Loud music is playing, and I've already forgotten where Raven is. After witnessing Sloane trying to dance all over me, she probably left for home. I observe as snowflakes fall from the sky. I imagine us just standing there, holding each other tightly, while the snow swirls all around us. I wish I could kiss her like this. I am startled out of my thoughts when Brie begins to scream.

"Clay!" Brie yells. "She's gone. I can't find her anywhere." There's panic in her eyes.

"Who?" I ask, my heart racing.

"Raven!" She panics. "She isn't answering her phone." She runs her hands through her hair. "She said something was off about tonight. Clay, what if something bad happens to her?" I feel a lump form in my throat as I try to calm her down.

Sloane is on the phone, and I can make out what she says over the music, telling whoever is on the other end to kill her. I run toward her and grab her wrist.

"Where is she?" I growl through my teeth.

"Who? Raven, oh, we don't have to worry about her anymore," she says, grabbing my arm; I shake her off.

"Get off me!" I warn her. Logan comes running. "I have her scent." I turn to Sloane and bark. "If she's hurt, I will kill you."

"The bitch deserves whatever happens to her after taking you from me and what her family did to mine." She states.

"Clay, let's go!" Logan shouts.

"Waste of time. You're already too late," she smirks, yelling after us. We take off after her scent since we don't have time to be late, she has to be okay, and I should not have left her alone. She wouldn't have attempted that earlier foolish stunt if I wasn't so arrogant. If I hadn't pushed her, she would have been with me rather than out on her own. We try to follow her footprints as we sprint through the forest, but the blizzard has covered everything, obscuring any trace of her. We stop at the cellar; her scent is coming from there. I run down the stairs.

"No!" I shout and run towards her. No pulse, I can't hear her heart, she's dead.

"She's dead. They killed her!" I shout, tears pouring down my face. "Raven, baby, wake up; please, I'm so sorry." I hold her lifeless body in my arms, feeling completely helpless and devastated. "NOOOOOO!!" I scream, that it's filled with hurt and anger.

Logan puts his hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay," He says.

"How? How is any of this going to be okay? She's dead because I wasn't with her." I turn to hit the wall, watching it crumble under my fist. Brie walks over to something in the corner and looks at us. We move closer, and I see that it's...

It's a Lycan?

"No, that's not possible. Those don't exist," I say, walking backward.

"He's dead," Logan tells Brie softly.

"Who's he?" I ask, my eyes still fixed on the lifeless Lycan.

"Zack," Logan says, "He was brought here to protect Ray until she got her full powers. It looks like Sloane knew about it and used him as bait to get to Raven. He died before Raven could save him."

What is happening?

I run my hands through my hair, sliding down the wall beside Raven's body. "What else are you keeping from me? What haven't you told me?" I look over at Brie; she sits down, moving the hair away from Raven's face. She looks down at her best friend,

"She had to die to be able to manifest the rest of her powers. That's why she distanced herself from you. This wasn't the plan. Zack being in danger must have changed her course of action. She knew you wouldn't go along with the plan we originally had." She looks up at Logan and says, "Run home and get three bags." Logan nods and disappears.

My face is covered in tears. What's occurring is beyond my comprehension. Why did she have to die? I'm so full of questions. My heart breaks when I see the girl I love lying there, motionless and not showing any signs of life. Time seems to stand still as I sit there not knowing what I can do. I feel myself begin to suffocate as I try to control my emotions. My mind wanders to our last conversation and I'm deep in thought when I feel someone's hands on my shoulder.

"Here." I look up to see Logan handing me a blood bag. He hands one off to Brie as he takes the other for himself.

"Who's the third one for?" I question. None of what is happening makes sense.

"Raven," Logan responds.

"What?" I ask, completely confused.

"She's going to wake up. It will just take some time, and then she will need this." Logan says.

"Explain! Now!" I bark. They both glance at me while taking deep breaths as they sit there in silence for what feels like an eternity. They say that because Raven is the first of her kind, she differs significantly from all previous witches. Raven's mother's line suppressed her father's line, thus she was born both a witch and a vampire. In turn, Raven needed to reawaken her vampire nature in order to be at her most powerful. For the past 20 years, one pack of Lycans have been keeping watch on Raven. Lycans have been lurking in plain sight for ages, keeping watch over the witches. Lia is an elder in the pack who has been looking after her; her aunt isn't her aunt. This is a lot to take in. My face in my hands; I want her to wake up.

"That's it, that's the full story, we are so sorry for hiding this from you, but Sloane, she wouldn't stop, so Raven had no choice," Brie tells me with sadness in her eyes; she feels guilty.

"I'm... sorry," Raven says in between coughs. "Raven," I move towards her, slowly pulling her into my chest, "you scared me."

"Here," Brie hands her the baggie; she rips it open and drinks.

"Is Zack okay?" She looks at me. We all put our heads down. She looks over at his body. "No," she starts crying, "they were supposed to let him go."

I pull her towards me and hold her tight, but she fights me, runs towards his body, and kneels beside him. "I'm sorry," she says, her hand over his head; the scream she lets out shakes the earth.

"I'm going to kill her." Before I can stop her, she is gone. We get back to the party, trying to tell her not to make a scene. There are too many innocent people around, she nods, but her eyes are set on Sloane and Serenity, with Bronx and Thair at their sides. Sloane spots us and motions for them to attack. They come running, and Raven yells before Logan, and I can move.

"Disrumpam."

Both their necks snap, screams fill the crowd, and everyone runs; it's just us against Sloane and her minions.

"Ignis."

Their bodies are up in flames as we walk, heading towards the two girls.

"If I have someone killed, they are supposed to stay dead. Do I have to do everything myself?" Sloane says, lunging toward Raven.

"Contristo."

She goes down. "You don't listen, do you?" Raven growls at Sloane, "What did I say about threatening me."

"Contristo,"

She repeats herself, and Logan and I hold onto Serenity while Raven focuses on her. We can feel the wind picking up as blood drips from Sloane's nose. As Raven's emotions summon a storm, the snow whirls around. Snow has made everything so dark that we can hardly see. A nearby tree is struck by Sloane's body as it crashes.

"This is for everything you have ever done to Clay." She throws her up against the tree; she walks up to her. Sloane is gasping for air.

"And this, this is for my parents," she says, crouched down in front of her.

"Disrumpam, Ignis."

We are all surrounded by a rapidly rushing wind. Sloane's head cracks, and she bursts into flames.

She walks up to Serenity, her eyes glowing blue. I can feel the power radiating off of her. "I told you there was no reason to kill Zack, but you went ahead and did it anyway. I should be torturing you and making you live in misery for the rest of your life, but this will do." Raven states with no emotion, Serenity has the same fate as the rest, her body lying on the ground, burning in flames.

She looks up at me with tears streaming down her face. The flames in her eyes disappear as I walk toward her, and she puts her head on my chest. "Let's go home." She nods, and the four of us head home.

⁂

Brie and Logan, and I turn to see that Raven has walked over to the stone at the end of the driveway, the full moon shining on her hair. I sit next to her; she looks up at the sky, tears still coming down. This is all too much for her.

"It's over, Ray." I try to reassure her; she looks at me, her eyes illuminate with blue flames.

"It's just the beginning." Howls sound in the distance.

Shit!

"We will deal with it when the time comes. Like we always do," I tell her.

"Can you guys give Clay and me a second?" She asks Brie and Logan.

"Of course, we will be inside." Brie hugs her and leaves with Logan. She looks at me with tears in her eyes. She takes a deep breath.

"Ray, whatever it is can wait until the morning, you need rest."

"No, I need to say this."

"Okay."

"I apologise," As I see the tears stream from her eyes, she is facing her head down. I can sense her sorrow and her sincere remorse for everything that has occurred and the choices she has had to make. "Can you give me one more chance to make it up to you completely? Can you forgive me for the pain I caused you?"

My hand placed under her chin. My eyes lock on hers. "Our love will never die. I love you, Raven, no matter what happens."

"I love you," When she places her lips against mine, reality temporarily disappears. Although a bigger conflict is approaching, I don't want this to end. Whoever claimed that life was intended to be simple was lying. I'll be egotistical and embrace this time between the two of us.