Mara shot straight out of bed, dumping her cat on the floor and getting a hiss in response. She paid not attention to Sasha in that moment though, all she knew was she had to see him.

"What's going on Mara?" Trixle asked, nearly yelling as Mara didn't pause to answer her friend. 

Mara flew out of the hallway and up the stairs running past boys walking from the showers to their rooms. She didn't care that she was running like a maniac down the boy’s hall in her pajamas, she didn't care about anything except for Marx in that moment. 

She could see his door slightly ajar as she neared it and she burst straight through, seeing his tall figure standing there. His school issued dress pants, no shirt, and soaking wet hair. Marx turned around to see what was happening and she took that opportunity to fling herself into his arms. 

Marx, shocked, caught her and her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, her face burying into his shoulder, her tears falling onto his still damp skin and she breathed in the scent of him. 

Marx was safe; he was in her arms and safe. 

"Mara, what's wrong?" Marx asked, alarmed by her current state. 

"A nightmare, a really bad nightmare." Mara whispered into his shoulder. 

They kept ahold of each other tightly, neither one wanting to let go. Mara was glad to have him there with her well and alive. She mentally made the decision that there was no way she was going to let that nightmare become a reality. She wouldn't let him go out there with her; she couldn't let him die protecting her. 

Mara’s breath was shaky, her mind racing and Marx tried his best to calm her down, whispering soothing tones into her ear until her breathing became steady again and her tears dried up. 

"Are you going to tell me what all this is about?" Marx asked as he set Mara back down on the ground. 

"Like I said, it was a really bad nightmare." Mara said, trying to avoid giving him all the details. 

"And I'm guessing this nightmare was about me?" He asked. 

Mara just nodded looking down at the ground, unable to meet those piercing eyes. If she looked into them, she would tell him everything and she didn't want to relive that dream ever again, it had been painful enough the first time.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Marx asked with worry laced in his tone. 

Mara shook her head. 

"Okay, well." He paused for a moment, thought clear in his expression. "Everything is alright now. I'm here and I'm me, and you're here. Everything is alright."

Mara nodded silently, not sure if she could trust her voice enough to speak. Marx stared down at her, pain written all over his face as he leaned down pressing his lips gently to Mara's forehead. The gesture made her feel slightly better, more solid, like she could actually stand on the ground beneath her. 

"You need to get ready for classes, they start in less than a half hour."

Mara went into a panic mode at his words. She was going to be late on her first day back for classes. She squeaked and ran towards the door about to run back to her room when Trixle's words from the night before popped into her head. 

"Hey Marx, what did Trix mean when she asked me if we were going to start the mate bond?"

Marx didn’t' have enough warning to hide his reaction. His eyes widened for a moment before he pulled himself together. "Uh, we can talk about that later. You need to get ready for class." 

Mara reluctantly agreed to talk about it later, and transported herself back down to her room, scrambling around to get ready. Trixle had already left and Mara was grateful for that. She knew there would have been no way Trixle would have let Mara go without telling her exactly what had happened. The only one in the room besides Mara was Sasha, and she kept seeing her dirty looks. 

"What?" Mara finally asked. 

"Oh so she speaks to me finally?" Sasha asked in a snarky tone. "I lived with you all those years, I came to school with you, I was always there for you and what do you do? You up and leave me here! But not just here, you left me with those purple people at the end of the summer here and the first word you have to say to me is 'what?'" Sasha nearly yelled. 

Mara felt guilty. Everything her cat had just said was completely accurate. Ever since her crazy life had begun, she hadn't spent as much time with Sasha. 

"I am really sorry, Sasha. I didn't mean it like that, and I'm so sorry I have been a horrible person to you lately, sometimes I wish things could go back to how they used to be."

Mara could see Sasha's eyes soften slightly at her admission. She started purring and rubbing her head against Mara's hand. 

"Hey, can we talk later? Class is about to start in," Mara looked at the time. "Two minutes."

Sasha nodded and Mara transported herself down to the classroom taking her usual spot in the back corner. Her teacher, who she had yet to learn the name of, smiled as Mara took her seat. 

Mara sat there, trying to pay attention for half the class until she finally gave up. She didn't know what the point even was, to pretend to learn something in a class she already knew, while the world outside the walls of the school was about to be the home of a battle between the Council and the Nightshades. 

What was the point in acting like everything was normal when blood was going to spill? She may not know what the outcome would be, but she knew there would be bloodshed before it was all said and done. 

Mara started to doodle on a piece of paper, one of her many subconscious gifts, and when she focused in on what she had drawn, it was the same clearing from her dream. Mara closed her notebook not wanting to look at it. 

Mara carried on her day in the same state, barely saying anything while at lunch. She would only answer when she was asked a question, and even then it would be with just a couple word sentences. 

What Marx had said to her the night before had really struck a chord. And her nightmare only heightened her feelings. To pretend that everything was normal and ignore anything bad going on would only result in more problems, and she had more than just herself to think about. She had over a hundred people who trusted her, not to mention the rest of the Realm.

"Earth to Mara." Trixle said in a singsong voice, waving her hand in front of Mara's face.

Mara's head snapped towards her friend, jumping out of her dooming thoughts. 

"I asked you what was wrong." Trixle said, worry evident in her expression. 

"Nothing." Mara murmured. 

Trixle didn't believe her and she had every right not to, but she didn't press the matter and for that, Mara was grateful. Trixle knew something was up, but she also knew if Mara wanted to talk about it she would. 

Mara felt a tight squeeze on her hand under the table her gaze drifted in the direction of Marx. He face was also laced with worry and she knew he wanted to ask the same question Trixle had. Mara just faked a smile; her poor attempt at trying to show them everything was indeed all right.

The rest of the day carried on much the same way. Mara tried her best to pay attention, but when every class covered the material she had already learned over the summer and her mind was focused on how she was going to tell Marx he couldn't go with her, she found focusing slightly difficult.

Mara continued to doodle in her books and each time it was something more disturbing than the time before. When her last class was about over, she looked down at her book seeing the same image from her nightmare of Marx lying motionless on the ground in his wolf form.

Mara bit back her fear, telling herself that it wasn't real, that Marx was at the school, he was safe, and he was going to stay that way. Still there was something about the picture of him lying dead on the ground that shattered all sense of logic she had. 

Right as the bell was about to ring, a woman entered the room and headed straight for Mara, handing her a folded piece of paper that had been sealed. Mara looked at the noticing the mark of the High Council. 

Mara gingerly turned over the paper afraid to see what was inside. She had been getting similar notes weekly about the status of operations against the Nightshades, but never before had they hand delivered it to her during class. 

She hesitated while looking at the paper; she didn't want to read it then. She didn't think she was prepared to read what was inside, but as she looked around the room she noticed the rest of the class had already left. They were well on their way to their evening plans; she was the only one still around. If there were any time to read it, it would be that moment when no one was around to see. 

Mara slid her finger under the loose edge and popped the seal up, unfolding the paper. She looked at Lillian's elegant script. The swirling scrawl seemed out of place, each curve, slash, and dot tainted by what the message held. 

Mara's heart stopped as she read. It was exactly what she had feared, their contact had told them the Nightshades planned to attack within the week. If they still wanted to get the jump on them and keep the battle as far away from the civilians as possible, then they only had a couple days. 

There was no time for more training, the witches would have to go off of what they already knew, and they would have to rely heavily on their powers. Mara knew for most that wouldn't be an issue, but there were some that she worried about. It also meant she wouldn't have time for combat training, she was on her own. 

Mara numbly stood, walking out of the room and down the hall. She had agreed to meet Marx out at the gazebo after classes and she was already late. Mara quickly walked out onto the grounds, seeing Marx already waiting for her. Seeing him sitting there with his back to her brought a smile to her face. Despite everything, he was the one that could still make her smile. 

A gust of wind blew around and Marx turned suddenly, looking straight at her. She knew he had caught her scent. He stood up and took her in for a hug when she got to him and once again Mara felt like everything was going to be all right. 

If this was how she felt with Marx before they started their bond, Mara wondered what it would be like after. Would her feelings grow stronger? What else would develop? She pushed those thoughts aside though and decided to focus on what she had now. 

"You look better." Marx said, his voice low. 

"Now I am." Mara replied smiling up at him. 

They both sat down facing each other and Marx took a good look at Mara. 

"What's up?" He asked her. He could still tell that something was weighing on her mind. 

Mara handed him the paper she had read just before she went out to meet him.

"They say it's going to happen some time this week." 

Marx looked up at her, all emotions carefully concealed. "Then we go this week."

"Marx." Mara started. She looked up pleading with him to not make her say it, but he wasn't listening. 

"Marx, you can't go."

"I can and I will, Mar." Marx said as if that was final. 

"No. You are going to stay here." 

"To hell with that. I am not letting you go out there alone!"

"I won't be alone we have hundreds of people."

"Well then what's one more person?" Marx asked her.

Mara shook her head, her nightmare playing on repeat. Each time she blinked she saw Marx dead. 

"Just listen to me Marx, you can't go."

"Mara, there is no way I am going to let you go out there when I can't protect you." he nearly growled.

"And there is no way I am going to let you go out there and die for me!" She shouted at him.

Marx looked taken aback, he hadn't expected that. 

"When I came running to you this morning, I told you it was because of a nightmare. Well in that nightmare, I watched you jump in front of me. You were struck Marx, and you died. I am not going to let that happen."

Marx didn't know what to say. He felt hurt that she hadn't told him about the dream sooner, and he was frustrated that she didn't want him to go. But when he thought about it from her perspective he could understand why. If he had seen Mara die once already, even if had only been in a dream, he wouldn't take the chance of it happening again. But he couldn't let her go either; he feared that if he let her go out there, she wouldn't return to him. 

Marx brushed Mara's hair behind her ear and looked at her softly. Despite what he wanted to do and say, he nodded his head, agreeing with her. Mara smiled sadly at him and Marx quickly pulled her onto his lap, holding her close. 

Mara sighed and leaned back into Marx letting everything else slip away again. Marx bent his head down and brushing Mara's hair to the side, he gently kissed her neck over the scar from the bite. She could feel him take in a deep breath, inhaling her scent before letting it out slowly again. His arms around her felt strong and protective. 

The warm breeze ran through the gazebo and with Marx as a pillow, Mara closed her eyes and started to drift off until one simple sentence captured all of her attention. 

Marx had leaned down again, his lips just barely brushing her ear, his soft voice tickling it. "Did you want to know about the mate bond?”

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