Welp, here we are again. This has probably been the longest I've gone without writing. *looks at a calendar* Wow, 6 months. Cool. Awesome. Sweet. Anyways, here you guys go. The final chapter of Black Rose. Huzzah! *raises fist in the air* I hope you like it. I think it turned out pretty good. And one last note, please review. I really like hearing from people and want to know what you think of my writing. So...I'm gonna go now. *waves bye*

Disclaimer - I don't own anything from the Night World series. Khalidiah, Hazel, Zander, and Duncan are my characters.

Hazel

I sit up wide awake. I look around, but don't see the building anymore. It doesn't matter. I know that building like the back of my hand. I jump out of bed, throwing my door open and running down the hall.

"Thierry, Hannah, Zander!" I yell over and over.

Suddenly, my face hits something hard. I look up and see Zander. "Zander, I had a dream about this building and I know where the building is. I think it's where my mom is being held and I…" I ramble, taking a breath.

Zander holds his hands up, stopping me. "Whoa, slow down. You know where your mom is?"

I nod. "Yeah. I did a spell that would show me the way and it showed me this castle," I explain.

"And you know your mom is being held there how? Did you see her?" Zander asks.

I shake my head. "No, but my mom and I used to vacation at that castle all the time. It's called the Amberley Castle and it's in England," I say.

Zander's eyes widen. "Duncan's keeping your mom in England. Are you sure?"

I nod again. "I'm sure. I could feel it. And my powers have never left me down before."

Zander doesn't say anything else so I turn to head to my room to pack. "Where are you going?" Zander says from behind me.

I glance over my shoulder. "I'm going to go pack." I turn back around and start to head back to my room, but I run into Zander. "What are you doing? It's not fair for you to use your vampire powers on me," I say, crossing my arms.

"Hazel, I can't let you go. It's too dangerous. Besides, this is probably what Duncan wants. He wants you to go to him so he can capture you, too. And then there's the fact that we don't even know if your mom is even in that castle," he says.

I take a step back, surprised that he would doubt me. "You don't believe me? I know for sure that my mom is in that castle and you won't let me go save her," I whisper in disbelief.

Zander runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "No, it's not that I don't believe you...I just don't believe your powers," he says.

I gape at him. "Excuse me?! I finally start to believe that I really am a witch and I do a spell, which I haven't done in years, to save my mom who was kidnapped by my ex-boyfriend and you don't believe in my powers?!" I yell at him.

"No...I...uh," he stutters.

"Some soulmate you are," I spit at him, shoving past him. I head back to my room and slam the door shut behind me. I sigh, glaring at the floor. "Stupid Zander," I mutter under my breath.

I run a hand through my hair and grab a suitcase from the closet. I pack some clothes and a few books to distract myself on the flight. I zip it up and head downstairs, expecting Zander to stop me. I don't see him until I pause as I head out the front door. Our eyes lock and we stare at each other, neither of us making a move.

Finally, I close the door behind me and hail a taxi, heading to the airport. I buy a ticket to England and board the plane. I settle in my seat and the plane takes off. The ground below keeps getting smaller and smaller as I stare out the window. "I'm coming for you, Mom. Don't worry," I murmur to myself.

Zander

I head to Thierry's room and knock on the door. "It's open," someone calls from inside.

I open the door and head inside. Thierry sits at a desk and Hannah lays on the bed, reading a book. Thierry looks up and sees Zander.

He frowns. "What's wrong?" he asks.

I sigh. "Hazel did a spell and had a dream about this castle in England. She thinks her mom is there so she left and is heading there now."

Hannah's eyes widen. "What?! You let her go to England by herself?!" she yells flabbergasted. She puts her head in her hands and sighs. "She could get hurt. She's going up against Duncan, who is a vampire. I know she's a powerful witch, but even so she hasn't used her powers in years."

Thierry walks over to Hannah and takes her hand. "Don't worry. We'll go after her."

I look between Hannah and Thierry. "We?"

Thierry glances at me. "Yes, we. You and I. We're going to go after Hazel. Why aren't you more concerned? She is your soulmate after all," he says.

"I am worried and concerned. I just don't show it. I've been trying to take to her through the link, but she won't answer. I don't think she even know if she can hear me," I say.

Thierry stands up. "We'll let's go then. The faster we leave, the sooner we get there." And with that we head off to England.

Hazel

I step off of the plane and take a deep breath. Looking around, I see the castle in the distance. "It's still as beautiful as I remember it." I get my luggage and look around the street, wondering where the nearest hotel is. A woman directs me to a small inn and I book a room. I head up to the room and set my suitcase on the bed. I don't unpack; instead, I head back downstairs and start to walk towards Amberley Castle.

"Hang in there Mom. I'm coming." As I get closer to the castle, I start to feel a strong magical presence. I stop and stare at the huge wooden doors.

"What is he up to?" I mutter, my breath visible in the cold air. I walk up to the doors and a man dressed in armour stops me.

"Name?" he asks in a demanding voice.

"Uh...Hazel Edwards," I reply.

He opens the door and ushers me in. "He's been waiting for you."

I turn to the guard. "Who?"

The man sighs as if the answer to my question is obvious. "The guy who rented the entire castle," he says.

I open my mouth to ask who rented the castle, but he's already closing the door before I can say anything. I look around and take in my surroundings. The room is breath-taking and I slowly walk down the hall. I come to a split in the hall, looking down each corridor. Duncan, where are you?

Suddenly, I hear a laugh come from the hall in front of me and I follow the sound. A huge door stands closed at the end of the hall and I slowly make my way towards it. I press my ear to the cool wood and try to listen to what is happening on the other side. Silence is all I hear so I grab the handle of the door and slowly push it open.

I peek my head through the crack and look around. My eyes fill with tears when I see my mom sitting tied up in a cage. I fling the door open, my instincts thrown to the wind, and I rush over to her. "Mom!" I yell, tears streaming down my face.

"Hazel? You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous," she says.

I get to the cage, grabbing the bars and shaking them to try to free her. Then, I hear someone start to clap. I whirl around and see Duncan. My eyes narrow and I glare at him.

"Let her go!" I shout.

Duncan throws his head back and laughs. "That's not how it works, Hazel. You didn't come through with our deal. I told you to kill Thierry, but you didn't," he says, smirking. "Of course, I knew you wouldn't. You're too nice of a person." My hands clench into fists and Duncan's smirk grows. "Am I making you angry? Are you going to use some of your witchy power on me?" he mocks. He stops and looks around. "Where's your little boyfriend? I thought you would be glued at the hip by now."

"Shut up!" I scream, anger boiling through me. My powers start to take over and I form a ball of fire in my hands. I throw it at him, but he quickly dodges it.

"Aw, I made little Hazel angry. Let's see what you can do," he challenges.

I scream at him, tears flowing down my cheeks. "Let my mom go!" I yell, throwing more and more fireballs at him. One of them hits him in the shoulder and it burns some of his skin.

Duncan rolls his shoulder. "Ow, that one stung," he taunts.

"Just die already!" I shriek.

I fall to my knees, crying. The adrenaline and anger leave my body. I start to tremble, my body becoming numb. Then suddenly, Duncan grabs me by my throat and lifts me off the ground. I hear my mother shout, but Duncan snaps at her to be quiet and she falls silent. Duncan looks at me and smirks.

"Not so tough now?" he asks, squeezing my neck.

I grab at his hand, trying to pry it off, but he's too strong. Just as my vision starts to blur, I hear someone shout. At first, I think it was me, but I glance towards the door and see Zander and Thierry. My eyes begin to water and they lock with Zander's.

"Let her go!" he shouts, rushing over to Duncan. Then, I'm on the ground, gasping for breath. I look up and Thierry's by my side.

"Are you okay?" I nod, getting air back into my lungs. Once I'm able to breathe again, Thierry helps me to my feet. That's when I notice Zander and Duncan fighting. They're both a blur to me, fighting at vampire speed.

"Zander, be careful!" I shout. You too. I hear in my head and I smile. I turn to Thierry. "Help me get my mom out." He nods and rushes over to the cage. I stand there helplessly as I rack my brain for a spell to unlock something. I come up blank as I glance at Thierry. He slams his fist into one of the bars, but it doesn't even budge.

"Duncan must have made the metal vampire proof," he says, "I can't bend it."

My eyes go wide. "Then, how are we going to get her out?" I ask, staring at my mom tied up in the cage.

"We'll need to find the key," he says. I open my mouth to respond when a sharp pain shoots up my back and everything goes black.

Zander

Duncan throws a punch at me and I easily dodge it. We go back and forth, neither of us getting the upper hand when he suddenly stops. I end up on the other side of the room and I stare at him as he appears behind Hazel. Before I have time to react, a stake appears in his hand and he stabs her in the back.

"No!" I shout, but it's too late. Hazel falls to the ground and Duncan disappears.

"Let's see what you'll do, lover boy. Do you save your girlfriend's mom or do you save your girlfriend?" a voice says behind me.

I turn around and see Duncan holding a knife to Hazel's mom's neck. I glance at Hazel, who Thierry's kneeling over, and then back at Duncan.

"You're running out of time. She's going to bleed out soon," Duncan says.

I growl at him, my hands clenching into fists. "Thierry! Change her!" I yell.

"What?" Thierry yells back.

"I said, 'change her'!" I yell as I lunge for Duncan.

Hazel

Everything's black. There's nothing around me, but darkness; nothing. I can't feel my body, but I'm strangely okay with that. I hear distant sounds, but can't make out what they are. Nothing seems to happen in this empty world. Am I dead? I can't feel my mouth to even speak this. Do I even have a mouth?

Then, I see a light. A light begins to form in the distance. It stays like that for a few minutes. Maybe seconds or even hours? Time doesn't seem to pass in this place. Then, it starts to grow. Slowly, it gets bigger and bigger and that's when I start to feel my body again. My feet come back and then my legs. The sensation in my body begins to spread until I can feel all of it. The light starts to grow faster and I start to move. I speed towards the glow as it grows and then I'm awake.

I jolt up, gasping for breath. I look around; everything looks so bright and crisp. My eyes land on Zander and he stares back at me. Then, I'm in his arms and he's hugging me tightly.

"I thought I lost you," he says, burying his face in my hair. I try to speak, but I can't. I can't breath. I grab at my throat, trying to tell Zander. "Oh, right," he says, getting up and going over to a fridge. He pulls something out and walks back over to me. He hands me a clear plastic bag filled with a red liquid. "Drink this," he says.

My eyes widen when I smell it. I shake my head, not wanting to drink the blood. My eyes get even wider when I feel my teeth growing. Suddenly, I grab the bag from him and quickly drain the contents. Finally, I can breath.

"What-what am I?" I whisper, my voice hoarse.

Zander sits on the edge of the bed, taking my hand. "You're a vampire now."

"What? No, I can't be," I say as he squeezes my hand.

"You are. Duncan stabbed you in the back so I had Thierry change you or I wouldn't have been able to save your mom," he explain.

"Is she okay?" I say frantically.

He smiles a little. "She's fine. Thierry wiped her mind about anything that has to do with the Night World. Right now, she's at home and thinks you're on a date with me," he says.

I sigh, looking at the sheets on the bed. "So what happens now? I'm a vampire. Does that mean I still have my witch power or did they go away when I was changed?" I ask, so many questions running through my head.

Zander squeezes my hand again. "I don't know. Thierry says he's never known any witches who have been turned into vampires before. But for now, you need to rest and you can try some spells later."

I nod, not wanting to talk anymore. I curl up in the sheets and Zander strokes my hair until I fall asleep.

I throw another fireball at the target and it hits dead center this time.

"This is incredible. I've never seen anything like this before," Thierry says.

"Well, Hazel has always been weirder than most people," Khalidiah says.

"Hey," I shout, "I am not weirder than most people. If anything, you're the weird one."

Khalidiah laughs. "I'm just kidding."

"I know, but what I said is still true," I reply, smiling at her.

Thierry sighs. "Do they ever stop?" he mutters under his breath.

Hannah laughs. "Oh, come on, they're just teasing each other," she says, kissing his cheek.

He smiles at her and then glances at Hazel. "I think you're one of the first, if not the first, vampire-witch. Or at least a vampire who gets to keep their witch powers," he says.

I grin. "This is so cool."

Khalidiah glances behind her. "Uh oh, soulmate alert," she coughs.

Zander walks around the corner and my grin grows even more. "I heard that Khalidiah," he says as he walks over to me and gives me a hug.

"Love you too Zander," she replies, grinning.

I roll my eyes. "You two are such dorks," I say.

Khalidiah and Zander look at each other and smile. "But we're your dorks," they say at the same time. I roll my eyes again and laugh.

"Like I said, dorks," I say, poking Zander's side.

He pokes me back and I squeak. He chuckles and kisses my cheek. "So are you okay with being a vampire?" he asks.

I nod, intertwining my fingers with his. "I think I am. It might take some getting used to, but since I get to spend forever with you, I'm happy."

He smiles. "Good because I can't live without you."

"I can't either," I say. Then, he kisses me and I look up at the sky, thinking about what the future holds.

Yay, you made it to the end. That's the end of Black Rose. Please review and tell me what you think. I greatly appreciate it. Thanks. :)