Hey, you guys need to review in order to tell me what you think, otherwise it would be pointless to keep updating. PS- Happy new year! Don't forget to like my facebook page. ;)

Jackie- The italics are the memories that she remembers during her present time and they aren't in a sequence. It's okay if you're a bit confused. The part where she runs away is in a different time zone and when he told her not to come back that's at a different time. Hope this helps :)

DISCLAIMER: I OWN THIS STORY'S PLOT AND CHARACTERS.

You're fired.

By the time I reached my chariot I felt as if all my energy had been drained.

The flashbacks and the present were taking a toll on me.

I slumped in the carriage whilst Mary gave me a questioning look.

"Don't ask" I said to the question she hadn't raised and that was the end of it.

I put my head down to relax but then I was again in unknown territory. This was really starting to annoy me.

*I had been running for hours. My feet were bloody as I had lost my shoes somewhere along the way. I had stab wounds from my sister and scratches because of the branches I had blurred passed. I was out of breath and my lungs were protesting.

If I had known I would be kicked out of my clan I wouldn't have come to see the graves of my parents or let my carriage- that had dropped me here- go back to the would've been easier to sneak in the graveyard instead.

I realized the only place I would be safe was the castle, but, Alex had forbidden me to return.

How could I go back?

How will I beg him to let me stay there?

After everything I had said…

At this point I would agree to all the name calling Claire says too if it meant I could stay somewhere. After all something is better than nothing. And what could be safer for me right now than the castle especially with hunters out for my blood.

As I reached the gate, I silently thanked my lucky stars for being a hunter myself, had I been some ordinary person I wouldn't have been able to cover so much ground.

It was nightfall by the time I got in.

Out of breath, I stumbled near a guard.

"State your purpose." He said in an intimidating way.

"I'm-I'm Elizabeth, I live here in the castle, with the prince, surely you recognize me." I tried to wing it.

"Ma'am with all due respect, your permission to enter has been revoked by higher authority. You are not allowed inside anymore."

"If you'll just let me talk to Alex-"

"That's Prince Alexander for you" said the other guard walking towards me looking at me with disgust in his eyes. "As far as we know, you've been discarded like a piece of trash but that's an outcome we knew would materialize which is good for me since I would win our bet. Human filth, we all knew it would end this way no? Or were you naïve enough to hope otherwise? Now be on your way."

I had never been more insulted in my life.

Keeping that aside I knew I had to somehow get to Alex so I took a deep breath and attacked these two guards with my hunter skills.

I knew I couldn't kill them especially as I didn't have my equipment with me but I could immobilize them to an extent.

I made a dash across the garden hoping to catch Alex from the western wing closest to his room but before I could reach the gate the guards had caught up to me.

Damn their vampire speed!

However, from the corner of my eye, I could see a lone figure, standing in the same garden as I had seen him the first time I had met him.

"Alex-" I shouted with all my might before the guard closed his hand over my mouth.

He tried dragging me away but I kept fighting him.

He grabbed my arm where I had been stabbed and a strangled scream left my body as the pain became unbearable.

Suddenly Alex looked our way to see what the commotion was all about and in another second he was before us.

"Leave her this instance!" He said in a threatening tone as he saw the tears rolling down my cheeks. Oh damn, I never had cried in my entire life and here I was, being pathetic and crying from the pain.

Just as the guards left me I rushed to Alex and hid my face in his chest while he embraced me in his warm arms.

"I'm sorry-" I tried to choke out but before I could apologize he shushed me and said "it's okay."

"You're fired." He said to the two guards who had tried to stop me. I guess he had heard everything. "Under whose order did you stop her from coming in?"

"Uh- we- uh- heard your conversation and thought her invite was revoked."

"She is always welcome here, you would know if you paid attention to orders rather than speculation of rumors, and while you leave do hand in the list of guards who place such ridiculous bets so that they can follow suit."

He took me inside the castle straight to the confines of our warm room that we shared.

"What happened?" he softly asked.

"Oh Alex, it was horrible." I mumbled into his chest he just hugged me harder.

Tears started streaming down my face "Please don't cry love." He whispered.

He had been so kind to me ever since we had met and that's not what I can say about my supposed family. "They.."

"Did they do this? Did they hurt you?" he asked quietly.

I cried like I had never before. "All I wanted was to visit my parents grave.. On their death anniversary.. Oh Alex!" I just couldn't say anything else.

He just hugged me and gave me his blood to drink so I'd heal. I didn't even have the energy to fight it.

"Listen to me. There is always, always a place here for you, with me." He grabbed my face and made sure I looked him in the eye. "You hear me?"

I nodded my head.

"Now let's go visit your parents' grave while the day remains the same and let's see which son of a bitch has the balls to stop us." *

Is it weird I that I am out of chapter headings/names? Ps- I will continue this flashback in the next chapter too and hopefully it'll be a long chapter depending on your reviews. ;)

Are flashbacks weird? I should just write it in either the past or the present lol I'm sure it's very confusing no?

Love,

Z0E.