Unedited.

Dedicated to both lokie66 and Suganthii because this story is coming to an end and I've got amazing covers and a person whose read everything I've written (which is crazy).

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As they rushed through the streets, Rebecca couldn't help but feel underwhelmed. Some of her original adrenaline was gone and now she was tired. She'd been in the Fae realm for not even a day and she'd been chased, held up by a guard and a wall of fire. Somehow she'd teleported and changed bodies. Now she was following behind yet another person who'd betrayed her, but he'd meant well. It was also the same person that had shown Rebecca her dying biological mother.

It sounded exhausting and she couldn't believe it was currently her life.

If this was what being the monarch of faeries was like she didn't want a part of it.

There was also the fact that a Faery realm looked so . . . normal. It reminded Rebecca of the streets she'd walked around before Mikael had even come into her life. It was like an exact replica of the street her parents lived on.

All in all, it was a little lacklustre.

Or maybe it was just the fact that she'd been through so much in this half a day — or was it longer? Rebecca didn't know, but she suspected that was the reason. From what she'd seen of the castle, it was grand and superlative. Everything was expensive and it attention to detail hadn't been missed.

The street they walked on now didn't even compare. They road was right next to the forest; to the left there was houses everywhere. Off in the distance she could see the palace, taller than any other building in the area. The area was far from dirty but it wasn't clean by any means. The houses were smaller than she'd expected and they looked so mundane it was disappointing.

Rebecca had to wonder if the middle of the realm was more exiting. They were along the outskirts — the safest place to be. No one walked by them which was what they needed. The less exposure they got, the safer they were.

Rebecca hurried her step to catch up with Jack — because that was so much easier to remember than Ferro. "Stop walking so fast," she muttered.

He glanced back at her, frustration etched onto his face, brows drawn low. "We don't have time to waste," he said, though he did slow down.

Rebecca caught up, panting slightly. Even in Mikael's body this was exhausting. "Thanks," she said around gasps, sarcasm poorly hidden.

He frowned. "We need to get out of here."

"I know that." Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "You don't think I'm sick of being hunted down like an animal?" Her traitorous — if for nothing but the fact that it was Mikael's — voice cracked slightly and she winced, overcome by the sudden urge to cry. She was nervous and strung out and clearly her emotions were running wild.

"I swear to you, I will keep you safe." Jack's voice was grave, as if he was swearing an oath.

Rebecca blinked rapidly to ward of the tears. "You sound so sure about that."

He finally stopped and turned to her, expression grave and serious. "Rebecca, I swore to your mother I would find you and protect you. I'll lay down my life for you if I have to."

"Lay down your life?" Her voice bordered on disbelieving hysteria, convinced she was hearing things. "Please tell me you're exaggerating."

He just stared back, though she saw his eyes scanning around them. "I'd die for you," he said solemnly. "No hesitation. If it came to it, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Rebecca glanced away, severely uncomfortable. "Uh, that's great, really."

"I'm not the only one. You have hundreds of men that would lay down their life for you."

Her eyes cut back to his, before she tore them away again. Of all the news she'd expected to her, the fact that people were willing to die for her didn't even come close to making the list. She chose to file that away for later, considering her life was in jeopardy.

In lieu of responding, she started to walk forward, right past him. Until she realised she had no idea how she'd get out of here. Slowly she turned back around, sighing.

Jack's stepped faltered and he stared at her, eyes widening. He cursed quietly. "We need to get out here," he whispered.

Rebecca was taken aback by the sudden panic she was on his face. "What's wrong?"

As she spoke, her hands started to tingle. The feeling wasn't all the foreign — akin the feel of pins and needles — so she didn't dwell on it.

"We need to get you out here. Now," he repeated, rushing forward.

She looked around worriedly, figuring he was paranoid now that someone else was around. She saw no one, couldn't even hear the sound of footsteps nearby. "Why?"

"Look down," said Jack, standing right in front of her, as if to shield her from something.

With reluctance, Rebecca did so. Then she realised why he felt so panicked, because it dawned on her too. Right before her eyes, her legs were changing. The black jeans were changing, the boots were disappearing. "What's happening?" she whispered, unable to look away. The sight was nauseating and dizziness struck.

"You're changing back."

Rebecca didn't hear him at first, though the evidence was right before her. "No," she whispered in denial. She didn't want it to be real — posing as Mikael was her get away plan.

Jack laid a hand on her shoulder, but the touch was far from comforting. "Calm down. You can change back. Just do whatever you didn't to change into him."

Rebecca shook her head, frustration turning to fear. She knew that she looked like her now, she felt the difference."I don't know how I turned into him. I was in a hallway and there was a fire, and a guy. I panicked and then everything went black. Then I got here and I was somehow Mikael." Rebecca was well aware she was rambling but she couldn't stop herself.

He sighed heavily. "Calm down. Just think about the person you want to become."

Rebecca wasn't calm enough to realise that he knew what he was talking about. As he spoke to her, he was in another person's body.

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca tried to calm down. She imagined Mikael, his voice, the way he walked . . . everything. But it wasn't working.

"I can't change back," Rebecca whispered, trying to keep panic at bay. "I need to change back—"

The blow to the head came from out of nowhere. Rebecca ducked instinctively, but it was too later. She clutched the back of her head. Hands gripped her from behind and a knee at her back shoved her to the ground. With wide eyes, she tried to make sense of everything around her, but it proved futile. She had no idea what was going on.

Her eyes made contact with Jack's who, like her, was being forced to the ground. Only he wasn't fighting.

Rebecca's heart sank and left-loathing stuck. He'd been lying and she'd been stupid enough to believe him.

"Well if it isn't the escape artist." Mikael's amused voice made her freeze. She heard his footsteps walk closer, along with others. "Not as smart as you think you, Rebecca. I'd give you credit, but I'm pissed off that you pretended to be me."

The hands that gripped her arms tightened, and someone shoved her face down. She held her breath, overwhelmed by the stench of dirty boots and dirt.

"I had men searching everywhere for you. Someone saw you, then you were gone. But I found you."

Rebecca didn't resist as she was forced to stand. Immediately, her eyes sought out Mikael's. He was sauntering towards her, hands in the pocket of his jeans. There was now a leather jacket over his shoulders and it was eerily familiar.

Around them she counted nearly twenty men standing there. All wore dark clothes, the same crest on their chests. They surrounded her in a circle, blocking any exit. All of them stared at her, eyes malicious. All of them looked like they had no qualms against hurting her.

"How'd I find you?" he asked, as if he was talking to himself.

Rebecca just stared back, though she knew there was no defiance in the look. Her fear was getting the better of her and it was crystal clear to see.

He smirked, and he continued to walk forward, until he was barely a metre from her. "I was tipped of when I found out that I had somehow ended up in the woods, considering I was talking to the King at the time. I knew it was you. No one else is stupid enough to imitate me. You on the other hand? You are stupid enough to do it. And, surprise, surprise, it is you."

They'd said something when she'd told them not to. Of course they had.

"You thought you were smart, posing at me. But the thing with swapping bodies? As soon as the real person see's you, it's all over." He chuckled.

Rebecca filed that information away for later, when she wasn't in a life or death situation. She didn't have use for it now, in amongst the fear and panic she felt. She was on the edge of a precipice, teetering on the edge. And she feared she was going to fall.

Behind her, there was loud grunts. Rebecca strained her neck to see, but she couldn't see beyond the people holding her.

Mikael looked past her, raising an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

"Don't know, General." Whoever spoke was just behind her, his voice deeper than Mikael's. "What do you want done with him?"

Mikael seemed to ponder the question and Rebecca hated how calm he looked. He knew she was defenceless and he wasn't afraid to gloat about it. Finally, he shook his head. "Don't kill him. I want to find out who he is."

"Yes sir."

Mikael turned back to her, crowding into her personal space. "When I found you, I was going to take you back straight away. But now you've complicated things. So . . ." He leaned in closer and Rebecca desperately wished she could step back. "Who'd you convince to follow you around?"

"You don't know him?" The words tumbled out into the open before she could take them back. All Rebecca could do was wince — partially because her throat was dry and partially because talking wasn't going to help her.

Mikael stared at her as if she was wasting his time, but he answered begrudgingly. "Would I be asking if I knew him?" he said, voice bored.

Rebecca could only stare back at him as confusion set in. She saw no reason why he'd lie, which meant . . .

Jack had been telling the truth.

She fought against the hands the gripped her, wishing they'd let her see him. He was protecting her and because of her, now he was caught in the crossfire. "Let him go," she said to Mikael, unashamed to admit she was prepared to beg. "Just let him go. He's not a part of this."

As she spoke, she watched an almost feral grin cross his face. "Well, well, well. He's important to you."

She'd once seen her dad watching a movie — though she couldn't remember the name of it. Some guy had been kidnapped, then his daughter. He'd begged them to let his daughter go.

The resemblance to her current predicament was uncanny — eerily so. The comparison wasn't reassuring in the slightest.

"Just let him go," she whispered.

Mikael crossed his arms over chest. "Who is he? Tell me and I'll consider it."

Rebecca sighed. "He thought I was you," she lied. "I didn't give him a choice."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"No," Rebecca whispered. "It doesn't matter whether you do or not. You're still going to kill me."

Mikael narrowed his eyes. "Given up already?"

Rebecca just looked past him at the trees. She was angry at herself for giving in so easily, but she didn't have a choice. If she was the brave heroine of a novel she'd spit something defiant and fight. But she wasn't that brave. She was also realistic.

He sighed. "I'm disappointed in you."

Again, Rebecca just stared past him.

Her lack of acknowledgment seemed to anger him. "Who is he?" snapped Mikael.

"I don't know him," Rebecca repeated. The fact that she could hear no sound from behind her was more than a little worrying.

"Bring him forward." Mikael's voice was sharp like a blade.

There was more grunts, then she saw them push Jack in front of her. He didn't look at the men surrounding them, not even at Mikael. He just looked at Rebecca, expression carefully blank. His eyes roved over her clinically, and she saw his shoulders relax slightly.

"Sir?"

Mikael stared at her, instead of responding to the question. "Still not going to tell me?"

Rebecca looked at Jack, hoping it would deter him from saying anything. "No. I don't know him."

He smirked, before he brought his hand up. Rebecca prepared for the strike — because she doubted he had any qualms against hitting her. But he just let it suspend in the air. Then she saw his eyes flash gold, before a flame appeared in his hand.

Rebecca jerked back away from the sudden blast of heat.

Mikael laughed at the response. "Scared?" he taunted.

Eyes wide, she looked towards Jack. He was glaring at Mikael, eyes burning. Slowly Rebecca turned back to Mikael, staring the flame.

The next second went by slowly and Rebecca didn't track what happened.

One minute she was standing in front of Mikael. The next there was a flash and Mikael was gone.

Rebecca could only stand there mutely, watching as the storm struck violently. Bodies were strewn along the ground, punches were thrown.

It made no sense. As Mikael's soldiers started to fall, Rebecca saw no one fighting them. They were all just . . . falling down with pained grunts.

And Mikael was nowhere to be seen.

"Rebecca."

All around her was chaos. Everything was moving too quickly and she couldn't track what was happening.

"Rebecca!"

She blinked, everything blurring into one chaotic picture. There were no hands gripping her now, nothing holding her in place. But she couldn't move, frozen on the spot.

"Salvatée."

"Rebecca."

The voice were familiar. One belonged to Jack. The other Adam.

Slowly, awareness returned and Rebecca stepped back, trying to take it all in. The ring that had previously been around them was gone. No one was standing. Instead, they were all collapsed, wincing. They stared around, just as bewildered as her.

"Rebecca!"

That was Jack and he was standing right in front of her, breathing heavily. Rebecca tried to say something but found her mouth was too dry. She winced.

"Salvatée, we need to get out of here."

Adam. He was in front of her too. She squinted and was able to make out his face. There was blood on his lip and a bruise on his cheek.

"We can only distract them for so long. Come on, Rebecca, snap out of it," Jack said.

Rebecca forced herself to focus. "How?" she whispered dumbly.

"Me," said Adam, hand lifting to wipe away blood of his lip. "I took down most of them. They never saw it coming. But we need to go."

"How?" she choked out again.

"We don't have time for this." Jack's voice was frantic. "The General's gone but he's going to bring others back with him."

"Gone?" Rebecca whispered.

"We need to get out of here," Jack repeated, desperate urgency in his voice.

He was gone. Hot, blazing anger shot through Rebecca. Mikael had just up and left, after terrifying her.

It blazed, furious. Ready to explode like a volcano

It was so blindly, Rebecca lost track of what was happening. All she knew was that she started to feel blazer heat tear through her and then she blacked out.

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