Chapter One - Unedited

Zuri

Love- do I really deserve it?

I mean lets look at it this way; one of the people I loved the most in world was killed three months ago, another one I've started to love was taken by the prince of Hell, and my best friend and only friend was hurt because of me.

Now tell me, does it sound like I deserve love? When everyone I love ends up getting hurt or killed?

Today marks the third month since my spine was shuttered.

The third month since I lost my grandmother and Gedeon and four months since I found out I was a witch and the most wanted soul in Hell.

After my encounter with Lucifer, I woke up in a hospital a month later. The doctor said it was a miracle I was well and not crippled. I later found out that actually, Chantel and Gen had healed me magically. Perks of having witch friends.

From that time, I haven't seen the said man. Even Uriel, the notorious fallen angel who wanted my soul has stirred out of my way. He was most probably planning something more sinister.

I missed my grandmother, but the fact that I can call on her spirit anytime and talk to her comforted me. Unfortunately I couldn't do that same with Gedeon.

My God, I missed him so much and getting him back was proving to be more difficult than ever.

Viljar, the fallen angel of lust, was certain he was in Hell. He said something about feeling his presence, but I couldn't go to Hell unless someone takes me there and Viljar is adamant he will not do that. Apparently it's dangerous. What a wuss.

The hunt for my sister has been a moot point. No one knows what she looks like, so she could be anyone. I still haven't told any of the witches about her. Only Chantel knew, and she was sworn to secrecy. We'll never know who was working with her.

"Are we there yet?" Bea - my best friend- whined beside me, pulling me out of my reverie.

We were currently in search of some man named Amir from Azock. Theo - one of Gedeon's demons- said Gedeon wanted me to find the man. Apparently he could teach me all the things I needed to know about spell casting and maybe even more. I was honestly hoping he could tell me how to find Gedeon.

Theo had promised to take me after I've fully recovered and learned how to fight for myself. We've been training for the last two months and although I wasn't that perfect yet, I was becoming a master of swords. Bea also trained with us and hasn't left ever since. Sometimes I think it's because she has a thing for Theo, I've seen them sending each other googly eyes.

"We're just thirty minutes out." Theo grunted.

I could understand why he was annoyed, Bea has been asking the same question for a while now.

"No need to get snippy," Bea muttered under her breath.

"You two should bone already." Everly droned beside me. I was sitting in the middle while she and Beatrice set at both sides.

"Preach." Alex, one of Gedeon's demons and Everly's mate, said from the passenger seat.

They've all been with me since I met them three months ago. They were my bodyguards, after all. Demons for bodyguards. Who would have thought?

"Shut up Alex," Theo hissed, causing Alex to laugh. He loved giving Theo a hard time.

"You okay there, Zuri?" Bea asked.

I nodded. "I'm fine, just nervous." I admitted, but truth be told, I was just angry.

Something in me had changed since my encounter with Lucifer. Viljar said I was filled with vengeance and hatred, which made sense because I was out for blood.

Though I wasn't sure about the prospect of killing, these were demons and bad people who wanted me dead. Like Theo had said one morning during my training, it's kill or be killed.

I had found my immortality spell and have been working up the courage to do it. It terrified me to the core just thinking of it because you see, in order for the spell to be activated, I needed to die after drinking the portion. Another thing that stopped me was the fact that there was a missing page in the book.

With Gedeon gone, I don't know where I might find that page. And it's not like I can go around asking people.

True to Theo words, thirty minutes later we were parked at the base of the forest. Tall green trees covered the area but there seemed to be no life force around, even on the other side of the road. In fact, now that I think about it, we haven't passed any of the other cars in the last two hours.

"Well, this is not creepy at all." Bea commented, looking around.

"I'm sure this is the right place, we just have to hike up the forest. I just don't know which side of the forest though." Theo scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

I closed my eyes while they bickered about the way to go and tried to listen to the forest. Something Chantel had taught me while we were working on opening my witch eye.

My witch eye opened and scanned the area, I could see the forest on our left side, it stretched for miles. There wasn't anything interesting in it though, so I switched my focus to the right side of the road.

I felt a tingle begin at the base of spine travel all the way to my head. I groaned as the feeling I couldn't explain coursed through my body; I was close.

My eye traveled all the way to the mountain where a grey-haired Asian man sat on top of a cliff, eyes closed as though he was meditating. He smiled and for some reason I knew he could see me as clear as I could see him.

A gasp left my mouth when he opened his brilliant violet eyes. The same color mine had been when I was Jacqueline. A gust of wind swooshed around me as our eyes locked.

"You'll find me up here." He whispered into the air.

With a sigh, I opened my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. "That way." I pointed to the right side of the road. When I didn't get a reaction out of them, I turned to them and found them gaping at me. "What?"

"Your... eyes." Bea stuttered while the three demons stepped back.

"What about my eyes?" I asked urgently.

Bea walked closer to me and took her face into her hands, completely in awe. "They are violet and I swear they were glowing just now."

I rushed to the side mirror and true to Bea's words, my eyes had turned a darker shade of purple. It was the same color as Amir's.

"But.. how?" I turned to look at Theo and the rest, but they looked almost scared of me. "Theo what is going on?"

"You're her, aren't you?" Everly whispered.

"Who?" I asked urgently. They were freaking me out.

"The one only mortal with the power to destroy fallen angels." Theo answered this time.

"Jacqueline." Alex breathed.

I internally groaned. I thought Gedeon had told them about me, but from their reaction; it appeared he hadn't. It was supposed to be a secret after all. I just didn't think he wouldn't tell them.

"Yes, I am her." I confirmed. "But no one can know of this."

"I'm pretty sure your eyes will give you away." Theo sighed.

I groaned. "Lets worry about that later, we still have a long hike. The man we're looking for is deep inside that forest."

Reluctantly they nodded, and we hiked up in silence. The mood had changed, the free spirit between our little group was gone and it was tense now.

"Does it bother you that I am her?" I asked them.

"I doesn't, really." Theo said, not turning to look at me. "It's just that we've heard stories abut you and how you used to be brutal back then."

"That was over two hundred years ago, I'm not the same person." I argued. I really fucked up many people back then.

"Wait, you're two hundred years old?" Bea asked incredulously. Oh, dear good. This was going to be hard to explain to her.

"I-"

"Shh," Alex cut me off, halting in front of us.

"What is it?" Beatrice whispered, but Alex just held his hand up.

I heard the growls before I saw the wolves, but by their size, I was certain they were werewolves.

I watched as their leader, a black furred wolf, transformed into his human and changing into the shorts he had on his mouth. I was in awe at the transformation and suddenly wished I was a werewolf.

"Witch." The leader sneered in my direction.

I raised a brow in confusion. "Uh... hi?"

Theo went to stand in front of a terrified Beatrice while the other two stood on both my sides.

"You killed our alpha." The leader growled.

Great, now I had werewolves as enemies. "Look, I am sorry about that. The spell I cast that day was the wrong one, and I never meant to hurt him." I said sincerely. I've had a hard time coping with that, so much so I put it at the back of my mind and forgot about it.

"That was no excuse." He took a step towards me but was blocked by Theo and Alex.

"I know but he was going to kill me if I didn't act. He was hired to kill me." Surely they didn't expect me to nor defend myself.

He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his dark, long hair. "This will not take us anywhere. We just want his body and the person responsible to suffer for what they've done."

"Trust me, we sort of want the same thing." I told him. "That very same person is responsible for the death of my grandmother."

Another wolf transformed, revealing a petite, beautiful girl. She hid behind her leader as she wore her loose dress.

"Just give us my brother's body." She pleaded.

I nodded. I'm sure there are only ashes left of his body. "I will go back and see what I can find and I will come here and give you what I have found." I promised.

"Thank you." She smiled. "I'm Sandra, this is our beta Dante."

"Zuri." I introduced myself. "Alex, Theo, Everly and Beatrice." I gestured to the others.

"We best be going." Dante nodded in my direction before they took off their clothes and turned, leaving with the rest of the pack.

"Are you going to stand there the whole day?" A frail voice sounded from behind us.

I turned and found Amir standing at the door of a cabin, which was not there just minutes ago.

"How..?"

He shrugged, "I've been here this whole time."

"No, you've not." Bea argued.

He tilted his head to the side and studied my friend before looking to me. "Hello Jacqueline, it's been too long."

"Who are you?"

He chuckled. "It's Aaron, your sister's husband. I'm surprised you forgot me," he paused. " After all you did sacrifice me over two hundred years ago."

Ah shit.