Hey guys, hope you all had a wonderful New Years, and that you enjoyed yourselves. Anyways I'm trying to update quickly. So tell me what you think of this new chapter. I read all your reviews from the previous chapter, wow you guys are great, I haven't had such a quick response before. Thank you all for reading.

"Wait!" I shouted. "Why is it that you went to so much trouble to kill me? I was alone with Dimitri several times, why didn't you have him kill me then."

Eddie looked at me seriously. "Because, my dear, I needed you to come willingly onto hollowed out ground. You see this room is built around hollowed out ground. And in order for the ritual to be done correctly you needed to step foot on it willingly."

"R ritual, what ritual?"

"The one I need so I could forever be bound to Earth and never be sent back to the pits of hell. I need a seer; a virgin seer's blood needs to fill up the ground and I must bathe in it."

Bathe in my blood. He wants to shower in it. "That's disgusting!" I said out loud.

Eddie took a step forward. "I'm glad we share the same thought." He said calmly.

A cold sensation on my neck made me aware of a cool sharp object poised against it. Dimitri must have flipped out a knife while I was distracted; he held it against my neck. I winced when he pressed a little too tightly. I was sure there was a thin line cut onto my neck.

"So this whole time you were lying to me." I whispered to Dimitri, so only he could hear.

His voice came out choked. "I warned you, didn't I? I told you that demons could be anyone, that you should trust no one. It was your fault if you still chose to trust me after that warning."

"But you're not a demon."

"No, I'm far worse. I'm his bitch, forced to do anything he wishes. And right now he wishes you to be dead. You must understand that I have to comply." His voice was shaking and I heard years of grief behind it. "You must, please I did not ask for this." He lifted the knife from my neck and tilted it. It was the same action right down to the angle of the knife that I witness the shadow use when he stabbed Natalie.

There was no doubt in my mind that Dimitri was the shadow I saw murder Natalie. But I understand now that he did not do it out of his own free will. He had once told me he was not free to stand up to the one who oppressed him. I didn't understand why when he first said it, but now I could. Dimitri was forced to live this life of obeying his demon master. He had sold his soul for this. I also knew another thing. Deep in my soul, I knew Dimitri was not evil. In his own way he was trying to save me. He wanted me to stay behind; he didn't want me to come. He had purposefully avoided me for days because it was his job to turn me in.

I could see it now, the warning he could not tell me. The little slips he made that pointed to him being the shadow. They were so clear now.

With all these thoughts flashing through my mind there was only one thing I had to tell Dimitri before I died. "Dimitri." I whispered as I saw the knife coming towards me. "I forgive you."

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the bite of the knife, but it never came. When I opened my eyes I saw the point of the knife mere centimeters away from me. Dimitri kept it still with a shaking hand. He turned me quickly around so I could meet his eyes. There was so much in them, grief, sadness, and a determination that was strong but fading.

"Run." It seemed to be taking everything in him to say the words. "Go, as fast as you can. I don't know how much longer I can hold it." Dimitri was shaking from head to toe, his teeth clenched. He was holding back, but the power Eddie had over him was strong. I could see him waging and internal war, one I was sure he would lose. He couldn't hold off Eddie's power for long, but he was giving me a few seconds head start.

I could hear Eddie's angry shouts when Dimitri let me go. I didn't stick around to hear what he said.

I ran as fast as I could out of there. The room was full of blinding light, but outside there was nothing but darkness. I didn't know if I was going the right way. The grass kept tickling my feet as I ran past it, my shoes made a squishy sound from the mud that surrounded the ground.

Shadows of trees were on both sides of the path I was running through. I swirled around the gravestones being careful not to run into one.

I heard footsteps behind me, but their steps were much harder and faster. I could hear them advancing. I pumped my arms higher and willed my legs to go faster, although every muscle in my body seemed to protest. I was running so fast my chest ached and an extreme thirst seemed to develop in my throat. In that moment I knew I was going to die. I could never outrun him.

I was sure that it was Dimitri behind me. I also knew that no matter how much he didn't want to, he was going to kill me. The power Eddie wielded over him was too strong to break. And even though I knew Dimitri was a killer, I could not help but trust him. It was funny when you think about it, the one person I trusted the most was the person I was running away from.

The force of Dimitri's body crashed into me. It knocked the breath right out of me and sent me plunging to the ground. Dimitri climbed over me and pinned me down, his eyes were different, they were no longer the eyes of a wounded man. I could see an evilness in them. It was as if I was seeing into Eddie's eyes instead of Dimitris.

His big hands came around my neck in a second, and he tightened his hands around it, restricting air from coming in.

I couldn't breathe, all I could see was the night sky that was behind Dimitri's head. I didn't want to look at him. He was sneering down at me, enjoying the kill.

The world started getting hazy; my lungs felt like they were shriveling up from lack of air. I heard Dimitri's voice talk to me as he squeezed the life out of me.

"Tell me, Rose, were you disappointed to find out I was the murderer. Or are you more disappointed by the fact that you never got to kiss me before you died." I would have snorted if I could. Trust Dimitri to inflate his ego right as he was killing me. "I dare say you needed a good kiss." He continued giving a harsh laugh, and then everything started going black. I couldn't see anything anymore. I knew I was passing out.

I was in the darkness for a long time when I heard a yell. A force of air rushed itself into my lungs and I started gasping. I felt like I hadn't inhaled for centuries and even then the air I was breathing didn't seem enough to satisfy me. My vision started to clear slowly and I became aware of a huge figure before me. I recoiled back when I realized it wasn't one but two figures. One was on top of the other pinning it down. The one in the bottom looked like it wasn't putting up much of a fight; he was letting himself be pinned down, I realized.

The figure on top pulled out what looked to be rope. I still couldn't get a clear image of them.

"Tie me up to a tree!" The figure on the bottom, Dimitri, I realized, screamed. "Do it now before he makes me stop you."

"That was the plan pretty boy." The voice of the second figure shocked me. It was Christian.

Christian tied a quick knot around Dimitri's hands and led him to a tree. Dimitri obeyed, clearly in control of his body again.

I watched as Christian strapped Dimitri to a tree. My vision getting clearer each time till it was back to normal.

"Christian." I whispered more to myself. They both turned towards me, relief in both of their faces. Christian finished tying up Dimitri and walked towards me cautiously. Dimitri turned his head away. I could tell he was ashamed, his shoulders drooped.

"Rose." Christian said when he was close enough to touch me. "How are you feeling?" He crouched down to my level and looked me in the eyes. Christian's eyes were looking at me with so much compassion. Remorse coursed through me.

I through my arms around him and pressed my face to his chest. "I'm so sorry." I whimpered. "You were right, I should have trusted you."

He held me tightly and kept whispering back "it's ok Rose, it's alright". But it wasn't, how could I make him understand that I messed up. That it was my fault my sister was in there with Eddie, and I probably had no choice but to let him kill me so that she could be free.

"It's not your fault." He whispered back. His voice was shaking slightly and it had taken on a tint of regret. "This is my fault; don't ever think that this could possibly be yours."

I finally looked back into his face and saw the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. "Do you remember that time when you spend the night over at my house?"

I nodded back unsure of where this conversation was leading.

"I told you that we were summoning back my grandfather's spirit but I lied. That wasn't my grandfathers pocket watch, it was Rhea's."

Rhea, that name sounded familiar, but it couldn't be who I was thinking of.

"You don't mean, Lissa's mom do you." Lissa's mom had died five years ago when a random mugger killed her when he found out she wasn't carrying any money.

Christian nodded. "Yes, Lissa's mom."

"What? Why would you? How did you even have her watch?"

"It's kind of difficult to explain, but Lissa's mom left that watch behind, and I grabbed it when she was killed. She was killed in front of me, it was an accident." Christian had a far off look and I knew he was reliving that moment again.

"She knew there was a chance she could die but she took it. She had taken precautions. Rhea was your guide. She was the one who was supposed to help you be a seer. But the demon came too soon, sooner than she expected. She had the trap laid out for him but she hadn't given her powers to Lissa yet."

"Lissa?" I interrupted.

"Yes, since Rhea knew there was a chance she would die she wanted Lissa to take over and be your seer. She had filled Lissa in on a lot of the knowledge that only guides have. But the demon came at night for her. She knew it was now or never so she took a chance and released her powers to the nearest person in sight."

"There was a lonely little boy playing outside in his yard. Right before she died, she gave him her power."

"You." I whispered.

"Yes, me. I didn't have any knowledge about being a seer but the few that she managed to instill in me. I was a novice and I had to learn everything through books. But that wasn't enough. I knew I wasn't training you like I should, so I tried to summon Rhea so that she could guide us. But I didn't know. Rhea and the demon both left imprints of themselves on the objects that were left behind. When they died their souls were meshed together and sent to hell. The demon is the stronger of the two so he was able to rise when I called."

"I was so stupid, Rose, stupid for not looking more into it. I felt his presence when the candles unlit. I knew what I had done. I had allowed him to connect to the Earth. It was only for a couple seconds, but he was able to call on Dimitri to do his bidding in that time. So you see, it's my fault not yours, never yours."

Christian looked so grieved by this revelation, I ached to comfort him. I wanted to say something, anything that would make him feel better.

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance. Dimitri's angry voice interrupted. "So it was your fault that animal contacted me. Do you know how long I have wanted to be free of him? Do you understand the amount of awful things he made me do? I was so glad to be free of him, for five short years I was in peace, but now it's over."

"Stop it!" I yelled. I leveled my gaze towards Dimitri."Don't you see that Christian feels bad enough without you rubbing it in his face. I hate that you're in pain but don't take it out on him."

"He's right though. I was a complete idiot."

Dimitri said something that sounded like an agreement. I glared at him and he stared back in a manner that I knew meant he didn't regret the jester.

Something dawned on me in that moment. "That's why you were talking with Lissa." I realized.

"Yes, she was able to give me more insight on this guide business. She would have actually made a good one."

I snorted. I was glad Lissa never got to be my guide. I don't know if I could have stood that much contact with the human Barbie doll.

"No really, she would have been good for you. She was the one who came up to me when she figured out you were a seer. She genuinely wanted to help."

"How did she figure out I was a seer?" She always called me names, but never once did she let on that she knew what I was. And another thing, since when is Lissa so helpful?

"A little over a week ago, when you stared her in the eyes, she saw it, the seer in you."

Thinking back to that day, her reaction made sense now. It wasn't how people usually reacted. She didn't cower in fear like everyone else, she was in shock. And something else, it was as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. As if she had seen something that only legends talk about.

"Ok, that's enough talk." Dimitris voice came impatiently from his tree. "These arms of mine aren't just meant to look good. If he takes control of me once again—and he will—I could easy break through these ropes with my strength. And of course my glorious muscles." He flexed from under the rope to demonstrate the muscles that rippled from his arms.

"You know you're really not what I expected. I didn't think a demons shadow could be this vain." Christain observed.

"We're not. I'm just the exception, cause I'm so damn good looking. Now go, get out of here."

Right, Mia. She was still in there with that feign, nothing else mattered but getting her out. I ran back towards the room. Christian close at my heels. I barged in not even being discreet about my return.

"Ahh Rose." Eddie was standing in the center of the room, still in the same spot, he hadn't moved an inch and neither had Mia. "Nice of you to join us again. Oh and you brought, Christian. I believe a thank you will suffice dear Christian, for my return would never have happened without you." He bowed down to Christian with a genuine smile. Christian did not return it.

"So have you come to accept your fate, or will we need Dimitri to come here and convince you." He rubbed his hands together vigorously as if he was preparing to give a speech to all evil doers.

"You know I could just kill you." I said, remembering the process that the book, Having a Demon Problem, set out.

"Well that's not very nice Rose. After all the trouble I went to set this place up, my guest of honor is going to try to kill the host." He laughed so chilling that I felt a shiver go all the way down my spine.

"That's not very funny, considering she could do it." Christian smirked. There was something different about Christian, I realized. He was standing erect, his face was void of fear, and he had confidence. He looked different from the scared little boy I'd come to know, this was a man. Christian had grown up. There was something about him that made me honestly believe he was able to stand up to this demon.

"Really, well I don't think she has the guts to kill me. Considering that killing me will also kill her precious Dimitri."

My head snapped quickly towards Eddie. Kill Dimitri? "You're lying." I said it with as much conviction as I could, but a deep fear had settled in my heart. He couldn't be right, could he?

"Does it look like I would lie? But of course if you don't trust me go right ahead and do it." He smirked.

"Even if that is true, what makes you so certain that I wouldn't still kill you? If I recall Dimitri is a murderer. Killing him wouldn't be so bad." I worked to keep the nonchalance in my voice. I was lying through my teeth.

Eddie reached out and grabbed a stray hair that had blown across Mia's face, and put it behind her ear. It was a gentle caress, one you would see a lover doing. She smiled at him sincerely with eyes that were dark abysses. There was nothing in that person's expression that reminded me of Mia. The thought that he had made her his puppet made me sick.

"Don't put that act on me Rose. I know you well. I watched you when you were little, of course then you just thought I was a bad dream. When I was sent to hell I still didn't give up on you. I knew one day we would meet formally. And just like I knew we were going to meet, I knew that a sweet girl like you would not resist helping a tortured soul. And Dimitri's soul is practically the most tortured there is, since he clings to his humanity. I'm right aren't I. You wouldn't bare to hurt Dimitri because deep down you want to save him. And how would you be able to live with yourself knowing you killed the life of an innocent."

"Be quiet, you stupid slime!" Christian screamed and lunged at Eddie. Eddie flicked Christian to the wall with a simple twist of his wrist as if he weighed nothing. Christian collided against the wall hard, cracking the wall, chips fell in several directions.

Eddie tilted his head up, his eyes turning completely black, right down to the whites of his eyes. A loud thump resounded from the cemetery. It sounded like the Earth was ripping in half.

"Ahh, that should be Dimitri." Eddie smiled. Eddie must have Dimitri back in control. "So what is it going to be Rose? Either way I'm going to get you. It's your choice if you want Dimitri to bring you to me or are you going to turn yourself over and save yourself some dignity."

I looked towards Christians slumped shape on the floor. His chest was rising and falling; he was breathing, but he was knocked unconscious. Mia was standing in the center of the room next to Eddie with a goofy grin on her face. She was so gone from this world, only getting rid of Eddie would bring her back. There was no way I could defeat Eddie, not with Dimitri's strength. Dimitri could have me pinned down on the floor in less than a second.

I felt Dimitri's presence behind me. I knew I would never be able to escape him. "Fine, I'll go willingly." I decided.

Eddie broke out in a wide smile. Little lines appeared next to his eyes when they crinkled and his face, which always looked repulsive to me looked pleasant for once. "Excellent."

I walked slowly, deliberately trying to prolong possibly the last seconds of my life. I made sure to knock over several candles on purpose before I stopped in front of Eddie. I was close enough to smell his scent, sweat mixed with cologne, and a tint of sulfur. I kept my back on Dimitri.

I cursed myself for not having dipped the ruda leaves in the pigs blood beforehand. I couldn't even use the salt, there was no way I'd be able to trap him behind it in such little time.

"Shall we." He asked extended his hand as if he were asking me for a dance.

"Wait. If I do this you've got to promise that you'll let Mia go." I looked at him sternly, willing him to listen to me.

He scoffed. "Done. I didn't like the brat anyways. No amount of prettiness could block out her annoying habits."

I chose to ignore that. "And you can't hurt Christian. He has to be left alone."

"Is that it darling, because you demand too much considering I'm the top dog here, not you."

"You didn't promise the last one."

"Fine, I won't touch the boy." He said angrily. I was surprised that he was conceding to my demands considering he referred to himself as the top dog.

I nodded my head to signal that I was ready. He pulled out a long dagger from his pocket; the tip looked as if it had been sharpened recently. Words scrawled in another language were inscribed on the handle. The dagger glinted in the candlelight.

There was a red glow on Eddie's face; it was possibly on mine too. I dug my hands in my pockets and watched Eddie raise the dagger high over his head. He chanted strange words, most of which I recognized were in Latin, his voice coming in tongues, it sounded deep. I looked at the dagger that was poised to strike at me, and I couldn't make myself be afraid. I didn't understand why I wasn't. I should be.

As I watched Eddie utter his last words his eyes opened and looked straight at me, a sort of wretchedness in them. My fingers wrapped around the object in my pocket.