Helloww everyone, I'm so sorry for the late update. I really never intended to delay so much... A lot of things happened, which I'm not gonna bother you with, but let's just say I had to re-write this chap too so...

  Anyways, I don't really have the time to read all of your guys' comments, but I see how many of you have objections with the characters' personalities... I guess I'll say sorry for that, it's just that I am trying to make the scenes as realistic as possible, which is ironic cause it's a supernatural book.

But, no I won't change their personalities all of a sudden, because I do believe that it's hard to get over memories and 'traumas' in this situation (speaking of Amelia's character). If those weaknesses bother you, you can quit reading really, cause I can't make it satisfying for everyone...

Thanks to those who made it till here, hope you like it! Please vote and comment what you think, but remember, everything will be explained sooner or later. I promise ;)

Enjoy <3

***

Amelia's POV

For the first time, in so long, my face was completely fallen, no mask of comping fake expressions. My eyes kept wandering, trying to find some kind of answer on Alana's face. In the world that we lived in, I was never sure of anything. I was nothing but a human before, and everything that the witch said made some kind of sense. It was weird, confusing for sure, but it made sense.

My heartbeat seemed to make those slight skips, making me try to inhale the air as much as I could, but the sudden mess of thoughts that swirled around my mind wasn't letting me. Leaving me lost. What I did know was that Dimitri never lied to me. I said I trusted him. And I did. I was sticking to that. And there was no one, not even a psychic witch that was going to make me change my mind, let alone feelings I had for him.

I cleared my throat silently, realizing that I muted everything around me. Christian asked Alana something, but at the time I found my way back to reality, they were done talking. I knew what I had to do. In that moment, the only thing I had to do was find him. Find my way back to Dimitri. I could still feel him, his love, his closeness, and I knew my father still wouldn't do anything to harm him. At least not until he got something out of it. So, the most important thing at that point was to find him. Stop him. And get Dimitri back.

I placed my hands on the table in front of me, noticing how Alana's eyes were still questioning me. "Look, I understand that you're trying to help, and that you're psychic or whatever, but I'll make this easy for all of you. I am not sired to Dimitri in any kind of way. I'm sure."

There was huskiness in my voice, but I tried being as clear as possible. As confident as possible at least. I was not letting it go for sure. But if I wanted to save him, deal with all the other problems I had, I needed a straight plan, and a clear head. Her visions were something that I decided to deal with later.

I turned my hand, looking at the red cut on my palm. What the hell? It was supposed to be healed my now. Taking in a deep breath, I shook my head mentally, trying to clear it as much as possible. "Now, can we finish this, please? Every second counts, and I really do not have the time for this right now. Something bad is coming," My voice trailed at the last part, almost like my thought came out loud.

"Is that you, or the cliona talking?"

I looked at Charles, still waiting for Alana to take my hand. "It's the fact that my father is a psychopath that will probably cut my boyfriend in half if we don't get there on time." My voice came out louder than I intended, but we all knew that. I was just the one saying it out loud.

Charles raised his hands in a fake defense, pursing his lips and nodding a simple 'OK'. "Amelia's right. Every second counts." I heard Calliope say from across from me, moving the candle, and taking Alana's hand. Like an instinct, I tried filling my lungs with the oxygen around as much as I could, closing my eyes and once again concentrating on Dimitri. Just this time, I kept thinking about what Alana said, yet still hoping that the spell would work. It had to.

"Venez sanguis. Venez sanguis, Venez sanguis la force de la bête à moi." The three of us repeated the spell, and there was no doubt in the energy that seemed to be taking over our bodies. I felt pressure in my head, the whispers and voices in my head getting louder and louder. As much as I tried understanding, I couldn't help but feel the ache in my head from the force, causing me to raise my voice in order to mute it.

I could feel how Alana's hand tightened around mine as I felt how my hair was blown by the wind that the sudden energy produced. I've practiced magic a few times before, but I never felt the energy I did that night. It was almost too overwhelming, giving me the feeling like the electricity down my fingers was making my hands go numb. So strong, almost painful.

And there it was. That familiar feeling took over, causing me to shut my eyes tighter in order to ease the pain in my head. I kept repeating the spell, but my mind and body felt like they were in some kind of a half conscious state, giving me that blank feeling inside. Dull darkness, simple and pitch back. It felt like I was no longer breathing, when an image flashed in front of me. Large windows, empty space, and only one person tied on a chair. Dimitri.

Every time a picture like that came, a picture that some called a vision, it was quick. Seconds before the blurry image disappeared. A sudden pressure took over my chest, and I felt myself furrowing my eyebrows, before the spell that I was once again repeating was cut off. My voice seemed to crack, trail, before a short cry escaped my throat. As if burned, I instinctively let go of Alana's hand, while my other one was clenched into a tight fist, my nails almost digging through my skin. And just like the sudden start, in less than a second, it stopped. The pain, the force, the energy...

The space around me that seemed to make me feel like I was almost somewhere else, floating, was now back to normal. However, I could still feel that pressure in my head before I slowly opened my eyes. What the hell happened? The first thing that came to my mind was the darkness I saw, the image that flashed through my head, causing a shiver to run down my spine and goosebumps to form all over my skin.

I blinked a few times, trying to break my blurry vision, as I heard how my ears were ringing. I heard my name, but it was muted by my own deep breaths, and my heart that seemed to be pulsing loud enough for me to hear. I frowned before I looked towards Alana. "Amelia," Her blurry face seemed to clear out now, and her voice was coming back to normal. I filled my lungs with air, almost like I had held my breath under water for hours.

As the thoughts rushed back, I could still feel that dull headache, but my eyes first roamed towards the bloody map. "Did it work?" My voice came out raspy, my eyes searching the trail the blood left. It must have worked. It was our only chance.

"Are you okay?" I heard Christian's voice from the side, and I realized he was kneeling next to me. His hand was over mind that was resting on my knee, and almost like I had been chocked, I released a sharp breath before nodding my head. I could see that worry in his eyes, and despite the darkness that those black pearls held, I knew he cared about Dimitri as much as I did.

I turned back to Alana, still expecting an answer, but she looked at the map, slightly frowning. "It worked. But with this amount of energy, it's as specific as it can get."

"It located him in the middle of the woods. It makes no sense, they could be anywhere." I could hear that low growl in Christian voice, the frustration, but something inside me remained calmed.

I knew what I saw. And I knew how to deal with it. "Actually, it does." Even though I was concentrated on the map, I could feel their eyes on me. "I know where Dimitri is." I ran a hand through my hair, looking at Christian. "There should be a garage, or, uh- bigger, a warehouse. He's there." My voice was raspy and calmed, almost like I was still in that half-conscious state. But my thoughts were back to normal. The disorientation was gone, even though the ache still seemed to consume.

I knew something wasn't right but at that point, I didn't care. "You saw him?" Alana's voice made me turn towards her, but I wasn't sure if it was really a question. That intense look that her eyes seemed to sent was now focusing on my hand. I didn't even had the time to react when she took my palm in hers. "You aren't healing." She took in a sharp breath, fixing me with her emerald eyes again. "Your energy was weak too."

She looked back at Calliope, almost like they were sharing the same thoughts. Whatever they were. And before I could even realize what was happening, she turned back, slowly turning my arm, so that my elbow was facing her. Her grip was certainly violent, but when she saw whatever she was looking at, she closed her eyes for a second, almost in frustration. "When did this happen?"

I frowned slightly, but before I asked 'What?' I looked at my arm, feeling how my stomach instantly turned. Two cuts, one over another, forming a perfect X were right under my elbow, barely even healed. I touched it, almost like I wasn't believing my own eyes, but the sharp pain hit me, like I just got burned, causing me to hiss under my breath. I felt Christian slightly moving me so he's see, but there was nothing none of us could do. It probably happened along the attack. The question was, why haven't I healed.

"What is that?" Christian looked at Alana, but she just took in a deep breath.

"It's a symbol... A kind of hex that's used on withes, or clionas, to stop us from using magic. You have to be cut by Venenum knife for it to work." She leaned on the couch behind her. "It's a dark object, that leaves the 'target' powerless. Well, for only a couple of hours, but it also slows the healing process. That's why I couldn't channel you completely."

I slowly stood up, feeling how my legs were still numb from kneeling. If it was only for a couple of hours, I would heal. I already started healing in fact. It explained why I wasn't able to reach the 'vision' in the shower. However, with the energy that came from this spell, I was able to complete it. I could handle getting Dimitri back without witch power. Just like I once did. My father was maybe a hunter, the solider, but he said it himself. I was the leader.

I sighed. "Aright, now we should get going." My head felt slightly dizzy before I felt a tight grip around my wrist causing me to turn around.

The feeling was kind of familiar, considering the fact how many times he tried stopping me. "You know, the possibilities of you actually dying are pretty big right now. I won't risk that." His voice was serious, almost angry, but all I did was pull myself away from his tight grip.

My eyes didn't leave his, as I felt my heart thumping loudly against my chest. "I do not have to ask for your permission." I took my phone from the armchair that was almost completely covered with small pieces of glass, and ignored the 'audience' that was literally out of no help till now. "I'm the only one that knows where Dimitri is. So either you follow me, or I'm going there myself."

I already lost plenty of time listening to the witch blab about uncertain information that she claimed it was real. And my father had already done enough damage to my life, so I was not letting him get away with such cruel and ruthless thing. My feet seemed to be moving on their own, and despite knowing where I was heading, I also knew how I was going to deal with it.

So Christian could be as stubborn as he wanted, I was ready to get it over with. With them, or without them.

~

Christian's POV

Well, apparently, she was ready to do whatever was on her mind. With me or without me. However, the first thing she did wrong was forget the map. And, of course, I wasn't a fool letting her go do it herself. If she was so certain that she was ready, I had no chances on changing her mind. What I could do was help her. So that's exactly what I did.

Like she said, if I didn't follow her, she would've left herself. But she was leaving the house with the thought of defeating her father. The truth was, we were now going against our biggest enemy. And it was her first mistake. Then again, I was there to correct her. And protect her most of all. I felt that light feeling in my chest, a new respect towards her, and I was proud in what she turned into. Strong and confident. Still a little unpredictable, but that was fixable.

Now, the feisty brunette was on the passenger seat next to me, while I drove her... Well, possibly on a suicide mission. Her actions showed how much she loved my brother, and I had respect for that. I could feel that heaviness in my chest, and it seemed to break whenever she was with me. Close to me. But then she was still in love with Dimitri, and that heaviness was back into a whole stone. The pieces of relief fixed.

But, as much as it hurt, the thought of losing my brother to the same hunter we managed to defeat before was even heavier. And I was not letting it happen. So I let her think that she was leading, even though she was doing a pretty well job with the frustrated orders. I knew she could succeed. So, risking it, I decided to follow her. To trust her. To let her see the danger herself. Because, long ago, I swore I would protect her under the stormiest skies. I wasn't breaking that vow now.

"Take this right." Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts, as I saw how she turned the map in her hands. 'This right' was the entrance of the woods. Soon, there would be no road left, and I would have to worry if the pathetic vampire army that the hunter seemed to control now, is, or isn't, going to attack her again. And on top of everything, that might happen in the middle of the bloody woods.

I looked at the mirror, meeting eyes with the redhead witch. She had one of those intense looks that I never trusted. She might have been right with her little 'prediction' before, but I wasn't going to let her mess with Amelia's head. At least not now. I planned on telling her the truth, but she was already dealing with too much, and the past could wait. Like it did till now.

After making a turn, I saw how the road was continuing, almost like it was cutting the forest in half. At the end of it, there was a dimmed light. The car with Charles and the others followed behind, though I couldn't help but wonder where the werewolves disappeared. After the party there was not a single track from the bastard, and at times like this, everything seemed way too suspicious.

"That's it." I heard Amelia mumbled when she saw the faint lights from away.

"Is that what you saw?" Calliope asked from behind, her voice trailing as she trying focusing on what we were looking at.

"I-uh, I'm not sure. But it must be it. This is the location." She straightened the map, inhaling a sharp breath. She was never aware of it, but I could always tell how she was feeling. She was easy to read. And now, beside her heartbeat that was thumping frantically, I could see how frustrated she was. If anyone, I knew her. I knew her weaknesses and I wanted to help her get over them. Just not in the most dangerous way possible. Like now.

As we were getting closer, I turned off the lights, and stopped the car before we arrived at the abandoned parking lot. The only light around was the one coming from the large windows, but it was hard to see who was in the warehouse. Or what.

Silence was dominating as all of us were somehow lost in our own thoughts. The banging of the door made me realize that Charles parked the car right behind us. "What are you doing here?" I heard Amelia's voice, causing me to turn around. I would've asked the same damn thing. Jenna. No one agreed on taking her. She was supposed to stay with Sara.

I noticed how Amelia crossed her arms over her chest, and I could practically hear the anger and impatience growing inside her. The blonde closed the door, and took a few confident steps forward. "Well, no matter how much you hate me, I can be out of use. Unlike you I have a better speed and strength, and as much as you find it unbelievable, I do care about Dimitri." She stopped, looking behind us, towards the warehouse before she met eyes with Amelia again.

"Look, I'll go along with whatever stupid plan you come up with. Because I want Dimitri out of there as much as all of you, so like it or not, I'm on your side." She sighed, putting a small stand of hair behind her ear. "Now, I suggest you start thinking how your going to get your psycho daddy away from Dimitri, because I already have a few things in mind."

I was ready to see Amelia slapping her after her statement, but instead she ignored Jenna, and tied her hair into a high ponytail. Her moves were calmed for a change, and for some reason I felt a really unpleasant turn in my stomach, because when she was quiet, I didn't know what she was up to. And I hated leaving her control herself. I trusted her instincts, but I didn't trust her feelings. They always seemed to get in the way, and I knew, better than anyone, that if a mission was supposed to be successful, there had to be no emotions attached.

After opening the truck, she took out a bow, throwing the bag of arrows around her shoulder. "There's no need for a big plan. No matter how large my father's army is, we're the ones with the bigger advantage here." She released a small breath, turning around and looking at the warehouse. "Dimitri is probably in the main room. And if I know anything about my father, is that he wants his alone time with the hostages. His people are probably guarding the hallways."

I heard how she stopped for a second to take in a deep breath, before she turned around. "I need you guys to distract them. I'm gonna need time to talk to my father, and-"

"No way, I'm not leaving you alone in the same room as him," My thoughts seemed to race suddenly. She obviously lost her mind.

"Christian," She puffed slightly, giving me that meaningful look. "No one has to die tonight."

"We can use the sleeping spell. It'll knock them out for a few hours." Calliope mumbled, but I still couldn't seem to believe these people. 'No one has to die'? Of course some has to die, I was not letting any of them get away with what they did. Especially Arthur.

My eyes seemed to follow Amelia's every move. I swore to myself that I wasn't letting her out of my sight. She was doing this her way, and I was somehow happy that something finally triggered that anger inside her, but I wasn't letting her through this alone. "Do what you have to." She said simply, starting to walk towards the parking lot. It was just blank darkness around, and since we were from the backside of the warehouse, the possibilities for our plan to work were pretty big.

"When you get pass the two 'guards' at the main entrance, send me a text." She told the two witches, and of course Charles and Jenna were here to distract the rest of them. I on the other hand was here to change her mind, get Dimitri out, and get all of them out of here. Possibly alive.

"This will never fucking work." I heard a hushed complain from Jenna, but Charles seemed to be handling her well enough.

"Shut up, Jenna. We don't have much time." He whispered, before the two disappeared along with the witches. I think that is when Amelia realized she was not doing this by herself.

I noticed how she looked at me before exhaling a frustrated breath. I on the other hand, put my hands in my pockets and leaned on the car. There was nothing she could do about it, and I liked seeing her struggle with the fact. "Christian,"

"Yeah?" I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to make her realize that nothing was going to change my mind. There was no way she was facing her father alone. Not again.

She sighed, but before she could say anything, her phone vibrated. Those large eyes shot up to me, and I could see that fire in them, somehow sparkling like never before. "Nothing." She turned around, taking a few steps towards the warehouse. "I'm going in there first." Following her, I couldn't help but let that small smile curl my lips in the honor of my victory.

Danger had always been like an aphrodisiac to me; the more extreme, the better. But the lives of the ones I cared about the most were in the hands of my worst enemy. He showed no emotions towards his daughter, and I knew from experience what he did to those who he never cared about.

When we reached the large windows, as if planned, we both knelt in order to keep the plan going, without being caught. I was very curious how she planned on getting in, but there was a second where I thought of the simple girl she used to be. I could only wish I was still training her, and not actually putting her in danger. But there was nothing I could possibly do to change her mind, was there?

And there it was. Just like she said. Cold shivers ran down my spine, as I glanced back at her. I could never get used to the fact that she could predict something in such details. In the world that we lived in, it was nothing new, but when I saw the picture she described, I could help the goosebumps that formed on my skin. Through the dirty glass, there was a large empty space, abandoned, a chair on the side, and a guy sitting on it. Tied on it. Dimitri.

His hair was a mess, almost like someone had pulled it over and over again, and he could barely hold his head straight. Those bastards always used the only weapon against us. Basil. Just this time, I doubt they only used that. I was more than sure that they had a stronger mixture to suck all the strength and energy out of him. And no matter how many times I wished I was the one doing that to him, I could help the bitter feeling that took over me when I saw Arthur.

He was the only one around. Just like Amelia said, he wanted his time alone with the hostages. As I looked at her, I saw that spark of helplessness in her eyes, weakness, pain, that was caused just by the sight ahead of us. But she kept quiet. From the side, I could see how her jaw clenched, and if someone didn't know her as well as I did, they wouldn't have noticed the sudden change in her eyes. That darkness once again taking over.

Without a single word, she stood up. "Stay behind me." Her voice came out quiet and raspy, but I didn't have much time to thin, or register anything as I saw her reaching for an arrow from her backpack. I would've tried anything to get her away from the danger she was about to put herself into, but something inside didn't let me. I trusted her. I knew she was walking on her own territory. That's what made it secure.

I noticed how she took a few steps backwards, positioning the arrow on the bow, and holding it straight. I remembered the first time I saw her doing it. She almost killed me. 'Accidentally'. Within seconds, she let go of the bowstring, letting the arrow fly towards the target. Upwards, the cutting of the air was heard, and as the sharp metal head hit the wood that was holding the windows together, the glass broke.

My first instinct was to put my hands around her, just so the sharp pieces wouldn't cut her, but the broken glass fell on the inside, now giving us a full view on Arthur and Dimitri. Being in the middle of the abandoned space put neither of them in danger, as the pieces of glass spread around the dirty floor. There was one thing for sure. Amelia had his attention. But the hunter didn't even flinch. He just observed the situation.

The windows were positioned low enough, giving us the chance to step right in. There was no hesitation in Amelia's moves. As soon as the glass was fallen, she jumped over the window frame, and stumped inside. I could still feel that unpleasant knot in my stomach. Like I kept expecting for something to happen. Something bad. But Arthur simply walked around Dimitri's chair, taking slow, arrogant steps, stopping across from us. And as always, an annoying expression on victory was placed on his face. Just this time, I couldn't understand why.

I was ready to snap his neck even if her tried using the silver gun in his hand, but he just roamed it around his hands. "Well, someone certainly enjoys making an entrance." I saw how Amelia's chest rose up as she took in a frustrated breath. But there was no such emotion on her face. I was failing to read her, maybe for the first time ever.

"I would say, like father like daughter, but I apparently, family has no such meaning these days." I listened to her words, but all I could hear was that self control she was managing to pull out. I knew she just wanted Dimitri out. We all did. But there was no way we were able to get pass Arthur. I looked at her arm for a second, seeing how the mark still hasn't healed. It took longer than 'just a few hours'. It was only making her weaker.

I heard a deep breath from Arthur, and there was something behind that cold expression of his that I didn't understand. "I have to say, I never thought it would get to this point." He said, stopping behind Dimitri's chair. "But it was the only way to get you here, Mia." I could never crack the codes behind his words, but what I did know is that if he wanted Amelia dead, she would be by now. If he wanted Dimitri dead, he would've found a way. Yet, there we were. All breathing and alive.

I glanced at Amelia, seeing how the hazel color in her eyes darkened in some kind of way. Yet the fire in that ember color smothered. I could hear her heartbeat fasten up, almost skipping a few beats, and I could practically sense that same confusion on her. "Let him go. Now." The demand in her voice was sharp, and serious. I haven't heard such edge in her voice. Then again, it was hard to piss Amelia off. But it was good to know what happened when you did...

"Whatever you say, my sweet Mia." Was the only thing he said before he started untying Dimitri's hands. The weirdest part was, it didn't even take that 'talking' Amelia was prepared for. The whole situation was too easy to be true. And I was ready to rip his head off if he even tried to turn this whole situation in his own advantage.

There was just this one question I kept repeating in my head. What if this was all part of Arthur's plan?

***
Alrightie, so imma have to end this here. I think we saw enough action for one chapter... So, the way last chapter ended was definitely confusing but I decided to leave that for a whole different chapter, because I don't want to rush it now when the end is coming. Also, I'll try making it as clear as possible :D So, yea, you guys will get your answers soon enough, through visions, memories, flashbacks maybe? Maybe well even see the old Dimitri... The perfect son he used to be ;)

Also, I never intended for the story to be so long, so I'm sorry for that... Tell me what you think about this chapter, cause we obviously still have no idea what Arthur's up to... Maybe he believes that Mia is really alive... Or is it just a trap? Soon my loves <3 Kisses :*