He knew he had ignored the warnings far too many times, he had to warn his parents about  what forthcoming towards them. And he had to get the other heirs of the circle prepared for  any battle they might come across. With that thought he fell into deep slumber once more. For  the rest of the night it was peaceful, no more disturbances, no more nightmares.Rise and shine sleepy head!”, a cheerful, familiar voice chirped. Before he could respond the  curtains to his window were open letting the bright rays of sunlight seep into his room. 

“ He rolled  over ignoring his mother who stood waiting for him to rise, “don’t you want to check if Amelia  is awake?” she demanded, knowing his concern for her. That’s when last night’s dreams rushed  into him, reminding him of his tasks. He shot up so fast that his head was spinning from the  movement. His mother left the room chuckling, “was his eagerness that obvious?” but after  last night he wondered what the dark lord meant, what is this weapon, he had to find out fast.  And he had to get the other heirs prepared for any sort of attack.

He knew he had no time to waste, so he got up and cleaned himself. After a few minutes he was  dressed in his black jeans, black shirt and leather jacket. With boots each holding two swift  blades and his guns, sword strapped in his waist, his half ran downstairs. *** The birds chirped and sunlight bathed her, waking her up for a new day. Amelia woke up wishing  to see her familiar bedroom, but everything around her was unfamiliar.

She knew she wasn’t at  home, even though she didn’t know what her home looked like, the feeling of fear was something she could not get rid of. She looked around the room, she laid on a four poster bed with a soft  cotton cover over her and the curtains kept her in a private space. She stretched out her sleep, and got out of bed. Next to it was a large dresser, with a huge  mirror which was decorated with fine carvings and rhinestones embedded on it.

The dresser  contained various items, lotions, perfumes, brushes and so many other accessories for hair and  body. They were so shiny that her eyes ached from watching them. There was a small stool to  sit on and a soft furry carpet that was laid across the floor. Her room is also composed of a  fine work table and chair along with an arrangement with shelves of various books. The table also  had a mac book along with a few iPhone's all gold and silver, there was also a tab and a note  pasted on it.

“Come down for breakfast when you wake up, dear.” From the words it was clearly  Esme, Zayden’s mom. she smiled, Esme seemed to be a generous person. The rest of the room  also had a huge TV set, along with a kitchen and two sets of double doors.She carefully walked towards it, she was still wearing the hospital gown, looks like they have  given her privacy and not changed her. She was so glad for it. when she checked inside the  doors she nearly choked to death, it wasn’t a door it was the bathroom. It

was huge, with a  separate shower, a hot tub and the sink was embodied with gems. Honestly the fanciness was  getting on her nerves. She sank into the tub and ran the hot water; the steaming liquid calmed  her nerves down. She was finally beginning to catch her breath. She stood up to reach for the  towel when she slipped into the tub, her head knocking sharply against the tap. An unbearable  pain rushed through her and her vision tunneled.Something started to happen and she began to get her memories back.

Her mother had chocolate  brown hair and creamy brown eyes and her dad had a similar complexion to when they were out  in the road her mother had been telling them something, she was in the back seat listening to.  When something she did not know who or what it was, she only saw its dark shape crashing onto  them from above. “I have finally found you!” it screamed. And then everything was blurred, she  heard glass breaking followed by the horrified screams of her parents and sirens far ahead.  

They had been too late; the creature’s sharp claws made sure her parents never opened their  eyes again. She felt her energy leave her, desperation got the better of her, she didn’t want  to die, she couldn’t go back to the darkness. She needed help and fast. With no second thought  she screamed as loud as she could but was soon muffled by the water that drowned her within  them. *** Zaiden arrived downstairs to see everyone was at breakfast. 

At first it looked very ordinary,  but the presence of Clary only became an added reminder to the previous day along with his  nightmares.He had to see Amelia but she was nowhere to be seen. He sat down looking at  Clary, “morning, how’s your sister?” but before Clary could answer a shrill scream rang from  upstairs, but was soon muffled.Everyone at the table froze, by the tone of it, the voice belonged  to a girl and the only girl missing from the table was, “Amelia!” the younger girl got up so fast,  that she knocked her glass of milk from the table.

 His mother looked alarmed, “she was asleep  when I last checked on her.” maybe something happened!” his father got up and ran up the stairs, with no second thought  he and the rest of his family followed him upstairs to her room. “When Zaiden opened her room  everything remained undisturbed, only Amelia was no were to be seen. “where is she?” Esme  whispered. “look! the bathroom, door.” Clary said running and rattling the handle, it was obvious  that the door was locked.

Zaiden, knowing his physical strength as a vampire, gently touched the  handle, “let me try '', he said to the worried looking Clary. Who nodded and stepped aside. He  gently tugged the handle, and with a click the lock broke open. Zaiden was shocked, the bathroom was covered in steaming white smoke that made it difficult  to see. He touched the wall searching for the switch to the air freshener installed in the  bathroom.The fan immediately sucked away the white steaming fog, restoring their vision back  to normal.

 That’s when he noticed the tub was overflowing with steaming hot water, but the  most visible thing was the pale white hand that was gripping to the side of the tub unable to  come out. “she’s drowning!” Jessica screamed horrified. His mind was lost in thought. How can  someone drown in a tub? But the answer was clearly visible, by the angle her head was bent in  she was unconscious.He quickly reached under her chin to lift her face up, a vampire does not choke however, being  unconscious might have harmed her.

 Her bareness beneath the bubbly form made him self conscious, again it was not possible, was he really falling for her? He didn’t have time to worry  about that now. At the moment her life was the important thing. He reached for one of the  towels in the rack beside the tub and gently lifted Amelia from the water and covered her body  with the towel. Then he carried her to the bed, laying her down on the soft quilts and covering  her with the soft sheets.CPR?” Ender questioned, however Zaiden did not miss the mocking  edge of his voice.

“Were his feelings that visible to them? Part of him questioned himself. “Not  needed, she’s a vampire, they don’t have to breathe, however we might have to get the water  out of her.” His father, bless him, came to his rescue. Zaiden pressed his hands against the  center of her chest and pumped he could feel the pressure building up. Finally, she choked out  the water and opened her eyes. Her crimson red eyes were filled with terror, she grabbed his  hands with an iron grip. 

Which was natural because she obviously thought that he was trying to  choke her. “Relax, you're fine.” He reassured her, placing his hand gently on her shoulders and  laying her back on the pillows. Chapter 5 One moment she was drowning and the next she was waking up choking to find the people who  took her home all staring down at her with the exact same expression of worry.

The silence  drifted through the room, the cold wind creep under the bathrobe reminding her of her own  bareness. Part of her was shocked the memories were ringing in her ears, reminding her of the  terrible accident, without her own knowledge hot tears of desperation, fear and grief clouded  her eyes. She pulled her legs up to her chin and sobbed silently.Everyone around her was confused, “Amy, it's okay you're fine” her sister whispered gently,  placing her hand against Amelia’s cold arm, but Amelia could not look at her.

How could she tell  her sister that their parents have died because of her, if she wasn’t in that car her parents  would have been alive, and her sister would have had a family. After all that creature was  looking for her, but why? She did not know. She looked up at Clary, “I remember what happened  on the day of the accident.” She pleaded for fogginess from her sister, begging her with her  eyes.

She explained how they were going towards the shop when something had attacked their car,  killing both their parents, and hurting her gravely that she had finally lost her consciousness  and how she woke up in the hospital. She didn’t dare to tell her of what the creature had said,  before it had left. Until she realizes what truly happened and why it would be her secret.But  in the corner of her eye she noticed Zaiden watching her with his emerald eyes.

 He knew, she  realized, he knew that she wasn’t telling the whole truth to them. But it didn’t matter. If she  asks, she would tell him the entire truth because some part of her knew that he was the only  one she could trust. Everyone looked sympathetically at her, but pity wasn’t something she wanted. She wanted to  be absolutely alone. And Zaiden seemed to understand her perfectly, “let’s give her some space”,  he gently whispered to the others. After they left Amelia started to go through everything,  she remembered.

 She knew whatever that creature wanted it has not achieved yet and it will  find her. And by taking her in these innocent people have only put themselves in more danger.  She knew she had to tell them the truth but she couldn’t. Exhaustion quickly clouded her mind and she began to slip away slowly, in deep peaceful darkness,  but not before she was dragged into a merciless dream.She stood in an abandoned building, it  was in the center of a town where she saw the man with the hood, he was covered in ebony  clothing and he had different chemicals around him.

 The pungent smell of rotting flesh reached  her nose, it looked as if he was conducting an experiment, suddenly something dropped from above, “master …” it hissed but before the man could answer the vicious creature looked up  directly meeting her ruby eyes. Amelia woke up screaming, she was sure that she must have  awoken half the sleeping house by now. But no one came in, so she decided to let herself calm  down.She changed clothes from the bath robe she wore to a pair of black jeans and a black  hoodie she picked from her vast cupboard. 

Putting on a pair of boots, she grabbed a candle  from the kitchen drawer and lit it as she crept out of the safety of her chambers.The  hallways of the great house were lonely and dark, the silence that crept throughout the house  did not make her comfortable.The pillars in each side of the lengthening hallway created  enormous shadows lengthening into different shapes, she felt as if they were great giants  waiting watching her patiently as she wondered.

 The house was filled with rooms she quite did  not know where to go. She came across an indoor balcony that looked down on the living room,  dining area and kitchen. Above that she could make out different rooms, she walked through  them, as she went, she could identify different rooms which had different smells with each  person in them.Then she came across a room with a dark door, it smelt refreshing and calming  it made her feel safe, she felt like she was near Zaiden. This must be Zaiden’s room, she  thought to herself.

 She could not ignore the blush that crept across her cheeks nor could she  ignore the thundering of her heart just at that thought. Should she knock? She needed to spill  her guts out about everything, she had to tell him. **** It had been a long day, Zaiden could not get the feeling that Amelia was not telling the entire  truth to them, some hard part of him knew that Amy was indeed his mate, staying away from  her was painful he could feel both his wolf and his vampire sides demanding that he go see her  immediately.

But he was afraid, he knew that if he went now, she might reject him and it  might tear him apart. But staying here was killing him even more, he did not know if she was  safe. Suddenly a soft knock on his door surprised him, bringing him back from his long chain  of thought. He walked towards the door, wondering who would be awake during this hour.Opening the door his heart nearly stopped, as he saw Amelia fully dressed and a candle in her  hand.“Hey, you okay?” he asked in a worried voice.

 She nodded, “can we talk, please?” She looked nervous. He could not believe it yet, he could clearly hear both their rapidly beating  hearts. She walked into his room and he closed the door and walked beside her to his bed, once  they sat down Amy started talking.Amelia was worried, she told Zaiden everything, about the accident, about the voice, the dream  everything. In the end she felt relief filing it, she was glad she told it to him. Zaiden was  patient the whole time listening silently.After she finished, he gently held her hands and told  her his share of nightmares too.

“you must promise that you won’t tell anyone what I told you?  There’s so much I don’t know yet.” she asked him. He nodded, he was nervous, she realized,  “do you want to practice your powers?” he questioned.She smiled nodding. A trumpeting smile  spread across his beautiful face, “Give me a minute.’’ He asked her, because currently he was dressed in sweatpants and a gray t-shirt that was sticking to his body, emphasizing the muscle  in his body.

Amelia sat patiently until he changed, she was surprised when he appeared with a  dark pair of jeans, a black jacket and boots, she smiled secretly to herself, god! he was  strikingly handsome. He met her eyes, “shall we go?” she nodded in reply.They came out of the door, Amy did not forget to take the candle with her, the house was so  big that it made a shadow upon itself, making it difficult for a normal person to see. But her  new precise sensors quickly adapted to the darkness.

She noticed Zaiden watching her with  interest, “you can see?” he asked. She smiled,” yes, but it’s still strange”. “Vampires are  adapted to see in the dark, because we need to hunt. But we have other talents as well, like  extreme sensitivity to smell, sound. But others have different kinds of powers.” He explained,  “I’ll teach you your powers, they seem to be quite similar to mine, but the venom in your skin  still surprises me,” He smiled. She looked down at her hands, at the moment they remained  plain, her marble skin glittering, like a thousand diamonds embedded in her skin.

The sunlight  reflecting on it mesmerized her, gasping as she watched paralyzed in its beauty. “Were you  expecting to burn to death?” Zaiden whispered beside her. She nodded dumbfounded by the  fact. “It's a myth, original vampires like us do not burn sunlight or have an effect on holy  items. People just believe them to make themselves better.” He chuckled, “however shadows do  have some effect.” 

He continued to lead them to the arena, they stopped in front of some  double doors, “this is our library, and we have a special way to go to the arena.” She looked up  at him questioningly, but she was astonished, the library was colossal, the book shelves situated  in circles creating a maze.don’t get lost,” Zaiden whispered, the book shelves were like sky  towers, in between were long ladders to reach the tallest shelves. She felt as if they were  tall giants looking down upon them.

“The silence that kept spreading was starting to get on her  nerves, she herself could hear her own pounding heartbeat. Suddenly, gentle fingers slipped into  her hands, she looked up at Zaiden surprised. “Don’t be afraid.” He reached out a thin book  from the top shelf giving her a silent smile.The dark steps of the archive echoed beneath their feet as they descended down the steps.  After quite a climb down they arrived in front of a large iron door. “Welcome to our arena!”  Zaiden said

softly leading her into a large area that included an obstacle course and all sorts  of weapons. “This is where we learn to fight, and train for battle. We must be ready at all  times because the magical dimension is filled with all sorts of creatures, always hungry for  power.” Her eyes wandered around the room, she didn’t think she was going to become a warrior  but Zaiden seemed to have a lot of faith in her so she was determined to give it a shot. 

Besides  she knew he was right if she was going to find out about her past, she had to learn how to  defend herself because she was going to face her enemy without flinching and to do that, she  had to learn fast. She took a deep breath and exhaled, looking deep into Zaiden’s pine green  eyes, “okay, I’m ready. Let’s start.” Zaiden wasn't expecting this, he’s met various vampires in his life but Amelia was nothing like  them, she was calm and quiet. She did not question his knowledge or challenge him, she simply  listened and followed. 

It was strange like she was meant to be in this life, meant to train hard. She acted like a soldier, part of him wondered about his dream, was it truly okay to tell her  everything or had he put them all in trouble. And teaching her to fight, was it the perfect  option after his dream he knew that she must have a connection to the dark lord but he felt  that deep within she was fragile. This was a risk he was taking and he hoped that it would not backfire on him. Zaiden taught her all sorts of defensive techniques, then they moved on to weapon practice.

  He taught her all sorts of weapons, sword fighting, archery and even guns. At some point  where they were, she was practicing archery when she couldn’t get it on the target right. “let  me help,” Zaiden whispered. He placed his fingers on her hip and the other hand on the bow,  now she really tensed up, unable to breath in his close proximity, her heart was thundering  against her ribs, if she wasn’t a vampire at the moment, she sure would have been embarrassed  by the heat she felt against her cheek. 

But her pale complexion did not change one bit, she  remained pale despite her feelings. But the small smile in Zaiden’s lips told her that he knew  exactly how she felt. “Focus, take a deep breath”, she looked at the target and inhaled  sharply, but as a vampire she did not have to necessarily breathe. Her vision focused on the  target, “now exhale”, Zaiden's voice echoed behind her, his lips brushing the tips of her ear. a  shiver ran down her spine, creating goosebumps.

 His presence affected her more than she  thought. Strange what is happening to me? She wondered to herself, she has never experienced  something like this before or she could not remember feeling these kinds of feelings before.  After teaching her to fight, Zaiden disappeared once more from her sight. She finally got her  bear back and time to process everything that was happening, even though her heart was not  supposed to beat because she was a vamp, she could feel it thumping against her breast bone  rapidly.

“Breakfast time”, a soft voice chirped from behind her, startling her while her arrow flew  straight across the air and hit nowhere close to the target. She released a furious breath  willing herself to calm down, once she was sure that she would not turn around and attack her  intruder. She looked at Clary who was still waiting for Amelia to join her. She took her time  changing the armor in her arms and placing the bow and sheath of arrows delicately beside the  other weapons.

And pulling her long dark hair into a single braid before following the eager young girl down to breakfast. When they arrived downstairs Esme was arranging the table and  the others were watching a movie in the living room.But Zaiden was nowhere to be seen, where  did she disappear to? Part of her was wondering if she did the right thing by telling him  everything about her recovering memory. But as she went to the tap to wash her hands something  peculiar happened.  

Instead of directly falling on her hands the waters in the shape around them  like a shield she stared at it in wonder and fear.Amy”, Esme’s voice behind her startled her, making her lose her concentration and the water splashed into the sink. A feeling of dread evolved around her. If Esme saw what she did, what would happen to her? She looked up into her adopted mother’s green eyes.“They weren’t Blazing like Zaiden’s but they looked kind and  compassionate making her feel calm.

Is everything alright?” She looked worried but did not look suspiciously at her, she nodded in  reply knowing that if she opened her mouth now, she might say something that would threaten  her. She sat down at the breakfast table silently and watched the others sit and eat, but she  was not feeling hungry, the breakfast toast and orange juice was not her cup of tea. However,  as she watched the others eat her eye caught Zaiden, he was silently eating but cautiously  watching her.

“Their eyes met for a second and then her eyes drifted towards his neck. The  thick vein moved as he ate, she could feel his pulse beating steadily beneath his skin and the  warmth spreading through his body. It was strange the others did not appeal to her as much as  he did. She felt as if her throat was on fire, her veins burned and her fangs lengthened  underneath her lips which parted to let out a soft sound.

Chapter 6 Zaiden was eating but was also watching Amelia who was not eating but was watching him in a  very tense manner, when their eyes met, he could see the struggle she was going through inside  her head. She needed to feed, soon before she lost control. He finished his steak sandwich  fast and got up. He noticed how she immediately tensed at his movement. “Amy, let’s go for a  walk.” 

She did not argue but was at his side instantly, he noticed how her nails had lengthened  and her veins were filling with venom spreading throughout her body and skin. Before the others  could ask any questions, they were out of the front door.The fresh breeze buzzed passed them  ruffling their hair and welcoming them to their natural habitat. “Wanna run?” he grinned at her  and raced off towards the thick forest that boarded around the mansion protecting it from the  outer world.

As they raced through the forest, she noticed the beauty of it; she never even  knocked on a tree; her magnified vision gave her the perfect accuracy to move through the forest  smoothly. Everything was so beautiful that it was distracting, she could notice every little detail  from the tiny pollen in the flowers to the tips of leaves in the spiky pine trees that stood like  tall giants on the forest floor. Soon she was distracted enough that she bumped on Zaiden who  had abruptly come to a stop.

“Why did you stop?” she questioned quite put out by the fact that Zaiden has stopped all the  fun she was having just by stopping the race. He chuckled, eyes shimmering with amusement as  she scowled at him in annoyance, “close your eyes' ' he whispered. For a moment she was not  sure, her muscles immediately tensed. “Trust me”, he took her by the shoulders and turned her  towards a creek behind them, “what do you hear?” he questioned.

She did not hear much except  for the loud sound of water gushing through the creak and birds chirping around them. When she repeated the sounds she heard to him, he chuckled, “concentrate, what do you hear beside  the creek?” Suddenly she heard the sounds of soft sniffles and padding feet, a head of deer  was grazing there. Her body became strictly alert, her fangs lengthened and venom filled her  mouth, her nails lengthened into sharp claws and her body crouched ready to attack.

The fresh breeze buzzed passed them  ruffling their hair and welcoming them to their natural habitat. “Wanna run?” he grinned at her  and raced off towards the thick forest that boarded around the mansion protecting it from the  outer world.Suddenly with a sharp growl a lioness jumped through the dark  bushes of her hideout causing all the deer to flee with fear for their lives.

A sudden flare of resentment spread through her causing her to let out a growl that thundered through the forest  but before the lioness could even move, she was on her wrestling her down and sinking her  lengthened fangs deep into its skin. The lioness struggled beneath her but soon went immobile  with the venom spreading through her blood causing her heart to stop beneath the skin. The  warm liquid filled her mouth causing her burning veins to calm down and filling her stomach until  she felt all sloshy and warm.

She felt her pale skin flushing with color and her shimmering ruby  eyes dimmed into a darker red. Her nerves calmed and she felt strong and energized and her  ability to concentrate increased after she hunted. “That’s good you’ve calmed down”, Zaiden  smiled then took off his jacket to wrap it around her shoulder covering her blouse. That's when  she noticed how it was coated with thick crimson stains of blood. She looked embarrassedly at  him, he smiled and took her hand, “let’s go back before they freak out.”

Zaiden was surprised, Amelia adjusted well to the forest background and hunted as if she had  been doing it all her life. The more she impressed him with her talent to adjust into this life  the more she feared his dream. Was she truly becoming the weapon she was meant to be? The question bothered him more than he thought it would. When they came back home everyone was busy with their own work, “your back, had a good hunt?” his father questioned eyeing  the improvements on their clothes stained with blood. 

A soft smile of reassurance spread through  Zaiden. Amelia disappeared upstairs while he sat down next to his father to tell about the hunt.Amelia was embarrassed her jeans were shredded and white blouse was bloodied. She went to  the washroom and turned on the shower in a hot blast.The warm water trickled down her body, loosening her tensed muscle, and calming her nerves.It felt good after all that hunting, after  the shower she changed into shorts and a skinny top sat up in the bed putting on a movie.

 Her  body relaxed, she could get used to this perfect life but she still had to find out about her  family, her parents and the answers about her memories. Soon she drifted off to sleep which  was dominated by memories which came like night mares at her. She was stuck and couldn’t  breathe every time she opened her mouth, water chugged in her mouth, but she was not drowning.Soon she adjusted to the water tube and strange numbness spread; she saw several bodies moving  around her and voices discussing in fearful tones.

Then one face broke from the crowd and  became clear, it was Clary but a much older version of her, “don’t worry I’ll keep her safe until  she comes to the proper age and teach her everything to be human, when time comes she can  fight to protect the prince and his circle.This was a great idea, using their own weapon against  them. But there’s one problem, if she was the weapon then wouldn’t the prince be a child like her?”, the voices whispered once more.“Yes, he will be, but we’ll make sure they are friends  because she is the only real threat to him and the circle, if she’s in there with them the chance  of them getting hurt is less.”

 And then the darkness flooded back in, pulling her to deep slumber.It felt like she had only been asleep for a few minutes when there was a gentle shake on her  shoulder, “hey sleeping beauty, we are going out for dinner, get dressed.” Jessica woke her up  and danced out with a smile.She moaned and got out of the bed dragging her feet to her  enormous wardrobe, “going out for dinner should be special right?”, she thought as she went  through her clothes.

There were so many that she could not choose properly. Finally, she ended  up wearing a red blouse, black jeans and high heeled boots. She grabbed a white leather jacket  and sat in front of the mirror, in which she saw her reflection. She patted her long thick black  hair into a braid and was about to leave, just when she noticed a small drawer in her cupboard  it seemed to be compelling her to open it and look inside.

When she opened it, a small gasp  escaped her lips, because it contained a variety of guns and blades from small daggers to medium  sized swords. They were so beautiful their hilts were made from silver, ivory and many more valuable metals. Some small voice said that maybe she should carry a few to the dinner, she feared of  her dreams and the challenges that are forthcoming her way.

So, she tucked two guns, pistols in each pocket of her jeans making sure they were filled with  bullets, then she took two ivory hilted daggers and tucked them inside each of her boots. A  sigh of relief spread through her, but it was short lived as her sensitive ears picked up the  movements downstairs as the others came down after getting ready. After overpowering her  fear with confidence, grabbing her phone she walked down swiftly downstairs.

*** Zaiden was already dressed, dinner out was nothing special to his family, today they were of  black jeans and a white shirt, shoes and went to the bathroom to dress up. A few minutes later he could not afford to put his guard down so he tucked two guns in each pocket and two daggers  as well then grabbed a silver leather jacket and rushed downstairs.

He was checking the time  on his phone when he heard an audible gasp from Jessica who was curled on the sofa with Ender  who also sucked his breath. When he looked up, he instantly went into shock, because in front  of them stood Amelia and god she was so beautiful. With dark jeans and white blouse and  leather jacket, she looked like a fighter, and a dangerous one. He could smell the metal on her,  that was strange why would she have such a scent? That’s when he realized, like himself, she  was fully armed.

“Hey, will I pass for dinner?” she whispered, was she worried about going to dinner with them? he  chuckled despite himself, with her looks and the weapons he had a feeling that she could take  on anyone. He smiled, “you pass more than for dinner.” A soft chuckle from his brother made  him self-conscious, “okay, let’s get mom and dad, and get going.” There were three cars going, Zaiden was driving his Ferrari, with Amelia in the passenger seat  and Clary and Liam in the back seat, Jessica and Ender were taking the Volvo. With their  parents driving a BMW they drive off.

Zaiden wanted to make a good impression on Amelia so he decided to be on his best behavior,  god she was so pretty that he could hardly concentrate while driving. Soon they arrived at the  restaurant, it was certainly high standards from the lights to the butlers it screamed luxury.  Whoever his dad was meeting today was not someone simple. Not that they didn’t have high  standards, they were certainly not new to luxury but the air seemed tense. He couldn’t get  the feeling that something bad was going to happen, but he was ready for anything, “shall we?”  

He held out his arm as an offer to Amelia who looked nervous for a second but controlled her  emotions smoothly and slipped her hand in his arm as they walked through the door.The hotel was glamorous, a waiter appeared by their side immediately and after a few words  with his dad and led them into a large area which looked private as the ones around them were  empty.She could almost read the person's confusion, they were all inhumanly pretty and they  wanted a private lounge, and were rich that usually attracted a lot of people.

  As they settled down  the food was served, “let’s wait till Mr. Collins comes,” His dad said sitting down. Everyone sat  down, Amelia sat beside him, he could clearly feel the tension within her.He gently placed a  comforting hand on hers, “relax, think of it as a family dinner okay?” his green eyes were filled  with worry. Then a tall man moved towards them. He wore a pristine suite and stood out from  the crowd.He was definitely not human, she realized and something about him was very familiar.

 Then it came to her the voice of the man from her memory, it was the same. ‘’Who's this,  someone new to your family?” shivers ran down her spine as he focused his attention on her.  The panic she felt was never shown on her but she clenched her hands tightly until her knuckles  were white. Fear bubbled within her, her heart was beating fast and screams from her memory  echoed within her. She could take it no longer when suddenly Zaiden placed a comforting hand on  her tight fist, gently rubbing her white knuckles telling her that he knew how uncomfortable she was.

Esme, gave introductions behalf of her so she was not put into an uncomfortable situation,  however she could vaguely smell the scent of metal from Mr. Collins. He was “armed” and she realized whoever he was, he knew who they truly were and was not here  with good intentions. She had to warn Zaiden, when Jessica, Ender and Zaiden got up to go get  drinks, she knew that it was her chance.What would you like?” he asked with his eyes wondering,  “um, I’m not sure, can I come and see?” she asked, hoping she would get a chance to speak with  him.

He looked at her with questioning eyes, then she noticed how realization hit him, his eyes  widened. Grabbing her hand, “sure, let’s go.” Excusing themselves, they walked towards the bar.  When they got their Zaiden looked at the others, “go ahead, we’ll be back.” Taking her to a  safe place where they won’t be overheard, “what’s wrong, you’re not okay, what made you so  scared?” he gently held her arms, his long fingers gently soothing her, “This man, he’s armed  Zaiden, he knows who we are.”

She looked up to meet his eyes, they were calm as he absorbed the information, “do you think he might hurt us?” he asked her looking at the man who was  chatting merrily with their parents.“I’m not sure, but he makes me feel insecure.” He wrapped  his arms around her rubbing circles soothingly, “don’t worry I won’t let anything happen to you.” She looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude.In the corner of her eyes, she noticed the peculiar way the man was watching them, as if he knew that they were talking about him.

 Nerves bubbled within her and she grabbed Zaiden’s hand worriedly, “let’s go back, so that the  others won’t get suspicious.” They went back hand in hand, the others were already seated  waiting for the course to be served.Once they sat down the meal went smoothly for the rest of the night but occasionally, she  noticed how the elder man watched her as if inspecting an experiment, in caution. Waiting  patiently as if she would suddenly decide to go wild.She wished she could hear what he’s  thinking, but by the end of the dinner tension was coiling up in her.

 But as they were leaving, the  man grabbed her hand, “I know who you are, and you are on the wrong side, remember when  time comes you will turn against them and help me.” He let go of her and walked towards the  others like nothing happened, leaving her trembling with fear, his words echoing through her.  She was aware that all the others were quite happy with the dinner, the girls were chirping about what  a great time they had and their parents seemed quite satisfied as well. She was the only one  realizing the danger they were walking into.

Chapter 7 Silently getting into the car Amelia was lost in thought, fear drumming within her, her head was  throbbing with pain. She leaned against the window and closed her eyes, feeling her getting lost  in her own nightmares. Zaiden was driving slowly. He's been watching Amy’s reactions, he could easily smell the fear  vibrating off her body, she was trembling a little. Something about that man made him cautious  as well, he remembered her words before, “This man, he’s armed Zaiden, he knows who we  are.” 

He wondered to himself is Amy’s fear linked to her past, linked to how she was created?  This problem of her identity is getting more and more conflicted. And his feelings for her are growing simultaneously. The man knew something about her as well, when he spoke with Amy,  he noticed how she froze with fear and was trembling at whatever he told her.He wanted to ask her but pushing her too much might lose her trust in him so he remained  silent the rest of the journey home.

 Once they arrived home Amelia disappeared to her room  and he left to his as well. Once he was in his room, he decided to let out all the tension growing  inside him and have a cold shower. Soon the whole house was asleep, he too went to sleep. He  fell into a deep sleep the minute his head touched the pillow. And then the nightmares welcomed  him, this time he heard screams, there was blood everywhere. He couldn’t breathe like something  was crushing him, then he felt gentle fingers grab him, shaking him, “please wake up Zaiden, I don’t know what to do!” he woke up gasping, searching for the voice.

That’s when he realized  that his dream was true, he was stuck where the cement had fallen on him. Using his strength,  he pushed off the wall and from him getting up he realized that their house was completely  destroyed. He rushed out of his destroyed room, grabbing a sword from his cupboard, the house  was torn apart. His first instinct was to rush into Amelia’s room, the minute he entered he  was glad he had done so, Amelia was struggling in her bed, healed captive by the wood that had  fallen on her.

Amelia woke up feeling something very heavy on her, it was so heavy that she could hardly  breath, she tried to push it away even with her vampire strength she couldn’t save herself.  Fear bubbled within her, she couldn't take it anymore. How many times is she going to have  tragic encounters with death? Then suddenly all the weight was lifted off her, a soft sob  escaped her lips as she saw her savior, a bloody looking Zaiden. He gently bent down over her  and carried her out of the room to the corridor. His eyes were filled with terror, she realized  how worried he was about her.

When they were in the corridor, she realized all the damage that had happened to the house,  it was completely destroyed. They were both hurt but was quickly healing, “we have to find the  others.” They walked softly through the rubble of their house, soon they heard voices, all she  wanted to know was that everyone she cared about was safe, “hello!” a soft voice echoed through  the ashes and smoke. Zaiden’s eyes immediately lit up and rushed towards the voice. The dust  was choking them making their eyes teary and filled with agony, yet they refused to back down. 

Zaiden reached out to take Amelia’s hand, “we’ll be okay keep moving” he whispered to her, the  dust coating his throat making it hard to speak.Finally, they came to a part of the house that was neatly making a cage sealing their family  members inside it. Esme, sighed with relief holding her beloved son close to her, “oh Zaiden,  baby, when we couldn’t get out, I thought we would never see you again.” Together they broke  open the rubble and pulled everyone safely out.

Clary hugged her sister tightly, unable to let go  of her, hot tears of pain and fear coated her pink cheeks as they trailed down them. “It's okay,  we’re safe now.” She whispered, holding her tightly against her.But their relief was short lived as they heard someone or something moving through the rubble  straight towards them. Clary’s heart was pounding in fear of what’s in store for them, she  already went through enough pain.Don’t they deserve a break? It was moving close to them,  then before anyone could react a very familiar figure metalized in front of them from the  shadows.

“Mr. Collins?” Zaiden whispered in shock, so Amy was correct all this time, he wasn’t  a good person to trust, if he managed to do all this destruction, who knew what more he was  capable of doing? “Yes, my boy, it is I, no one more, no one less.” He let out a humorless chuckle, then his eyes  took in each and every one of them silently.When his dark gaze fell on Amelia, he watched her  like a starving cat who has been seeing a mouse for a long time.He focused back on the young prince,  “and you seemed to have something that belongs to me.”

 Knowing the subject, he is referring  to Zaiden placing a protective arm around Amelia, who was trembling with fear. He made a silent  promise to himself that she would not be harmed as long as he could fight. “leave her alone, she  does not belong to you!” fury was bubbling inside him. “Hmm, you seemed to have grown attached  to this little beast, it seems.” He chuckled with amusement, then his expression shifted. He brought his hand up clenching his fist, dark tendrils of flame curled around his family making  them choke with the lack of air.

A horrified gasp escaped Amy’s lips, as she watched them struggle in pain, tears ran down her  cheeks, “no please, don’t hurt them!” ripping herself from Zaiden she rushed towards the  heartless man in front of them , only to find herself trapped as he grabbed her by her arm  and threw her across the rubble, pain shot through her and she sensed the metallic taste of  blood in her mouth. Her head was throbbing with pain and her half-healed wounds from being  stuck inside the rubble were opened up again. 

She knew she had to get up, but she had no  strength to move even a muscle. Suddenly she was lifted up by her arm, the movement sending  shock waves of pain through her. Mr. Collins glared at her, his eyes seeming to burn through  her soul refusing to let her go. He twisted her arms to the back, locking her movements in place and turning her, making her  face her friends. Zaiden was struggling choosing between whom to help, her or his family.

 Their eyes met, he was pleading her to forgive him, that he could not help her, those deep  emerald eyes were filled with pain telling her how much she meant for him but how difficult his  options were at the moment. “Say goodbye to your beloved,” he chuckled at Zaiden at the same  moment she felt something sharp insert into the soft skin between her neck and her shoulder  blades. Zaiden gasped as the syringe of yellow liquid entered her vein inserting the contents  within it into her system.

Amelia felt dizzy and sick, the vision was blurring as she started losing her consciousness.  Zaiden rushed to catch her as she fell but her captor pulled out a gun and pressed it on her  skull. Her mind was calculating every possibility she had to escape, but her chances weren’t  good, even with her fast reflexes. She was helpless for the first time after she awoke, her  memory clouded with her parents screams, making her ears ring. And she was pulled back into  the depths of darkness.

Zaiden felt terrible as he watched whatever that creep injected into Amy work its magic, her  strength weakened before his eyes. And she lost consciousness, he’d never felt this helpless  before, but here he was conflicted between protecting his family and saving the girl who made  his heart beat increase rapidly. “remember, you had your chance, what happens next will be all it's your fault.” With those last words the man who pretended to be his dad’s friend disappeared  along with Amelia who was carried off like a ragged doll.

Chapter 8 A soft sob escaped Clary’s lips, tears ran down her cheek as she repeated the scene that had  just happened through her mind over and over again. Nothing made sense one minute her sister  was bravely in front of them keeping them safe with Zaiden. The next minute she was in pain  dragged away by the creepy man who had threatened to kill them all. Part of her kept wishing  that this was all one big nightmare and that she would soon wake up to find her sister safe and  sound in her room and that their house would be perfect instead of a humongous pile of rubble.

Instantly Esme’s warm hands were cuddling her close, knowing how upset she might be. Hot  tears of anger ran down her cheeks coating them with grief, “my sister!”, she whispered furiously  glaring at Zaiden with all her pain. But she could not help letting in a pang of sympathy, he  looked miserable. Before a fight started up their father spoke in a stern voice, “Alright, things  are not at their greatest right now so let's all silently get our bearings back, and get out of here.”

He helped his wife up as they made their way through the rubble, there was nothing much to pack  considering that the majority of their stuff were destroyed during the attack. Everyone took all  the weapons they could find, arming themselves in case of a second attack, but something told  Clary that Mr. Collins will be quite busy for a while doing God Knows what experiments on her  sister. With that terrible thought she went to pack her bags with a heavy heart, back to her room  miserably.

She missed her sister so much, what little time it took for her to realize that her  sister was all she had and how she lost her so soon. Zaiden felt heart broken, not only was he unable to fight for his family but he lost Amelia as  well. He could not get the image of how she looked when she was dragged away out of his head,  he knew she would never forgive him for what happened and he wouldn’t forgive himself either.

His heart felt like it was torn apart into a million tiny pieces. But he knew that he would not  rest until she’s safely back home.After packing every accessible thing in their house, they got into their cars, and took off to a  new start and to a new mission. Zaiden was determined to do everything in his power to bring  Amy back home safely, but some part of him knew that it would not be an easy task.

 This idea  of his fathers for a new start will let him think clearly and prepare himself better for the next  attack but he got one lesson from this, and that was to never let his guard down. But another thing that happened to him after the loss of his mate was that the unbearable pain  and regret froze his heart and made him more distant from the world around him. He was determined to never trust another man who calls himself a friend until he knows them to the core.

Thank you for reading The Eternal Shadows, if you like this book , please read the second book in this series ; The Shadows of Destiny where the story continues.