very sorry about the delay. lot of papers and exams. college is a bitch haha. still updating by phone so i did as much as i could. hopefully ill be able to post more in the next few days. thanks for reading and reviewing.

Bo

"Back so soon?"

I opened my eyes to see Castor standing over me and quickly got up off the floor. "How'd I get here?" I asked him.

He tilted his head with a odd expression, "Apparently, feeding from Lauren isn't a good idea."

"Oh, no..." I whispered. "I fainted? Again?" I looked over at Castor. "Why is this happening?"

"I don't know."

"But you said you've done this before."

He shook his head, "Just because your soul is reincarnated doesn't mean you come back as a Succubus, or even Fae, every time. In fact, this is the first time you've actually been a Succubus, since Anna."

"So you can't stop it?"

"I can't," he said. "Did you have another vision?"

"If I did, I don't remember." I took a deep breath, "Do you think she's trying to tell me something? Anna, I mean."

"There's only one way to know that. Maybe once you find out what happened back then, it'll stop."

I nodded. "I have to get Lauren."

"If you can avoid being pulled out of the memory, that would help," he said.

"But there's a bounty out for Lauren and we don't know who's behind it yet."

"I'm looking into it. I'll keep watch while you're both unconscious and pull you out if there are any threats," Castor explained.

"I'll see what I can do, then."

When I woke up again, I was on my couch. Kenzi was sitting cross-legged in one of the armchairs, staring at her phone.

"Kenzi." I sat up and she moved to sit next to me.

"Bo, hey," she said softly. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine. How long have I been out?"

"About ten minutes," Dyson said from behind me and I jumped.

"Whoa. You're still here?" I asked, then shook my head, "I mean, um, hi."

"You kind of took off without telling us where you were going earlier," Kenzi explained. "Then Lauren came in all freaked 'cause you passed out in the driveway."

My chest tightened at the thought of what Lauren must've gone through. She had already been so afraid and I had promised her I'd be okay. "Where is she?"

"She's outside," Dyson answered. "What happened, Bo?"

I was already halfway to the door, but stopped and turned to face him. "I can't talk about this right now. I know I said I would answer your questions, and I will. But it's been a hell of a long day. Can we please do this later?"

Dyson sighed, "Fair enough. You'll call me when you're ready to talk?" He walked over to me and we started towards the door together.

I nodded, "And you won't tell Trick?"

"Not yet, at least," he spoke honestly as we went outside. He turned to me, "Please, be careful."

"I'll be fine," I assured him. "See you later, okay?"

"Okay." He walked over to his car and got in. As he pulled out of the driveway, I spotted Lauren sitting in the passenger seat of my car. I took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself for the conversation to come.

I opened the driver's side door and slipped into the seat. Lauren didn't look up.

"You're okay?" she asked, and even though her hair shielded her face, I could tell she'd been crying by her scratchy voice.

"I am okay," I said, then sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

I shook my head, "I don't know... For putting you through this?"

Silence took over the car for few minutes as I waited for her to say something.

Finally, she spoke softly, "You know, I never really wanted to be Fae, as unbelievable as that may be. I mean, I'd thought about it, of course. It's hard not to when everyday you're surrounded by all these extraordinary, terrifying beings. But I never envied the Fae. Having spent years studying and treating them, I've come to realize that their existence is cold and empty, which is understandable. Living for so long, they lose their... humanity, for lack of a better word. All the power and superiority they hold, they grip it so tightly to them, as if it's all they have... all that matters." She paused, shaking her head but still not looking up. I remained quiet, willing her to continue, knowing she needed to. "A great example is Dyson. Well... was Dyson. Before he met you. He was probably the coldest Fae I had encountered, besides the Ash and the Morrigan. And even though he still was cold and self entitled when it came to me, I could see the change that you caused in him. You and Kenzi." Lauren stopped again when her voice broke. "He really loves you," she whispered.

"Where are you going with this?" I asked, my stomach starting to hurt from all the tension in my muscles.

She lifted her hand and used her sleeve to wipe the tears from her eyes, then looked at me. "The first time I truly wished I was Fae, was the day you were brought to the Ash. The first time I examined you... You tried to hide it, but I knew you were scared. I didn't even know you then, yet I wanted to protect you. You had... have that humanity the rest of the Fae lack. That compassion and humility they see as weakness is your biggest strength, and I could feel it in you that first day. I knew I would fall for you, I knew it would never work, but there was no stopping it," she let out a humorless laugh and turned to look out the window. "I didn't want to stop it, even though I'm supposed to be logical and I have always prided and protected myself with that notion... But then, the impossible happens, and all of a sudden I'm Fae, something that I had started to want, that was always in the back of my mind whenever I was with you. And now, it doesn't even matter. I get to be powerful, to feel somewhat equal... to be free. But the one thing that had made this all seem okay... can never be."

At this point, I couldn't stay silent a moment longer. "Don't give up," I pleaded. "We'll figure this out, okay? We'll go back and find out what happened, we'll fix this-"

"Don't," she said, her voice pained. "Please, I can't ... I can't allow myself to believe that. I have to face this, Bo. We both do." She turned to me with a defeated look, "I want you in my life. I need you in it, to help me keep my humanity. We can't be together, but we can be friends, as hard as that will be. I can't lose you completely."

It became hard to breathe as a lump formed in my throat and I felt hot tears stinging my eyes. I couldn't describe the feeling of despair that filled my body, the acute pain in my chest. I shouldn't be taking this so badly. It was just another obstacle, it wasn't the end. "I will always be here, Lauren. And I won't give up on this, on us," I vowed to her. "We are going to go back. Come on," I opened the car door and stepped out as she did the same, reluctantly.

When we'd finally gotten into bed, it had been almost five in the morning. Lauren hadn't spoken and I didn't push her. The day had drained us both emotionally and physically, so falling asleep didn't take much time.

"This is what's going to happen," I told Castor once we were all in Limbo, "You are going to watch for any threats. But if there aren't any, you still need to pull us out in eight hours. There are some things that I need to take care of. Do we have a deal?"

He looked taken aback, but nodded, "I understand."

"Good," I said, taking the crimson stone he held out. I looked at Lauren as she took a deep breath and without a word, slowly put her fingers atop the stone in my hand.

Anna

"Wake up," Rachel said as she snapped her fingers in front of my face.

I turned to look at her, "I wasn't sleeping."

"You were daydreaming about the princess, again."

"No, I wasn't," I lied and she raised an eyebrow. I put my head in my hands. "Okay, I was."

Rachel let out an exasperated groan, "Anna, it's been three days. You seriously need to get over it already. People like us do not end up with royalty."

I shook my head, "You don't know Zoie. She doesn't think like that."

"Oh, and you know this after only having spent less than three hours with her?"

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes, "Right. Well, good luck with that. I have to go." She walked out of the room and I heard the door to our little house open and close. With nothing else to distract me, I thought back to that night, once again.

Three days ago...

I had never anticipated a kiss so much in my life. She closed her eyes and I leaned in, brushing my lips against hers. My hands came up to cup her face and pull her closer as I deepened the kiss. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could feel my hunger rise. I had to pull away when it got to be too much. Usually I could control it, but the intense want I felt for this woman was something I'd never experienced before.

She opened her eyes slowly, and I could see the blue of my own reflected in hers.

"My gods, you're beautiful," she whispered, then ducked her head with a soft laugh. "Sorry. You were right about the wine..."

"Oh, so I'm only beautiful when you're drunk," I couldn't help but joke, trying to lessen the intensity of the moment.

She looked up quickly, her eyes wide, "No, that's not what I meant... you're always beautiful... I-"

"It was kidding, relax," I cut her off, laughing.

She put a hand over her face, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous."

"I make you nervous?" I asked, not able to hide the surprise in my voice.

She uncovered her face and nodded. "You do."

I grinned, "I make the princess nervous."

"You're pretty proud of yourself right now, huh?"

I nodded, "Yes. Yes, I am." I looked down at my hands, "You make me nervous, too, you know."

"Why?"

Before I could answer, I heard someone calling Zoie's name from the direction of the palace. We both turned to look, but it was too dark to see that far.

"That was Castor," she said, turning back to me. "He's probably mad that I left the party." Castor called her name again and she stood up, "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay, I'll be here," I told her.

I watched as she disappeared into the dark, then turned around to look out over the water. I breathed in the salty air with a smile, thinking about the past couple of hours. I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I turned as Zoie appeared from the shadows, and my smiled faded at the worried look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," she said quickly.

"Is everything alright?"

She bit her lip and shrugged, "I don't really know. I'm sorry, I can't talk about it."

I stood up, "It's okay, no need to keep apologizing. I understand."

She nodded, "I um, I would very much like to see you again... I mean, if that's okay with you. I don't want to assume-"

"I would like that," I said, softly, hoping to calm the flustered princess.

Relief flooded Zoie's face as she smiled. "Alright, then." She started to turn, but stopped, "Your friend is looking for you since the party is over. She's over this way," she explained, "I can show you."

"Okay," I picked up the wine bottle that was still more than half full. "Don't want to forget this," I said holding it out to her.

"Keep it. It'll just go to waste if you don't."

"Oh, well, okay," I stammered, not sure how to take the generosity. Growing up on the streets made me wary of accepting gifts from anyone. It usually meant something was owed in return and I sincerely hoped that was not what Zoie was doing.

She must've seen the change in my demeanor. "I've offended you in some way," she said slowly. "I'm sorry, I thought you might want it. I would keep it, but I'm afraid my celebration has ended. You're not required to accept it-"

"You didn't offend me, I'm sorry," I told her, feeling stupid for even thinking that was what she meant. "Thank you."

A small smile appeared on her lips, "You're welcome."

We headed towards the palace in silence and I soon spotted Rachel standing by the prince.

"I'll see you soon?" Zoie said as we got closer to the others.

I nodded, "Soon. I promise."

When we parted ways, Rachel led me back through the palace to meet Chauss.

"That's where you were? With the princess?" she asked in disbelief. "Chauss was so mad, Anna, I thought you'd finally done it, but now? He's just going to love you more. So not fair."

I shrugged, "I wasn't going to turn down a princess. Would you?"

She laughed, "Gods, no. Even if she wasn't gorgeous, which she is. Once again, not fair." Rachel grabbed the bottle of wine from my hand and read the engraving on the bottle. "You know you're sharing this with me, right?"

I was pulled from my musings and back to the present by a sharp knock at my door. I hurried over to answer it and gasped when I opened the door. "Your Highness," I said and curtsied in a show of respect.

Zoie

The palace had a melancholy air to it that had taken over in the past three days. I sat at my desk, feeling completely helpless and utterly tired since sleep had been hard to come by. Staring at the blank piece of parchment, I once again tried to gather my thoughts.

Castor had been the one to tell me the news. The night had seemed too good to be true, and I should have realized it. But even with all that was happening, I couldn't help the smile that came to my face when I thought of Anna. That such terrible events should coincide with that night weighed on my heart. One minute, I was being kissed by a beautiful woman, and the next, my brother was telling me that a message had come by courier from my father's advisor and lifelong friend, stating that the king had taken ill. At the time, this wasn't so tragic. Castor had the ability to heal, therefore, we hadn't thought much of it.

But when my father had been brought into the palace and Castor tried to heal him, it proved futile. There had been nothing ailing him, as it turned out, yet his life force had been sucked away and he was very weak. The past few days his condition had slowly deteriorated.

"Zoie," Castor said, and I turned to find him standing in the doorway to my room. "I see you're still trying to compose that perfect letter to your paramour," he observed with a smile. "How is that going?"

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Did you just come by to taunt me or is there a real reason you're here?" I asked, actually hoping for the former.

"Well, I was eager to see if you've formed a hunchback from sitting at that desk for endless hours. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or disappointed to see you standing rather straight," he mused.

"Clever," I said, glad for the levity that had been lacking in our conversations lately.

Castor shrugged, "Well, I do try." He sat down on my bed. "I'm sorry you didn't get to fully experience the Succubus. I'm sure it would've done wonders for you."

"Dear gods, Castor. Must everything be about sex with you?" His quips about Anna were starting to grate on my nerves. Of course, she was attractive and when I had gotten sleep over the past few days, her appearances in my dreams were no doubt less than innocent. But sex was only part of what I wished from her.

He sighed, "You worry me, Zoie. Being shut up in here... I know it's been hard, but you should go outside. Visit the gardens or play with your bow. It'll do you good. Maybe bring some inspiration, yes?"

I smiled, even though he said the words in jest, I knew he really did care. "You know, you could be onto something. Perhaps I will."

"That's the spirit," he proclaimed, happily, and hopped off the bed. "I'll leave you to it. I've got some things to take care of outside the walls. I'll be back soon." With that, he left the room.

About a half hour later I was dressed and ready to venture outside. Bow in hand and a quiver full of arrows strapped to my back, I headed towards the cliffs behind the palace. I took the path down to the small expanse of beach below, where Castor and I had spent much of our childhood, swimming and sparring with wooden swords when we could escape the watchful eyes of our father's guards. When I was around sixteen and Castor was twenty-two, he had crafted targets from wood and tied them down beneathe the water so they buoyed on the surface, acting as moving targets for practicing archery. Even now, every spring he'd make new ones for me to set up, though he rarely used them. I smiled as I remembered the countless hours we'd spent here, how unburdened we were in our youth. This place always brought serenity to me, and right now it was the most welcome feeling I could imagine.

I took an arrow from the quiver and lined the notch up against the string. I pulled it back, raising the bow to prepare my shot. The waves were calm, so I eyed the furthest target, taking a deep breath, closing my eyes. For some reason, as I felt my thoughts slip away, the image of Anna came to mind. I smiled, opening my eyes again, I exhaled and released.

Anna

Castor had been standing at my door, and he asked me to accompany him to the palace. I agreed, of course, since it would be madness and possibly punishable by death to refuse a prince. I honestly didn't know much about how politics worked.

As we walked across the palace grounds, I wasn't sure if I should ask what was going on. He hadn't said anything about what exactly we were doing. Only some small talk about the area I lived in on the carriage ride over. I hoped to see Zoie, but I didn't know whether it was proper to ask his intentions. Once again, it might be punishable by death.

We reached the cliffs and he walked to the edge, looking down. I was a little afraid to get too close to the edge so I stayed back a few feet.

"Perfect," he said then turned to look back at me. I raised my eyebrows in question and he explained, "Zoie wanted to see you, but sometimes she needs a little push." He pointed to his left, "There's a path that leads down there. It's a bit steep, but I'm sure you can handle it, right?"

"Yes, um, thank you, your Highness," I said with a curtsy.

He laughed, "Good day, Anna." He spun on his heel and walked back towards the palace.

The path was, indeed, steep. I wished I'd worn better shoes. In the sandals I wore now I could barely find purchase on the rocks as I slowly descended the cliff side. Luckily, I made it to the bottom without incident. I spotted Zoie standing on the beach and stopped to watch as she raised her bow, an arrow in place. My eyes ran over the bunched muscles in her arms, and I felt my hunger start to take over. Her hair blew around her face in the light breeze as she let go and the arrow flew across the sea and smacked the dead center of a wooden target floating atop the waves.

"Wow," I said, "Impressive."

I clearly startled her, because she was about to aim another arrow, but spun so the bow was pointed to me. I raised my hands and stepped back, only to catch my sandal on a rock and fall backwards onto my ass.

"Shit! Anna," she squeaked, dropping the bow and arrow and running over. "Are you okay? I am so sorry."

"I'm okay," I told her, trying to get up, then winced and sat back down. "On second thought, I'm going to just sit here."

"Why? What is it?" she asked.

"Um, I think I broke my ass..."

I watched as she bit her lip and tried not to laugh. "Well, I hope not. It was a nice one."

"I'd like to think so," I said with a smile.

"Seriously, though, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, promise." I took the hand offered and she pulled me to my feet. "So, do you give lessons?"

She raised her eyebrows, "Lessons?"

"Yea. In archery," I clarified, pointing to the discarded bow that lay in the sand a few feet away.

"You want me to teach you?" she asked, then furrowed her brow, "Wait... How did you get past the guards?"