Option number one involved some pain. I wouldn't have to do anything and in a few days' time I would complete the change and become a synthetic Hue. Jared had promised me that wouldn't happen. He'd promised me that if I completed the change and became a Hue, he would end my life for me. I didn't want to live if I was going to be a monster.

Option number two involved lots of pain. I shuddered at the thought; to alter the change and possibly die in the process to replace the Hue energy with Archaic energy would be unbelievably painful.

There isn't really a choice, is there? I would go with option number two. I didn't know if I would even survive the draining of the energy, never mind the pain of the Hue energy being replaced by Archaic energy.

"I need a moment," I whispered as I pulled my hand out of Jared's and stood up and walked out of the room.

Feeling despondent I walked up the stairs and into the bedroom I'd slept in. I didn't bother closing the door because I knew Jared wouldn't leave me alone for long. I leaned against the wall and slid down. I sat there with my arms around my knees and with my chin resting on top of them.

I wanted to close my eyes and wish all of this away. The only thing I didn't want to let go of was Jared. He was the only good thing in this whole mess. I took a deep breath and exhaled it.

It wasn't long before I heard someone enter the bedroom. I had a pretty good idea of who it was, so I didn't bother to look up. I just continued to stare at the threads of the carpet. There was something comforting in studying something so simple.

He came and sat down next to me. I waited for him to say something, but he just sat quietly next to me. I didn't want to talk at that moment, so, side by side, we sat in silence. We must have sat there for half an hour without a word being spoken. Just for a few minutes, I wanted to forget about everything and I wanted to stop thinking about what I would have to put myself through. I wasn't sure if I was brave enough to do it. I was only seventeen and I was scared.

I felt his arm wrap around me as he tried to comfort me. He understood that I was scared, and I let him tuck me into his side.

"I wish there were an easier way," he said. He sounded stressed and tired. I looked up at him and his eyes met mine.

"I've discovered nothing is easy when it comes to all this stuff," I said as I continued to look into his beautiful green eyes. He leaned closer and kissed me.

Our kissing increased in intensity. He pulled away long enough to get up and pull me up to my feet. Then I was back in his arms, and his lips covered mine. It felt so right. There was no guarantee I would survive the altering and I wanted to grab every moment of living I still had.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. I threaded my hands though his hair as I opened my mouth and felt his tongue tangle with mine. He held me up with his arms wrapped around my waist. He backed me up until I felt the bed up against the back of my knees.

Gently, he pushed me back and I lay on the bed. He followed, staying above me. His lips trailed along my cheek and then down my neck. I needed more of him. I clung desperately to him as he continued to make my body tingle all over. He settled between my open legs and he pulled my hands above my head as his lips covered mine.

I just wanted to feel what was happening between us, and to forget about the pain that lay ahead.

All of a sudden, I began to feel weird. Not now! was all I managed to think before my emotions began to slip away and the familiar numbness set in. Every part of my body not covered by clothes that touched Jared's skin began to burn and I pushed him away. He lifted his head and looked confused at my change of behavior. I pushed him harder as I tried to get away from him.

Once he realized why I was pushing him away, he backed off completely. He held his hands up as he moved off the bed and stood at the foot of it. I backed up completely, until my back was pressed up against the headboard. My breathing was still erratic and so was Jared's as he stood in front of me.

The burning need for Mason was as strong as ever. I needed to go to him, but I wasn't sure how I was going to do that. Jared wasn't going to let me go. He cared too much about the human in me to let me go. The need inside me was stronger than before. Maybe it was because I was getting closer to completing the change. I felt like I was going to die from the pain if I didn't get to Mason.

"I need to go," I said to Jared. The determined look on his face told me that he wasn't going to let that happen.

"I can't let you go, Ava." He stood upright. Standing at the foot of the bed was a powerful leader of the Archaic. I wasn't strong enough to take him on. I knew I didn't stand a chance against him, but I also knew he wouldn't hurt me because he cared about me—the human me.

There had to be a way to use his emotion for me against him. Then I had an idea.

It might work.

At this point the pain was increasing and I was propelled into action. I glanced to the side table next to the bed. There was nothing there that I could use. I scanned the room. I needed to find something to inflict pain. Then I spotted what I needed on the desk behind Jared. I had to get around him to get to it, though.

I slowly climbed off the bed, my eyes fixed on Jared. He backed away slowly as I got closer. He knew his touch hurt me, so he was making sure he kept his distance. I stepped closer to the desk. There was a picture frame on the desk and I needed to get to it.

Jared backed up until he was standing just in front of the bedroom door. I watched him carefully. I was nearly within reaching distance of the frame as Jared kept a watchful eye on me the entire time. He didn't have any idea of what I was about to do because if he had, he would have kept me well away from the desk.

As I got close enough to the desk, I backed up, my eyes glued on Jared. Behind my back, I reached for the frame. Although he saw me reach for the frame, he still hadn't realized what I was going to do with it. Maybe he thought I was going to throw it at him. He would know it wouldn't really inflict any real damage to him, so he stood his ground.

He didn't realize that I wasn't going to throw the photo frame—I had a completely different idea. I smashed the photo frame against the desk. Glass embedded in my hand that now held the broken photo frame. With my other hand, I reached for a piece of jagged, broken glass.

"No," Jared pleaded desperately as he took a couple of steps forward. He'd finally figured out what I was going to do, but it was too late. There was nothing he could do to stop it. I held the jagged piece of glass in my hand tightly and held it to my wrist. That was enough for him to stop his approach.

"I still can't let you out of this room," he stated with a steeliness in his voice, knowing that he would do everything he could to keep me from leaving.

I glanced down at my wrist where I held the glass. He wasn't worried because he knew he would be able to heal me if I did cut myself.

I needed to do something more drastic.

Calmly, I held the makeshift knife to my wrist. Maybe if he saw me inflict a cut on myself it would make him back down, so I pushed the ragged edge of the glass into my wrist and pulled it across my skin. The cut was deep and began to bleed as I watched the horror in Jared's features. Even though the cut was deep, we both knew it wasn't life-threatening.

"If you don't let me go, the next cut will be much deeper," I threatened calmly, trying to negotiate my way to freedom.

He got a determined look on his face as he pressed his lips together. Then he shook his head.

"I'm not letting you out," he said. His eyes were hard and determined.

My plan wasn't working. The only way he would let me go is if he truly believed I would kill myself.

My mind raced through ways to do more damage. The only other place that I believed I would bleed faster was my neck. I lifted my makeshift weapon to press it against the front of my neck.

There was no change in Jared's expression.

I pulled the glass across the front of my throat, just deep enough to let the blood seep from the skin. The flicker of concern in his eyes was enough for me to know I now had a way out.

"Do you want to take the chance that I might bleed out before you can heal me?" I asked. I pressed the glass against the cut, intending to deepen it. "It would take at least a few minutes to heal me, wouldn't it?"

He remained silent.

"What if I didn't have those few minutes? What if I cut my jugular? Wouldn't I bleed out before you could save me?"

He studied me for a few moments and, for a moment, I thought he would stand firm.

"Don't do it Ava," he pleaded.

"Let me go," I demanded.

Slowly he backed away from the doorway.

I didn't take my eyes off him as I slowly made my way to the doorway. I kept my back to the doorway as I watched him to make sure he didn't try and grab me as I edged past him. He held his hands up and watched me back out of the doorway.