I place my book to the side as the door knocks, I wasn't really paying attention to it anyway. The events of yesterday have been swirling around in my head all night and I hardly slept. Christian has already brought me my breakfast and it's hours until lunch so I brace myself for it to be Cain. I have no idea what to say to him, I don't even know if I can look at him. My palms are sweaty as I call for the person to enter.

I squint in confusion as Christian stands in the doorway, juggling the key in his hand with a large smile.

"What's going on?" I say.

"Come on," he says, tilting his head towards the hallway behind him. "Put a jacket and some shoes on. It's cold out."

I stand up excitedly. "Seriously?"

He nods. "He's cleared all the guards out. Sent them all to the east perimeter. I've been sent to escort you outside."

I grin widely and almost trip over my feet rushing to the wardrobe. I move through the jackets quickly, my fingers tingling around a soft, black fleece. I place it over my body and tie my hair up, grabbing some white sneakers that fit my feet perfectly.

"How do I look?" I say.

"Homeless," he laughs.

"I was going for that. Will the other girls be there? I'm nervous, I've not spent a lot of time around them."

"No," he whispers. "It's just for you."

"What is?"

"Come on."

I steal a last glance around the room and then I walk straight by him, there's a spring to my step that I've missed. As he takes me down through the palace, I notice a bruise on the side of his cheek, and other bruises imprinted to his wrists.

"You look well," he says. "I'm glad it was a twenty-four-hour virus."

"What happened to you?" I question. "Your face."

He sighs. "A guard fed on me this morning after I left your room. Slaves are not owned so it can happen at any time, by any of them. I've been used to that so far but he was rougher than the others. Usually we're invisible to them, he must have been too hungry. I fell unconscious after."

"He hit you?" I say, stopping in the hallway to get a better look. I reach my hand out but he flinches his face away.

"There's no law against hitting us if we resist feeding," he says. "They only need the King's permission to kill slaves so he can sort out a replacement. And that guard was very close to wanting to kill me."

"I'll talk to Cain," I say.

Christian laughs to himself and continues down the hallway. I narrow my eyes for a moment before I jog to catch up. "What?" I say.

"You seem confident that your opinion will make a difference."

"He listens to me," I say. "He cares about things that I care about. That's why he's bringing Jackson here."

Christian stops and turns to look at me. "You care about me?"

"Of course I do," I say, confused as to why he would even question that. "You made yourself get out of bed to make me breakfast when you were recovering from a virus, how could I not care about you?" I smile and playfully hit his shoulder.

"I care about you too, Aurora," he whispers, his words becoming a tad more serious as he stares into my eyes. "But I don't want you to be the cause of me receiving special treatment. The other slaves will resent me for that. How is that fair?"

"I guess it's not," I whisper.

"I can handle it," he says. "Don't worry about me."

It won't stop me from worrying, but I accept that it's his choice and I let it go. We walk down the grand staircase and I hear noise coming from a corner that is inhabited by Bella and three other girls. They sit on some soft couches drinking from cups, their voices drown out when they see me.

"That's her," Bella says, keeping her gaze on me, complete with a grim scowl.

They break out into whispers and Christian yanks on my wrist to lead me away. He takes me down a narrow passageway that is lit with candlelight.

"Pure souls really think they're something special around here," Christian mutters. "They think they own the place. I follow their orders more than the King's."

"I guess this world is changing everyone," I say.

"Not for the better," he says. "I was here for a month before Bella arrived. I witnessed her first week here, she cried every day and wouldn't even come out of from the shadows of corners. The King got inside her head pretty quickly, made her believe that she was important and valued. He gave her too much power and that is dangerous for a human owned by him."

"You think I'm dangerous?" I say quietly, because that's what he really means.

"No. You're different. You're the one that's changing him, not the other way around."

If only Christian knew what happened between Cain and I, if only he knew the unimaginable thoughts that plague me at night when I'm beneath the covers. I am changing too, there is something foreign inside of me that is tricking me into believing it's something that I actually want. I wish I could go back to a time at the nannery, to a time when all creatures were creatures and terrified me. At least I knew who I was then, what my purpose was.

He stops in front of a door at the end of the tunnel. "This is as far as I go."

"Thank you," I say.

"Be careful."

He doesn't elaborate on that, he just walks past me. I have no idea where this door leads but I'm oddly excited to find out. I push my hand down on the handle and I'm greeted with some steps that lead further down into some kind of basement. I frown, this isn't outside. There is no fresh, cool air here. I fold my arms as I walk down the steps, gazing around at some kind of office within a cave. Cain is sitting at a desk against the back wall with a stack of papers in front of him, his hand is writing at four times the natural speed of a human's. I peer up at the source of light. There is a large hole in the ceiling, revealing the wondrous clouds from the sky high above.

"This is your office?" I say, walking around curiously.

Cain stops his writing to look up at me but he doesn't say anything, he smiles as I turn towards a golden chest on a table. I trail my fingers over it before carrying on.

Like most rooms in the palace, it's carpeted with a thick, soft rug. I walk over to another chest tucked away in the corner and I open it, seeing dozens and dozens of scripts inside. It seems private so I close it, something shiny catching my attention from the wall. I stop in front of the giant sword, my eyes scanning over it in awe. Below it is an entire box filled with weapons. From swords to daggers to arrows.

"Gifts," he says. "From my kind that discovered them in museums."

"Gifts or bribes?" I grin, turning to see something peculiar from the far wall beside the door.

I see drawings of facings hung up with nails. Some of the faces are strangers, a blend of beautiful female faces with long hair, but then I see my own face. I reach out and finger the drawing of my own face. The image is exactly what I see in my reflection. Azure blue eyes, thin nose, small ears and long black hair that floats around my jawline in the wind.

"The idea was strange to me at first," he says. "That humans could put something they see onto a permanent host."

"It's called paper," I say.

"Paper," he corrects. "I can do it from memory too. It's relaxing."

I take back my hand and I lower my eyes as I step away from the wall. "Your guards are going to grow tired of being banished from the palace."

His mouth twitches with a tiny smile. "They don't question my orders."

"Right," I mumble, drifting over to observe some shiny ball. "Because you're the King."

"Aurora, what's wrong? Why are you disappointed?"

"I thought I was going outside. Forgive me for being a little hopeful that you would actually allow that."

I hear his chair squeak back as he stands and circles the desk. He positions himself in front of me and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, smiling down at me mischievously.

"Who said you're not going outside?"

I widen my eyes as I realize what he's doing, before I can even comprehend what's happening he tightens his grip around my waist and unleashes his wings. I tighten my hands around his shoulders as my feet leave the ground and we descend up through the hole in the ceiling.

I cling to his body desperately, pinching my eyes closed as he takes us higher and higher into the sky. I feel the air hit my face at such a force that my cheeks are blowing sideways. This is my first time in the sky without being paralyzed and it's making me tremble with terror.

"Open your eyes," he whispers into my ear. "Afraid I'll drop you?"

I squeeze my hands tighter around his neck and I hear him laugh. I don't dare open my eyes, I don't dare see the speed that we're travelling. It's making me feel sick and faint.

"Go lower," I say. "Please. Please!"

"Okay."

He faces downwards and descends us back to the ground. I claw my hands into the back of his neck as I squeal. Suddenly, it stops, it's calmer. I feel his hands adjusting themselves around my body and I open my eyes to see him directly above me, his eyes facing forwards.

I hear a strange sound, like the ripples of water. I turn my head and glimpse the magical ocean just below me, inches from me. I reach out and touch it, the water is cold against my fingertips. I smile.

"Remember when I said that I'd be honest with you about feeding?"

I flick my eyes to his and he stares down apologetically. "Yes."

"I can't wait any longer. I tried, I really did. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I say.

It shouldn't be okay but it is okay. That's why he's doing this, because the position we're in prevents me from kissing him spontaneously during the connection. He might know everything about me but I'm starting to know him too.

"Just enjoy this moment," he says. "I promise it won't be our last."

"Do it," I say.

His fingers slightly claw against my back as he starts the feeding. The orgasmic sensation is instant, I let out a gasp of pleasure as my body jerks further into his, I use the back of his neck to tighten our bodies together. My chin rests upon his shoulder and I bite down on it. I feel his hand move to the back of my head and he entwines his fingers into my hair. I can feel my soul being filled with such happiness of being reunited with his. The high is incredible, it's unimaginable, it's every glorious moment and choice and world-shattering dream rolled into one. I will never be able to explain it to anyone, and I feel pity for those that can never try it. I don't want it to end, but he has to end it. The feeling leaves me just as suddenly as it occurred. Cain let's out a sharp breath and shakes his head, his eyes are bright with an intense power. He loses his sense of direction and almost drops us both into the water but he manages to avert the disaster as the last moment, soaring us further up.

I am still clinging tightly to his neck, my eyes close again as my body still trembles against his. My feet finally land on something solid, something squeaky and. . . metal? I open my eyes, still seeing the sky, but he's landed us on the top of a mighty bridge. Of Golden Gate bridge. We've somehow ended up in California, across the country to where the palace is.

I glance down to the car bridge far below, it's sad to see no cars down there. Or tiny spots that look like ants where people would be walking. I turn and look out at the city in the distance, at the tall sky lights and the acres of green land. I inhale a large breath of the freshest air I've ever tasted.

"It's beautiful," I whisper.

I look back to Cain to see him staring at me. "Yeah, it is."

"Woah." I start stumbling, almost falling straight off the edge.

"Careful," Cain says as he grabs my waist and holds me still. "Take it easy. Sit down."

I fall to my backside, rubbing my head and eyes. I dangle my feet over the edge and Cain joins me, his wings are still out, I stare up at the whiteness in amazement. I will never not be amazed by looking at them.

"Are you keeping those out in case I fall?" I say.

He grins and folds them back into his shoulders. "Better not add to the wind up here."

"Good idea."

"I took quite a lot," he says, grazing his hand over my forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy," I admit.

He leans away and sighs. "Your skin is already paler." He presses his finger into my throat. "Your heart is racing."

"That was a lot to deal with at once."

"That's why I brought you here. The air is fresher."

"So you can um. . . taste me again?" I mutter. "You had trouble with that yesterday."

"Do you really want to talk about yesterday now?" he says.

"You just fed from me so you know my thoughts, you know everything."

"Yes."

"And you're just going to ignore it?" I say. "I haven't stopped thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about it. And that connection just made it stronger." I swallow and move my eyes down to his lips. "You don't have to be afraid to feed from me. I want you to."

"Aurora, these sensations that you feel when you're connected, they are much more powerful than what a human is used to. You have felt something that no other of your species has, that can become addictive. I imagine you feel the same as I do when I am feeding on you, I think we are experiencing the same thing but we can't quite describe it to each other."

"Why?" I demand desperately. "Why am I becoming like this?"

"I've tasted addicts before when I landed here," he says. "Even though they knew there's a chance they could die, they still took their drug."

"This isn't like any drug I've ever taken," I whisper, nudging closer to him. "It's not a physical reaction, it's spiritual. It's like I cannot rest until I feel it again, until you're close to me again." I reach out and take his hand, he allows me to.

He turns his head as he observes my pathetic outburst. "Tell me about your parents."

"What?"

"Your mother, what was she like?"

I lean my head back in anger, I can't believe he's asking me that. "She was a good person," I say. "She was funny and always happy."

"And your father?"

"He was protective. Loud. Tried to be as funny as my mother but he couldn't pull it off."

"How did they die?" he whispers.

I pull my hand from his as I picture their faces. Their eyes that were streaming in tears from the pain, from knowing they were about to die, thinking there was nothing they could do to save themselves, or me. I start cowering away from him, folding my arms.

"And just like that I disgust you again," he says. "I'm sorry for what I'm doing to you, I didn't realize just how powerful it was."

"None of this makes sense," I say to myself. "I'm not in control of my own thoughts."

"Neither of us are. A completed soul this strong was never going to be easy."

"Don't do that," I say. "I'm not just a completed soul, I'm me. I'm a person."

"Oh, you are so much more than that, Aurora. So much more."

I turn to look at him but his attention is suddenly on the other end of the beam, he's on his feet in seconds, his wings spreading out into the air to form a defensive stance in front of my body. I stand up slowly, my head swaying from the quick movement and I look around his wings to see Arabella standing on the other side. Her wings are silver and thinner, with veins rather than feathers, they look more like bat wings.

"I knew she wasn't dead," Arabella says. "You killed Raven to keep it a secret that you stole her. Every human must be bid on, it is your absolute law."

"Cain," I whisper.

"Stay close to me," he says, his hand flicking at his side. I take his hand as I hide behind one of his wings.

"The council believe that you've grown soft for these specimens," Arabella says. "That you are not fit to rule and protect us anymore. Hand over the girl and our faith in you will be restored."

"That's not happening," Cain growls lowly, his back slightly arching. "The girl is nobody, she isn't worth this defiance."

Arabella rolls her eyes. "She is a completed soul, my King, I've been close to her for eight years, I can recognize the descriptions. And if she is nobody then why are you clinging to her hand as though you'd kill your own kind to protect her?"

"Be careful, Arabella," Cain says. "You have served me well in the past but we are playing by different laws here."

"We're the ones playing while you write them and break them!" she screams out. "I have always served you, for thousands of years I have stood by your side, but this is something that you cannot come back from. You are sympathizing with the food, you are allowing them to be treated as though they are more than that. Because of her." Arabella stares at me. "The council are plotting against you, if you make one more wrong move then you will lose your place as our leader. Allow me to kill her for all of us, for our sake and for your sake. Because no one is safe consuming her."

"Do not act like your mouth doesn't just water at the sight of her," Cain yells. "The moment I hand her over, you will not just kill her, you will take her for yourself. I remember how fast you are, but do you really think you can outfly me?"

"I am trying to help you, Cain," she says desperately. "You are losing yourself to this bizarre world. If you start sympathizing with them then you will stop feeding from them, and soon you will be ringing the bell and evicting us from the best we've ever tasted. They will all rebel against you for that."

Evict them? Evict them how? This is the second time the bell has been brought up and it feels too important to ignore.

"Let me remind you, Arabella that I am King," Cain hisses angrily. "Whatever law I make, you follow, you all follow. Anyone that breaks my laws becomes a traitor and you know what I do to traitors."

"You can't consume a soul like hers and keep it a secret for long," Arabella says. "If news spreads that she's still alive then they will all come for her. The council included. Thousands bid on her Cain and you broke the law to ensure you won her. They have a right to defy you. They won't face you head on but they will plot and they will outsmart you. You cannot watch her twenty-four-seven. You have to kill her. It is the only way."

"I cannot kill her," he says. "I've already fed on her, her soul is already connected."

"Then give it back to her and push her off this damn bridge!" Arabella yells. "Your position is at risk here. There will be other completed souls on other planets, you are still the most powerful of our species, why isn't that enough?" Arabella flicks her eyes to me. "I know how hard it is to resist her and I did, for eight years, because I value your laws. I have always followed them. If she cannot be bid on fairly then she must die."

Arabella takes a courageous step towards us and Cain pushes me further back down the beam. I fall backwards as he pushes me too strongly, my hand leaves his as I roll across the beam, almost at the edge. Cain turns his head in panic and grabs my wrist, yanking me to my feet. The dizziness takes a hold of me at once, he lets me go as he turns back around, only Arabella is gone. His eyes shoot to the sky as my feet stumble closer to the edge, my eyes start to roll and my mind becomes blank.