Author's Note: Thank you all for the feedback! There's some smut in this chapter. You've been warned. =)

Zoie

Later that night…

I pressed my palms to my eyes to try and stave off the tears, then took a deep, steadying breath before lowering my hands. "You have to understand that this isn't goodbye. I haven't given up. I don't know how long it will take, but I am going to find whatever is doing this and I'm going to stop it. And I know I can't ask you to wait for me. That wouldn't be fair to you and there's a chance that I will fail-"

"That's a little dark, don't you think?"

I looked over at the girl on my bed, "This thing killed my parents, Kes. I have to face the fact that I might not survive."

She bit her lip and nodded. "I know. I just don't think you should tell her that. I mean, it's obvious that she loves you and if she knows your life is in danger she's not going to just let you do this alone," Kes explained softly. "Maybe you should leave that part out. Show her more confidence so she'll see that you'll be okay. I think that's the only way she'll accept this."

"You're right." I stared at the floor and tried to straighten out my thoughts. Practicing what I would say to Anna was only helping to ease a very small amount of the tightness in my chest. Deep down I knew that once I was face-to-face with her, I would forget everything I was supposed to say.

"It's getting late, Zo. You should get there before she does," Kes said, coming over to stand by me. I nodded absently, eyes still downcast and not really seeing the etched patterns that decorated my bedroom floor. I felt Kes' hand on my shoulder before she pulled me in for a hug. "It's going to be okay," she whispered. "We'll get through this. You'll see."

####

I quietly shut the cellar door behind me and leaned back against it, closing my eyes. "I can do this," I breathed.

I checked the house, relieved that I had arrived before Anna. It gave me more time to prepare myself. Taking a seat at the downstairs table, I stared at the door, feeling the anxiety continue to build. After a few minutes I couldn't stay still any longer. I stood up and began pacing.

I was almost too distracted to register the passing of time. But hours went by and she still hadn't shown up. The anxiety was replaced by fear and worry. When the sky began to brighten, I knew that I had to go look for her. I pulled on my cloak and opened the door. I froze when the white piece of paper caught my eye as it lay on the doorstep. Bending down, I lifted the rock that I guessed was placed atop it to keep it from blowing away.

When I unfolded the note, it simply read, 'I am sorry.'

I don't know what was worse; that she thought I'd given up or that she hadn't said the words to my face. Either way, I couldn't accept the connotation. I wouldn't allow the words to sink in. Not until I saw her.

I hurried down the path and through the city, not caring who might see me. It was early morning, the sun barely rising, and not many strolled the streets as I made my way to her house.

Once I stood in front of her door, heart pounding and throat dry, I only hesitated for a second before knocking. It took a while but the door was finally opened to me. Unfortunately, it was Rachel on the other side. Her tired eyes went wide when she recognized me in the dim light.

I was usually more polite and courteous when dealing with people, but my mind wasn't exactly my own at this point. I pushed past her and into the house. "Where is she?"

Rachel was obviously taken aback by my aggressive entrance as she looked over at me. I made my way to Anna's room and forced myself to pause and knock before entering. She wasn't there. The wardrobe was open and nearly empty. The table where her make-up and favorite jewelry had once rested was bare.

"She left," Rachel finally answered, now standing behind me.

I swallowed and tried to keep my voice calm, "Where? Where did she go?"

"I can't tell you that."

I turned to meet the taller woman's eyes. "Rachel, please, I have to see her. She doesn't understand, I-"

"I can't tell you because I don't know," she said softly. "I'm sorry. She wouldn't tell me. She just said she had to get away from here."

"You have to know. You're her best friend. Even if she didn't say, you must have some idea. Please."

"She's never done this before. I honestly don't know where she would go, but Anna isn't stupid. She wouldn't go somewhere I would know to look for her," she explained.

"Did she say when she'd be back?" I felt my desperation take over. Rachel wasn't lying, I could tell by the worry in her eyes as they glistened with tears.

"I don't think she is coming back," she whispered, then wiped a hand over her eyes. My stomach twisted painfully. This couldn't be happening. "Listen, I'll let you know if she does, okay? But you should probably go now. There's nothing we can do."

I couldn't move. I couldn't leave. She would be back. She had to come back. She wouldn't just leave us. She wouldn't leave me. "Is there any chance she went back to Shali?"

"No," Rachel answered. "She knows that's the first place I'd go." She sighed and brushed her hair behind her ears. "Do you want me to walk you back?"

I shook my head and started towards the door, then stopped and looked back at Rachel, "I'm going to find her."

She nodded, "I hope you do."

####

Present day

I sat up, not bothering to wipe the tears from my eyes. They would only be replaced anyway. The memories never stopped replaying in my head.

Journals littered the bed around me, all open and glaring at me; accounts of the past kings and their losses. This had been my life for the past ten days.

Wives, sons, and daughters. I knew that they probably hadn't succumbed to the same fate as my parents, but they had all been murdered in an attempt to wound the kings. To make them weak. Yet, the seat of power had not been stolen. They had persevered through their pain and passed down the crown, generation to generation. And now it was mine and Castor's turn.

There was a knock at the door and I struggled to push myself off the bed and onto my feet. The fog of sleeplessness made my limbs feel heavy and uncoordinated. My legs shook as I opened the door.

"Drink this," Kes demanded, holding out a mug of water. "You need to take care of yourself, Zo." I rolled my eyes but accepted the offering, taking a few sips. "Seriously, you look like shit." She walked past me and to the bed, looking down at the mess of books. "What is this?"

"Don't read those. They're confidential," I said. "Is there any news? Have you heard anything?" I knew it was pointless to ask; if Kes had any information about Anna, she would've said something already.

"Not yet."

I walked over and set the mug down on my desk. "I have to get ready. I'm supposed to meet Castor in the throne room."

"Make sure you eat something. I'm going to stand with Jace by the gate for a little before I go to the kitchens. I'll let you know if Rachel shows up," Kes said then left the room.

Sitting down heavily on the chair, I tried not to look too closely at my reflection in the mirror. I knew Kes wasn't exaggerating about my appearance. I looked terrible.

Pulling myself together, I began to get dressed in clothing that now hung loose over my withering body while silently praying to the gods to keep Anna safe, wherever she was.

####

"You have to keep up your appearance, Zoie. We can't have rumors starting that you've taken ill," Castor said.

He had made me sit in on the throne, afraid that I would be unable to keep myself standing. His worries were not unfounded. "I understand."

He sighed. "I'm sorry about what happened. I truly am. And I don't like seeing you like this. But you have to stay strong for the people. You still have responsibilities to uphold, which means you can't continue to lock yourself away in your room."

"I said I understand," I repeated. "Has Vessus checked in yet?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure we'll be hearing from him soon enough. Speaking of which, have you-"

The doors to the throne room burst open, startling us both, as a guard rushed in.

"Your Majesty," he wheezed, out of breath from running, then proceeded to give a quick bow. "There are men at the gate. They're saying that Lord Siamon has been killed."

Castor stood stock-still and when it was clear he wasn't going to say anything, I stood up. "Bring them here. Now."

The guard bowed again, "Yes, right away, Your Honor."

Once he was gone, I looked to Castor, "This has to be a mistake."

He still didn't say anything and I saw how the color had drained from his face. Siamon was not only the head of the guard, he was Castor's best friend. He was my friend, too. But I couldn't feel the loss. I was already too numb.

We stood there, staring at the doors, dreading and waiting for what was to enter through them.

The first person I saw was Jace and then the guard from before. What was his name? Teras, I think. And then there were two men following them; one was slightly taller than the other, but that was the only noticeable difference. I guessed they might be brothers, both having the same sturdy build with dark shoulder-length hair. They even trimmed their beards in the same fashion.

Their brutish appearances had distracted me though. I realized that they were each holding an arm of the woman they dragged between them. Her clothes were torn and dirty, her head was bowed and dark locks hid her face from view, but I knew. My heart seized agonizingly hard in my chest and my knees almost buckled as they threw her down on her hands and knees before us.

"This is the woman who murdered Lord Siamon," the taller man growled in disgust. "We have captured her for you, Your Majesty." The brothers each took a knee and bowed their heads.

It took all of my willpower not to use my ability right then and there as I ran my eyes over Anna's body, seeing every inch of exposed skin was cut and bruised. She slowly lifted her head and looked at me. My breath hitched. Her face was cut and bleeding so badly, one of her eyes was all but swollen shut.

"Who did this to her," I asked, my voice low and deathly calm.

The men looked up and the taller brother said, "We did, Your Honor. We heard yelling coming from our stables and found her laying by Siamon's drained corpse. She tried to run. We stopped her."

I struggled to swallow down the bile that rose in my throat. I had never felt such levels of anger in my life. "So you did not witness the murder?"

"No, but there was no way anyone else could have done it. She was the only one there and I assure you there is only one entrance. We were out in the fields, working, and would have seen if another had escaped before we arrived," the smaller brother explained.

"It is my place to say who is guilty and who is innocent. Not yours," I replied through gritted teeth. "Teras," I said and the guard stood at attention. "Escort these two to the barracks. Tell your captain I've ordered him to hold them until further notice." He nodded and the two men began to argue. "Do not resist. It will only make things worse for you."

"Zoie," Castor finally said, giving me a disapproving look.

"I'm handling this." I waited until the men and Teras took their leave before rushing down the steps and kneeling by Anna's side. "Are you okay?" I lifted her chin to get a better look at her wounds. They were much deeper than I had first thought. I fought to keep from crying at the sight. I had to stay strong. I had to keep her safe.

"I didn't… do it… I… didn't…" she said slowly. Every breath seemed to cause her pain.

"I know you didn't," I assured her. "Do you know who did?"

"I can't… remember," she whispered, tears mixing with the blood on her face.

"Wait," Castor commanded. "You heard what those men said. I will not let this go unpunished."

I turned to look at him. His face was red now. He was angry and that was understandable, but I was not going to let him make that decision. "She didn't do it, Castor. If she had drained a Fae, those two would not have been able to capture her."

He started towards us, "She killed Siamon. You need to put your feelings aside and realize that. This cannot be fixed." Before I knew what I was doing, I raised my hand to him and the glow of his ability was revealed to me. He froze in his tracks, brow furrowed, "You wouldn't dare."

"Don't test me, brother," I said, holding his eyes in an unwavering glare. Luckily, he took a step back. I knew I would have done it. In that moment, I would've chosen Anna over my own blood and I wouldn't have regretted it. Castor clenched his jaw, turning on his heel and walking back towards the throne. I looked to Jace who stared back, worry clear on his face. "I need you to help her to my chambers. You will stand guard at the door. No one enters except me and Kes. Do you understand?" He nodded and I returned my attention to Anna, "It's going to be okay," I whispered. "I'll be there soon."

I helped her stand and Jace put his arm around her waist, gently supporting her as the left the room.

"I can't believe you threatened me," Castor said, turning to face me. "She is guilty. She has murdered Siamon. And you don't even care," he spat. "He was a good man; a brother to me and a good friend to you. Have you forgotten? Do you not remember how close we all were? Are you really going to let the betrothal dictate how you felt about him?"

"No. That has nothing to do with this, Castor," I said. "He was my friend and I do mourn his loss, but punishing an innocent will do nothing to bring him back. Don't you remember that she saved your life? Anna would not kill anybody-"

"How can you be so sure?" he asked. "The man you were meant to marry is murdered and the only person there is your lover? How can you write that off as coincidence?"

"I'm not writing it off. I don't think it was a coincidence, Castor. Someone framed her."

"Who would do that? You told me the only people who knew of your affair were Kes and Jace."

"I don't know who did it, but I'm going to find out. Until then, however, you need to either back off or help me."

I watched his chest rise and fall with a deep sigh, "And what would you have me tell Vessus?"

"We'll deal with that when the time comes. Will you help me? Please?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head and walking past me. "I'm going to go speak to the men who found her. We need to retrieve Siamon's body."

####

"Kes is in there with her," Jace said once I reached the door to my room. "She's helping her get cleaned up."

I nodded. "You can go. I've got it from here."

"Are you sure? Do you need anything?"

"We'll be fine, but thanks. I'll see you later?"

"Yea. Good luck, Zo. I hope she's okay." He headed down the hall and I took a moment to calm myself before going inside. I had to keep it together and tamp down the multitude of thoughts racing through my head, as well as the anger I felt. Focusing on the fact that she was safe now was all I could do to keep it together.

I wasn't sure whether I should knock or not. It was ridiculous to knock on my own door, though. I entered the room and saw Kes sitting next to Anna on the bed, using a towel to lightly dab the bleeding wound on her forehead.

"Hey," Kes greeted softly, but Anna wouldn't look at me. I swallowed, looking at the basin full of water by Kes's feet; it was already crimson with Anna's blood and Kes hadn't done much cleaning besides her face so far.

"You should go, Kes. I'll come get you in a bit, okay?" I told her, taking the damp towel from her hand.

"Yea, right. I should leave you two..." she trailed off and stood up, heading for the door. "You know where to find me."

When Kes had gone, I took the seat she had previously occupied next to Anna. She kept her head down.

"It's going to be okay," I told her again, hoping it might get her to look at me.

"I'm… sorry." She was still having trouble speaking.

"There's nothing to apologize for, Anna. You need to heal." I gently ran my fingers down the side of her bruised face, careful to not graze any of the cuts. "Please, let me help you." I lifted her chin and leaned in towards her. My eyes closed and I couldn't stop the tears that escaped as I lightly pressed my lips to her swollen ones and immediately felt the pull of my chi leaving my body. She broke away after only a few seconds. Her wounds were barely healed. "What's wrong?" I asked before realizing that it was a terrible question.

"I-I shouldn't have left like I did. I don't know what I was thinking… I just didn't want to lose you… and I didn't want to make you choose between me and being judge," she said, her voice shaking. "Zoie, I would've been your secret. I would've. I would never hurt Siamon. I-I swear…"

"I wouldn't do that to you. And I know you didn't hurt him, baby. It's okay. We're going to figure this out."

"But I don't… I don't know whether I did it or not. I don't remember anything since… since last night, I don't…" she began to cry, covering her face with her hands.

I cautiously put an arm around her and pulled her into me. "Did he hurt you?" I asked softly, hoping to the gods that the answer was 'no'.

"I don't know."

Running a hand over her tangled hair, I fought to stay in control of my emotions. Right now, I needed to help her. Everything else could wait. I pulled away slowly, reaching up and taking her hands from her face. I began taking off her ruined dress as gently as I could, while she remained silent. Once she was naked, I removed my own clothes as she watched. I was a little self-conscious, knowing that I didn't look my best right now. My body was more frail than it had been ten days before when we'd made love in this bed. I didn't want her to think about my pain, but she noticed it right away.

She swallowed, trying not to cry again, "I am so sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault. Lay back on the bed," I commanded softly and she obeyed. I moved over her, resting my knees between her legs and holding myself up so as not to let her bear any of my weight and cause her discomfort.

She brushed my hair behind my ear before pulling my lips down to meet hers in a slow kiss. I soon moved my mouth from hers, trailing feather-light kisses across the marred flesh of her chin and neck. She exhaled a shaky breath as my tongue traced from her pulse point to her ear. I sucked the lobe into my mouth, nibbling gently, then made my way down her jawline and to her lips once more. The kiss was more aggressive this time, her need beginning to build. I felt her start to feed, taking little bits at a time, as though she was savoring the taste of me. My own arousal grew stronger with each pull.

I carefully maneuvered my legs so that my thigh brushed her center. Her breath hitched in her chest and I pulled away, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered, grinding her hips against my thigh to emphasize her answer.

Her eyes flashed blue and her hands came to rest on my shoulders. I pressed harder against her center and leant back down to capture her lips as she moaned. Another pull of my chi and I could feel her movements quicken as she regained her strength. I let my hand wander down her chest and stomach, feeling the muscles quiver beneath the soft touch. Moving my leg, I replaced my thigh with my hand, sliding a finger slowly into her entrance. She raised her hips, granting me further access as I pressed another finger through the slick opening, then explored her with steady, even strokes.

It wasn't long before I felt her own hand make it's way to where I needed it, and her adept fingers began to tease me. I started kissing her neck once more, trying to concentrate on keeping my pace slow. She touched a particularly sensitive spot and I moaned against her skin, my movements faltering as it became increasingly hard to hold myself up with one arm. Suddenly, as if sensing this, she flipped us over and immediately pushed two fingers deep inside me, her palm slamming into my clit and sending a shock of pleasure throughout my entire body, making me cry out. I felt her tighten around my fingers in response and I tried to match the pace she had set as she kissed my neck, her breathing harsh and hot on my skin.

We were both so close, now, and our movements were becoming more erratic. I was only a few seconds away from the edge when her lips met mine again and she began to feed. Trying hard to hold back, I focused all my love and want for her in the kiss, feeling my heart burn with the exhilaration of just being with her. Everything she made me feel was brought to the surface of my mind and after a few more strokes of my fingers, I felt a jolt of heat course through me and into her, sending us both over the edge, screaming.

Minutes later, I laid there breathless, with Anna's head on my chest, over my pounding heart.

"Oh… oh, Gods. Wow," she breathed. "What did you just do?"

Pressing my lips to her forehead, I mumbled, "I don't know," against her skin, which seemed to be fully healed now.

"Do you think you could do that again?"

I laughed, "I could try."

She raised her head and placed a quick kiss on my chin. "You should." She ran her finger in circles around my nipple, making the flesh tighten before leaning down and sucking it into her mouth. I closed my eyes and reveled in the feeling of her tongue. But then she stopped, "Wait."

"Hmm?"

She jumped up off of the bed and picked up the tattered remains of her dress.

I rolled onto my side and watched her. "I don't think it can be saved, Anna."

She reached into the pocket and pulled out the crimson stone that had mysteriously appeared during my blackout the first night we'd stayed in the secret house. She got back on the bed and handed it to me. "I… I took this with me. One of the girls I worked with… she told me that in her village there was a really old mage who knew about spells and stuff like that. I didn't really know where I was going to go, but when I went back to the house… to leave the note… and I remembered her talking about him. So I went to Delfas and found him," she explained hesitantly.

"You went to Delfas?" She nodded. "And what did he say? Did you tell him how you got it?"

"No, I didn't tell him about you or anything. I just told him I found it. And he told me it's a Blood Stone. I don't remember exactly what he said but… just try focusing on something, like a memory of us. Really focus." I gave her a confused look, but closed my eyes and did as she said. I remembered the first time I saw her. I felt her take the stone from my hand and opened my eyes to see it glowing in her hand. She looked over and smiled, "Your birthday," then she laughed, "Wow, I really did make you nervous."

"Wait, what?"

"I can see what you saw and I can feel it, too," she explained. "When I was travelling, before I knew what it was capable of, I was having these really vivid memories of us, but I was seeing them through your eyes. I honestly thought I was going crazy. But then Szerak, the mage, he told me what was happening. He said the only one who could use the stone was the maker, because it's a part of their soul, in a way. But he didn't know why I could see them, but I did… and that's why I came back," her voice cracked and a few tears ran down her cheeks.

"What do you mean?" This was all so unexplainable I felt like my head was spinning. Everything I had thought about the past ten days, she had seen and felt. That was an extremely scary thought.

"I came back because I felt what you felt. I felt your pain, your confusion and… I felt your love."

I swallowed and stared at the stone that had revealed all of this to Anna. Wasn't sure how to feel about it. But then I looked at her. That stone had brought her back to me. "Then I'm glad you took it," I told her before sitting up and giving her a soft kiss.

"Me, too," she whispered when the kiss was broken. "I love you, Zoie."

"I love you, too, Anna. Forever."

####

Bo

I awoke with a start. Loud music filled my ears and the bass vibrated the bed beneath me. I felt a shift on the mattress behind me and rolled over onto my back. I had almost forgotten that we were at Tamsin's cabin and it took a second to register the unfamiliar room.

I looked over at Lauren as she stared at the ceiling, "Hey, you okay?"

She turned her head towards me and gave a soft smile, "Just trying to figure out a few things. Are you okay?"

"It hurt like hell," I said. "What have you figured out? Anything?"

She sighed, "I think- no, I know Zoie was a Blood Sage. And I'm almost positive those symbols that she saw are the same as the ones in the code, and they are most likely also linked to blood magic."

"But if that's true… wouldn't Trick be able to translate it?"

"I honestly don't know. No one would know besides a Blood Sage. They keep that information very close."

"And Trick is the only one we know," I added. The song blasting downstairs changed and even louder bass beats began to shake the cabin. "Ugh, Kenzi… Wait. Holy shit, what about Kenzi? Well, Kes? I mean, it can't be a coincidence that she looks exactly like Kenzi. You know, without the dye-job."

"No, it's definitely not a coincidence," Lauren said and rubbed her hand over her face. "And Tamsin showing up right when all of this and helping us when we've just met… something isn't right."

I moved closer to her and buried my head against her arm, muttering, "My head hurts. I need coffee before we have to think anymore."