Yes, Finally, it is ready! I apologize for the severe delay in getting this chapter to you, but I wanted it to be the best it could be, and use all my skills I've learned to polish it to it's full potential. If I'd been lazy, I could have had it to you months ago. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next installment to my story and the preview for the next chapter which I have actually been working on. Enjoy.

~Chapter 11~

1/Tirrador

The beast roamed the wilds, trying to escape. He lived off the land, killing or stopping to sleep when he exhausted the perpetual need to move. No one would recognize him now, a dirty, soulless creature haunting the deepest woods, destroying everything in its path. Muscles that had originally been honed to protect those he loved now pumped to drive him towards their destruction.

While a personal struggle destroyed him internally, he brutalized his physical body. He became something that ran on instinct. She should pay—not just for what she had done, for what she had tried to turn him into, for all the females who had ever toyed with him. She embodied everything that was wrong with the female sex: he had to crush her.

Flashes of memories came to him—her smiling, the warm feeling when she spoke or embraced him. At first, they drove away the disturbing thoughts; now they only fueled the flames.

You've been thinking about it, glorifying it, lavishing in the thought of destroying her, the voice that prodded him whispered, but you haven't done it—not yet. He would indulge in the thought of killing her but ultimately shrink away from it, turning instead to self-punishment by driving his body harder. Some part of him still wasn't willing to go that final step, to physically harm a Queen. But that part was diminishing, its voice fading into oblivion.

The only thing that held him back now was the act itself.

You know where she is.

The thought stopped him. It shocked him back to the physical world where he stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking some vast forest. He felt a small tug coming from behind him, pulling him in the right direction.

Now…go!

He howled like a wild thing and took off running.

Adele!

2/Trisor

Delphine started awake from a dream she knew had been part vision. Her jaw ached with the need to crush bones between them, to feel warm blood flow into her mouth; her powerful hands clenched and unclenched. Coming fully out of the dreamscape, the Widow realized what she was feeling, and that the hunger was not her own. Delphine felt her mouth go dry, her chest heaving in pain. She'd never imagined so much rage and pain could be directed at Adele.

It was time.

She got out of bed with purpose, planning to pack through the night and leave in the morning. There was no way she could back to sleep, but she couldn't show up in Delacova in the middle of the night—the last thing she needed was to put the males on edge. None of them needed to know the real reason she was heading back.

Delphine stopped packing and took a deep breath, looked over at the giant web sitting in the middle of the darkened room. The season had changed since Roxana's funeral, the winter snow releasing its icy claws on the land ever so slowly. She'd been waiting a few months now for her vision to come to fruition, and during that time, she'd thrown herself into learning her Craft as fast as possible, because she knew she'd need every ounce of it for her task. And now, it was finally time to put it into action.

A rift had formed between her and her sister, one that neither of them could breach. It didn't affect their daily lives, going somehow deeper, but she knew whatever this was, it was about protecting Adele. Even if Delphine was concerned about who her sister was becoming and what would happen if she didn't take the right path, this wasn't about Adele as a person. This was about Adele her Queen—their Queen. This was her part in protecting the Queen she served.

Was she ready? She had not yet completed her training, though she'd thrown everything into perfecting it, thereby learning more rapidly than her peers in the time she'd been away. She just hoped it was enough.

3/Delacova

Chris was on the prowl, itchy with the feeling that something was happing, and that it was going right over his head. Since Delphine's unexpected return, he'd been on edge, and, as a male, he did not appreciate this particular combination of feelings.

Damn that witch. She knew something.

He wheeled around and headed outside to where the three witches were spending a little "alone time" in the gardens. This was "sacred" time upon which the males, for any reason, were not allowed to tread, since the rest of their time was considered open. After all, they needed a break sometime. Chris bared his teeth into a smile. Screw the rules.

He sauntered up to them, marshalling his patience in preparation to deal with the prickly pain in the ass that was Delphine Ashlyn. They each greeted him with equally dark looks.

He slapped on a charming smile. "Delphine, do you mind if I steal you for a bit?"

She gave him a sour look. "Do I mind?" She studied him. "I don't believe I really have a choice in the matter."

His smile didn't change a bit. "Absolutely none." He put an arm around her shoulders; she slipped hers around his waist; and the spun around, walking away from Adele and Christine.

When they were out of earshot, Delphine spoke. "That was rather dirty, Christopher."

"Oh, I think you'll find that I can be very dirty, Lady."

He heard her huff at his suggestive humor as she pulled away from him. "What do you want, Chris?"

"I want to know why you are here."

She turned to select an apple from a basket of fruits: they'd ended up inside the house. After taking a bite, she popped herself onto a barstool, chewing as she considered him. With graceful movements, he settled himself next to her and waited for her to swallow and come up with her first bogus excuse. He'd play her game…for now.

"Why do I need a reason to visit my home?" she asked, emphasizing the last two words.

So it would be like that. He gave her a sharp smile. "Come on, Delphine, you don't really think I'm as brainless as the other males, do you?" She shrugged, and Chris gritted his teeth, refusing to take the bait. "I've had years of experience with you females and your trumped up reasoning."

Delphine gave him a wicked, knowing grin. "I suppose." Violet eyes slid from him, inspecting the apple before selecting her next bite. He stewed, waiting for her to chew—damn her and her mind games.

"What if I told you it wasn't your business and you'd be better off leaving it alone?"

It shocked him—not the words themselves but of her tone, the way she held herself; even her eyes changed. She wasn't his childhood friend, Delphine, but a Black Widow, and a formidable one at that. Delphine was finally growing up.

Sighing, he leaned back. She knew what she was doing, and he'd learned long ago not to meddle with Black Widows when they had their sights on something; they had wicked ways of repaying your kindness. Delphine had her own reasons, and she was keeping her own counsel, for now.

One long look later, he turned from prodding friend to protective Warlord Prince. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

He searched her eyes, expecting the endless confidence she always exuded, but instead she gave him a shaky smile.

"No. But I'm sure I will."

4/Delacova

It was almost time: his revenge was within reach, she was so close! Blood pumped through his veins, dousing his vision in a haze as he pushed himself closer. He laughed aloud, a croaky, frantic sound. He could smell her psychic scent filling up this cursed village like rotten pus in a diseased boil.

All he wanted was to rend this corrupted abscess, destroy it forever. The smell of it was driving him forward to ride the killing edge hard.

This time, she would die. He would see her blood run, break her under his fists.

He would kill her, the Queen—Adele.

She would die, and so would anyone who stood in his way.

5/Delacova

Delphine's eyes flicked up as she felt him approaching, the male driven so far beyond himself that he was nothing more than a hateful creature acting on instincts. She'd woken up that morning and known: today was the day, and she needed to be alone to do this. Trying to convince the males to leave her alone for the entirety of the day without explaining why had been difficult—until Chris had appeared and rounded the troops up to go pile their attention onto the two remaining females.

Now it was midday, and Delphine had been walking alone since morning in the forest behind the manor, wearing her widow's weaves and waiting for Adam to show himself. He would come to her; in that, at least, she had faith. She was less sure of was what she was supposed to do when he did, but she'd prepared as much as she could. Now it would all fall into place, may the Darkness help her.

And then he was standing right in front of her.

Delphine jumped—she hadn't even heard him approach. May the Darkness be merciful, he looked like a demon. He wasn't in the Twisted Kingdom—not yet—but… Adam stood stock-still before her, staring, malnourished and unkempt; his ribs showed through tattered clothes, and every inch of him was covered in filth. Even so, his muscles bulged, surging with power. His eyes were sunken in their sockets, his face hollow and skeleton-like. But those eyes, they glowed with an unearthly malice that drove him beyond exhaustion to this place, for this deed.

Widow. She wasn't even sure he recognized her. She wasn't sure she recognized him.

She stared at him for a few seconds, speechless. This was a thousand times worse than anything she could have imagined. Then he smiled, grinning at her from behind those soulless eyes, and Delphine shivered.

"Prince Lathan."

His grin widened.

Distantly, she reflected that she hadn't really considered what she'd do when confronted with such raw hatred and unstable power far deeper than her own. She'd not prepared at all for a fight with such a dangerous creature, hadn't even calculated it as a possibility.

She thought about all these things, and then let them pass through her mind like water even as she reached up to either side of Adam's head, placing her hands with care against his temples. She was not afraid. Not. Afraid. He needed her help, wanted her help.

In a trance-like state, she slipped into Adam's mind; she found herself outside his inner barriers, the mental walls that protected all of the Blood from their own, walls strengthened by one's power.

Which meant Delphine couldn't get in.

She waited outside the outermost barrier to see if he would willingly let her in, but he did nothing. While he wasn't actively opposing her yet, he wasn't going to help her, either.

Delphine concentrated. A Black Widow had done this to him: no one could deteriorate so quickly from a healthy, happy human being to something like this without mental interference. Since Adam wore the Green, his inner barriers were impossible for her to bypass by force; either the other Widow was stronger than Adam, which was doubtful, or she'd found another way to breach his walls. Delphine was unwilling to make the same intrusion and lose his fragile trust unless she had no other choice, so Delphine reached out to him.

Adam, let me in.

A mental shiver, but he still didn't fight her.

Adam, please, she begged. I just want to help you. All she needed was a moment for his trust to crack enough to open the doors so she could slip in and figure out what was wrong. He wavered, but it wasn't enough to sway him.

Adam, I know Adele misses you.

Delphine felt the mental gasp. She knew she'd plunged him into a psychological tub of icy water, but she saw her moment arrive: while he was vulnerable, his barriers quaked and parted a little. Delphine slipped between them and went straight for his core, wrapping herself around it, snake-like. She was in control.

In the physical world, his body vibrated under her fingertips from such an invasion, but Delphine held firm. And then they came at her: all his doubts and fears about Adele, like beasts with teeth and claws, ready to destroy her and Adam both.

His vision was doused in red as he advanced upon his enemy, blood singing in his veins. Something within him screamed a battle cry as the woman in front of him was knocked off her feet. Her golden-red hair scattered in every direction as she turned to face him, blue eyes wide with terror as the Warlord Prince advanced upon her. He raised his weapon high above his head.

Kill her!

*No!* Delphine shouted.

He paused, surprised at the intervention in his thoughts; then the next came.

He wanted to feel real skin bruise under his hands, see her blood run. The heat of the battle swept him away; the sweet caress of the violence, the zing in his veins. Just the thought of bloodletting and pain teased his instincts. Time seemed to slow to the steady beating of his heart. The Warlord Prince in him howled with hunger.

*Why? Why do you need to do these things?*

He needed to see someone pay for all the times they had tried to use him. And she had hurt him the worst of all of them.

*Adele.*

Yes! Make her feel the pain you've felt, make her pay for all of them! Queens aren't exempt from payback when it is due.

*No! Queens are never exempt from due punishment, but they are Queens! They should never be harmed.*

She didn't really want him, to her he was just a tool, she was just like all the others.

Delphine could feel the pain now instead of the raw anger, wounds that delved deeper, driving the violence and anger.

The one woman he'd thought was different, whom he'd thought he could trust. Just when he'd thought it was safe to come out of his shell.

*No! Adele would never do that! She'd never be like that!*

He thought she had been different from the others, but maybe he had been wrong.

*No, Adam, you weren't wrong! Adele is a good Queen and a good person. You know that.*

She had always wanted something from him, to follow her around like a little trained puppy at her beckoned call, and then she had asked the hardest thing of all: to let her leave and sit around, waiting for her until she was finished playing with other males and felt like coming back for him.

The dark thoughts rolling off him ceaselessly were making Delphine ill. How could he ever think these things? She wanted to cry for him.

*Adam…*

She was a Queen who didn't have as much raw power as he, who needed a strong male protector. I wanted to be that protector. I would have let her use me…

His heart was bleeding, and Delphine knew the only way to help was to let it happen, to just hold him and let it bleed out.

He was drowning in it, her greed. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move or even think. Adam was completely trapped in it. Still, she wanted more, demanding more that he was happy to give.

It was exactly like those other women who demanded, who thought they were entitled to everything he could offer because he was standing in front of them. It was like that with her, too.

And then Delphine braced herself as she saw a figure approaching, knew who and what it was before it came close. Adele stood before her, with all her captivating beauty, but the memory of her had been twisted by Adam's psyche until she resembled something from a horror story. Her blue eyes glowed with predatory menace, face a bit sunken and mouth curved in a greedy smile with pointed, sharp teeth. She looked like some sort of ghastly succubus, seductive and terrifying. Her body was more succulent than Adele's had ever been, warped but maintaining her features and coloring. Adele reached for her, wearing a hideous grin, gluttony gleaming in her eyes. Delphine had to force herself not to be violently ill on the spot. Was this how Adam saw her now?

Steeling herself as the creature crept towards her, Delphine raised a bow, armed with an arrow of shining truth. She shot the arrow straight through the creature, and it released a hideous scream as it shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. When it faded, the real Adele stood there, imperfections and all—her strawberry-blonde hair, deep blue eyes, pale skin, eyes shining with warmth, affection, and laughter. Adam gasped as another memory came rushing back to him.

Long hair that stuck to her spectral face from the rain and clung to her back; bright skin that glowed in the moonlight, making her look more vision than real. She seemed untouchable in her perfection, and yet as he stood, holding her, she had never felt more physical.

He hadn't really said goodbye to Adele—not the way he had been hoping to. He had to go to Adele and give her the goodbye she deserved, the kind that wouldn't let her soon forget him. Forget me not!

*Adele?*
He felt her stirring from a light sleep on the other end of the link. *Adam?* Confusion, then surprise. *Adam! What is it?* She was alarmed.
He laughed softly. *Come out to your balcony.*
He felt her pause, wary. *Why?*
 *Just come.*
 Putting on a grin, he held out the small blue flower and said the words he had rehearsed. "I wanted to give you this: it's a forget-me-not, because I never want you to forget about me."

"Adam…" Mother Night, he loved her, and he wanted with everything in him to show her how he felt.
Without thinking, he rushed at her as passion took over; slamming a hand against the house, he leaned towards, her but stopped there. She rose to meet him but paused at the last moment, putting a hand on his chest; glazed eyes met his intensely before she pressed their lips together and he took them into oblivion. He kissed her with all the love that he felt for her, with desperation and longing and fierce joy.

Eventually, he pulled away, breathing harsh, his glassy eyes looking deeply into hers. She looked stunned and completely stunning, and they were both panting, faces mere inches apart searching one another's eyes.

Delphine watched, speechless at the romantic scene. This had really happened? What could she say in the face of something like this? Then she felt his pain double, as if he had been kicked in the gut by these memories he'd twisted inside himself.

His heart ached: not a single letter in all this time, and no answer to his; four months of silence. He had given her time; maybe she was just busy, perhaps with her new friends and too preoccupied to bother with a fleeting romance. Only the romance hadn't just been fleeting for him. He had fallen in love with Adele, and at the same time, he couldn't push away the feeling that she had just forgotten about him, that she had only wanted him for the moment and then dumped him as soon as they were apart.

Delphine caught her breath at that. *What? No, this can't be right! She wrote to you, Adam!*

He completely broke down; he was not even listening to her at this point. She doesn't want to be with me! I loved her, and she didn't love me back.

*No! Adam! I know Adele feels the same way!*

She was thrust out of his mind and back into the physical world. Delphine gasped from the shock, moved her hands from Adam's temples to his shoulders, grasping them for support. She looked him over, and already, he looked worlds better.

"She doesn't want to be with me. I love her, but she doesn't love me back."

Adam's eyes filled. Tears spilled down his cheeks as heaving sobs wracked his body.

Delphine shook him. "Adam, Adele was writing you all that time!" He looked down at her with haunted eyes. "She never got any of your letters, either! Someone's been tricking you."

He stared.

"I know she hasn't stopped thinking of you, even though she doesn't like to talk about it. I know it's been hurting her that you haven't said a word since she left."

He stared at her desperately. She could do this. She could bring him back. She could make this right for him and her sister. Her elation soared but was eclipsed by the memory of her vision. Delphine closed her eyes painfully, because she knew what was about to happen and was powerless to stop any of it.

"Adam?" a small, disbelieving voice came from behind her.

Adele.

Delphine opened her eyes to see Adam's gaze dart past her. Taking her hands off his shoulders, she turned around. There she was. Delphine had never seen Adele look more frail or uncertain than she did now. She heard someone else coming into the clearing.

"Adele, why did you go running off like that? I was-" Khevin cut himself off as he saw Adam. Then he was in front of Adele in a defensive position, looking sick to his stomach but determined. Adam was a threat to Adele and thus an enemy, for all that he was a friend; this was such a perfect disaster.

Adam's eyes moved from Adele to Khevin and back again; Delphine could almost hear what he was thinking.

"Adam, what happened?" Adele started to say, trying to move past Khevin. "Why are you-"

"Don't, Adele," Khevin said.

Adam's expression twisted from shocked to pained, and his face contorted. "Khevin…Adele…" He turned away from them all and bolted back into the forest.

"ADAM!" Adele screamed after him, but Khevin grabbed her and held her back.

Delphine closed her eyes, jaded. "Don't go after him. You can't help him right now."

"Why not?" her sister shouted.

"Because I've already done my best to heal Adam's mind," she answered. "He needs time to fix the rest on his own." Opening her eyes, she looked straight into Adele's. "Someone has done serious damage to his memories and his Self."

Adele stopped struggling to stare at her, horrorstruck; Khevin looked like he was about to be ill.

"Someone went into Adam's mind and twisted him," Delphine explained, "trying to mold him for their own designs. They planted a seed of hatred for you in his mind and let him take off with it. They were meant to twist his real memories of you into something fake, so he'd think it was his own idea and not someone else's. They wanted him become so enraged that he'd kill you."

Adele gasped, covering her mouth.

Delphine looked to the trees where Adam had disappeared into the forest. "That's why he came here today." When they said nothing, she continued, "It took a lot of skill and a lot of menace to do this. Someone wants you dead because you will be an important Queen in Tirrador, Adele, and you are in their way."

Delphine gave her Queen a long, hard look—there was no looking the other way this time, not like with Roxana. There was no way she could ignore such a blatant, calculated attack against her. She would finally have to face the facts, whether she wanted to or not.

Straightening, Adele swallowed hard, her eyes on the ground. "Do you think he'll come back?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

She thought about lying, she really did. But in the end, all she said was, "I don't know."

Adele nodded, still staring at the ground. "Delphine?"

Delphine watched as her Queen paused, as if on the brink of something, then withered, hunching, and shook her head. Fear blazed up in her stomach, but she couldn't say why or what she was so scared about. She was just afraid.

Chapter 12 Preview:

*Did you feel that?* Blaises' sharp instincts had also picked up that angry stirring of power before it had been masked by Craft.

Chris felt himself glide down to the killing edge like a feather falling into place, and then made a fast descent to the Green like a stone dropping into water, creating ripples that would alert the other males that this was a fight. He felt their agitation in response and descended to their full power as he called in a bladed stick for a ranged fight.