Lana's POV

I told him. I told him everything.. And I took a risk. I risked my adoration for Christian that had built and grown for so long it seemed. It would never fade, but it was all put in danger when I told my brother about the very secret that I had kept and it could've meant our very ruin. The end of everything..

But I refused to think like that. I trusted Jack. I knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt me, even if that meant keeping my secret a bit longer.. At least until Adam was dead.. A few days until all of it was over so that I could finally focus on explaining everything to my family.

  "So he kept you safe.." He asked.

  And it had me thinking about everything Christian had done to do exactly that. Keep me safe. We started off with a deal, but near him, no one could touch me or harm me in any way and get out alive. In some weird way, I felt safe near him from the very beginning.. That safety had turned into a purposeful protection. And I loved

  "He did." I looked down at my hands.

  "You say you love him.. Is it real?"

  "Oh it's real."

  "Does he.. I mean, his actions proved that he does, but still, are you sure-"

  "I'm sure. He loves me." I tried making out a smile but Jack was cold serious. "When he took me from the front door that day, and then we came up with that kidnap story.. It was all a big mistake." I took his hand, explaining slowly.. "It would've pushed dad to start a war.. And Christian would've accepted if he didn't.. If he didn't love me."

  "If dad didn't agree on that deal.. Le Bourisers still wouldn't kill you or anyone you love, would they?" That was the lie of the deal that 'the vampires suggested' to my father.

  "No." I found myself slipping my hands from his.. I felt ashamed facing all those lies.

  "But the rest of that 'uniting with us plan' is real?"

  "Yes." My voice once again came up barely above a whisper. "Because if dad started a war, I can't- I simply can't go against Christian. How could I chose?" I looked back at Jack and I could see how he scanned my face.

  He understood me. Yet still, his jaw was tightly clenched in rage and his eyes held the kind of frustration that shook my very core. He grew up to be one of the best fighter our pack had. His anger was intimidating and his protection was serious.. Especially when it came to family. Especially when it came to me.

  "That's messy.." He managed, almost as if with avoiding my gaze he tried hiding his true emotions about the subject. He probably still thought I was seduced into loving Christian and would be played out the second a fight starts.

  "My whole life is a mess.." I spoke instinctively, leaning back on the wall beside the window bench and crossing my arms over my chest. It really was a whole lot of mess.. Dreading to even think back to it.

  "You shouldn't have fallen in love with him." With a low tone, a serious growl, he said words that made me almost laugh.

  "It's not really a choice now, is it?" I heard how he released a slow heavy breath as he leaned on the window. "Still, it's- It's hard to fight for love."

  The faintness in my voice made him look at me.. Once more he scanned me to make sure I was alright. I lived a life surrounded by tall intimidating men that were all overprotective over me..

  Yet I was the one that needed the least protection. I could take care of myself yet they were all ready to protect me with an army from our enemy. I could laugh at that. But I was thankful for it.

  "I understand." I heard that deepness in his voice. He seemed to struggle while saying that. Oh how he lied to make his sister feel better.

  I heard a dry chuckle escape my throat. "No, you don't."

  "You're right, I don't." The way he leaned forward against his knees and ran his hands so slowly through his hair showed that very frustration he was ruled by. "But I'm trying, so please bare with me. And don't start crying on me, I'm not used to that."

  Again, I laughed to that. "Okay," But when he looked at me, he still was dead serious. Desperate even..

  The kind that was familiar to me. The kind that meant he wanted to do plenty but was cornered and could do none of the things he wished. I appreciated his caring for me. Oh how I loved my family for that. But what I needed from him was trust.

  "Is he good to you?" He finally managed, and my heard broke to that deep tone.. That uncertainty and frustration behind it. Words of despise towards of course Christian, yet still effort to make it all well.. For me.

  "He is.." I tried making out a smile as I leaned towards him.. "He had Alexander in his hands, you know.. He could've killed him and all his men." I was still smiling, just this time because of that memory I spoke of. "He didn't." I ran my hands through Jack's hair.. It was soft and unkempt just like when he was little. "He didn't because he knew how hard a war would be for me.. That I wouldn't be able to chose."

  At that point my smile had faded and I heard myself speaking with almost admiration. I did admire Christian for what he did. I loved him for it. I adored him for it. And the world had to know.. Just perhaps slower than I wished them to..

  Jack searched my face in what seemed like disbelief or perhaps uncertainty.. Some kind if lack of trust in my words.. So I caressed his face and tried smiling at him once more, but again, he remained serious, simply taking my hand and held it in his.

  "So he's doing all of this to stop a war? For you?" He made certain to ask the littlest details. And to his words, I smiled this time genuinely.

  "Something like that.." He looked back in front of himself, somewhere in the diy lighted room. I could see how tightly his jaw was clenched, how it moved slightly as he almost grand his teeth. His grip around my hand became tighter.

  "I saw." Again, beside the understanding, there was the clear spite in his voice.. Perhaps from the memory of the previous night when Christian saved me before they could.

  I knew it meant a lot to him. We were always close. And had understanding for one another.. But I knew our morals.. Our rules. I could see how he reacted to me breaking them. To the thought of me with a vampire.

  Now he didn't look at me, but rather closed his eyes and brought my hand to his lips. From that kiss, slow and certainly instinctive. He kissed my palm and my fingers, and to that I stayed quiet and thought about just how powerless he seemed to consider me.

  Did he consider me a fool? Or perhaps just a played girl that was tricked into sleeping with the enemy? I was older than him, by two years only, but still older to be wiser than him. I would never allow myself to be tricked. I knew Christian's intentions from the very beginning.

  And now that Jack slowly let go of my hand, he looked down and almost hung his head. I could understand disappointment in me, if that was what he felt.. But I could also see that in some hard way, he understood. He tried to at least..

  I caressed his shoulder for some kind of support as he stood up, releasing a deep muted breath as he turned to look at me.

  "I'll talk to dad.. I'll find some real evidence about Alexander. You're not marrying that guy. I'll make sure of it."

  I did explain to him everything Alexander had threatened.. The things he had said to me about being with the enemy.. It seemed to had effected Jack more than my affair with Christian did. We were all taught that family honor came before anything, especially the boys.. Especially when it came to a woman they cared for.. A mother or a sister. A wife or a lover.

  I knew that my brothers, as well as every man from our pack had vowed to defend honor and would kill if they found out someone of theirs was insulted by another.. Especially a Vesnetsov, that were our enemies once. And I could see it all in Jack's eyes. He had that murderous glare in them when he mentioned Alexander. More than he did when he spoke of Christian.

  "Thank you.." I stood up as well. "But please do so when all of this is over. We need the Vesnetsovs on our side now." He looked at me almost in fury.. His sharp jaw still clenched. And he looked away before closing his eyes. Still, he nodded his head. "Don't tell dad yet. Please.."

  "I won't." He took a small step back and looked at me. "It's your duty to do that." I found myself smiling at him for using such words.. He was honorable, wasn't he? My little brother grew up to be my protector.

  So I found myself crossing that space between us and pulling him into a hug. He didn't hesitate much. He hugged me tighter and I could tell that it wasn't me he was angry with..

  He seemed more concern about Alexander, and perhaps angry that Christian had taken his part in protecting me. It was heart-melting to see that on him. I loved them so much. I would kill for all of them. I would die for them. And I was beyond thankful to have them.

  "I will.. I promise. You won't have to lie for me.. Not again." He kissed my shoulder and inhaled, running his hand down my hair in nothing but worry."

  We pulled away and I looked at him. He thought that now that he was taller and bigger than me, it made him my protector. I smiled to that. He was smart though. He was the smartest in our family.

   "How on Earth are you always the one finding out things?" I heard laughter in my voice, and saw a spark of humor behind his eyes to the realization that yes, it was him that caught me sneaking out that night when I ran from home.

  He took a few steps back and finally smiled back at me. "It's a talent."

~

I stared outside the french windows, following the rays of the moon quite amusing.. Silver and white intertwining and sparkling, almost seeming magical from its fullness. The myths and the legends said plenty about us.. About the full moon and it's meaning.. About werewolves being bound to it and haunted by it's howling curse that came once a month..

Of course, it was not even remotely true, or at least it wasn't for a long time now.. It was others that drew power from the moon's silver shadows.. The witches, and the clionas perhaps. It was them that came up with the story to draw the attention off of themselves..

I felt a slight turn in my stomach.. A heavy stone in my gut. I looked at it's brightness, so high in the sky.. No, something wasn't right. It seemed to shine too whitely, to had risen too highly in the midnight dark sky.. I stared at it and it stared back with the same intensity.

It had been a week since my brothers had found out about my affair with Christian.. Jack accepted it well, while Marco found his rejects and judgements for quite some time.. A day, two.. He didn't speak to me, but he turned soft once I explained to him the plan that was made.. A plan that was supposed to go down in only 24 hours.

I had hid and sneaked out every day to see Christian. It was becoming ridiculous, but we needed to discuss the plan. And then I suggested it to my father as well, who thankfully accepted somewhat.. Being an honorable man, he felt like quite the debtor to Christian for saving my life. Still, I knew my father would never agree to anything if he didn't actually approve of it.

Calliope had found the spell.. The mix spell. It was difficult to perform from what I heard, but thankfully a cliona could take part in it, so Amelia was there to unite her power. I had learned that they had to draw energy from something, just like some witches drew energy from the full moon.. But those were witches that did dark magic, like the ones that worked for Adam..

Amelia however told me that it was fire that she could control and find power in. It was her element, since every cliona had one. While witches had no particular elements. They could use anything, but with less power of course.

What mattered however were the sounds.. The sounds of a heartbeat that had lead to sleepwalking five miles in the middle of the night, and almost got me killed if it wasn't for Christian. They were gone. Well, at least for now they were, but then again, it had happened before for them to go away for a while..

It was all peacefully silent. So peacefully dark and soundless. The woods didn't move with the chilly wind, nor did the clouds cover the stars with its thickness. It hadn't been so perfect for a long time now. And yet.. Yet I felt awfully anxious about something. I felt disturbed. And Christian was not beside me to sooth it.

"Something's not right." I told my father as I stared out the window for what seemed like half an hour..

"It's windless, quiet and peaceful. It hasn't been like this for a long time, Lani." I bit down on my lip. Of course it hadn't, but.. But it was too peaceful. For the seventh day now after they almost drew me in that old house..

"Yes, perhaps." I found myself hesitate, still pushing curtains on the side. "Don't you think it's a little too quiet? The moon shines brightly tonight, but.. Isn't it dark?"

He laughed. "How long has it been since you've seen a full moon?" I heard his footsteps from behind, approaching me slowly. He gripped my shoulder and rubbed my arms up and down to sooth me, but I felt more panicked if possible. "It will all be over tomorrow, my little dove. You have suffered enough."

I gulped down my dry throat, trying to blink away the burning in my eyes. But if I blinked, a tear would've escaped, and I did not cry. Especially not from an unknown heavy feeling in my chest. It was ridiculous!

But just as I was to turn around and hug my father for his soothing words, my eyes locked on the dark shadow near the clearing of our house. I frowned, pushing myself a bit closer to the window.. It was a human shadow. There were no trees near. And it was straight and motionless.. But- Hell, there was no one there.

"What is it?" I heard my father ask, but I failed to find an answer to that.. I only squirmed my eyes a bit to try and see better.

There was another shadow, a little away from the first one.. And another. My heart skipped a shallow beat. I was holding my breath as I drew myself even closer to the window. Right outside the gates of our house, the clearing in the grass, wide and green before he woods started, the shadows remained still, and I found myself doubting my sanity.

"Do you see that?" I whispered almost breathlessly, feeling my father lean in silence and stare in the direction I was staring..

Chills ran down my body. The shadows moved. And there was no one there. Every hair on my body rose, and I felt my stomach nauseously turn once again. And then I heard a lyrical sound.. Words.. Words I could not make out. Spoken slowly and at once. Loud enough for me to hear through the windows. And my father too apparently.

"Dammit," My father cussed and I heard him take a step back.. I instantly turned to look at him, with speed that caused my heartbeat to rapidly pulse in my head.

He was walking.. Walking away from me and towards his desk. What was happening.. I had no clue. But my legs went numb for a second. Panic gripped me. I had never,- Christ, I had never seen moving shadows in the darkness.. With no one there to cast them.

"What are you doing?" My voice shook with its unintentional loudness as I watched my father take the gun he kept in his locked drawer. "Dad," Once again, I tried getting his attention, but he worked quickly and thoughtfully.

I walked towards him, and the minute he turned from his desk I stepped in front of him. I saw rage in his eyes. The kind of rage I hadn't seen in a long time. And not a trace of fear. Yet the only thing I could think about was.. God, what would a gun do to a shadow?!

"It is not the first time I'm at war, Lana. We are being attacked." He spoke quickly and soon yelled a command as he passed by me, that even though we were in his office, its loudness made sure to make everyone in the house hear it.

My heart wasn't beating. I was not breathing. I turned around so quickly that I felt dizzy and as I rushed to him, taking his arm before he could reach the door, he looked at me.. And damn me if I didn't saw raw panic behind his eyes.

"You can't go out there with a gun." He was about to push me away, but I held onto his sleeve and soon felt my wrist being grabbed.

"You stay inside, you hear me? I need you inside with your mother, Lana," He spoke, but all I heard was the noise that almost shook the house.. The steps from all around it. The shouts. Our men were gathering.

  Before I could even register his words, he walked out and I rushed behind him, but his steps were wider and he was already down the stairs while I was on top of them. And so I stopped for a second. I stopped and stared wide eyed as one of my brothers found his way towards my father from the living room, while five man rushed from the back door to the front..

  My uncle joined them and glanced up at me the very same second as Jack passed me down the stairs. And my blood had frozen in my veins.. I had no clue what was going on. I had seen our people in action before, but this.. This was something I had never thought I'd witness.

  They walked quickly and thoughtfully from a simple command that my father had shouted barely a few minutes before.. I clenched my fists to somewhat warm my icy fingers, but it did not help. I could,- I.. God, I could not wrap my head around what was happening.

   "No," I heard a mutter and it was mine. No, something was not right.

  We were too many and..- Hell, there were only three shadows. A trio that seemed damn familiar. And as frightening as it was to think about it.. It was all I thought about. The witches.

   My father had obviously thought it through.. He had gotten our men ready for an attack. And he didn't know, but he was aware of the possibilities. Almost as if they had expected an attack. Almost as if-

  I found myself walking down right after Jack, managing to grab him by the arm as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He turned around and looked down at me, but I pulled him by his arm even though I felt almost tiny around him and all the men that rushed from the back yard and woods, through our house, beside us and out the front door.

  "You must stop." I spoke quickly, but not quick enough, nor loud enough compared to the others. "Get Marco and dad back. You can't go out there."

  But he jerked his arm away from me, and glanced on the side quickly, like he was running out of time to even listen to me.

  "Stay out of the way, Lana. Do not make me lock you in here." And with that, he turned around and slipped away, blending with another group of ours that were exiting now the front door.

  I was left speechless. I- Had they planned a defense without me knowing? They- My chest dropped as I exhaled. It still held that heaviness. And yet, they all rushed out. I glanced on my right just to see my mom pushing through a few and looking over them before her eyes found me.

  But I knew what I would hear from her too. To stay inside. And damn me, but if I stayed inside when there was someone attacking.. Those witches attacking.. I would never forgive myself.

  So I pushed the guy in front of me and blended with the group. "Lana!" I heard my mother's screech, but I refused to look back..

  I was on the porch within a second, watching the group of women line up on the side, creating a group, and I recognized the order. Women stood behind for a while, and if the guys would start getting defeated, it is then that they were supposed to make their way and attack.. Because it was our women that were the secret weapon. A bigger number of them could shift into wolves, including my mother, so it was something that the attackers never saw coming.

  But it didn't matter. In that moment, nothing mattered.. Because our men stopped.. Every each one of them, stopping under my father's command that stood in the front line, leading the group of dozens. And everyone went silent as the voices of the attackers filled the air.

"..keschede sede ni canun keschede," Words I could not understand but spoken in almost a choir, lyrically said as the a group of women approached. A group. Almost filling the whole horizon around our front gates. "...keschede senu ni canun.."

They continued and my heart was no longer beating. It was the witches, accompanied by dozens of the same kind on their side. Lining in front of our gates and speaking as one.

"Christ," I was not breathing. I- My mind.. It was blank. Clear. Lost. I stared in disbelief and silence.. And didn't even notice that my mother had stopped beside me on the porch and stared with the same fear as everyone else..

But something.. Hell, something was off. Everything was, just.. It didn't make any sense. My father and I saw three shadows and by the time we walked out, there were dozens of witches with the trio in front of them. The witches that swore they would make the lives of their enemies a nightmare. The witches that came from the dead, joined by so many others.. That came out of nowhere.

And then it came to me. It all clicked in one second. It's an illusion, my mind screamed. It's not real. No, none of the witches were. We would've seen them coming, but- They used the same trick as they did on me witch sleepwalking. Just an illusion.

  "No," I whispered, "No!" I shouted, trying to take a step, but was pulled back by my mother. But no one even flinched. They all stared at the witches that said their dark magic word by word, only obeying to my father's commands.

  We were a bigger number, but if one stepped out of the gates, everyone would.. And it would mean a step into a simple slaughter. A meaningless sacrifice for those sick devil women.

  I opened my mouth to scream for them to stop once more, but I was too late. The silence was filled with a simple word. An order from my father. Loud and clear. A command for an attack. And everything in my head went silent. Everything except for the sudden rushes, shouts, and yells as they.. They exited the gate. And went running into their doom.

~

Christian's POV

It seemed like I was no longer myself and watched a madman chase his own shadow. It seemed like I watched myself with this lost mind of mine, running to save the very woman that meant my weakness and strength.. Strength that I had only near her. Weakness I had everywhere but near her..

It was those witches that wanted vengeance, over my father, my family, yet it was my love that had to suffer. It was them that came to my lake house to tell me it would be the end that night.. To tell me they would destroy me by hurting her. My Lana.

There was only one thought that seemed to cross my mind. I have to make it. I have to make it before them. I have to save her. Save her even if it's the last damn thing I do. And there was nothing that would stop me.

The air no longer reached my lungs and the darkness seemed to had filled every inch of my soul within seconds. My mind rushed with scenarios that made me want to kill everything that stepped before me, and if someone dared to stop me, I would've ripped their hearts out of their chests in a blink.

I had Dimitri in the car behind me.. Amelia perhaps or someone else as well.. I had no time to check as for a I left before all of them and found myself reaching the gates of the house with what seemed quickly, but not quick enough..

The gates.. They were surrounded. Surrounded by dozens of witches. And the second I stopped the car, there were no force that could've stopped me from rushing out.. No force that could stop me from running in there and finding her. Hell, I was ready to slaughter them all to get to her.

"Christian! Stop!" I heard my brother's voice and soon he dared to stop me by rushing in front of me.

"Get out of my way." I tried pushing him aside, but was soon almost circled by Amelia and Calliope as well.. Luke was there too. They all came and damn me but I would've rather had them somewhere passed out than have to worry about their safety as well.

"It's,-" I glanced at Amelia that stared at the backs of the witches that were lined around the gates, saying words in their witch latin that made no damn sense nor effected anything.. "It's not real. Stop."

She spoke as if I could move with them all circling me like they were taming a damn beast.. And hell, I was losing all the patience and tolerance for all those that stood in my way. I pushed my brother aside, but Luke was now on my sleeve and I had this shaking need to slap him off. It was not them I had the time to deal with.

"How the hell is this not real?!" I pushed my way another steps, hearing Amelia's voice once more.

"It's an illusion," She yelled, but it was Calliope that stopped before me. "The house is surrounded by basil." To that statement, Calliope turned to look, but I could not understand why that would stop me from going after Lana. Basil was toxic for me if I consumed it, and damn me if I didn't stuff them witches with it when all of it was over.

"God," Calliope exhaled and I turned to see Amelia being stopped by Dimitri when she tried approaching. She looked at me in shock and some kind of pity that left me speechless for a few seconds.

"What?!" I looked back at Calliope and got the same look from her as well.

"They're an illusion, but that spell is real. It-" She inhaled and her lashes flattered. I looked back at the house. Behind the gates stood dozens of Khan's men with him in front of them all and stared back at the witches with the same shock as all of us. "It will explode, we need to-" She lost her voice once more. "Basil can be used as an explosive when used with dark magic. We need to get back."

My ears were already buzzing, but in that moment, everything went silent. My mind cleared blank and I stared back at the house.. I stared breathlessly at the familiar figure on the porch.. She- goodness, my Lana.. She was there. And even from far I could see that dread on her face..

I heard her say something.. She stared at the group of her men, dozens and dozens lined in front of her, and she yelled something out. She told them something. But something snapped inside me, like it was me she yelled at.. My heart fell to the pit of my stomach and my body moved on its own.

All I knew.. Hell, all I knew was that I had to get close. I had to- Christ, I had to get to her. The last thing I heard was my brother yell out after me, and the last thing I saw was Amelia kneeling down and murmuring some spell.. While I ran. I ran and left them behind where they were safe.. But I needed her. Lana.. Goodness, I needed her more than I needed anything.

I ran with speed of the wind and noticed the grass clearing out, perhaps from Amelia's spell, clearing out the basil and making me a small clear path.. But it did not matter. I just knew that I was running and not giving a damn that Khan's army rushed towards the witches through the gates only a second after I made my way on the property..

I had no clue how in that whole speed I noticed Lana snatching away from her mother, rushing down the porch steps, but I managed to reach the front yard and damn me if I know how. Yes, the witches were all just illusions, only the first three of them were real, but just like Calliope said, the dark magic they preformed was all happening in that very moment.

I heard Lana's yells and in all that senselessness, I felt as if my heart was torn into thousands of pieces from the sharp screech of fear in that voice.. In that soft voice that held nothing but panic. And at that point, perhaps I saw my own death before my eyes, but cared not even slightly because hell, all that mattered was her..

I don't think she even noticed me until she nearly crashed against me.. And I felt her small body nearly fall over my arm as I reached it to stop her and pulled her against myself.. Khan and his man ran, but Lana couldn't stop them. They exited their gates and I knew what was to come next.

"No!" She repeated, "Stop!" But I don't think she was aware through all those yells.. No, she had no clue who had just caught her.. But she struggled fiercely to snatch away from me as well..

"Irascitur." A simple word. Fire, it meant. A simple word said in the same voice of a hundred, when it was only three witches that said it. And it was all a trick.

My eyes closed that very instant. My jaw was nearly as clenched as to grind my teeth with the thought of what she was about to witness. And I felt no relief, but rather even bigger need to put her away from the scene that was about to happen before her eyes.

Once again, my body was controlled by my instincts.. I moved with speed and pushed her back, rushing her towards the house with me and pinning her against the door. The sound of fire suddenly rushing and flaming up in the air was heard.

I covered the sight with my body.. I couldn't allow her see dozens from her pack burn alongside her father.. Her brothers too. I looked at eyes of nothing but fear and panic, the darkest shade of green swirling together with some begging I understood so well.. But they didn't look back at mine.. Almost as if she still wasn't aware of my presence.. Instead, she tried looking over my shoulder.

I took her face in my hands and leaned towards her, trapping her with my body and doing my best to keep her shielded.. Doing all in my power to prevent her from seeing the flames that rose so high behind me, I almost felt the heat. But it all happened behind the gates.. It all happened away from the house, thankfully away from my Lana and the few that still hadn't left the property..

  The basil that surrounded the house for protection from us, their vampire enemies, was now the very key that those witches used to light up with magic.. To use their own secret weapon and kill them all with it. A tragedy that happened within minutes.. That very fire could've taken my Lana away from me. And I felt weak and nearly shaking with the simple thought of that.

  Yet I felt relief.. I felt relief because I had her shielded and trapped away from that danger that took the lives of many.. I had her in my arms, feeling her panting breaths almost against mine, even though those dreaded eyes still partly saw what happened behind me.. Still saw the flames that rushed up in the air like fire with gasoline..

  I could see those flames in her eyes. I could see them reflected in those crystal emeralds that seemed glassy in that moment.. I held her face in my hands and felt her silky skin underneath my fingers, watching how her lips remained parted as she was left speechless and still staring somewhere over my shoulder.. At the fire that raised high in the dark sky.

  Screeches and yells, no's and pleads were heard when the rest that realized that dozens of theirs had lost their lives in that fire. Yet Lana remained silent.

  "Lana," I moved my hand against the wall behind her, trapping her some more and feeling how her hands so weakly slid down my chest. I didn't dare to move or look behind myself as I tried my best to be the very barricade that would provide her the sight of that. "Lana, look at me.." She didn't, not even when I took her chin between my fingers, but from her slight flinch, I knew she had noticed me.. "Eyes on me."

  And then she did exactly that. So slowly, without a single blink, she looked at me, and my chest tightened. Eyes of shock and coldness; such a mix of emotions that darkened them, made them almost unrecognizable to me.. But it was still my Lana that hid behind that cold stare of those emerald crystals, glossy with tears..

  Not a blink, not a single trace of fear no more. Instead it was the kind of weakness that tore my heart into a thousand pieces and a single tear that seemed like my very ruin. Her chest fell in a breath that escaped her, and I once again reacted by my very instincts.

  I pulled her close. I pulled her in my arms without a single word. Her warmness soothed me.. Hell, her simple presence gave me relief.. But the faintness in her simple moves broke me in pieces. And all I knew was that I had to hold her close.. Against my chest and in my arms, where she was safest. Where she belonged.

***

  Oh my heart breaks for Khan. Seems like Lana's prediction about the illusions was true..

  But hey, how could they had known the witches' trick? Write your theories in the comments about what's to come next.. Will Kahn perhaps survive, or are they all gone with the flames?

  Also, I wanna hear your thoughts on Christian's last-minute saving.. He managed to save his girl 😊

  Kisses till the next time, loves ❤️