Alec's P•O•V

"What do you mean she's not within the border?!" I boomed at the lineup of guards in front of my desk.

"We've searched every inch of every acre and there is no sign of Raven, my Lord..." One of them spoke feebly in reply. I ran my hands through my hair then clasped them behind my neck.

"Check again." I mandated.

"We already have checked the land multiple times-"

"I said, do it again!" I snapped, slamming my hands against my desk, causing it to splinter in half. I panted, looking at them all like a starving wolf.

"Yes Sir..." They mumbled in reply and hurried out of my office. I sat back in my leather chair and placed my head in my hands.

I tried to calm myself down, but the only way I could ever calm myself down was by thinking of Raven. And the thought of her only triggered a spark of rage in me.

I shot up from my chair and threw it across the room, smashing it into the book shelf. I roared at the top of my lungs, my whole body flaming with bitter wrath.

She was gone. My Soulmate was gone and in the hands of my brother.

He's going to come for me and I know it. And the second he does so, I'm going to kill him.

Raven's P•O•V

One week. Seven days I have counted from seeing the small sliver of light visible from the doorway.

Most of the tall candles had melted down to the core and burnt out, leaving the room even more dim and dreary than before. Who knew what accompanied me in this shadowy cave. I sure as hell didn't want to imagine.

While the days dragged on for what seemed like a hundred hours, I only spoke to DeMalo and Akantha briefly for the first two days and soon the conversations became obsolete after I knew everything they wanted me to know. At most, either DeMalo or Akantha came in to give me something to eat. Which of course I didn't eat a single bite of the mysterious meals they provided. Who knew what Akantha held within them.

They told me everything, down to how they planned to get to Alec and how they planned to beat him.

Yet, for some reason they still kept me here like they hadn't made out their idiotic plan yet.

Almost like DeMalo heard my thoughts, the door screeched open and there he appeared. He walked over to me in quick strides and lowered himself so he could unlock the chain now cuffed around my ankle. At least half way through the week Akantha replaced the tight bonds with a single, spelled chain. So yes, there was no way out of it.

As if I could get past a psychotic Vampire and an all-powerful Witch. I stood no chance getting out of here. With the pent up fear of what was about to come, I focused on the pain of not eating all week. The starving pain was my distraction. If I thought about the hunger gripping my stomach, I wouldn't have to think about what was to happen...

I instantly recognized the cloak draped around DeMalo's shoulders as the one he had used to hide himself the night of my kidnapping. Seeing this, I knew in my gut something was wrong. He unlocked the thick cuff and tossed it away, causing it to clatter against the stone wall.

"What's going on?" I asked as he pulled me to my feet. He looked at me wickedly and placed his ice cold hand on my hip to pull me closer to him. My stomach churned at the feeling of his touch. It sickened me.

"You're going back my love." DeMalo purred. "By the end of tonight, Alec will have gifted me with the crown and you will be my bride."

My heart pounded in my chest with the fear of DeMalo and Akantha's plan being followed through. I had no idea if Alec would be prepared for what they had in mind.

DeMalo ran the back of his chilled fingers down my cheek. My body shook with rage and fear of him as he stared not at my eyes but at my lips. He leaned in, his vile lips wandering too close to mine as I spat in his face.

DeMalo let go of me and shuttered back in surprise. He wiped his face and let out a sick scoff before gripping my throat and wrenching me towards his face.

"One of these days, you'll learn what those pretty lips of yours should do. You know I dislike your disobedience." He growled in my face, sickeningly perverted and twisted. I snapped my lips into a hard line and glared at him, trying to ignore the choking pain caused by his slender fingers wrapped around my neck.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked through gritted teeth, looking at him deep in the eyes with a loathing so thick.

He let go of me suddenly and took a step back.

"Why couldn't you just accept the luxurious life you were already provided? Why couldn't you be happy with what you were given?" I pressed, as he stayed silent. He was so selfish to think he needed more. Only a select few were given the riches and gifts of immortality such as he was given.

DeMalo looked at me and studied me. I waited for him to answer.

"You'll never understand my intentions Raven. You've become so accustomed with my brother and his morals that you can never know an opposite." He spoke vaguely, speaking almost in riddles.

"That's not what I asked." I told him. DeMalo looked over me, almost like he inspected the conviction that came from me as I spoke. He knew I wasn't finished so he let me speak.

"Nothing will ever be enough for you, will it? You can't accept anything but it all. Because you want it all." I analyzed. He smirked.

"Smart girl. Maybe you aren't so blinded after all." DeMalo said and dragged me out of the cave.

Akantha stood outside of the door, fiddling with the ruby pendant displayed against her collarbone. When she saw us, she dropped her fingers down to her side. I glared at her with pure hatred of her involvement in taking down Alec and his reign.

I knew there was more to just taking the crown and taking me as DeMalo's prize. They weren't just going to take the kingdom,

They were going to do anything to take Alec down and wreak havoc on the kingdom that was built for him...

♱

Akantha had sent me into a deep sleep as we started walking. Something about how I would be too weak once we got there and they wanted me to watch.

Once I woke, I was facing the castle. We were hidden by the stables, trying to stay within the shadows so we wouldn't be noticed. Akantha looked different, rugged almost. She was trying to play her role...

When they told me of their plan, Akantha was supposed to come into the castle with me. We were the diversion so Alec would be taken off guard as DeMalo's presence was unnoticeable like the night I was taken. The cloak would hide his scent as he entered the castle.

Akantha had already been presumed missing since Zachariah came to Alec saying that she was gone as well. Both her and DeMalo planned to use this at their disposal and play along with everyone's assumption that she had been taken too.

I looked up at the castle with a heavy heart. Just a week ago, I was worried about being turned and becoming even more bonded with him. By now those worries seemed so small and as of now, I wanted nothing more thang to be with Alec.

All I wanted to do was scream to Alec of their intentions, to tell him that Akantha was the second conspirator, that DeMalo was going to kill him. But Akantha already knew my big mouth and had put an obedience spell on me in order to keep me from disobeying their plan. I was trapped by them, and seeing how they had everything set up,

I'd say their plan was rather fool proof.

"Rise and shine Mortal," Akantha said cruelly, her smile wicked as she pulled me out into the light and started walking to the doors of the castle, "We've got a kingdom to overrule."

❤❤❤