Luke raced towards the horseless vehicle with large, leaping steps. Jade's traveling bag was still present in the trunk, undisturbed. The dark mountain soil in the smashed pots was scattered around back wheels of the vehicle. Luke's breath hitched at the thought of Jade being attacked by another viper while he was only yards away.

"Jade!" The man hollered. His greatcoat flew after him as he circled the building. He could find no sign of life. It was as if the girl had disappeared from the face of the earth.

Running with thudding feet Luke decided to increase his search area. He gazed at the boarded up house, fleetingly before he decided it was impossible she had managed to pry open the windows to jump in. She must be out in the lands that belonged to the estate.

With each precious moment clicking in his pocket watch the sun light disappeared. It was getting harder and harder to see for the young Prince. It did not help that a fog began to envelop the mushy grassland.

"Jade!" Luke screamed in frustration. His voice broke in the middle as he watched the mist from his mouth mingle with the fog dancing around him.

Suddenly he spied upon a flicker of a light in the distance. Breathing heavily the Prince jogged to the destination. He skidded to a halt in the wet grass. Jade was standing at the edge of the pond with her face away from him.

"Oh, thank goodness. I thought..." Luke's breathless words trailed off. Something wasn't right. His arm ached at the exertion but he shrugged his pain away.

The first thing he noticed was Jade's attire. Her long coat and her warm hat had all vanished. She was standing with her back towards him in less protective indoor clothes. The lantern he had gifted her was sitting at the feet illuminating the water and staff that lay near it. One of Jade's hands was tightly curled into a fist. She was holding something but he could not discern what.

"I was waiting," Jade turned around with her skirt flying with the movement. Her hair was opened from its former pinned up hairstyle and it hung loose around her narrow face. Her lips were curved but the expression was only a parody of Jade's easy smile.

"I was looking all over for you," Luke exclaimed. He watched with trepidation as Jade's left hand grappled with the knot around her neck until it fell open. The man swallowed at the sight of the curves of her bare flesh cutting into her undergarments.

Warmth coiled in his belly as he was hit with a wave of desire. Try as he must he couldn't take his eyes off her naked skin. The man could feel his heartbeat race as if he were still running. He knew it was wrong but at that moment he could not say why.

"My handsome Prince. I'm so glad you found me," Jade tilted her head, allowing her brown hair to gather around her exposed collarbones. She started to walk towards the man and Luke belatedly realised her feet were bare.

Jade used one hand to pull the upper woollen garment from her body. The shirt landed on the wet grass in disarray as Luke watched helplessly.

One of Jade's long fingers reached out to touch Luke's cheek. He felt inflamed by the proximity and the scent of her skin. The girl leaned in so close their breaths mingled with each other. Jade's supple lips touched Luke's and he could not help but allow her to devour him into a biting kiss.

Luke's strong hands, that were uselessly at his sides, reached up to touch Jade's back. His calloused fingers danced over her warm skin and rested over the hooks that bound Jade's corset. One little movement and he could free her from all the impediments that kept him from worshiping her body.

The man shivered, uncertain whether it was the cold or the firm press of Jade's body. His other hand slid down to her right hand which was clenched firmly when all of a sudden all the fuzziness in his mind disappeared.

Jade would never be foolish enough to disrobe in the middle of winter no matter what her intentions. She always made the best of plans and this was by far the most stupid. It was not her. With a gasp Luke broke the seductive kiss and staggered back with a look of horror.

"Who are you?" Luke growled, voice still deepened by fast fleeing lust, "You're not Jade."

"Very good, my pretty Prince," Jade's laugh was corrosive and ugly, "I was hoping you would go feral like all men tend to do at sight of naked flesh but alas your brain is to your detriment. Are you absolutely certain you do not want me to disrobe any further?"

"What have you done with her?" The Prince roared as he ignored the offer. The cheap and tawdry trick no longer worked on him.

"Jade Durnn destroyed my body and in turn I'm taking hers. It shall be a fair trade, will it not?" The girl's acerbic tones rankled the Prince.

"Release her this instant, witch," Luke demanded, knowing it was foolish to hope she would give in. The man lunged at her but Jade's body was out of his grip despite both of them not having moved at all.

"Tut tut, Prince. If you harm me then you shall harm your precious Lady. Wouldn't it be horrendous if something happened to her," The girl laughed at the disturbed expressions on his face.

"At least wear something warm. The sun has gone down the horizon. She will freeze to death," Luke pleaded as mist released from his bitten mouth. The chill was getting unbearable despite his winter attire.

"I don't feel the cold. My new body will adapt," Jade replied, flippantly. The girl looked down at her reflection in the pond, "I had no intention of taking her body until I saw her all dolled up as the new Duchess. What secrets Jade hid under stiff collars and large overcoats."

"I won't let you have her," The dark haired man promised, gravely.

"I was merely admiring my new body when you found me. You could admire it too, you know. It has been too long since I've had any pleasures of the flesh. I know you want to," The witch gave the man a searing look, ignoring his interruption.

Luke once again tried to grab hold of Jade but to his alarm the staff at their feet began to move. The wooden stick coiled unnaturally until it transformed into the deadly viper that had attacked them earlier. It's fanged mouth lunged for the Prince who rolled to the side in the slick grass.

Luke was slightly better prepared this time. He struck the flint with his weapon and threw it in the snake's direction. The explosion from the dynamite made all three of them lose their bearing.

Luke pressed his fingers into his ears as a second explosion turned the dark night bright. He still managed to lose his balance but instead of staying on the ground he made a run for it.

The snake seemed to have lost a chunk of its tail but it remained undeterred. Luke narrowly missed another bite as he ran towards the house. He discounted all other weapons for the biggest in front of him. The man dove into his vehicle's driving seat and pressed the levers roughly. The horseless contraption roared like a beast and crashed into the attacking snake. Luke pressed on the levers with all his might until the injured snake was dragged over the grass and pushed into the lake.

With frantic energy coursing through his body the Prince sprang towards Jade once again in an effort to subdue her but with a wave of the hand he was sent flying.

The witch forced him to the wet ground with a careless wave of the hand and applied fierce pressure on his injured shoulder. The man roared with pain at the unnatural assault.

"Please Jade, please wake up. No one can diminish your light. I know you're in there," Luke pleaded as the weight on his chest quadrupled. He panted as he was losing his breath and ability to speak.

"You will submit to me. All of you will. I know the sword of Galios has been disturbed by you. I will find it," The witch chanted with a sing song voice but her expression shifted into shock.

Jade screamed painfully and she suddenly stuffed her clenched hand towards her closed mouth. With a mighty heave she swallowed something and dove into the freezing water.

"Ward! Jade!" Luke screamed hysterically as he jumped to his feet. He could barely breath but he intended to dive in to save his friend's life. He took off his heavy coat so it would not weight him down as he swam.

Suddenly a figure erupted from the displaced water and Jade spluttered out pond water from her mouth. She waded through the neck deep water until she reached the edge of the lake where Luke pulled her out.

"You shouldn't have worried. I can swim, Luke," Jade coughed once again and tried to wipe the slime from her bare arms.

"How? Is it really you," Luke took Jade's wet face in his trembling hands. He couldn't believe his luck but the grin on her face was classically hers.

"Yes, yes, it's me. I- The clock didn't strike twelve. The transformation would have been complete if she had managed to delay my rescue," Jade explained, with a rushed tone of voice. Her persistent shivering made Luke force his discarded coat on her.

"I nearly helped her succeed," The man uttered, glumly. He now knew why she was desperate to incite lust and desire in him. What could be a better distraction?

"She was an ancient being. I could read her thoughts as she took over my body. I can hardly berate you for losing control when I could barely use my own body. Her magic was very potent despite her assertions that it was failing," Jade stroked an errant dark hair strand behind Luke's ear. The man watched her every move carefully. She seemed to show no signs of any injury.

"I don't understand why your staff turned into a snake. I didn't think she had any powers remaining," Luke remembered the reptile as his eyes grazed over the vehicle positioned next to the lake. Luke helped Jade up and began their journey back to the house after retrieving her traveling reticule. His face coloured up at the sight of Jade picking up her discarded belongings on the way. He couldn't believe how easily his weak mind had been taking over by base thoughts and actions.

"Don't you see, that staff was hers. It always was. It travelled with me in the river after her body dissolved and the village folk must've thought it was mine. I never did ask where it was from when it was presented to me," The girl explained as she handed the Prince the key to the estate home, "The witch wasn't alive per say but her magical self was connected to the staff. She had no body and she wished to take over mine. I suppose that would have been the ultimate revenge along with sinking her claws into you."

The Prince hammered into the door with his uninjured shoulder and took off the boards before placing the key into the lock. The door clicked open and their dark shadows ran the length of the hallway.

"I need to get rid of this horrid taste in my mouth," Jade excused herself before she placed her water bag to her mouth. Luke looked away as she exposed her neck to him.

"I saw you eat something that you held in your hand," Luke said as he crouched in front of the fireplace. He hoped the chimney wasn't blocked but the dreaded cold was a worse threat then suffocating on the smoke. The flint in his hand burnt up the remnants of the last fire produced here.

"A heavy dose of mountain soil and one of the beans I planted. I dug my hand into the pot as soon as I realised I was losing control," Jade grinned, "I feel like retching but I can't take any risks."

Luke watched Jade plant herself on a sheet covered stool in the drawing room and pull it closer to the fire. Jade rubbed her hands together with a content hum and released the coat around her shoulders. Luke took an involuntary step backwards at her sudden show of skin. Images of what happened between them assaulted his senses.

"I would give you your privacy but I refuse to leave you alone again," The Prince pivoted on his feet in a hurry. He could hear the squelch of damp clothes from behind him as she examined the state of her clothes. He wet his dry lips and could feel her taste on his tongue.

"I wish to change my attire completely. It is sodden through," Jade's voice was low and uncertain.

"I shall step out to the hallway but no more," Luke exhaled as he departed the room, "I also have a debt to repay. After all you guarded my modesty when we running to the witch's lair."

Jade's breezy laugh discarded the tension in his shoulders. Everything of the fake Jade was a pale imitation. The difference between them was so stark he wondered how he had been deceived so easily.

"I'm sorry. I'm still reeling from the shock of what happened. It shouldn't have. I wish I had been less susceptible to the witch's magic," The Prince's self defeated tone sounded heavy in the empty rooms.

"I promise you when I say you are very lucky you do not have an insight to the witch's mind. She meant to have you despite my feelings for you. Whatever happened tonight pales significantly to what she planned for you. She meant for you to have the throne," The girl explained in a serious tone.

"That would be impossible. I would have to-" The Prince's mind produced some gruesome images.

"Whatever she wanted could be attained calmly, quietly but she intended for you to burn your way through the Royal family. Scores would be dead at your hand. You would be her slave to use at whim with the sword of Galios in your hand. Your body, your mind, everything would be hers," The girl explained. Luke jumped as a hand touched his shoulder. He felt jittery and confused but as soon as he swivelled towards Jade's beaming smile every inch of trauma melted to the ground. Her attire also gave him great joy for under her great coat he could see she wore her masculine outfit. It reminded him of the good old days.

Outside, the pair could hear the clattering of footsteps on the entrance steps. It seemed like many men had stormed the building. Edward barged into the hallway like he always did with his face contorted with fury.

"Do you have any idea how close I am to having both of you exiled?" The man's snarled at the pair. He looked like he hadn't slept for days. His dark hair was standing on end and there was darkness under his eyes. It seemed he had rode straight from the palace with barely a pause for rest.

"We have both come out of this incident unscathed. The witch is dead and gone," Luke stepped in front of Jade to shield her from his brother's wrath.

"I don't care about the sodding witch. Both of you deserve to be lashed," The man growled and his hands twitched as if he wished he could inflict the punishment there and then.

"Please don't be crude in front of a Lady, Ed," The younger Prince chided.

"Lady indeed," The crown Prince scoffed, "Look at her, back to her wardrobe and I've heard much worse filth escaping her mouth when she thinks no one is listening."

"I hope you overtook Ambrose closer to our destination. I am famished," Jade asked with a cheeky grin on her face.

"Famished, bah! I haven't had a morsel today. I nearly drove my horse to the ground. I did wonder how you got here so fast. Even the Durnn carriages are a mile or two away but obviously you couldn't be trusted not to steal father's pet project and trash it in only two days. Why is the vehicle hanging out by the lake. Its lights are still on," The older man asked with a cross of arms.

"I needed to fell a giant viper tonight," Luke whispered with a secret smile. He felt Jade's cold fingers lacing into his and the sounds of his brother's anger faded to a comfortable distance. He knew everything would be all right with Jade at his side.