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Raven's P•O•V

"You see, your dear sister over here is my Brother's Soulmate. He chose her and brought her back to Romania where she was meant to rule with him as his Bride and Queen." DeMalo started off. Steven gave a look of utter confusion and disbelief.

"What the hell do you mean, chose her?" Steven remarked, weariness in his tone although he seemed displeased by DeMalo's nonchalance.

"Well, when one of us ages twenty-one, he or she is given the opportunity to go and choose his Soulmate. The mortal man or woman they choose is the one they will wed and love for the rest of their immortal days." DeMalo sat back and sipped the bourbon casually.

Steven furrowed his brow and looked at DeMalo as if he were mad, which in my experience, I knew DeMalo to be mad.

"My brother, being heir to the throne, not only got to choose a Soulmate, but also chose your sister to be Queen when the time came." DeMalo continued. I sat with my head in my hands, thinking of all Steven has been exposed to already. It was just getting worse the more DeMalo spoke.

"Queen of what exactly?" Steven questioned.

DeMalo smirked, looking at me as I raised my head to DeMalo. I glared at him, giving him a look that screamed to shut up.

DeMalo broke his gaze from me and looked at Steven with a sick smirk.

"The kingdom of our kind, of course." He told Steven vaguely, knowing Steven would ask more. DeMalo was just dragging out the life sentence Steven would get once he found out.

"And what is your kind exactly?"

DeMalo chuckled and sipped at his bourbon, then tilted it back and gulped down the last of it. He set down the cup precisely on the table before looking up at Steven with glowing ruby red eyes.

"Can't you already guess, Mortal?" DeMalo cocked an eyebrow. When Steven didn't answer him, DeMalo appeared in front of him in a split second before hauling Steven up.

I stood quickly as DeMalo held the collar of my brother's shirt. DeMalo towered over Steven with daunting eyes. He came close to Steven's face, staring him down with blazing eyes. He laughed lowly before running his tongue over his now prominent canines that protruded out more than usual.

"Don't -" I choked out. Gripping DeMalo's stone cold bicep, I tried to yank him away, to no avail.

Steven shuddered under DeMalo's gaze and focused his wide, astounded eyes on DeMalo's fangs.

"What? Never met a Vampire before?" DeMalo murmured, watching sweat line Steven's face.

Steven looked up into DeMalo's soulless eyes and didn't seem to question DeMalo's words. He simply shook his head furiously.

"Let him go DeMalo." I growled.

"No can do, sweetheart. He's just my type." DeMalo murmured, snapping his eyes down to Steven's neck. My eyes almost bugged out of my skull as I shoved myself in between DeMalo and my brother.

Steven stumbled back onto the couch as I stood chest to chest with DeMalo's vile figure. I stared up at him with a deadly glare.

"You will not touch my brother!" I boomed, voice full of conviction and anger.

DeMalo laughed breathily and lingered close to me. I shivered in disgust. He looked down at me with hungry eyes. I held myself tall and strong, not wavering under his gaze.

"If you weren't bound to me, I'd drink you instead." DeMalo hummed, his voice sounding sultry which only made me gag.

"You think you can stop me? Who do you think you are, telling me who I can and cannot drink from?" DeMalo countered. I opened my mouth to snap at him, but DeMalo shouldered me forcefully and grabbed my brother by the collar once again.

This time DeMalo didn't say anything. He gripped my brother's collar tight and, in a blink of an eye, snapped his fangs into Steven's neck.

Steven's eyes widened as DeMalo tore into his throat.

I screamed, tears burning in my eyes as blood drained quickly out of my brother's left carotid and spilled from DeMalo's savage mouth.

I turned and looked around the room. Behind me was the wooden coffee table. I slammed my foot into it and snapped one of the legs off. I grabbed the splintered, wooden leg from the floor and pressed it to DeMalo's back, holding his shoulder with the other hand with a strong grip.

Within a fraction of a second after DeMalo stopped drinking from Steven's throat, the door was kicked in. Our eyes all shot to the door. DeMalo detached from my brother's neck and turned to see the splintered door fly open.

My heart jumped into my throat when men dressed all in black fighting gear came pouring into my living room, and behind them came Alec.

Alec shoved through the men as they surrounded us and looked over the scene in front of him.

DeMalo let go of Steven, causing him to collapse into the couch. I watched him fall as blood still streamed out of his neck.

I dropped the stake of wood on the floor and dropped to my knees beside him.

"No, no, no -" I choked out, my throat tightening as tears streamed down my cheeks. I pressed my hand to Steven's neck as he looked at me with pained, wide eyes. Blood fell through my fingers, drenching my hand as well.

Steven choked, unable to speak as DeMalo had torn into his throat.

"Shh, it's alright, just look at me okay." I murmured gruffly, sobs starting to sneak out into my words. I sobbed, watching him grow rigid.

He stopped writhing in pain and looked into my eyes, keeping his focus on me for his last moments.

"I love you, Raven." He whispered, blood filling his mouth as he spoke. A tear fell down his face before he fell silent and his final breath escaped his lips.

His eyes were drawn away from mine as they found their way upwards, and rolled back into his skull. My hands shook terribly as I reached up to shut his eyes.

My body buzzed as I looked over my brother's still body. His chest no longer rose or fell. He just laid there.

I stood slowly, keeping myself turned from all of them. My head felt numbed as all the thoughts stopped whirling in my head, and my body no longer processed any feeling.

"What have you done..." I whispered, barely audible.

I turned around and faced DeMalo, who wore a bloody smirk on his face.

"What have you done?!" I boomed, looking at his evil self. There was no remorse, no guilt.

A couple of Alec's men approached DeMalo and grabbed him. DeMalo let them hold him, that smirk still on his face as they turned them to look at Alec.

Alec stepped forward and stood in front of DeMalo.

"Ah brother, sad to see you still alive." DeMalo greeted him with the usual amount of cockiness. Alec proceeded to look at him with pure hatred.

"What? I nearly killed you and took your Bride, yet you have nothing to say?" DeMalo taunted him. Alec didn't respond. He replied to DeMalo's comment with a punch to the jaw. I felt pain burn in my jaw, but only slightly.

I knew why it hurt, but I didn't make a sound.

Deep down, I didn't want Alec to know about the binding spell.

I wanted him to finish it. I wanted the bastard dead. No matter the costs. I knew that Alec would never go through with killing his brother if he knew that it would come with the cost of my life.

But of course, DeMalo had different plans.

DeMalo turned his head back to Alec and tsked.

"What a shame. It seems you've grown weak on me brother." DeMalo shook his head, knowing what he was doing. Alec swung at him, hitting the other side of his jaw. This time, a crack rang through the room, followed by an echo. The echo was my own jaw.

I groaned in pain and held my jaw. Alec looked past DeMalo's shoulder and saw my look of pain. He furrowed his brow and stepped closer to DeMalo.

"What have you done to her?" Alec snapped, only causing DeMalo to laugh.

"I have done nothing. You however just fractured your beloved Raven's jaw." DeMalo informed Alec.

Alec studied his eyes for an explanation before grabbing DeMalo by the shirt with both hands. The men holding DeMalo let go of him as Alec slammed him against the wall. I felt a slight burning sensation in my back as he did so, but I was too entrapped in the feeling of sheer pain in my jaw.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alec growled.

DeMalo gave Alec a devious look before replying,

"Your Precious Soulmate over here is bound to me." He explained, "Therefore, you can't kill me without killing Raven as well."

Alec's face fell. I watched Alec loosen his grip on DeMalo's shirt as he realized what this meant.

Alec stepped back from DeMalo and turned his head to look at me.

"Take DeMalo into another room. I want you to tie him down and inject him with Hawthorn." Alec commanded of his men, not taking his concerned eyes off of me.

"I'm shocked, brother, I didn't know you were into ropes." DeMalo joked, causing Alec to shoot him a glare.

All ten leather-clad men surrounded DeMalo and ushered him out of the living room. Alec and I watched him go.

Once he was gone, Alec turned and rushed over to me. He gripped me in a firm but gentle embrace. I buried my face into his shirt and held onto him tightly, even though my jaw was killing me.

Alec let go of me, but stayed close enough where I could still smell him.

"Let's go into the kitchen." He whispered, reminding me of my dead brother still lying only a few feet from us.

I nodded my head softly and kept my eyes averted from the sight as we went into the kitchen. Alec pulled out one of the tall chairs at the island for me and I sat down. He bit into his palm and filled a small glass with his blood.

"I'm so sorry Raven -" Alec started to say, his voice sounding pained and laced with guilt. I cut him off before he could go off and apologize for the next ten minutes.

"It's not your fault, Alec. You didn't know." I managed a small smile, taking the glass from him with shaky hands. I drank it down, feeling the pain almost immediately start to dissipate. I sighed as my jaw healed and no longer sent searing pain through my left cheek and chin.

"I didn't want you to know so you could've killed him." I murmured, setting the glass down that now had a purple tint to it. Alec and I looked at each other intensely as a silence fell over us. I knew what I said had shocked him.

He studied my serious expression, silently realizing that I was ready for death. And I knew that for an immortal who had no fear of death, it was hard for him to understand how a fragile mortal - one with a lifetime that was limited - was ready to be dead at twenty. At least, that was why I think he was looking at me with that surprised expression.

Suddenly, he broke the silence.

"You were ready to die?" Alec murmured. I nodded, confirming his thoughts.

"If it meant ridding the world of your sick and demented twin brother, then yes, I was more than ready." I responded.

Alec didn't reply. He just stared at me with those soft, maroon eyes. Unlike his brother, looking into his eyes was comforting. Looking into DeMalo's eyes was like looking into a corrupted and blackened soul. To me, looking into DeMalo's eyes was like looking into the Devil's eyes. When I looked into Alec's eyes, I saw warmth and passion, gentleness and love...

Alec stepped closer to me. I watched him, feeling myself stand as he came nearer.

He leaned down and kissed me softly. I felt my body warm as the gentle kiss took all the pain of the last week away for just a moment.

When he parted, he stayed close to my lips. I kept my eyes closed as we lingered there.

"Do you know why I love you?" Alec whispered. My heart stopped at the three words that still shocked me.

We had had barely enough time together that was without interruption or stress to say I love you. Those few times we had shown or professed our love for one another were limited, yet each time still brought me warmth and joy that I'd never felt before.

"Not particularly." I chuckled under my breath.

Alec took a breath and was about to respond, but was stopped by the sound of slow clapping.

"How romantic. I wish I could say this is better than The Notebook, but it's not." DeMalo's voice filled the kitchen. Alec and I parted quickly. I looked past Alec who stood in front of me protectively to see DeMalo covered in black blood from head to toe.

"How did you -" Alec stammered, but was cut off by DeMalo.

"How did I get out? Well, let's just say your trusted king's guard aren't as great as you accredit them to be." DeMalo watched our faces fall as he looked at us with that same smirk he had always seemed to have carved into his face.

I started taking slow steps backwards. Alec still stood in front of me, unwavering from DeMalo's gaze.

"I've told you time and time again what I want. You both should know well enough by now that I will not stop until I get what I want." DeMalo informed, leaning against the frame of the archway into the kitchen.

I glanced around the kitchen and saw what I was looking for only a few feet from me. But it seemed so far, when DeMalo could catch me before I even got to it. I just had to hope Alec would deter him.

"I can't let you have Raven or my crown. I won't." Alec growled. "I will continue to tell you time and time again that you will have them."

DeMalo's eyes flared as he looked at Alec with a rage filled expression. I stepped over a few steps ...

"How dare you -"

And I slid the knife right into my chest.

I twisted it and looked dead at DeMalo, tears streaming down my face. His eyes bulged as he felt his heart twist. I watched the black blood start to soak into his shirt as we both fell to the floor.

Everything around me blurred and I could faintly hear Alec's screams.

"Raven please - I need you -" I heard him sob and could feel him pull me into his lap.

The edges of my sight blackened as I turned my head to see DeMalo dying. His gaze was directed towards me, wrathful as ever.

Like I said before, looking into DeMalo's eyes was the same as seeing the Devil.

So as I took my last breaths, and felt darkness consume me, I looked up to the Angel.

Alec.

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