i forgot that my friend rewrote the summary the other night while we were drinking haha (he ships doccubus with me) anyway, its better than the original cause im terrible at summaries. thanks for all the support and reviews. this is a really complicated story and theres still so much to come, but it'll be worth it. enjoy!

Anna

A few hours later, after catching up with Rachel and getting something to eat, we headed out to meet with Chauss. I knew he wasn't going to be happy about my sudden disappearance, but I was also aware that he was somewhat infatuated with me. That fact alone meant I could get away with almost anything and still keep my job and his favor, especially if I finessed the situation by giving him a few subtle pulses of energy.

"Let me make sure I'm hearing this right," Chauss said, his voice strained as he tried not to yell, "You spent the last two days with the Princess of Aethevia, and you want tonight off, too? Is she paying you?"

I was insulted by the implication. Many of the girls I had worked with did sell their bodies for extra money on the side, but I was never desperate enough to actually do it and Chauss knew that. "No, she is not paying me," I told him without allowing my tone to betray my anger.

"Then I'm getting nothing out of this deal. You are my top dancer and I expect you to be here tonight or you won't have a job."

I slowly walked towards him and let a small smile play over my lips as his eyes travelled down my body and his aura brightened. Sometimes this was just too easy.

I rested my hand on his upper arm and gently pulsed him. Once his unfocused eyes came up to meet mine, I leaned in, "You know, it would be so sweet of you to let me have tonight off. I'd really appreciate it."

A lazy smile appeared on his face, "You would?"

I nodded, sending another pulse. "I'd be so very grateful," I whispered softly into his ear.

"Well, one more night wouldn't be so bad, I suppose."

His aura confirmed to me that he was sufficiently convinced. "Thanks," I said before placing a quick kiss on his cheek and letting him go. I turned around and started walking out, "See you tomorrow."

"How the hell do you do that?" Rachel asked as we started walking home. She'd observed the scene from the doorway, staying quiet until we were out of earshot.

I quirked an eyebrow at her, "What kind of question is that? You already know exactly how I do it. Or have you forgotten in the last three days?"

"Oh, I know all about that power, Anna. But I want to know how it keeps working on Chauss because even I can think somewhat clearly when you do it to me now, and you've been doing it to us both for years. Why does it still work so well on him?"

I shrugged, "Maybe it's because I haven't slept with him. Or maybe the feelings he already has just add more strength to it. And I'm pretty sure I can still work you over just fine."

"That's because I let you think that," she said.

We reached the house and I grabbed her arm, pulling her inside and pushing her up against the wall before giving her a strong pulse.

"Fuck!"

I pressed my body against hers, "Is that what you want me to do to you?"

She let out a shaky breath, "Yes."

Backing away, I grinned, "Told you I've still got it."

"Damn it, Anna," she groaned in frustration.

I walked away, laughing.

Zoie

I slowly regained consciousness, my whole body still tingling. Opening my eyes, everything was blurry and bright. I closed them again as I felt a sharp pain in my head.

"Zoie," someone said. It was a woman, her voice was somehow familiar but I couldn't place it.

I opened my eyes again and the room, my room, came into focus. I turned my head towards the voice to see a female figure. She was turned away from me, the only distinguishing feature I could see was her long, golden hair flowing down her back. The scent in the air was of flowers and fresh soil, the way my mother used to smell during spring time after she'd spent time working in the gardens. She loved doing that.

The woman turned her head and I could just barely make out her profile. I sat up in my bed and called out warily, "Mother?"

It couldn't be her though. She had been dead for twenty years. I brought my hands to my eyes and rubbed them.

When I looked for the woman again, she was gone. I was obviously losing my mind. Great.

I sat there and tried to remember how I'd ended up in my room when everything came crashing back, settling uneasily in my chest. I struggled to control my breathing.

The door suddenly opened and I jumped. It was Castor.

"You're awake," he stated, slowly walking over and sitting on my bed.

I nodded and stared down at my hands. "Please, tell me that was some horrible dream, Castor."

He looked at me with sadness, "That would be a lie."

"You didn't seem to have any problem with lying before." I was incredibly angry at him. "Did you know that he was going to do that?"

Castor turned away, and I took that action for what it was; an undeniable admission of guilt.

"Why? Why would he do that? Why would you keep it from me?" I was almost yelling, feeling my body start to shake as I tried not to lash out. "Don't you think I had a right to know?"

"He told me not to tell you. I could not disobey him, you know that."

I balled up my hands into fists and resisted the urge to punch him. "What the hell are you two playing at? Why would he make me judge? You're the king, the next in line. You are supposed to be both."

"It is as he said. Your mother had a vision. You would be judge, while I was king. I had no choice in the matter, it was decided the day you were born."

"How long have you known?"

He sighed, "Since I was fifteen, I guess."

"You've been keeping this from me for over ten years?!" I was about to break. I tried to rein in my anger. "And what about Siamon? I know you've known about that for longer than a few days. How long did he know?"

"It had been discussed over the past few years without his knowledge, but never confirmed. Vessus only told him this morning."

It seemed I wasn't the only one kept in the dark while others made decisions about my life for me. It didn't make me feel any better, though.

Castor started to speak again. "You and Si are friends, at least. That has to count for something."

It was true that I was friends with Si. He was only a few years older than Castor and I'd known him my whole life. But as his father, Vessus, was like an uncle to me, Si was like a cousin. I would never be able to see him as more than that.

I gave Castor a glare, "It really doesn't."

He bowed his head, "I'm sorry."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive you for this," I whispered honestly.

"I hope that's not true." He got up and started towards the door, then stopped. "Father used the last of his life force to transfer his ability to you. He's gone, Zoie."

I swallowed, not wanting to cry for him right now, and remained silent, staring at the wall straight ahead.

"I think it's for the best," Castor continued, "if you stopped seeing Anna. With what happened to father, it'd be too suspicious if you were to be seen with a Succubus."

"You think she had something to do with this?!" I was beyond enraged that he would even entertain the idea.

"I know that she doesn't," he said quickly. "But others will talk. It's safer for her if she's not around."

"Please, just leave me alone. I can't deal with this right now."

He gave me a solemn nod before leaving the room.

I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest, feeling like my insides were ripping apart. It was to much to handle and I was suffocating underneath all the emotions crowding my mind. The scent of flowers and soil still lingered in my room. I threw the pillow down and got up. I had to get out of here.

Anna

The walk to the palace was a lot longer than I remembered and it took over an hour to reach the gates. The same guard who had been there this morning, Jace, greeted me with a smile and immediately let me in after saying Zoie had sent word for me to meet her in the gardens. I practically ran through the side yard of the palace where a few guards were sparring and training in the fading sunlight. Ignoring the whistles and yells for my attention, I finally made it to the other side of the palace and headed towards the pathway that led to the bench I'd sat on the other day, figuring that's where I'd find Zoie. I was right.

She was sitting on the same bench, elbows resting on her thighs and her head in her hands. I approached her cautiously, knowing something was wrong.

"Hey," I said softly when I was a few feet away from her. She raised her head, revealing her bloodshot eyes and pale face. "What's wrong?"

She stood up slowly, avoiding eye contact, "I..." she trailed off, staring at the ground and shaking her head.

"Zoie? What is it?"

She took a deep breath, "We can't see eachother anymore. I'm sorry."

I was taken aback and confused. I searched her face, trying to figure out what had changed since this morning when she'd been so happy and didn't want to see me leave. "Why?"

"Because... I don't want to. I mean, it was fun and everything, but it was just sex. I think it's best if we just end it here. I don't want to lead you on."

The words were harsh, but their bite was undermined by the trembling in her voice. "You're lying."

She finally looked at me, surprise evident in her eyes. "What?"

"You're lying," I repeated. "You're a terrible liar. Tell me what's really going on."

She looked scared for a second then composed herself. "You should go, Anna."

I swallowed, a horrible feeling growing in my chest. "Why are you doing this? We both know it was more than just sex."

I saw the unshed tears in her eyes before she looked down again. "No, it wasn't. Now, please, go."

The hurting in my chest was quickly replaced by anger. "Whatever you say, Highness," I said bitterly before turning on my heel and hurrying out of the gardens.

The anger dissipated as soon as I was through the gates. Trying not to cry, I walked slowly back to my house. This was insane, I thought to myself. I hadn't even known her a week. It wasn't supposed to hurt this much. But it did. Gods, it really did.

As I walked I thought back to the conversation I'd had earlier with Rachel. She had been right; I did fall for Zoie. And now, here I was, paying for my stupidity. How could I have thought that a princess could feel anything for me?

Maybe she hadn't been lying, and in my pathetic attempt to hold onto the illusion of her liking me, I imagined that she was. But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself, I knew she was lying. And that just made it worse.

When I got home, Rachel came out of her room with a grim look. "Telling by your face, I'm guessing you've heard."

"Heard what?" I asked, not having the slightest clue as to what she was talking about.

"Apparently, King Rusten is dead. At least, that's what they're saying. The servants at the palace told everyone, even though it hasn't been announced yet, it will be in a few days."

I stared at Rachel and then headed to my room, closing the door and falling on my bed. I finally let myself cry.

Lauren

My head was pounding and I dreaded opening my eyes. When I did, I realized Castor hadn't brought me to Limbo.

Thinking about Castor, I felt Zoie's anger again and tried to push it out of my mind. I was angry at him myself for not warning me about the pain Zoie went through when she was given her father's ability. Just as I saw everything she did, I felt it, too. The pain was worse than anything I'd ever imagined.

My hangover made my eyes sensitive to the light so I put my arm over my face and laid there, thinking about all that had happened in the last eight hours.

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps on the stairs but didn't feel ready to move yet. A minute after that I heard the footsteps approaching me.

"Hey, are you awake?" Bo whispered.

I nodded but didn't remove my arm from my face.

I heard her laugh softly, "Hangover?"

I nodded again.

"Well, here," she said and I moved my arm to see her holding out a bottle of water and two aspirin. I took them from her and sat up, swallowing the pills. While I sipped the water, I saw her staring at my chest. I stopped drinking and looked down to see that I was only wearing a bra and no tank top, having been so drunk last night that I'd apparently just slept in my underwear.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the fact that she had yet to stop staring. It wasn't like she hadn't seen me, well, Zoie naked only a few hours before. I felt my face heat up as I thought about it. Feeling everything Zoie felt wasn't always so terrible.

Finally, I cleared my throat and took another drink of water as she tore her eyes away.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly and looked down at the floor.

"Not like you haven't seen them before," I told her, trying to make her feel less embarrassed.

She laughed, "True." She walked over to the kitchen area and I pulled up the blanket. "I'm making coffee, do you want any?"

"Yes, that sounds great," I called over to her, picking up my shirt from the armchair. It smelled like alcohol and smoke. "Can I borrow some clothes? I haven't gotten around to shopping, yet. I suppose I should get on that."

"Yea, it's fine," Bo said and headed towards the stairs, "Let's see if we can find something."

I got up, wrapping the blanket around myself, and followed her.

"You really don't like colors, do you?" I observed as she rifled through her clothes.

"Black is a color," she said, and I didn't have the heart to tell her it actually wasn't.

She turned around and looked me up and down, probably wondering what to dress me in.

"I don't think I'll be able to pull off leather like you," I told her with a smile.

"Damn," she cursed jokingly, "You'd look hot. Oh well, I have jeans around here somewhere... I think."

A minute later she found a pair and, of course, they were black.

"Here," she said, handing me a belt, "You'll probably need that." She turned back around and picked up a black beater and handed that to me, too. "I'm kind of mad at you."

I was caught off guard. "What? Why?"

She shrugged, "You know, for what happened back then," she said quietly.

It took a second for me to realize what she was talking about. "You mean, you're mad at me because of what happened between Zoie and Anna?" She nodded. "Bo, that's ridiculous."

"I never said it wasn't. It's just how I feel."

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to that. You know I can't change the past."

She sighed, "I know this sounds stupid, but I look forward to going back there. At least, I did. It made dealing with what's going on between us now easier to handle. Seeing them happy together... I liked to pretend it was actually us."

I looked down at the ground. I had felt the same way, but hearing her say it out loud made our connection to our past lives even more real. "I'm mad at myself, too," I whispered. "I hate this. I hate that Zoie threw away what I want so much to have. But there are two sides to every story, and at that point, she was trying to protect Anna. I can't honestly say I wouldn't have done the same."

"Why won't you fight?" she asked, shaking her head. "Don't give up like she did."

I swallowed, unnerved by the way she looked at me in disappointment. "I haven't given up-"

"Castor told me," she cut me off. "He told me you wanted him to turn you human again. That sure as hell sounds like giving up to me."

I felt ashamed of myself. I had let her down, again. I walked over to her and lifted her chin so her eyes met mine. "Bo, I am trying. I said those things in a moment of weakness and I regret it, I really do. I promise you, I will fight, okay?"

She nodded before pulling me in for a hug. "Don't leave me... after everything we've already been through. Please?" she breathed against my neck.

I held her tight, hoping I could keep my promise. "I'm not going anywhere."

Bo

Kenzi came down the stairs after Lauren had taken a shower and I had left a message on Dyson's voicemail about setting up an appointment with the Ash.

She looked between me and the quiet doctor as she went about getting a cup of coffee and pouring her cereal. "How're you feeling, Doc?"

"Like hell," Lauren muttered before taking a sip of coffee, "And you?"

"Pretty good, actually," Kenzi answered with a smile. "So, Bo, everything gravy with the whole-"

"I'm great, Kenz, thanks," I said quickly. The last thing I wanted to talk about was feeding.

She took the hint and dropped the subject. Eating her cereal quietly, she kept looking between me and Lauren. Finally, she put her spoon down and said, "You know what you two need?"

Before I could answer, someone else did.

"A threesome," a woman said, walking into view from behind the wall blocking the doorway.

Lauren and I jumped up from our stools as Kenzi spun around to look at the blonde. "Ding, ding, damn... You're good," she looked back at us, "I like her."

"Tamsin," I breathed at the same time Lauren said her name.

I gave Lauren a confused look, which she returned.

Tamsin crossed her arms with a smug smile, "You always leave your door unlocked?"

I blinked and furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you doing here?"

She focused on Lauren, "You said you were looking for a new place last night and there's an apartment for rent down the street from me. I figured you might want to check it out. It's a nice place and it probably won't be on the market for long."

I looked over at Lauren, "How do you two know eachother?"

"Kenzi and I met Tamsin at the Dal last night. She gave us a ride home," Lauren answered before turning back to Tamsin. "Thanks for letting me know."

"I can give you a ride over so you can see it if you want. It won't take long and I don't really have anything better to do," Tamsin offered.

"Um, sure. Let me just get my jacket." I watched as Lauren walked over to the armchair then looked at Kenzi, who was completely oblivious, eating her cereal.

Lauren came up to me, "You'll call me if Dyson gets in touch with you, right?"

"Yea, of course," I told her, not sure what else to say.

"I'll see you soon," she said with a smile before following Tamsin out the door.

I stood staring after them, dumbfounded. Kenzi walked over and put a hand on my shoulder, "You alright, Bo-Bo?"

I shook my head, "Do you realize what just happened?"

"Uh, Hot Pants has a new beau?" she said, playfully whacking my arm and snickering at her own pun. I gave her a look to let her know I was not amused. "Relax, I'm sure it's totally platonic."

"No, Kenzi... My reincarnated soulmate just left with a woman who, I'm pretty sure, is my reincarnated best-friend-slash-fuck-buddy."

Her eyes went wide and darted from me to the door. "Holy snapping Ash-holes," she whispered. "Ain't that some shit!"