Annika had no idea how she had been convinced to go on stage. Tabitha had mentioned to Slavica that she had a wonderful singing voice and next thing she knew she was up here.

Oh well, she thought, might as well make the most of it. Her hands caressed her old guitar, worn to a silky smoothness from being played so often. "Don't ask me why I'm crying, I'm not going to tell you what's wrong, I'm just gonna sit on your lap for five dollars a song, I want you to pay me for my beauty, I think it's only right, 'cause I have been paying for it all of my life!"

Her eyes met Andre's as the audience applauded. Okay, she might forgive him for this.

A woman and a man entered the room. Her gaze took in the female. She had the same red hair as Annika, the same eyes and the same features.

You snake, she snarled at Andre. The woman had to be Natalya, her father's twin sister, her aunt. Suddenly the lyrics took on a whole new meaning. "We barely have time to react in this world, let alone rehearse, and I don't think I'm better than you, but I don't think that I'm worse, women learn to be women, and men learn to be men, and I don't blame it all on you, but I don't want to be your friend."

Annika kept her eye on the woman and her lifemate while she sang the chorus. All too soon it was time for the bittersweet/favorite line."I was eleven years old, he was as old as my dad, and he took something from me, I didn't even know that I had, so don't tell me about decency, don't tell me about pride, just give me something for my trouble, 'cause this time, it's not a free ride."

Natalya seemed to be blinking away tears. Annika finished the song and stepped off the stage. The thundering applause didn't make her feel better. She walked toward Andre, her head down.

Annika HELP! Came her siblings cry.

"No," she whispered before running toward the door. She was aware of Andre behind her as she pushed past her father's twin. Vikirnoff tried to hold her, she shredded his arm and broke free, running up the stairs.

There were unfamiliar safeguards on the door, she simply shredded through them. Her eyes took in the scene, a man was taking Danica's blood, he obviously had her under a compulsion. Safeguards kept her younger siblings away from them.

Annika leapt, shredding the safeguards as she went. She yanked Danica behind her while she pinned the male. A red haze clouded her vision. The male broke free and Annika called the vines outside to come to her aid. The wrapped themselves around the male, keeping him in one place. Raoul tossed his dagger to her, she placed it against the male's throat.

"Why shouldn't I kill you now?" she hissed. "She is my sister and under by protection. Who do you think you are to touch her!??"

The male didn't answer. Andre approached his lifemate slowly, aware that she was in a killing rage. "Annika, put the knife down, he's her lifemate. He bound her to him, if you kill him, Danica will die too."

Danica cried out and and ran out onto the balcony. Annika became aware that the room was very crowded. Forrest and Celyn had placed themselves between the youngsters and the unknown males.

Natalya and Vikirnoff were there, behind two males who wore power like a cloak. The one with silver eyes seemed to be even more dangerous. From what Andre had told her, this was Gregori, the Prince's second in command. That meant that the male with black eyes must be the Prince.

With a sigh, she tossed the blade back to Raoul, he caught it and slid it back into it's sheath. Giving the command to the vines to release the male, she thanked them and sent them back to their latice.

"Touch her again and I will kill you," Annika promised the male. She turned to Andre, "I need to go after Danica, you deal with this."

Without another word, she went out onto the balcony. Light shone from the roof overhead. When Danica was upset, she played with lightning. Annika climbed up onto the roof beside her. Danica was covered in lighting. She was crying, the electricity and the liquid crackled.

"Danica, it's going to be okay. We'll figure this out. He won't hurt you," Annika reassured.

"It's not that, Tariq wouldn't hurt me. It's just that I'm not ready. I love my family, I'm not ready to give it up yet. He didn't bind me to him, I could feel that he wanted to, but he wanted me to have my time. I just...." Danica trailed off.

"It's going to be okay. Of course you need time, you're only sixteen. Andre told me that another girl had found her lifemate. Her name is Skyler, she's only sixteen too. We should get you two together. Come on, you know that they're making decisions down there."

Danica caught at Annika's shirt, "Don't hurt him, he's hurting too much already."

Annika smiled reassuringly at her. Together the sisters slid down onto the porch.