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Zoey's POV

We all stared at Neferet in shock, momentarily paralysed. Then I shook myself - seeing the terror in my friends' eyes – and asked Neferet one question:

"Where's Stevie Rae?"

Neferet ignored me, taking an advancing step towards us. I decided to ask a different question.

"What about Aphrodite? What have you done to her?" My voice almost wavered, but I bit my lip and clenched my fists stubbornly.

Neferet smirked, her face twisting into an ugly mask of wickedness. She glanced over our group to Aphrodite, who was still on the cold stone floor, with blood constantly pumping out of her. I didn't think it was possible – human or vamp – for anyone to have that much blood inside them. She was losing so much.

"Ah, your little 'friend'" As Neferet talked she walked straight past us to Aphrodite. I felt the others tense beside me as we turned to look behind us and automatically tensed myself.

"I have put her under an entrapment spell – one that keeps the victim alive while they are sealed with an invisible, unbreakable bond. And here's the clincher-" Neferet grinned, showing pearly white, razor-sharp teeth. "If you want her to stay alive, then you can't kill me."

I heard one of the twins gasp next to me, but my mind was busy whirring away trying to come up with a plan. All the while, a voice in the back of my mind kept drilling on the question 'Where are Mathew and Stevie Rae?' Had Neferet taken them too and locked them away somewhere else?

Then Neferet turned her deadly gaze on me, and I suddenly felt a searing pain radiating from my very centre. I collapsed on the floor, screaming out in agony as my chest began to bleed.

"What are you doing?" I heard one of my friends scream – although I wasn't sure which one as a deafening high-pitched noise rang in my ears.

"This is the only way out", Neferet said in a flat tone. "You must choose which one to save."

I looked up though the pain and saw her place a glistening red stone on the floor. A deafening echo sounded as she turned and started walking away. My top was now soaked in blood.

"Wait!" the Twins called after her. She looked back in mock-curiosity. "How will this save them?"

"One of them", she corrected. "You'll have to work that out yourselves."

I felt the ground tremble as she turned and walked away.

Then there was silence.

I stared at the stone, my inner instinct screaming at me to reach out and grab it. The Twins were silent, but it was Damien who I focused on, as he had a look of utter helplessness on his face.

"What is it, Damien?" I croaked, hating how hoarse and helpless I sounded. My blood was now running down onto the floor. The Twins both looked at him, one sitting on either side.

"It's a blood-stone", he said heavily. We all looked at him blankly.

"What does that mean?" Shaunee asked quietly.

"It means that, in order to heal someone, you have to dig the stone into their wound until it touches the core of the wound. In this case, it would mean digging the stone in deep enough to touch the heart."

The silence fell again, this time it was quiet enough to hear my staggered breathing. I looked to the ground, where a puddle of blood was gathering around my legs. I shuddered and feel to the floor, my vision going blurry.

"Come on Damien, we have to save her!" Erin shouted, exasperated.

"But we have to…" I heard Damien begin, before dark numbness descended on me and my body went into shutdown.

Then all was deathly quiet. It was peaceful, in a way, as it meant that I could let go. I felt myself drift through space, not seeing, not feeling, but just being. I felt I could float here, in space, forever.

Then I was bought back to reality with a terrifying jolt, as I felt a piercing hot sensation – like the core of the sun being poured into the centre of my very existence. It felt as if my soul was being torched, and that my insides were slowly burning up with it.

Then the pain stopped, and I regained consciousness.

I saw Damien and the Twins anxiously leaning over me, waiting with worried expressions. As I held my arms out to be helped up, they eagerly came to my assistance.

As I sat up I realised that my chest-wound was gone, with no traces that it had ever been there – save from the dried blood on the floor and my soaking clothes.

I looked over at Aphrodite, turning a chalky pale colour against the hard concrete floor.

"Help her!" I cried out, shocked that my friends had tried nothing to save her.

"We can't", Damien whispered.

"Why not?"

Damien looked up at me, an emptiness resounding in his eyes.

"The stone's gone."

Stevie Rae's POV

I woke up, aching all over. I couldn't move much, but when I tried I felt a searing pain shoot along all of my joints. It was as if I'd just woken up after years of being in a coma.

When I looked up, though, it was obvious no more time had passed than a few hours. Standing no more than three feet away and glaring at me like I was the devil's spawn, was Mathew. His eyes were red, a sign that he was still possessed under Neferet's spell. I felt a pang in my chest at the thought of losing him forever. However, I was determined not to give up that easily.

"Mathew?" I asked gently, not wanting to provoke him. He didn't respond, but kept staring at me.

"Please Mathew, it's me", I pleaded, desperately trying to get through to him. I could feel his eyes boring into my skull, his intense glare giving me a migraine.

That's when I thought of it.

I had only come across it once, I hadn't even been taught it in class. I think I might have read it in one of my books my gran gave me once.

I took a deep breath and focused completely on Mathew's face. I frowned at him slightly, giving a feigned-confused look.

"Mathew, you have something on your forehead."

At first, he didn't respond, but as I focused more and more on the Mark on his forehead he subconsciously put his hand up to his face and wiped it with the back of his hand. I made sure the puzzled look didn't leave my face.

"It's still there", I acted confused, as if I genuinely didn't know what I was talking about. This was the time when my acting skills were genuinely being put to the test. He put his hand back up to his forehead again, still unsure. A flicker of hope sparked in me as I saw a flinch of doubt cross his face.

I shook my head, still keeping up with the charade.

"Here", I said tenderly, getting out my foundation. "I'll cover it up for you."

I held my breath as he hesitated, and then slowly walked over to me. He knelt down so I could reach his forehead.

But, instead of rubbing foundation over his Mark, I kissed him softly.

Suddenly, he blinked and broke away.

I looked into his eyes once more, fear threatening to overpower me.

This time, his eyes were not glowing. They were blood-shot.

Thank you for reading, please review if you want any more chapters and to let me know what you think. Thank you!