I woke up in an unfamiliar setting. Until I realized I was actually just in James's dorm. And that it was eight thirty, and my first class happens to be in an hour. I scrambled to my feet to find that both James and Rose were awake and eating pancakes in the common area. No one else was around. I walked over to them, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Saved some for me?" I ask, looking for a plate in the disorganized cabinets. James handed me a plate with semi-hot pancakes on it. I took the syrup from in front of Rose and poured some on.

I quickly ate the mediocre food, before running out the door, telling James that I had class in what is now a half hour.

I got to class two minutes early, sitting down to catch my breath. Out of the corner of my eye I see a blur of black. I turn to see that in a seat on the other side of the room sits the boy from yesterday. He saw me looking and held my gaze. We only stopped because the teacher began speaking.

After class, I thought I had made it out without him seeing, until I felt a hand wrap around my wrist. I was pulled into an empty classroom, where only then he let go of my hand and closed the door.

"I have a class next, what are you doing!" I yelled, and he shushed me.

"You're the last one. The last Sea Shaper," He muttered. He tried to look like he didn't care, but I could see the curious glimmer in his eye. I played dumb.

"The last what now? Look, you're creeping me out. I'll scream," I threatened, looking longingly at the exit.

"You know what I'm talking about, and we both know it. I only have two options, and I sure don't want to bring you for my dad to see, so can we please get on with killing each other?" As soon as he uttered those words, my suspicions were confirmed. As much as I wanted an education, my life came a little before that in importance.

"Okay, even if I did know what you're talking about, why would you kill me?" I let panic leak into my voice, which wasn't hard, seeing as I was panicking a little. He seemed to be in pain.

"Fine. We have to do this the other way. I'm not really looking forward to this." He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a shadow. I felt dizzy when we came out, and told him so. He waited patiently as I caught my breath and figured out where we were.

Most of what I could see were shadows. I could only imagine what my father would say when he realized where I was. He was probably rolling in his grave at the moment.

When the boy- I still don't know his name- realized I was caught up with reality, he grabbed my arm again and dragged me down the hall into a large room. The room had three occupants. Two men who seemed to be only a bit older than the boy making indents in my arm, and a man who sat on the throne who could only be one man.

"William Blackburn," I mutter. The head of the Shadow Dancers, man of skilled combat, and my father's murderer. The boy holding my arm, whom I only assume is also a Blackburn, seems to have heard me, because his expression turned smug.

"You must be Andrew Thorn's daughter. The heir to the Sea Shapers. I'm glad my youngest son found the thing that is more rare than a unicorn," William tried to seem foreboding, but he bent over coughing. After his fit, he gave one of the other men standing in the room a pointed look. The man under his gaze squirmed, and William looked away.

"You have two choices, Miss Thorn: die, along with all the humans who have known you, or marry my son Caleb, the one holding on to your arm at the moment," Blackburn said, an odd glimmer in his eye. I felt my mouth go slack, and any hope I had left me.

"All I want is to live a normal life, not rule almost all of the magical underground!" I desperately plead. William only shakes his head.

"I'm afraid that is not a choice, young lady. I heard you are starting to study law, and I'm sure you will do well in ruling. You know the studies we've conducted before your kind were... Removed? The one about the strongest mix? Well Shadow Dancers and Sea Shapers had the strongest mixes, however they were never tested together. Your children would be the most powerful in all of the underground!" The oldest Blackburn stated.

I grind my teeth. He's not giving me much of a choice. If I chose to die, he would kill Rose and James and anyone else who might have had a conversation with me before. But if I chose to not die, I would marry a Shadow Dancer. Not only a Shadow Dancer, but a Blackburn. That doesn't really give me a choice.

"Fine. I'll marry your son. But he has to get off of me," I growled, and Caleb released my arm. He seemed as surprised and angry as I was.

One of the other Blackburn's gestured for me to follow, and as we left the room, I could just hear the conversation within.

"Father, with all due respect, I'm too young for this! And so is she! Are you sure marriage is the best option?" Caleb whined.

By then we were out of hearing range, and my escort was practically a stone wall.

"What's your name?" I asked, know they enemy, that's the trick.

"Wade," he simply said. We walked in silence until we reached a door with a silver handle, unlike the rest of the door handles, which were unsurprising black. Wade opened the door, and pushed me inside.

It was well furnished, a bed with gray sheets, large windows looking into the courtyard (which was really a well lit underground garden), a bathroom with all the necessary components, a dresser, and a small closet.

"This will be your room from now on, miss Thorn," and he promptly shut the door.

Rude, I thought. I climbed on to the bed and promptly fell asleep.