"They're coming, Xander!"

I called forth my powers as we ran for cover. I felt the energy building inside of me. I was already beginning to feel stronger, but I knew the moment I used my power it would weaken me.

"Ivy no!"

Xander shouted, but it was already too late. I stopped running and turned to face our attackers. Five of the strongest warriors of the witch council stood before me. I used to be one of them until I betrayed them by falling in love with the enemy.

"Sisters, please, you don't have to do this. We haven't don't anything wrong."

Orla, the strongest of them all narrowed her eyes at me, giving me a look of disgust.

"You invited the devil into your bed and tainted your pure magic. If that is not wrong, sister, I don't know what is."

Xander was no devil, just because he was different from us didn't make him evil. The council said that his powers came from the deepest pits of hell and he will destroy everything in his path if he's allowed to live. But I didn't believe any of it.

Yes, his powers were dark, but I've never seen him use it to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it.

The council put me on his path, I was to kill him and capture his powers. But after spending months following and studying him I saw no evil in his heart. I abandon my mission and reported back to the council with my findings, but they were adamant in their beliefs that he was evil.

I couldn't let them kill him, so I went after him to warn him and help protect him from them. I didn't plan to fall in love with him, but it couldn't be helped. I tried to fight my feelings at first, we both did. However, the connection we had to each other was very powerful, so we couldn't stay away even if we wanted to.

"I love him and he loves me, is it a crime to fall in love?!"

I could feel her calling on her powers. The air around me was stiff, I knew she was sucking the life out of it. The other four warriors step forward and they all joined hands. Together they were much stronger than me. I knew I had no way of defeating them on my own, but I'd be damn if I let them hurt Xander.

"Ivy Bloom, you are sentenced to death for your crimes against the council. Back down now and we promise to make it painless."

Like hell I will!

Without giving them a chance to attack first, I threw out my hands forcing all of my powers into it. Blue energy shot forward taking them by surprise, knocking them back a good twenty feet.

As the power left my body I started to stumble, but Xander scooped me up into his arms and started running. I looped my hands around his neck and rested my head on his chest. I listening to the steady pace of his heartbeat, letting it calm me.

He was putting considerable distance between my sisters and us. At the moment, I thanked god for his powers because if it wasn't for his supernatural speed, my sisters would have already caught up with us.

He was running with me in his arms through the dark woods of Alora. It was said that those who enter the woods were never seen again. They only ones who came out alive are the ones that are far more deadly than the creatures that lived within.

When we were deep within the woods Xander stopped. He gently placed me on my feet, but being sure to keep me in his arms.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded my head. "I'm fine."

"We need to keep moving, I wouldn't put it passed the council to follow us in."

I knew he was right because I could already feel them getting closer. We continued running moving deeper and deeper into the woods. Darkness was beginning to set in, and all the creatures of the night were awakening.

As we walked I could see them looking at me, they smelled pureness in my blood. However, the only reason they stayed back was because they always smelled the darkness. As my sisters said before, I was tainted.

To completely bind myself to Xander I let him bite me. He wasn't a vampire, he didn't need blood to survive, but he did drink it. For a pure witch to share her body and her blood to a creature of the dark, that to the council was considered the greatest crime. However, what made it worse was the fact that I drank his blood as well.

It was said that a pure witch would never survive with the blood of evil coursing through her veins. The fact that I did solidify my belief that Xander was not evil. His powers were dark, strong and unknown, but not evil.

I felt the fear of the Alora woods creatures, they were afraid of Xander. His powers were one that they have never encountered before.

After walking for some time, we came upon a cave. It was hidden behind very tall trees and bushes.

"How are we supposed to get in there?"

There was no way we were getting in that cave. It was like the trees were guarding the entrance. I could have used my powers to help clear it, but I wasn't sure that was I good idea.

"We ask."

We ask? That was it?

Xander stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"We do not mean you any harm, A place to shelter is all we require for the night then we shall be on our way."

I didn't understand what he was doing or who he was talking to. But then the tree that were guarding the cave came alive. A face suddenly emerged from the tree and the branches started moving.

I was so startled that I stepped closer to Xander, holding on to his arm in a dead grip. He slipped his hand around my waist, pulling me closer.

"You dare to bring a witch in our woods, what is to stop us from killing her now?"

I gasped, and Xander's grip tightened on me.

"She means you no harm, she is a part of these woods as much as you are."

Everything was quite confusing, I didn't understand what he meant, but I kept my mouth shut for fear of being killed.

The trees were quiet for a moment, they looked at me like they were searching my soul. A shiver ran through my body and I leaned closer into Xander.

"A pure witch bonded to darkness! How can this be? It's an abomination! "

One of the tree's branches pulled me out of Xander's arms. I started screaming as it began to lift me into the air. The branches started to wrap itself around me, pinning my hands to my side. One went around my neck cutting of my air supply. I started to lose consciousness, my vision began to blur and I was kicking around, fighting to get some air back into my lungs.

Just went I was on the verge of passing out, the branches unwind itself from around me, causing me to fall. But instead of hitting the ground strong arms caught me.

I didn't get a chance to catch my breath as the trees started to attack again. I was far too weak from my earlier use of my powers to try and defend myself, but I didn't have to. Xander cast out his hand sealing us in a protected bubble.

The trees tried to penetrate it, but it was stronger than anything that they threw at it.

"As I said before, I meant you know harm, but the moment you tried to kill my mate void the agreement."

I felt the anger rising inside of Xander, he was drawing on his power, feeding it his rage.

Without letting down the protective barrier, he raised his hand and send the full force of his magic into the trees. They had no chance of protecting themselves against it, within moments they were obliterated. Nothing of them was left to show that they had ever been there.

The entire woods was quiet, most of the creatures were shrinking back in fear. The event of the day started to catch up with me, my hands dropped and I started to fall, but Xander caught me.

He guided me into the cave and gently placed me on the ground. It smelt damp and mouldy. I rested my head on my hands and closed my eyes.

"Will we be safe here?"

I was worried that my sisters would find us if we stayed too long. I knew it wouldn't be long before the seers on the witch council inform them of where we were hiding.

"We safe as long as we stay in this cave. It is magically protected to hide its occupants."

That made sense, guardian trees wouldn't protect just any old cave. Xander lay down behind me, pulling into his arms. I turned to face him. He was the most beautiful man I've ever set my eyes on. His hair and his eyes were the blackest of black edged with a fiery red. When he looked at me it was like he was seeing deep into my heart.

He towered over me at 6ft 2, his body was one of natural muscles. It was all from hard labour.

He used his hand to brush my white and black hair out of my face. All pure witches of the Amora coven were blessed with the whitest of hair, but I was the only one with a mixture of white and black.

With his hand cupping my jaw, he leaned forward. I closed my eyes and let his lips touch mine. The kiss was soft at first then it intensified. I moaned, grabbing him and pulling him fully onto me.

We were caught up in a whirlwind, his hands started to seek my flesh and I lay myself bare for him. In a matter of seconds, we were both completely without clothes. Lost in each other, we made love with a fire and passion that was only known to us.

Hours, minutes, seconds. I didn't know how long it lasted but, it felt like forever. I wasn't even sure when we fell asleep. However, when I awaken Xander was already dressed, and there were fruits sitting on a broad leaf waiting for me.

I sat up rubbing my eyes. Xander smiled at me and I returned it. I hurriedly readied myself and sat down to pick at the fruits. I wasn't that hungry, I was anxious for us to be on our way. Our new life in the human world awaited us.

"We must leave now, the portal to earth will only be open for a few more hours. The black moon will soon fade and we will lose our chance of escape is we do not get moving."

The rise of the black moon only ever occurred every five hundred years. It softened the core of Alora, making the portal to other worlds open, but only for three nights.

"Then we leave now."

I finished eating and stood. Xander took my hand into his and we began our journey. The woods was still dark, but it was dead silent, it was as if it knew something was coming.

We weren't too far from the portal when I felt my sisters closing in on us.

"There close, I can feel them. We must hurry!"

We started running, Xander used his powers to try and hide us, but because of my witch blood it wasn't working. I had a connection to my coven still, so they were able to track me.

I saw the portal in sight and I started to run faster, but I never made it. I was knocked off of my feet by one of my sisters. Falling to the ground I screamed from the pain. She sent her energy straight to my heart. The pain was unbearable, I could feel it squeezing at my heart.

Orla raised his hand again intending to finish the job, but Xander stopped her. He used his own powers to shoot a blast of energy right back at her. It sent her flying right into a tree.

Zoe and Nyla started shooting their energy at us, so Xander put up his protective barrier. He hurried over to me, scooping me up into his arms.

"Shh, this will all be over soon, my love."

He placed his hand over my heart and pulled the pain right out. I have never seen it done before, and from the looks on my sisters' faces, I knew that they were surprised too.

He pulled me to my feet and we backed away from them. We started moving towards the portal. The moon in the sky was almost back to its natural red colour. My sisters started surrounding us, trying to block our path to the portal.

"Why can't you leave us be? Let us go from this world, in the human world we will become mortals. Our powers will be stripped from us, we will be of no danger to anyone."

I pleaded with my sisters for understanding, but like every time before I got none.

"And what would that say of us? Other witches would call us weak. You must be made an example for others who dare break the rule of the Amora coven. To aligned one's self with a creature of the night is unforgivable! You die, Ivy Bloom!"

I closed my eyes and summoned every last bit of my powers. When I opened them back up, I looked sadly at my sisters."

"Then we fight to the death."

Xander took my hand and laced our fingers together. He closed his eyes and called upon his own powers. As we stood there ready to fight for our love, our powers leapt forward and blended together forming into one.

We weren't sure if we were going to survive the battle, but whatever the outcome we were going to be in it together. The entire land of Alora was about to witness how far we were willing to go for a love that was forbidden to us.

Xander squeezed my hand, letting me know that he was not going to leave my side.

"I love you."

I returned his touch, "I love you too"

Then all hell broke loose.