Word Count: 1635

~Aven

I don't even have time to blink before Stace has his hand wrapped around my wrist and the world disappears from around us.

And then my feet touch the ground, and I'm in a completely unfamiliar woof cabin.

"What..." I breathe, whirling around in a circle to observe the space. "What did you do."

I'm at the window in a moment, looking out. It's night out wherever we are, and by the look's of it, it's raining heavily, and we are in some kind of forest, making it clear that a single step outside I will likely get lost and won't ever be able to find my way back. And most importantly, wherever we are, it's very far from that women, who claimed she is my mother.

"I got you out of there," he explains, shrugging his jacket off, wandering over to the dead fire. I stare blankly at him, confused, and wondering why he is acting as though he didn't potentially ruin everything.

"Why?" I demand.

"That woman, she's dangerous," he explains, tossing some wood onto the fire from the basket beside it.

"You know her?" I'm almost too stunned to even speak. I stalk toward Stace, watching him light the fire, clearly familiar with this place, whereas I couldn't even say which Territory this is meant to be in. "Is she actually my mother?"

"I believe so. I know of her more than I know her," Stace shrugs, sitting back to admire the beginning flames. "I had no idea she could get access to that prison."

I'm pacing at this point, fingers threaded through my hair as I try to make sense of everything.

"And she's dangerous? I thought she was dead."

"She may as well have been. She was meant to be buried in some dungeon in Territory Thirteen, although it seems I was wrong," he muses, thoughtful. I want to grab his shoulders and shake him, demand he tell me everything all at once and stop hesitating.

"Who put her there?" I demand.

Stace stands swiftly, looking down. "Me..."

I approach him slowly, resting my hands on either of his shoulders, a silent warning that I may be prepared to sear him through his clothes with a palm full of magic if he doesn't cooperate. "Stace, you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know, and I will. I just had to get you out of there," he explains softly, brushing his knuckles down my cheek in such a sweet gesture, all the anger and frustration washes out of me in an instance.

My arms drop. "Where are we?"

"Territory Ten."

"Are we in a rainforest?" I ask tentatively, glancing back to where the rain continues to pour, the sound of it on the roof sending a chill through me, even with the fire.

"Yes, this is an awfully lush Territory, and equally hard to navigate without magic," he explains, shivering. I don't dare ask what kind of civilisation, if any, exists here, and how they manage in a place in such desperate need of magic to be used. "No one will expect I brought you here."

"And what about Eryk?" I question. Stace left him at Avilia's, which now, seems like the best decision, although I can only imagine how furious he would be knowing what we have gotten up to without him around.

"He will manage himself."

I chew on my fingernail, unsure of what to do with myself. "Is that really my mother?"

"Your birth mother, yes, but she was hardly a mother," Stace says solemnly. My heart sinks. In minutes, I've found out that my birth mother is still alive, but is clearly dangerous enough for Stace to feel the need get me as far away from her as possible. I don't even feel surprised, considering my luck with family.

"And I got stuck with two terrible parents?"

Stace closes his eyes for a moment, contemplating exactly what he wants to tell me. "I'm going to tell you something that is going to upset you, and I completely understand if you're upset at me about this, considering I lied to you."

"What..." I'm not even sure I want to know.

"Your father was never the evil one. He never inflicted all that damage on the Territory he governed over. In fact, he doesn't have any Angel blood in him. That all came from your mother," Stace explains warily, watching my carefully for an explosive reaction.

I frown. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense."

"He was being manipulated by your mother. She was behind everything that happened." He is desperately trying to convince me, and I know he isn't lying, but it's so hard to hear after everything I have been told about my father being an evil man. I mean, everyone I have come across has something to say about him.

"But everyone told me it was my father...Even the Nobles." I remember Larsen, the Noble with the poisonous touch, who wanted me dead due to my father's actions.

Stace runs his hand down my arm. "No one knows. I only learnt about this before it was too late."

"What did she do?"

"A lot. More than I can explain right now," she admits. In other words, it's terrible enough that he doesn't want to place the burden on me when I already have so much to carry. "A lot of people hate your father because of what she did. And he made him mute."

"Why? Why would she do that?" I demand. I'm angry. Not just for me, but for my father. I saw him only minutes ago, and I was telling myself I needed to hate him. And he was so meek, so unnerved by us. He's been subjected to abuse for so long, it's no wonder...Now I feel like a fool, talking to Stace in front of him like that.

"Because she's pure evil, Aven. That's why I got you out of there."

I turn, threading my fingers through my hair. "Stace..."

"I know. Your father had my father get you out of there when you were young. He made your mother think you were dead, which is why it's such a terrible thing that she now knows you are still alive." Stace begins pacing throughout the room, the dodgy wooden floor creaking with his movements.

Fear swells in my chest. My own mother may have nefarious intentions with me, her own blood daughter. Now I'm not sad about it, but afraid.

"Do you think she will want to kill me too?" I ask softly. The answer feels obvious, considering Stace's overwhelming reaction. He wouldn't have taken me away so quickly if he didn't think she was capable of it.

"I have no idea. But it's not happening." He's serious now, lips forming a firm line. "I have more power than her. Us together have more power than her. She's not going to hurt you."

I look down at my hands. Since confirming that Stace is my mate, I do feel as though I have more control. I'm still too scared to test it out, afraid I'll catch not only myself alight, but everything and everyone around us. But if I have to use my powers to protect Stace, I'm willing to do it, without hesitation.

"You're not going to kill her without reason, are you?" I ask.

He shakes his head, grabbing my hands. "Not unless you wanted me to."

"No...But I have to see what she wants." Like with my father, I know I have to meet her once to settle the matter. And since she can talk, she can tell me what she wants. If it's nothing of value, I can be done with her, and continue on with my life with who I consider my real mother, back home.

"No. Absolutely not." A shadow passes over Stace's face. "You're my mate. I'm not letting you step into danger like that."

"Stace, I can't run forever," I remind him.

This travelling has been good, to see the Territories and meet people. But now I want to settle, back in Territory Two, with Stace. I'm ready for much less excitement and calm, although I imagine that's not going to be easy to get considering who my mate is.

"Is she why that group wants me? My sister?" I ask.

"I don't know what they want. And we aren't going to find out." There's a warning in Stace's tone, not to push this specific issue. Not that I intend to, I never want to see any of them again, including my own sister, if she was telling the truth.

I turn away, head in hands. "This is a mess."

I feel gentle hands pulling at my shoulders, turning me back around. The moment I do, Stace envelops me in a hug, pressing me against his chest. In an instance, all the anxiety in my chest releases, and a sense of calm comes over me.

"I'm sorry for keeping this from you," he murmurs, kissing the top of his head. I don't have it in myself to be mad. He didn't think she would ever come into my life, and that would be a good thing. Instead, I could have lived in blissful ignorance, although I would never had been able to repair my relationship with my father.

"I'm not upset at you. You're all I have right now," I admit, refusing to let go of him.

He pulls back slightly, resting his hands on either side of my face. "I'm going to protect you, Aven. I'm never leaving your side."

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