Raven's P•O•V

The trees ripped at my bare arms and legs as I ran, the naked skin getting torn by the sharp branches. The only light that shone through the tall forest was that of the moon.

"There's no use hiding my love." DeMalo's sadistic and sickening tone echoed around me. This made adrenaline pulse through me as I ran faster out of fear.

I kept looking back to see if he was still running after me. Panting, I kept sprinting until I tripped over the root of a tree.

I fell with a thud, but landed on my palms. I quickly looked up, ready to keep going, but stopped.

Inches from my face was a duplicate of me. A mirrored image. I furrowed my brow and got to my feet quickly. She mimicked my every move, making me step back in confusion. I turned and saw another me. Then another, then another...

It looked like one of those mirrored rooms where I was stuck in the middle and six different mirrors faced me.

I started to breathe heavily, spinning around only to be faced by an alternate me.

I turned around quickly and was now faced by him...

Instead of having another mirrored Raven, there DeMalo stood. Half a foot away from me.

I gasped, feeling my heart stop at the sight of him so close.

He smirked, his fangs coming to a sharp point. His eyes flared ruby red before he opened his mouth wide and a chilling hiss came out.

I opened my mouth to scream, but was cut off by DeMalo sinking his teeth deep into my neck.

"Raven?" I could hear a woman's voice from the distance. "Raven wake up."

A chill ran down my spine as I felt a cold hand touch my bare shoulder.

I screamed, lurching up in bed, my face covered in sweat. I felt the hand on my shoulder, but flinched and hurried away from the cold touch.

My eyes faded in and out until I could see clearly and saw Piper sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at me in concern. Her expression was pitiful as she sat there in her silk pajamas.

I panted, feeling my throat tighten. I looked at her, then to the figure at the end of my bed. Alec stood there, looking like he had just woken up as well.

"Raven? Raven it's okay." Piper said softly.

I tried to regain my composure but barely held on to it. My hand snapped up to feel my neck. Nothing...

"It was just a dream?" I whispered, my voice hoarse.

"It was just a dream." Piper told me reassuringly. I still could feel my heart pounding faster than usual at the memories of the dream.

I looked over to Alec and saw his confused expression. He was looking at the bed, not at my face. Piper noticed his stare.

"What is it, Alec?" She asked him. He didn't respond, but walked around the fourposter bed and slowly pealed the sheets away from my body.

Us three looked down to see my legs covered in scratches. My eyes widened as I could recall the dream.

I could remember the whipping and tearing pain from when I ran through the forest.

"Oh my... Raven what happened?" Piper breathed in shock. I looked down at my legs to see the shallow scratches covering them.

Slowly I pulled my shaking hands up and could see the redness inside of my fingernails. I could feel my stomach drop at the sight of my blood embedded in my fingernails.

"Raven why would you do this to yourself?" Piper's voice was laced with hurt and confusion. I shook my head.

"I didn't - I don't know." I said shakily.

"What did you dream about?" Alec finally asked. His deep voice was thick. I hadn't heard it since last week in Dimitri's office...

I was quiet for a second before I found the words to say.

"All I remember was running from DeMalo. He was chasing me through the forest, until I stopped and he caught up to me..." I murmured, trying not to remember him ripping into my throat... I closed my eyes briefly, feeling my heart quicken at the thought.

Alec was quiet for a moment and so was Piper. Then Piper broke the silence,

"I think I'm going to stay with you tonight." She looked to me. I gave her a surprised expression.

"Piper I'm fine. You don't have to keep watch over me. It was just a dream." I told her. She looked like she was about to protest but Alec cut her off.

"It's okay Piper. I'll stay with her." He interrupted. Both of us looked at him, except I don't think she was giving him the shocked stare that I was giving him.

"Are you sure?" Piper asked him. He nodded.

"Guys, I'll be fine by myself." I persisted, not wanting Alec to babysit me.

"I think you need someone to be with you. To comfort you." Piper insisted, looking to Alec. I rolled my eyes. She looked to me and smiled.

"I'm glad everything is alright." She said and squeezed my hand gently. I gave a soft smile, still slightly annoyed but grateful for her waking me up from that awful nightmare.

"Good night, Piper." Alec said and she left.

Piper closed the door behind her and the second she was out of my room, a tense silence fell over the room.

I cleared my throat and got out of my bed. I brushed past him rather roughly. I went to my bathroom and grabbed a rag. I dampened it and sat at the marble edge of my bathtub. Alec stood in the doorway to my bathroom, leaning against the frame with his arms folded against his bare chest. He looked like some cliche in a movie.

"You look like a cliche." I mumbled in annoyance. He scoffed at my remark. I wiped the blood from the scratches. They didn't hurt too bad and the blood was barely there, thankfully.

"Me? A cliche?" Alec laughed, his eyebrows raised as he pointed to himself. I looked up to him with a seriously unamused expression for a second, before shaking my head and looking back down to my legs.

Alec sighed and pushed himself off the door frame. He approached me and sat down beside me on the marble edge to the tub.

"If you think that you're smart to use the excuse of my nightmare to give you the right to sleep in my room, then you're utterly wrong." I told Alec harshly. He looked at me with a blank expression.

"You think I'm that low?" He asked in some sort of surprise. I scoffed.

"Low? I thought you were that low the second you left me in the hall last week." I spoke the brutal truth.

He made me angry with butterflies in my stomach at the same time.

I sighed and threw the now pink and white rag in the hamper. I sat back down beside him and turned to him, not knowing what to feel when I looked unto the guy that had now twisted and turned my whole life around.

"I was falling for you. Hell, I still am. And I can't stop, but you can. And in that moment you walked away, I knew you did. I knew you stopped falling. You chose to walk away and I just let it happen." I told him, my voice wavering. I finally spoke what had been on my mind for the past week and a half.

"You don't get it, do you?" Alec asked with a soft but hurt tone. He shook his head and ran a hand through his bed hair. He looked back to me. "I didn't chose to walk away, I forced myself."

"Why? Why would you force yourself away if you didn't want to?" I asked, confused. He looked away and bit his lip subconsciously.

"I didn't want to hurt you. If I didn't walk away you would've gotten hurt." Alec sighed. I looked over him, trying to process this. I met his eyes again.

"You wouldn't have hurt me." I told him softly.

"Raven," he sighed, "you have no idea what I'm capable of. With you, I have no control. Every time you're around me, you have no idea how hard it is for me to not focus on your pulse. I can barely sleep, because I can hear it from your room. All I can think about is sinking my teeth into your neck and drinking every ounce of you..." Alec groaned, his voice sounded thick. I swallowed hard, my mind swirling with so many thoughts.

Somehow, I wasn't scared. I wasn't afraid of Alec. Sure, the thought of him doing so scared me. But at the same time, I wasn't.

Alec sat there with his head in his hands. I sighed and laid my hand on his bare shoulder. He grew still and turned his head to look up at me. He sat up and was face to face with me. His eyes were bright red, vulnerable as they gave away his weakness.

I leaned up and softly kissed Alec. His lips were gentle and soft as they molded to mine. The kiss was short but sweet. I don't think I'd ever get used to kissing him. I parted from him, and held my face pressed against his.

I opened my eyes and pulled away. Alec opened his eyes as well and studied mine.

"I trust you." I whispered and held my wrist up to him.

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