Kristen's POV

Fire of shame and anger burned just under my skin and a deep emptiness filled my heart as the sentiments brewed over and boiled past the seams I could no longer hold together. Breathing hitched as my knees grew weak and I slumped to the cold tiles on the floor, drowning myself in my own tears of hell.

I approached my mother, my warm hand falling softly on her cold skin. I placed my hand over her chest that does not rise or fall, which contains no beating heart. My tears splashed onto her blood soaked dress and as I kissed her forehead they rain down on her closed eyes.

I killed my mother. Tears ran down my face, like the water flowing through the drains. The mother who taught me everything. The mother who I didn't appreciate as intensely as I should have. The grief came in waves and threatened to consume me entirely.

The blonde haired boy with steel gray eyes walked toward me and kneeled next to me on the ceramic tiled floor. I turned to face him and saw his friend limping toward us.

"You have to come with us," he said. "This place isn't safe for you."

I wiped the tears from my face and gripped my mother's cold hand. "I killed my mother," I mumbled.

He sighed and closed the opened eyes of my mother. "You didn't kill her. Izden killed her and poisoned her soul with evil. You just destroyed the evil out of her and released her soul."

"You're lying. I killed her." I sobbed. My salty tears were raining down through my face, burning my cheeks with pain.

"We have to get her out here before they come back for her," the black haired boy said, his eyes fixed on the blonde haired boy who was staring at me.

"I'm not going anywhere," I stood up, wiping my tears. "I'm going to phone the police. They'll do something."

I looked around, trying to find a phone.

"The police can't help you, Kris," the black haired boy said. "They are just idiots who think they know everything but they know nothing."

"Kris? How do you know my name?" I shouted at him. "How did you two even come into my house? You both can be that murderers supporters." There was a movement in my denim pocket. My phone. I grabbed my phone out and unlocked it.

"We saved you," he said.

"I saved you," I snapped.

"What?" he asked, confused.

I laughed sarcastically. "I killed my mother to save you both from her."

I quickly dialed Gus's number and placed the phone on my ear.

"You killed your mother to save us?" The blonde haired boy asked, standing next to the black haired boy. Together they look like Jace and Alec; my two favorite characters from Shadowhunters.

I ignored him and walked out of the kitchen, my phone on my ear. As I walked out of the kitchen I heard little mix's sweet melody being played in the living room. My heart skipped a beat. It was Gus's phone.

"Gus," I called his name while running into the living room. The two boys followed me, the black haired boy wearing an amused look on his face.

His phone was ringing on the couch. I took it and ended the call.

"Is it your boyfriend's phone?" The black haired boy asked, his arms crossed on his broad chest.

I ignored him and ran into every room of the house calling out Gus's name.

"Gus, where are you?" I shouted and bumped into something and fell on to the floor of my bed room. It was Gus. He was lying on the floor, soaked in a pool of blood.

"Gus!" I screamed and slumped on the pool of blood next to Gus.

The blonde boy reached for Gus's wrist and checked his pulse. "He's alive," he said and turned to face me. "Do you trust us?" He asked.

I slowly nodded and looked at Gus, I can't lose him too.

"What about mum?" I asked.

"We'll send some of us to get her," the black haired boy said.

The blonde haired boy took hold my hand and the black haired boy's hand and the black haired boy took hold of Gus's hand and everything turned white. A very bright white.

* * *

Temple of the Fallen
Austria

I opened my eyes and first thing I saw was the green of the trees. I took my hand from the blonde haired boy's grip and stood up, looking around. It was a forest. A deep green forest.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Somewhere far away," the blonde boy answered.

The black haired boy took Gus into his arms and walked into the old white building.

The place was deserted. A diffuse bluish light was beaming through the pillared alley, which made an eerie contrast with the white halo beaming from the brass sculpture on the central altar. The fragrance of incense was heavy and the sound of chimes could be heard in the distance.

"This is the temple of Hemlock Hunters," the blonde boy said, stepping closer to me. "Nobody can harm you in here." He said those words in a firm tone, his eyes fixed on mine. With those eyes on me, I felt safe and comfortable and they gave me no reason to worry about saving them by destroying my mother because they held the promise of protection.

"How did you know that creature was in my house?" I asked, trying to steady my voice.

He smiled lightly and that smile reminded me of my mother. "We are Hemlock Hunters. We know when humans are under attack of dark forces."

"Are you guys like shadowhunters?" I asked, looking at the passage way into which the blonde boy disappeared with Gus.

"What?" He asked, smiling.

Oh gosh, why does he have to smile so much? "They are half angel, half human. They are kind of like the police of the supernatural world."

"Where did learn things like that?" He asked, tousling his golden hair.

"Books," I said, smiling for the first time in the conversation.

He smiled again. "We are immortal and are gifted with unique powers. We protect humans because that's what our founders want us to do."

"Is disappearance your power?" I asked, trying to not focus my attention on his golden hair, shining brightly against the light of the morning sun.

He nodded and sighed and then asked, "What's your name, Kris?"

I laughed and pushed back the tears which were struggling to fall down. "Kris," I answered. "What's yours?"

"Craig," he said and smiled again.

I tried to say something. Maybe tell him that he has beautiful name but I stopped myself because I actually don't think Craig is a nice name.

"Let's go in," he said and walked into the temple. I followed him.

At the steps of the temple he kissed the feet of the Angel statue and then walked into a passage way.

Moving into the passage, I wondered whether this quiet air tinctured with the scent of incense, candles and the more solidly Anglican smell of musty prayer books, metal polish and flowers will protect a sinner like me. A sinner who killed her own mother.

The brightly lit passage with its floor of encaustic tiles and its white-painted walls ran the whole west end of the church. The little vestry was the first room on the left. Next to it with a connecting door was a small kitchen.

He opened the wooden door of the next door and walked in. Gus was on a bed and a female was bandaging his wounds while the black haired boy was chanting some sort of prayer in a language I couldn't understand.

"He's alright," she said and turned to face me.

I gave her a weak, friendly smile.

She obviously had regal bearing. High, delicate cheek bones, small nose, luminescent blue eyes, creamy smooth skin, and silky raven black hair. My gaze turned downward. She was rather petite and dainty. Delicate, if you will. She had a slender, curving waist, which was much more than many Roman women could boast. Surely she's a welcome temptation to many of men.

Shee smiled lightly as if she noticed my fix gaze on her. "I'm Erana," she said and turned to face Craig. "Craig, take her to my room," she paused and glanced at me. "You can take a bathe, get into some warm clothes and eat something while your friend heals." And she walked past us and picked up a book from the stool in the corner of the room and gave it to me.

I took it and read the tile. It was the finale book of the mortal instrument series by Cassandra Clare. I looked at her in confusion. "How do you -"

She cut me off. "I know everything about everyone dear."

Craig walked out of the room and spoke, "Let's go, Kris."