I continued to follow the path that I was going down, and a shudder went down my spine while I took a deep, shuddering breath. I stopped when my head started to pound as if something was banging a hammer against my temple, and I bit back a small groan while I placed the palm of my hand on my forehead and pressed hard, trying but failing to relieve some of the pain that I was feeling.

Oh Goddess, what was happening to me?

Gregor and Sameul looked at each other and then looked at me, hesitating ever so slightly before they both took a step toward me. Their whole bodies were tense, and I could tell that they were nervous even without me having to look at them.

"Your Highness?" Gregor asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he touched my elbow, and I couldn't help but move my elbow away from his grasp because I did not like being touched by someone that I didn't know well.

I took a step forward so that he would remove his hand from my elbow, and he did what I had silently told him to do while he cleared his throat.

"Are you ok?"

"What happened?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper and filled with the pain that I was feeling, not answering his question, and another shiver went down my spine. My heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest, and I cleared my throat and licked my lips. "What was that about?"

Gregor and Samuel looked at each other again, and Gregor slowly nodded toward me before he looked at me and placed his hands behind his back. He didn't say a word while he did so, and I could tell that he trusted Samuel to tell me something.

Samuel hesitated and moved closer to my side after he glanced at Gregor, and he hesitantly touched my elbow, which I didn't move away from but let him keep his hand there.

The male breathed a small sigh of relief when I didn't move away from him and cleared his throat while he squeezed my elbow reassuringly. "Something is happening to you, Your Highness," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes, pursing my lips in annoyance. I rubbed my head and bit back a small groan of annoyance "Well, no fucking shit," I said and kept my voice barely above a whisper so that no one could hear me curse. "What happened? Am I waking?"

Is the person who I am portraying myself as waking up and gaining control over her body..?

Again, Samuel and Gregor looked at each other, not saying a word. They silently talked in a way that I couldn't understand, and I couldn't help but let out a small growl of annoyance.

"Answer the question," I said and bared my teeth in warning. I moved my hand from my head when the pain subsided and turned to look at them with an annoyed look on my face and eyes flashing with the anger that I was feeling. "You can answer the question vaguely if you need to, but answer the damn question." I muttered the "damn" part underneath my breath so that I wouldn't get them in trouble because I had no idea how other people would react to me cussing.

Gregor subtly nodded and looked at me with a blank look on his face. He didn't say a word and slowly blinked while he watched me, silently waiting for Samuel to say something, anything that he wasn't going to say himself as if he knew that I wasn't going to believe it, which wouldn't have been true.

He knows too much...

And even I knew that.

Samuel hesitated before he slowly nodded in confirmation. He cleared his throat and licked his lips while he looked around before he looked at me, and a look of guilt and pain flashed through his eyes. "Yes, Your Highness," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You are waking."

"Why?"

They looked at each other and then looked at me. They didn't say a word, and I had a feeling that they had no idea why I was "waking" and becoming the other person whose body I had taken control of because of whatever spell that was placed on me.

I bit back an annoyed growl and pursed my lips in annoyance. I shook my head and rubbed the bridge of my nose, trying but failing to stop the headache that was still there. "I'm serious. Answer that question, please. Why am I waking?"

Samuel sighed and shook his head, clearing his throat. "I don't know," he said and licked his lips. He squeezed my elbow one last time before he placed his arms behind his back and clasped his hands together while he bowed. "However, I do suggest that you start walking toward the piece again, please, Your Highness. We're running out of time."

I bit back a small grunt and slowly nodded while I started to walk that way with both Gregor closer to me than Samuel, which I didn't like at all. "Raphael, move closer to me, please. You're going to be the one indicating the difference between the two of us until we are safe."

Samuel hesitated before he looked between the two of us. His face grew pale, and a look of nervousness flashed across his face and through his eyes while he turned to look at me. "Are you sure, Your Highness?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He tucked his head closer to his chest while he studied me, pressing his lips into a thin line.

I nodded in confirmation. "Please," I said. "Stay near me."

"Yes, Your Highness," Samuel said. He moved closer to me and swapped places with Gregor. Gently, he touched my elbow, silently telling me that he was there before he let go and placed his hands behind his back and clasped them together. "I will stay near you for as long as you are like this."

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded. I didn't say a word and pressed my lips while I continued to walk forward, silently praying that this would be the last time that she would take control again because I knew that we needed to get this done quickly and before time ran out.

Gregor cleared his throat, and I turned to look at him while I raised an eyebrow in question. He bowed his head and set his jaw, but he didn't say a word about why he had cleared his throat, much to my annoyance.

"What is it?" I asked coldly, biting back a small growl. I narrowed my eyes and bared my teeth in warning, and Gregor bowed lower as if he knew that I was getting annoyed with him. "What do you need from me, my Lord?"

"Would you like us to switch spots if you start to... act differently, Your Highness?" he asked and looked at me while he raised an eyebrow in question, studying me.

Would you like us to swap spots as soon as you start to wake up a second time so that we would know what was going on?

I breathed a small sigh of relief and slowly nodded, biting the inside of my lip. "Please, my Lord," I said before I cleared my throat and moved a hand across my skirt. "I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you."

Gregor offered me a tight smile and bowed without saying a word.

Samuel hesitated and looked at me before he looked at Gregor. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he turned to look at me again. Worry and nervousness flashed through his eyes, and I could tell that he did not like that idea at all. "Please, Your Highness."

Let me stay near you in both of your transformations...

"No," I said sharper than I meant to, and Samuel flinched and bowed his head closer to his chest while he looked away from me. I bit back an annoyed sigh and rubbed the bridge of my nose, not apologizing like I knew that I should have while I pursed my lips in annoyance. "No," I said, calmer the second time. "Unfortunately, that would not be a good idea, Raphael."

"And why not?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question while he studied me. He set his jaw and bit back an annoyed sigh, and I could tell that he was mad that I was not going to let him stay near me in both forms.

"Because you and I have roles that we have to play, Raphael," I said and looked at him, making sure that my voice was barely above a whisper while I raised both eyebrows in unison. "And unfortunately, we have to follow them because we are not in a safe place."

"We are not where we are supposed to be, Raphael," Gregor said and gave him another annoyed look, and I couldn't help but let out a small protective growl, not liking the look he was sending my "comrade's" way.

Gregor looked at me, and a small smile appeared on his face. He bowed his head and took a step away from Samuel, much to my relief and Samuel's amazement. "My apologies, Your Highness," he said. "I did not mean to make him flinch like that."

I bit back a small snort and held back an eye roll while I pressed my lips into a thin line, not saying a word while I turned my attention back to the way we were going. My whole body was tense, and it took all of my self-control not to turn around and bash the male's head in for being so disrespectful toward the man that he had sent to protect me.

Even though he had not been doing that good of a job protecting me these past few times...

"Your Highness?" Samuel asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He touched my arm and seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief when I did not make a move away from him. "Are you ok?"

I bit back a tired sigh and shook my head, rubbing the bridge of my nose while I shook my head. "No, Raphael," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and licked my lips. "I am not ok, and I do not know if I will be ok until we are safely back home where I belong."

With an anxious mate that is waiting for my return, not knowing what happened to me at all...

Oh, Goddess me...