I as quietly as possible tip-toed up to Blade's quarters, breathing as silently as possible through my nose. As I've mentioned before, I follow my instincts, and my instincts were telling me that he'd still be up here, probably trying to get ready for battle or something. My heart was pounding in my head the closer I got, my eyes fixed upon the door ahead of me.

This might be my last few moments on this earth, I thought as I gripped the hilt of my wooden sword tighter, I might die tying to set free Delos and Rogue. Delos, I knew, was still probably trying to reach me by mind, trying to get me to come back down to him, but I refused to concentrate on it. I put every thought I had into jumping Blade and defeating him.

I approached the door, trying to take deep, silent, steadying breaths to keep myself calm. Slowly, I leaned against the door till my ear was pressed against it, closing my eyes and shutting the world out to listen hard. For a moment I couldn't hear anything and dread started to settle in, but then I heard the sound of wood hitting metal and a snarled curse following a CLASH of metal on the floor.

He's in there, I thought to myself grimly, this is my chance—its now or never.

I took a deep breath, held it, gripped the door knob and swung the door open and rain in…

Where Blade—leaning down to pick up a fallen steel dagger—looked up with shock and startled surprise written all over his face.

I closed the distance between us instantly and jumped at him before he could get his bearings, knocking both of us to the hard floor.

He fought half-heartedly against me as we rolled and I had a feeling that it was only because he'd been so surprised by my entrance. With one big heave, I knocked him onto his back, me on top, and pressed the tip of my wooden sword into his neck. He stared up at me in total disbelief, breathing hard. "Are you nuts?" he asked, not quite snarling, "Or do you have a death wish?" I couldn't help but snicker at the irony of his questions; hadn't Delos once asked me that? Blade looked me as though I were insane.

"Maybe," I mused, "Maybe it's both—love makes you do some crazy things." Blade looked even more confused, so I rolled my eyes and clarified, "My soulmate is in that dungeon—and I know you're the only one with the key." My eyes narrowed and the tip of the sword dug a little deeper into his neck, "Where is it Blade?"

Blade bit out a harsh laugh, "You really are insane," He laughed but there was no humor in it, "Even if I handed the key over to you, you still wouldn't be able to make it past the guard…"

"I've already taken care of that—you'll find him with his neck snapped at the bottom of the stairs." Blade didn't reply to that—he merely stared at me in complete disbelief, as though he were truly seeing me for the first time. "I'm serious about this Blade—I'm willing to die for him. All you have to do is give me the key and there'll be no trouble."

Blade regarded me with a look that surprised me—it wasn't the malice I expected from him. Instead, it was a searching, thoughtful expression. "You said he was your soulmate."

My eyebrows furrowed in suspicion—why, of all people, did Blade care about my relationship with Delos? "Yes," I reluctantly answered.

Blade was silent for a moment, the searching look on his face never wavering. "Would you really do anything for him? Give up your life—everything?" Okay, Blade must have hit his head when I jumped him, I thought. This wasn't at all like him—normally he would have been fighting me like crazy to get me off of him despite the sword tip at his neck. But he was just lying there, staring up at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yes," I answered truthfully, but in confusion, "I don't understand how this has anything to do with the location of the…"

"Top drawer of my dresser," I blinked at him. I blinked again. "Well, are you going to get it?" I sat there, staring at him.

"Why?" I finally managed to gasp out, "I don't understand…"

Blade's expression tightened. "Because you're right—you should do anything and everything to protect your soulmate, even if you are different." I shook my head—Blade, have a soulmate? The idea might have made me laugh a few days ago, but after seeing Delos again and feeling his mind connect with mine again, I didn't doubt that even someone as cruel as Blade could have a soulmate. But who…?

And then I knew. "Rogue," I whispered in disbelief, "You're soulmates with Rogue," It wasn't a question—it was a statement of fact. Blade's expression tightened and he looked away from me. "How…how long have you known?"

Blade was silent and I wondered if he was going to answer me, but after a moment of silence he replied, "For a while now, I suppose. I wasn't really aware of it until I was forced to put her in that terrible place."

"Why didn't you ever say something to her?" Part of me was angry—he'd had every chance to help her, save her, do something for her, and yet he'd ignored her and treated her like vermin, "Why didn't you ever do anything for her?"

Blade's gaze snapped to mine as quick as lightning, "Because I couldn't without getting both of us killed, that's why!" the look on his face…all the anger suddenly vanished just by looking at his face. He looked so torn, so heart broken…

Almost like Delos had when the ice around him shattered.

"You don't understand…but you of all people should! Alec even told you why, practically! Alec hates soulmates…if I'd even recognized that we were soulmates, he would have had us both killed." Blade shook his head, "It would have been better for me not to have recognized it."

I stared at him, and I could feel that my jaw had dropped open. I closed it, meditating on his words—he was right. Alec would have killed me if I hadn't had the wooden knife on me. He would have killed both Blade and Rogue—and as a soulmate, I knew that if it came to staying away from Delos in order to save his life, I'd do it.

But things were changing now.

"Alec's kingdom will fall," I promised Blade, "And when it does…you and Rogue can get out of here and live together in peace. But you're the one who needs to help us now. By doing so, she might soften up a bit—because she's probably not too happy with you right now, if you know what I mean." As I spoke, however convincing I thought I sounded, Blade was shaking his head.

"It's not possible," he interrupted.

"What do you mean?" I demanded angrily, "Of course it's possible!"

"No—the only way you can take down Alec and the kingdom is to set the slaves free—something I highly doubt you could do on your own. They won't listen to a Night Person—which is what you are—and they're too frightened to leave on their own." I considered his words carefully—they made sense. The slaves refused to talk or even look at me in the eye until I led Alec down the hallway with two wooden knives turned on him. I thought I'd seen some kind of respect in their eyes as I'd passed them, but I didn't know if that was only just a momentary thing.

But I still had to try.

"I'll set them free," I announced, getting up and off of him, sheathing my sword. Blade sat up quickly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You're crazy—I just told you…"

"I know what you said; but it's still worth a try." I started for his drawers, talking as I went, "I realize that they might not listen to me because of what I am, but I've still got to try—for Delos, for Rogue…" I paused, looking back at him seriously, "And, although I can't believe I'm saying this, and for you." we stared at one another for a long moment. It was obvious that Blade thought I was still insane, and who knows, maybe I was, but I could see the reluctant respect in his eyes.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked. I turned back to the drawer, opening the top one and pulling out the only item that was in it—the keys.

"Sort of—I've been making this up as I go." I stared at the keys in my hands, my mind working through the possibilities. Finally I took a deep breath and whirled back around, tossing the keys at him. "You're going to go free them."

Blade's jaw dropped in shock, "What?" He gasped out.

I shrugged, "If I'm going to free the slaves, I'm going to have to do it now and concentrate on it. I can't take the time to go back down there—besides, if I did and Delos knew my plan, he'd deem it as suicidal and not let me go,"

"Because it is suicidal," Blade interrupted, "You're the craziest person I've ever met, you know that?" I shrugged my shoulders again.

"Maybe," I replied, "but that doesn't matter—what matters is that you set them free and do whatever possible to get Rogue out."

"What about Delos?"

I paused. Delos no longer had the blue fire to protect him, but wasn't he already capable of defending himself without it? I didn't know the answer to that question—I assumed he would, since he was a vampire and…well, surely he was taught fencing as a child?

I didn't know the question to that either, but now I was just going to have to trust him. There was no way that he'd leave here without me safe in his arms. I knew that if our situations were reversed, I wouldn't be able to do it either. "Let him do as he pleases once he's out." I replied to Blade, "I don't know what he'll do."

Blade snorted, "I have a feeling he's going to want to rip Alec apart, but that's just me." I raised my eyebrows but didn't disagree with him. Now that I thought about it, he probably would.

"Well, good luck," I said as I started to walk out, feeling Blade's eyes on me as I went, "Oh," I stopped at the door and turned around, giving him a sarcastic smile, "And may the force be with you,"

Blade blinked at me in confusion, "What?"

I shook my head, chuckling to myself, "Nothing."

KKK

He'd had no idea that Delos's soulmate was so insane, Blade thought as he approached the broken apart door that lead to the dungeon, his stomach tightening in anticipation. He'd never thought he'd be in this situation either though—he never thought he'd be on a rescue mission to save Alec's enemy and a human—his soulmate, Rogue, he knew now—from certain death by the man he was supposed to be loyal to.

But although his mind reasoned that what he was doing was suicidal and crazy, and that he should be out there helping defend Alec's castle, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not now, not when he knew Rogue, his soulmate, would die if he didn't do something to save her.

He descended the stairs, his eyes instantly catching sight of the dead shapeshifter at the bottom of the stairs. She wasn't kidding, Blade thought, his eyebrows rose as he stepped over the body….

"YOU!" the snarled, distorted with fury, voice made Blade snap his attention to the prison. Delos stood there, his hands gripping the bars so tightly Blade could see his knuckles turn white, his lips curled over his sharpened canines, and his eyes a frightening liquid gold color. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?"

Blade stared at him for a moment before turning his attention to the cowering figure behind Delos. Instantly he softened, a small smile coming over his lips, "Are you alright Rogue?" Rogue's dark eyes widened in confusion, but before she could reply Delos was raging on.

"WHERE IS SHE? I SWEAR, IF YOU'VE…"

"She's not dead," Blade instantly snapped, annoyed with Delos—he didn't ever think he'd become friends with Delos, even if they did happen to make it through this battle. Delos still stood there, looking like he would rip Blade's head off if he came too close. Blade sighed irritably—he probably needed to explain before he let Delos out. "We've come to a truce—I'm here to set you two free."

Both Delos and Rogue looked at him as though he'd told them he'd been mauled by a pink flying unicorn two seconds ago. And he didn't blame them—who would have thought he'd be doing this? "I know you two don't understand, and…well, I promise to explain it to you later Rogue, because it has to do with you…but right now the important thing is that I set you free, get Rogue out of here safely, and…well, you can do whatever you want Delos."

"Where is she?" Delos obviously thought about Maggie twenty four seven, that much was clear to Blade now. Blade shrugged his shoulders.

"She went to go free the slaves—otherwise this kingdom will never truly fall. It needs slaves—if she frees the slaves, the kingdom will fall permanently." Delos had gone very still while Blade was filling him in, his eyes wide with horror.

"She went off by herself?" Delos clarified, his voice no longer threatening but cold with fright.

Blade shrugged, "She seemed like she knew what she was doing—I'm sure she'll…"

"Let me out, RIGHT NOW!" Delos shouted, giving the bars such a hard shake that Blade almost thought he'd break through right then and there.

Blade shrugged and went forward, pulling the key out and shoving it into the lock. He gave his wrist a twist and the lock clicked, indicating that it was now unlocked. Delos was the first at the door, and as soon as Blade pulled it open just a bit, Delos shoved his way through, pushing Blade back a little as he raced for the stairs.

Blade stood looking after him, his eyes wide. Before today, he might have grown angry and gone after Delos to teach him a lesson, but now…

A hand covered his gloved one and he looked down to find Rogue staring up at him, her eyes wide and sincere. "Thank you," She whispered, "You have no idea how much that means to the both of them that you did that."

Blade softened, his hand gripping hers and tightened slightly. "I think I do know now," he replied. When Rogue gave him a confused look, Blade shook his head. "I'll explain later," he assured her, "first let's get you safe, okay?"

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Lawlz, this was certainly an interesting chapter. But it took a while to write, just because a lot was going on. Battle scenes always wear me out. XD

REVIEW!

Love,

Alice