Rationale seemed to be a thing of the past as rage obliterated my better judgment. It made the notion of forgiveness seem impossible as the surge of black power continued to attack the white barrier. Storm clouds gathered along the horizon before branching out to cover the sky. Thunder rumbled like a bomb refusing to be ignored as the gathering tempest eclipsed all glimpses of sunlight. The wind gushed through curls whilst plastering my clothes to my stationary form as lightening stuck the earth and tree branches snapped churning with blossoms exhumed ascending to swirl chaotically around me.

Horrid visions commandeered my mind of past demons chewing into tender flesh, of my sister uncontrollably weeping upon the mattress as my stepfather left her to lie in the midst of her sacrifice, of Abby struggling to breathe choking on her own life force that continued to spill from her gaping wound. Every hellish memory seemed to feed my uncontainable need to destroy everything within this place; it nourished my desire to obliterate the obstruction currently standing within my path. Black liquid continued to pour in droves from the tips of my fingernails to coat the blockade as if intent to smother its surface. It seeped pass its exterior until like an explosive ignited the dome discharged. Immense white sparks floated out around me like massive trickles of luminescent snow flakes.

My form still hovering inches from earth floated easily pass the wreckage whilst unearthing the magnificence of nature’s beauty from all sides. Massive trunks uplifted from soil only to crash into others, the sound deafening even over the roar of the storm above. The ground quaked beneath my wrath as the earth continued to split, a gigantic splinter forming along blossoms enveloping nature’s splendor as it expanded. Water rushed to ebb beneath my feet knowing even without glimpsing its pounding waves that even the lake was not immune to my influence. My body halted only at the sudden multitude of explosions of luminous white light appearing taking the form of several guardians now blocking my passage. I lowered myself to the ground as my eyes once again collided with those of a robed man I had not too long ago met here while with my father.

He stepped forward to confront my vehemence, his sense of morality forcing him to be brave. “You shouldn’t be here, Anna Marie.”

I snickered; a sound devoid of true humor as I mocked in a voice far deeper than my customary tone, “and where exactly should I be? Tell me oh so wise protector, aren’t I as pure as you? Does not a warrior’s linage lie within my blood?”

His jaw hardened, his chin rising haughtily even as fear managed to trickle into his blue gaze. Oh, how I felt his fear call to me. It begged for my assistance in plundering beneath the fragile barrier of skin to sample the delectable flavor of terror. I swallowed the impulse with true difficulty.

“As does a demon’s ancestry taint the core of your being,” he insulted plainly. “I think it’s blatantly obvious from the clear destruction of such a tranquil place whose side you have chosen.”

The unraveling of the area ceased, the carnage of my rage making the space appear devastated, and yet still the sky darkened whilst the wind progressed violently around us.

I smirked, “you speak of sides as if there was a superior choice.”

It was quite a spectacle to behold as such nobility deigned to such lowly human emotion as anger. Fury devoured wisdom as several guardians visibly bristled before me. Their ingrained sense of tolerance just barely halting them from attack.

“How could you even dare to compare us to such unspeakable evil?”

“Was it not evil to simply watch as Rick defiled my sister?” I countered acidly.

The self righteousness dimmed slightly within his orbs before he explained, “we can not interfere with human decision.”

“And yet Rick was not human.”

“If we dared to impede every choice made on earth we would-.”

“What? Save souls?” I ridiculed.

He flinched as if physically struck. “You are young, foolish, and impetuous. I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand the complexities-.”

I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous wordplay before cutting off his speech. “You and your pathetic cronies sit behind guarded beauty watching as the world struggles to uphold your useless morals. You hang back hoping humanity chooses morality even when viciously attacked by darkness, and then you judge them for a weakness you could have easily prevented.”

“Life is about free will.”

The ground trembled riotously at the mere sound of his words before I felt control reenter my form, the earth at last settling beneath my feet. “Free will? What exactly is your definition of those words? Was it within my free will to be ravished by demons I knew nothing of or how to fight?”

“Anna, we had to,” he attempted to interject but I refused to let him.

“Was it my free will that allowed you to watch as the underground committee permitted Courtney to try and kill me before my powers even manifested?”

“Marie, we-.”

“Was it free will that allowed guardians to simply watch Abby die within my arms!” Tears scarlet tinted trickled the length of my face. “Was it your precious free will that forced you to simply watch as everyone I loved was cruelly snatched from my life?”

He shook his head as if pitying my naivety. “Emotion clouds you of logic,” he stated simply while ignoring the intense sense of astonishment filling my features. “Darkness has contaminated your way of thinking. Everything we do is for the greater good; everything we sacrifice aids our aim for humanity’s brighter future.”

Scoffing at the mere idea I shrieked, “Not once have I seen any of you sacrifice as much as my sister did!”

“And behold,” he replied his palms gesturing towards my enraged stature, “how you have wasted so many of Andrea’s selfless sacrifices.”

Feeling that anger once again overwhelming any semblance of calm within me like an infinite chasm of malevolence erupting from inside I roared watching as power spilled from my lips plunging the army of protectors off their feet. Their bodies tumbled back onto dirt, earth coating their formally pristine robes. The image was one of such purity soiled while at last befitting their past actions. Many rose with resentment controlling their behavior as countless beams of white light sprung forth hurling at my stationary figure. A shield of darkness encased my body like a shadow coating my shape protecting me from their wrath while bounding their power back towards them. My shield retracted just in time for me to witness several idiotic guardians being flung further into the encircling forestry, blistering flickers igniting the edges of their robes. Bodies struggled to extinguish growing flames as figures twisted within the gust only to land harshly upon the ground. Their shapes vanished quickly only to resume their pathetic procession before me; some more singed than before.

“You really shouldn’t piss me off,” I warned.

His brow rose condescendingly, “tell me, is that you speaking or your darker half?”

I smirked at his obvious superiority knowing of how clueless they were about things that ensued back on earth. “You know for a higher council sworn to watch over and protect the weak you people really don’t know much.”

His lips twisted into a grimace while his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. “I know that you won’t be coming any further onto sacred ground. I know that you will never be welcome on this side of the war again. Just like I know that everything Katrina once claimed you to be was horrifyingly accurate. We were just too blind to see what was right in front of us.”

“Yeah, blind is exactly what I’d label you. Why would I even want to be on a side that is so intent to be neutral that they leave their so called warriors completely unguarded, unknowledgeable, and unprotected? You’re right; you’re nothing like darkness at all. They actually bother to lift a hand to those fighting on their side. And if Katrina was the embodiment of everything a guardian is supposed to be, if she was your ridiculous hope for the human race then this world is more screwed up than I had ever imagined!”

Another protector stepped forward in defense only to halt at the sudden rising of the council member’s hand. He exclaimed while those blue eyes blazed, “We have done nothing to aid the fight, is that what you’re trying to tell me? We haven’t sacrificed enough for you? How can you even attempt to form those words, Anna Marie? Do you even realize everything you’ve done? Have you even acknowledged everything we’ve tried to look past, everything we’ve made excuses for just in order to keep your soul intact?”

Glaring up at his indignation, tears building within my gaze I yelled, “All you’ve done! I can-.”

He dared to step forward furious at my reproach. “You unleashed hell upon Harmony, upon that nurse, and the attendant by unlocking that door. You left another defense man to be eaten alive! You attacked your own guardian who happened to be your beloved sister while under demonic possession of your own powers!”

I tried to blink away the sudden dam threatening to be destroyed within but it felt impossible. I felt it rupture within my broken heart emotion streaming down my cheeks to the earth as the wind all but died. The power inside me slowly drained as if pieces of its essence lied inside the tears that plummeted from my gaze.

“Your notorious other half fed on a trucker than allowed darkness to finish him off! She killed an innocent bystander just to get your attention then threatened the safety of a child to get your agreement!”

My voice was hoarse with emotion as I murmured, “I get it. You don’t-.”

“No, I don’t think that you do!” he exclaimed irately. “We could list all of the damning incidents you’ve been involved with since your powers manifested as you have listed all the times you’ve felt we’ve failed, but know this Anna Marie we have made our share of sacrifices! Or have you forgotten the horde of guardians who died in that mall parking garage protecting you?”

I felt guilt burn off what was left of my anger leaving me feeling gutted. My eyes fell in shame as I stammered for answers. “I never asked… never meant for-.”

“Whether you meant to or not you killed more of our kind that night than actual demons did. And still we forgave you.”

Hazel lenses rose in confusion. “You barred me from the entrance. You call this forgiveness?”

His chin rose as if viewing someone much more inferior to him. “We forgave you up until we could not excuse it any longer. You were… distraught after Andrea’s death and clearly understandably so, but the fury inside you… The boundless anger it’s something we can’t condone anymore. What you did to Katrina was unforgivable.”

My lips parted as shock caused the gasp to slip from my mouth, my hand rose to rest against my heart not expecting this to be the final straw that turned them against me. “She had chosen darkness.”

A girl no older than me stalked forward, her gorgeous features furrowed in anger. “Katrina would never betray us!”

“She had joined forces with Adriana! She tried to kill me,” I argued only for them to begin conversing lividly amongst themselves.

“Katrina protected us!” another guy screamed.

“She taught me everything that I know,” a woman screeched.

“She’s lying to save her own neck,” a guy reasoned to the council member. “She knows darkness will come for her and that she’ll have no protection to shield their attack!”

Staring horrifyingly mesmerized at the growing crowd I realized the one thing that I was being convicted for was the one thing I actually felt no guilt over. Yes, I could have shown more leniency in the end towards Katrina, but quite frankly she helped aid in Andrea’s death and that to me was unjustifiable. I didn’t for a minute believe if our roles were reversed that Katrina would have spared my life. She had viewed me as an abomination that needed to be aborted. It wasn’t my fault that I beat her at her own game, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to make excuses for it.

Ignoring their continuing insults I focused solely on the council member’s impassive features. “Katrina attacked Andrea, Gabe-,” I paused as if the thought only just donned on me before I quickly urged. “If you don’t believe me then bring Gabe here!” My eyes wandered frantically behind their line of defense, “where is he? Gabe? Gabe!”

That hand rose once again to silence me. “Gabe will no longer be of service to you.”

My brows creased in confusion. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“It means,” he emphasized as if speaking to someone seriously dimwitted, “he will no longer be your guardian. His ties to you have been severed. He can no longer feel your fear, your anger, your sadness, your pain. He will be assigned another charge and if for some reason he finds his way back to your side you will be erased from his life.”

“Erased?”

“It will be as if you never existed to him. The Demon of Illusion is not the only being gifted at withdrawing memories. Gabriel has lived many lives. He has aided more good than you will ever know, but his heart is soft where you are concerned and it clouds his judgment. We would not bring him here to hear anything he has to say because we no longer believe he can choose what’s morally right when it comes to you.”

“That’s complete shit-.”

His brow rose in silent mockery, his words disrupting my own, “save the profanity fore it is not needed and will not help you plead your case. In fact nothing will.”

My lips trembled as I took a step back, my eyes frantic as I paced a small path before him. “My father-.”

“Is no longer able to contact you.”

“My grandmother-.”

“Has been persuaded to dissolve any connection to you. We make no idle threats, Anna Marie. You were warned about your decisions. You knew that we worried about which side you would choose. You are really and truly on your own now.”

It was one thing to think about being alone and yet quite another experience to actually hear it.

“Andrea,” I whispered over the lump in my throat.

“What about her?”

My gaze met his unwaveringly, “I want to know exactly where my sister is?”

He snorted in disbelief. “We tell you that you have been disbanded from our allegiance and you ask me this?”

“You can honestly go to hell with your allegiance. My coming here was never about begging for forgiveness because honestly I truly feel as if I’m beyond redemption by now. I didn’t come here to rekindle connections, or plead for your protection. I came here for one thing and that was answers. I need to know where my sister is.”

He shook his head in wonderment. “After all you’ve done you’re here for a favor?”

“No, after all that you didn’t do I’m here for a simple explanation.”

His face reddened with pent up rage, “all that we didn’t-.”

“I don’t want to argue. I think in the bigger picture we both failed. How easy would life have been if one of you had simply come to me and explained everything I’d face instead of leaving me in the dark?”

“Your abilities only manifest in times of great trauma!”

“And constantly being attacked by all of hell wouldn’t have been traumatic enough?” I questioned while at last silencing his justification. “This argument is pointless. I simply want to know where my sister is.”

“I’m afraid I can’t,” he began.

My chin quivered as my emotions surpassed my attempt to stay calm, “but that’s just it I know that you can! Since when has goodness been about lies and deceit!”

The moment I saw that rage rekindle within his eyes I knew I had misspoken. His hand rose as flaming yellow light sped towards me. It captured my unsuspecting form hurling me away from his side.

“You know nothing of goodness!” he screamed, his wrath exploding upon my body once again when I attempted to stand. Its strength tumbled my struggling figure back into a bed of flowers; my body rolling harshly upon rocks and dirt.

“Lies and deceit form everything you are inside, Anna Marie,” he affronted as he took a step forward, his army loyal at his side. I rose gently to my knees regarding dazedly such unyielding vigor standing before me. “I hereby revoke any and all ability you once had to emerge on these hallowed grounds.”

“No, wait,” I screamed as my body rose only to find myself encircled by a swirling tornado of white light.

“Anna Marie, you are hereby banished from the gateway to our existence!” I heard him yell just as the ground beneath my feet vanished and my body collapsed into the confines of a black hole.

The wind eclipsed my screams as the draft’s touch wiped away my tears as plummeting into darkness I clutched at nothingness trying to prevent the inevitable. As I descended I could sense memories departing from my mind. Visions of the meadow disappeared; the cry of the wild became unfathomable to my intellect, the beautiful color of the sky now unimaginable. By the time I landed harshly back onto the cold tile floor of Aunt Grace’s bathroom I couldn’t even remember what the council member’s face looked like.

I rose to sit dazedly upon the hard tile, my hands checking for bruises, my vision blurred by my sense of defeat.

“Nice of you to drop in,” I heard from within my bedroom. My body shifted swiftly regarding David lounging idly at the seat before my bay window. He smirked at my disheveled appearance loving the shock I couldn’t conceal quickly enough.

Glaring at his unwanted presence I ascended while gently dusting the dirt from the seat of my jeans whilst trying to ignore the way his eyes traveled my body. “Isn’t there some rock you have to slither back under?”

His irises flashed a brilliant scarlet before reverting back to that befooling green. “Such hostility, little Anna. Did you not find what you were looking for?”

Furiously I turned towards the bathroom mirror viciously yanking twigs and flowers from my curls. “As if you would know anything about where I’ve been.”

“I know that Andrea’s dead. I know that Adriana obviously failed to capture you.” My fingers stilled at his smug words while hating the fact that he knew that he held my attention. “I know that the bounty over your head is twice the amount it once was. I know that Katrina was killed by your hand and that as usual the guardians have foolishly chosen to believe whatever lies are fed to them. Did I leave anything out?”

I twisted to glower at such evident arrogance implanted within his handsome face. “The only thing you left out is the fact that this has nothing to do with you.” I turned back towards my reflection wishing for once that my other half would return to tell me what to do next.

I heard him shift before sauntering towards me. “Haven’t you learned by now Sweetheart that you can catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar? Let’s just say your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired.” He halted directly behind my stationary form his eyes lingering on the seat of my jeans.

I felt repulsive fingers crawl along my scalp to softly stroke my curls just as I rotated shifting swiftly to clutch his palm within my burning touch. My irises enflamed with an untold intensity as I allowed searing heat to melt the surface of his wrist. “I think we both know what it is your picturing when you mention beside and it sure as hell has nothing to do with my manner.”

I watched him whimper pitifully before I shoved him from my side. He collapsed disastrously, pink towels falling around him as he cradled his damaged hand while glowering up at me from his position on the floor.

“Touch me again and you’ll be cradling a stub instead of a scorched arm,” I threatened.

Sweat trickled down his face as he vehemently spat, “you’re so tough now but I bet you weren’t half as superior in front of the precious council of do gooders, now were you?”

Beyond tired of his crap I turned to stalk through the door only halting at his continued words.

“Aren’t you even just a little bit curious as to why they didn’t see through Katrina’s lies?”

I paused while hating to stoop low enough to ask anything of this bottom feeder. Swirling back towards his pained figure I watched him grin at his sudden glimmer of power as he visibly struggled to his feet. “Not such the smart ass now, are you?” he gloated.

I forged a yawn while rolling my eyes. “You had something to say so say it.”

He grinned in delight at the unconcealed edge in my voice. “That certainly doesn’t sound like gratitude to me. Could I possibly hear a please, Uncle Dave?”

My palm rose pointedly before me as I took a step towards him that smirk slowly disappearing off his face. “How about this?” I suggested. “You tell me what you know or I’ll bring new meaning to chestNUTS roasting over an open fire.”

His hands rose in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, okay there’s really no need to go that far. Look, Katrina was pretty clever in covering her tracks. She had been doing it since the decision was made not to kill you. In hindsight, I’m betting that the council is seriously regretting that assessment.” He openly laughed at his own comment. “To be a fly on that wall-.”

My brows creased over irritated eyes. “My patience really isn’t what it used to be so skip to the point!”

“You know a muzzle would make a really good wedding gift for you and Rick-.”

An abrupt force slammed into David’s body smashing his face into the adjacent wall.

“Oway I det la oint,” he tried to mutter through squashed lips. My hold on him lessened at last allowing him to turn back to confront my frustration. “Okay, I get the point,” he repeated while rubbing at the red marks along his cheek. “You know you have a real attitude problem.”

My brow rose seemingly waiting patiently for him to continue, my arms crossing cantankerously in front of my chest.

“When Adriana and Katrina’s plan failed to get rid of Andrea Katrina made sure she stayed on the council’s radar hoping for the moment she could get close to you. The fact that they assigned her to watch over Andrea’s first assignment; the legendary chosen one speaks volumes of the trust they had in her. She let you come to the brink of death so many times and still they thought she could do no wrong.”

I began to pace in a need to release my inner aggravation with my idiotic protectors. “This I already know.”

“Bet you don’t know that Andrea wasn’t the only one making demonic deals.”

I froze before facing his amused expression. “What?”

“That’s right, dear old Katrina made a deal with a demon that’s a hell of a lot more powerful than the Demon of Illusion. Let’s just say even now in Katrina’s final death the seal on their bond remains.”

“What does that mean?” I persisted.

“It means she got a better bargain than poor foolish Andrea. I don’t know the specifics but I do know this. Even as we speak her deal is still cloaked. No one outside the two who agreed to the contract knows of its contents. All that I can gather from the underworld was that everything she did while under the guise of a virtuous guardian was concealed by seriously black magic and shall remain that way.”

“So what you’re saying is that there is no way that I can prove that she had switched sides?”

“Not unless you have a time machine,” he snorted.

“But I thought with that kind of agreement in death payment is due?”

“As I’ve said Beautiful, she dealt in some heavy black arts with seriously powerful demons.” He shrugged indifferently, “who knows what price she paid.”

My gaze plummeted as I reflected on his words before I found myself whispering, “And my sister?”

“What about her?”

Hazel irises lifted to clash with his, “do you know what became of her?”

His shoulder rose once again in lack of concern before he retorted, “If it was my guess I’d say Rick was the least of her problems.”

Emotions coursed through my body burning away the tiny traces of lucid thoughts I once had as uncontrolled black veins poured through my fingers. I lividly watched as ebony tinted branches snaked around his surprised form, their thick limbs constricting around his appendages.

“I told you what you wanted to know,” he choked as black ribbons moved to forcefully compress the expanse of his neck.

“You’re a perverted-,” I roared only for his raspy voice to continue to defend.

“No, I’m honest and you can’t handle it!” he managed to gasp out. My hold slackened as his words sunk in just as my anger diminished. “I wasn’t goading you. If Andrea made a deal with a demon most likely she now resides in his fortress of torture.”

My distressed nature caused my power to depart from his form completely. His hands moved to caress his bruised neck as everything around me became indistinct within my dejected gaze.

“Andrea is most likely nothing more than a trophy, a play thing until…,” his words trailed off probably in fear of my reaction.

“Until?” I questioned.

“Until he tires of her and either sells her soul or gives it to another.”

My mind traveled back to Adriana’s confession, her words haunting me…

“You actually think being tasted by a demon is awful, being cut into is the worst thing that can happen to a person? Try being cast into the center of hell by the one man you adore! Try having your body sampled by every demon you couldn’t fight off as flames melt the flesh from your very bones! And even while living your darkest fears, your most hellish phobias you still can’t die! You think you fear darkness? Darkness is nothing compared to what lies in the glowing embers of damnation, little girl!”

Liquid surpassed my vision, I no longer cared that the sight of such collapse of control made me appear weak. “You’re telling me that my sister is now trapped in the underworld? That in exchange for my safety she sold hers?”

He sneered happily at my obvious devastation. “Precisely, but of course that’s merely hearsay.”

Fury controlled my features as my lenses altered rapidly to that never-ending red as I advance towards him. He backed away quickly until his back met the wall pleading for me to stop.

“I only meant I gathered that from rumors. Only a choice few could tell you the truth.”

My irises reverted back to hazel while barely feeling the pain of its shift anymore as I snorted contemptuously at his obvious insinuation. “Let me guess, you’re suggesting I go to Rick.”

The grin that stole over his lips was voracious at best. “I’m merely giving you an option. You want answers and I think we both know that he has them. Think about it Marie, you find where your sister is and I get the reward for turning you in.” His beam widened at the mere thought, “at the end of the day we’re both happy.”

My glare was transparent of my hatred for the miscreant standing before me. “That’s odd because at the end of the day you end up vastly richer, more powerful, and with the praise of a higher level demon.” I could practically see the fantasy coming to life in his ecstatic gaze even as I continued to verbalize my misgivings, “Whereas I end up ensnared behind guarded walls with a sadistic fiend between my legs.”

The malicious smile disappeared from his lips as I leaned in closer to whisper, “I don’t think so.”

I rotated to walk away, my hands running through my curls while trying not to imagine his words about Andrea being true. Deep within I knew there was a possibility that she would not be safely hidden within the guardian’s blissful realm, but still I had lived in desperate hope that she had not been forced to withhold her end of that godforsaken bargain.

Oh god, Andrea what have you gotten yourself into?

I heard David’s footsteps stalking mine before he halted in the bathroom’s entrance. “Okay, let’s say you don’t go.”

“That much is obvious.”

“And then what?”

I halted, my heart stilling inside my chest. Turning I confronted his stoic features. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what alternative do you have? How are you going to locate your sister? It’s clear even to me that the higher council isn’t willing to help.”

Hazel lenses drifted to the carpet as I heard rather then saw him move closer. My silence enticed him in persisting his demented persuasion. “I know you, Anna Marie. You’re not going to just let Andrea fry in the pits of the underground for all of eternity.”

My sight rose to glower at such overconfidence, my hands tightening into fists. “You need to stop talking now,” I warned ominously.

His hands rose again in mock surrender and yet those ghastly lips kept moving. “You can shoot the messenger all you want, but you know that I’m right. Andrea gave everything in order to protect you. She forfeited her happiness repeatedly to safeguard yours, and now when you finally have the chance to help her you’re telling me that you’re going to turn that down?”

I hated how his words seeped into my brain. Detested how they urged me to do the one thing I knew Andrea would absolutely forbid. Loathed that his words provoked me to surrender myself to the one person I abhorred the most. “I can’t,” I whispered weakly.

Unfortunately David could sense my weakening, could detect my desire to aid my sister’s rescue, and like a snake drawing slowly closer he unsympathetically struck. “You’re the only one who can, Anna. There’s a reason demonic creatures would rather plunder this earth…”

Hazel clashed with emerald before he continued, “Because not even demons would choose to remain in the catastrophic depths of hell. Can you honestly say you’d rather sit back and do nothing while sentencing Andrea to a lifetime of misery?”

I collapsed upon my bed, my eyes closed with my head in my hands. I felt a weight shift upon the mattress beside me before a revolting hand began to rub my shoulder slowly entangling in my curls. “It won’t be as bad as your thinking. You’ll have most of the underground bowing at your feet,” he whispered, that hand wandering leisurely down the length of my spine. “It’s just that he’s so obsessed with capturing you, with possessing the legendary Anna Marie.”

I felt his breath brushing against my neck as he repulsively inhaled the scent of my hair. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” His other palm dropped to caress my jean clad knee. “I can understand why he’d want you. You’re beautiful; the idea of taming that never-ending attitude of yours tempts me even now.” I felt that disgusting hand slowly rising higher. “The idea of impregnating the chosen one, being the father to such power… How could one really resist?”

I twisted abruptly to face him while my hand grabbed hold of his neck while easily gagging him. “Let’s get one thing straight because obviously you’re still harboring some asinine belief that you can force me to bend to your will, or that I will allow myself to become lamb to the slaughter so that you can reap the rewards.”

“I,” he choked.

My grip tightened crushingly causing his face to flush that much more. “I’m not finished. You will never have the honor of being the father of anything involving me, you cannot overcome my gifts, and I will never admit defeat for the likes of you.”

My eyes met and clung to his before my mind slipped pass his control. His body struggled beneath my grip, whimpers falling from his lips as my touch became scorching. I gazed deeply into such green depths trickling with scarlet until his thrashes ceased and he stared back compliantly.

“David, you have been nothing but a thorn in my side since the moment I had the misfortunate to meet you.” I allowed my hand to fall away from his raw skin watching as he remained dutifully seated like a trained puppy. “I want you out of my life and the lives of those I love. You are going to break up with Grace then never see her again. You are going to quit your pathetic job, leave your filthy apartment, and never report any of this back to Rick.” He nodded in agreement dazedly. “The next time you will see my stepfather will be the moment he summons you back to his side for insubordination. You will remember nothing of this conversation. You will only feel this intense desire to get away.”

I leaned back rising to my feet before ordering, “Now run.”

He blinked vacantly from my trance before with brows furrowed he hurried unsteadily to his feet. He didn’t even bother to look back as he sprinted towards the front door. I heard the entrance slam close downstairs before I allowed the sigh of relief to depart from my lips. There was an absence of guilt inside me as I walked determinedly towards my closet knowing I had more pressing issues to deal with than the departure of my Aunt’s grotesque boyfriend.

“You do know that compulsion normally doesn’t stick when used on demons as it does on humans, right?”

I froze with fabric in my hands before turning back towards that unexpected voice. “Gabriel?”

His form seemed to materialize out of empty air as he came forward, his eyes running over me as if memorizing every feature I possessed. “Anna.”

Tears gushed down my face at the sight of him before I ran full force into his open arms. The welcoming scent of the familiar washed over me as I felt him clutch me just as tightly as I held him. “Oh god Gabe,” I pulled back to wipe the unwanted moisture away, my eyes devouring his. “Gabe, I am so sorry.”

His hands roamed deeply into my curls holding my face close to his. “I was so worried that I had lost you. That you had died when that building collapsed.”

My lips trembled as a trickle of emotion slipped from my tragic gaze. “I- I wanted to-. I wanted to leave with you that night. I wanted to follow you into the light but I- I couldn’t leave her.”

“Anna-,” he attempted to stop me but I had to get this out.

“I knew that Andrea was dead … but I co-couldn’t just leave her there.”

His gaze dropped as if his mind was returning to that awful moment, his jaw hardened as his hands moved to pull me back towards him. The overwhelming sobs I had held in since that night finally released within his hold. “It’s okay Marie. I’m here,” his fingers brushed through my long tresses. “I’m here for you.”

Finally there in my bedroom I heard the words I’d been longing to hear since Andrea’s death. I at last had someone in my corner. Someone who wouldn’t perceive me as damned, someone who loved me despite my past actions.

Relief only lasted mere seconds as without warning unwanted memories resurfaced. I felt my mind vault back to the past. Thoughts of what was said in the meadow re-emerged to haunt me. I could no longer remember the sight of such beauty or how to transport to their hidden location, but those words were something I could never disregard. I reencountered that moment of the complete desertion of the guardians while wondering what would happen to Gabe if he chose me over them.

Could I allow him to throw away his calling? Could I permit him to give up something he was so naturally inclined to do?

Instantly I knew I couldn’t be the cause of more sacrifices.

Abruptly I forced myself to push Gabriel away. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”

Confusion stole of his gorgeous features, “Anna, what are you talking about?”

“They told me,” I retorted passively as I receded from his side. “They told me about our bond.”

He groaned visibly, his hand sliding over suddenly weary features. “You talked to a guardian?”

“No, I talked to several. They actually barred me from entrance to your world.”

“Anna-.”

“Its true, isn’t it? You can’t feel my emotions anymore, can you? You can’t hear my cry for help?”

His expression appeared downcast as he returned my gaze unwaveringly. “They just don’t understand-.”

“Understand what, Gabe? I have killed people.”

“Only out of inexperience with your powers,” he insisted.

“I’ve let darkness take over.”

“Only because you didn’t understand that you were the one with the power to stop it. You had no real knowledge of what strength you had inside!”

“I’ve been selfishly thinking only of my own safety instead of the safety of the innocent people around me.”

He took a cautious step forward, his arms reaching out, his eyes imploring for me to understand. “Anna, you’ve been through more than any of us combined. You came into your powers with no guidance, no-.”

“Gabe, I killed Katrina!” I yelled trying to force him to step out of his delusions about me. I wasn’t perfect, and while I loved the way he faithfully believed that I could do no wrong his view of me was flawed.

He paused allowing his hands to fall back to his sides. “We both know that Katrina had turned from the light. She helped kill Andrea, and would have killed us too if given the chance.”

“But you wouldn’t have,” I insisted.

He took another step frontward, “wouldn’t have what?”

Despondency made responding difficult, “you wouldn’t have acted on the need for revenge. You would have captured her and let the council deal with her punishment. I wanted her to suffer! I wanted to watch her die!”

“Anna, that doesn’t make you evil. We all have impulses, we all have-.”

My head shook regrettably in denial, “but you don’t choose to act on them. Our choices are what separate good from evil, light from darkness.”

He advanced determinedly closer only stopping at my hands rising to ward him off, “Marie, I know you. I know that-.”

“No, you don’t. You don’t know what its like for me to endure being inside this body every minute of every day. You don’t know how hard it is for me to turn off the desire to kill all of those around me-.”

“Yeah, but you do it! You’re strong enough to deny that part of yourself!”

“But for how long Gabe? They are right, I’m a loose cannon.”

“Any one of them guardian or council member can cross the line into darkness,” he implored indomitably.

“Any one of them doesn’t contain the power I have growing inside me. A strength that seems to develop immensely day by day.” My eyes collided with his while knowing inwardly that my words were falling on deaf ears. “They were right about you.”

As if in a daze I walked pass him back into my closet picking up the clothes I had discarded. My hands shook as I pealed off my current garments whilst knowing Gabe still stood stupefied exactly where I’d left him.

Silence ensued before he uttered, “right about me?”

I pulled the dress over my head before fixing the hem that fell at mid-thigh. “They told me that you can no longer choose what’s morally right when it comes to me.” Slipping my feet into long leather heeled boots it took me several attempts before I succeeded in pulling the zipper up over my calves. “I think that the fact that you care for me allows you to make excuses for my actions.”

Tugging my wounded arms into a matching leather jacket I finger combed my curls under control until they fell in pretty ringlets down my back. I paused while trying to come to terms with what lied ahead of me before tragic orbs fell to the golden butterfly still resting along my finger. Stiffening my spine I swallowed my misery to stand within the entrance of my closet looking upon Gabe’s tortured features.

“Yeah, well I think your guilt for everything that has happened is allowing you to think that you need to be punished. And I think that-.” Such beautiful golden lenses rose to finally gaze upon my appearance halting him in mid-sentence. “What exactly are you doing, Anna?”

Taking a deep breath I moved pass him to take a seat at my vanity while ignoring the tremble within my palms as I reached for my eyeliner. “What does it look like?”

Our eyes met within the mirror, his expression vividly furious. “It looks like you’re about to make yet another gloriously stupid decision.”

Vaulting around to confront that expression I felt curls swing over one shoulder. “Well guess what, you’re no longer my guardian anymore so your approval is no longer needed.”

He waited until I turned back around with mascara in my hand before he responded, his features suddenly grave, “please just tell me that what I’m thinking isn’t what you’re planning to do, Baby doll.”

I placed the wand down knowing if I applied it to my face now I’d more likely end up looking like a raccoon with my unstable fingers. “I have to do this, Gabe. You can’t stop me.”

I heard him collapse to his knees at my side before I felt him take my hand in his and still I couldn’t look at him. “You’re not thinking clearly, Ann. This here is not what Andrea would want.”

Liquid flowed gently from my chin as I faced him. “Andrea is gone because of me. She’s dead because she always put me first.”

“Andrea is gone because she wanted to keep you safe. You go to him tonight and everything she did was for nothing!”

“I ruined her life!” I screamed as I jerked back to my feet, my hand yanking from within his. “Don’t you get it? It’s what I do! I got her and my father killed because they wanted me to be alone and defenseless. Everyone who simply entered my life has been murdered just for being near me. Harmony, my nurse, that attendant, your sister! Gabe, I am death walking!”

“Anna,” he tried to reason but I was tired of talking.

“No, this isn’t an argument that’s up for discussion. I owe Andrea this, and no one not even you will make any more sacrifices for me.”

He ascended to stand before me to angrily rage, “what the hell does that mean? Anna-.”

Using the strength within me I immobilized the scene around me until there were no more distant sounds of televisions, or car horns, or even dogs barking. Slowly backing away I watched as like a wave of stillness progressing it traveled up the length of Gabe’s limbs. His legs struggled before becoming stagnant like stone; his arms restricted from further movement before those flawless brown eyes ascended to clash with mine.

“Anna, don’t do this! Please just listen to me before you do something you’ll regret!” he pleaded wretchedly. “Think before you do something I can’t save you from!”

I watched as his lips finally stilled until like a life sized statue he became motionlessly solid, his features etched in silent misery. It was only when I knew he no longer had the power to convince me to stay that I dabbed the emotion from my face before striding in front of his inert figure. Those eyes still poignantly pleading stalked my movements, his body practically screaming at me to be released. I rose onto the tips of my toes gently touching my lips to his. I could feel the soft fullness of his bottom lip pressing against mine as the essence of life itself seemed to blossom beneath our contact. I felt weariness leave me before I pulled back to meet his devastated gaze.

“I’m sorry Gabe, but you no longer belong on my side. You were sweet for coming here tonight but we can’t do this anymore.” A tiny droplet drizzled from his honey tinted lenses causing the lump within my throat to expand. “You once told me as a guardian you always have to focus on the bigger picture and Gabe you need to realize… that I’m no longer it.”

I receded from his side finally allowing white light to sweep around my figure, darkness quickly cloaking my form. “I can’t follow you into the light anymore, and you can’t chase after me,” I whispered as my limbs began to disappear. I gazed up into those eyes once more before I allowed my shape to vanish completely. My words lingered long after my image had departed from the room.

“Gabe, this time you have no choice but to let me go.”

…………………………………………………………………..

(Okay, I’m on towards my final chapters… Hope you’re enjoying it so far. We shall see what happens.)

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