I spun Adeline around in slow circles, going through each synchronized motion without giving it much thought. My mind was elsewhere, focused entirely on my girlfriend, my best friend- the girl who had saved my life and the girl who might take her own. It made me anxious to leave her alone, though there wasn't snow on the ground, like in the vision, I didn't want to take any chances. She was my everything, now.

Caddie probably didn't understand the significance of that night we shared a few weeks ago, but I did. The ever growing bond between us was finally solidified. She was as much a part of me as I was of her. But now even when I knew that I finally had her, there was a chance that she could be taken away. My heart clenched at that thought. On the outside, I was a smiling, happy guy who was enjoying a nice dance with his relative while on the inside, I felt like an emotional wreck. For once since I was kidnapped two years ago, I felt good about my future, I felt like there was a chance I deserved a future worth living and now... well, now I was reminded who I was. I was a Volkov and we didn't we get happy endings.

"Where have your thoughts taken you," Adeline asked. I snapped out of my retrieve only to realize that for the past few minutes I had been staring at Adeline as if my dog had just died. If she hadn't realized I was faking our encounter by now, she was sure to discover it soon.

"I apologize," I cleared my throat, "I was just thinking about Caddie."

A small smile threatened to make an appearance on her face but she held it at bay. If there was one thing I learned about my ancestor ovsd the past few weeks, it was that she was a hopeless romantic. It was a trait all Volkov's shared, of course, until their hearts are broken. I had overheard plenty of stories from the maids at Volkov Castle about a time when my father wasn't so callous and strict. There was a time when he would walk around the gardens, not with a stormy, almost depressed gait but with a skip in his step and a smile on his face. He still had hordes of women knocking on his door but at the time he turned them all down- all that mattered to him was her. Nora Böse. To everyone else she was a psychotic, raging bitch that needed to be put down like a rabid dog but to my father, she was his everything. And when she finally was put down, it left him gutted.

I had seen the pictures of Adeline in my family's castle as well, I knew the pain she would face soon but still I couldn't bring myself to spare her from such sadness. Not when I had Caddie to think of.

"Yes, you and her seem very close."

"She's my best friend," I said noncommittally. Though neither Caddie or I cared if we were to be at the center of petty drama, we decided to be just friends to avoid in class so we wouldn't draw any necessary attention.

"But you don't feel that way for her," my ancestor deduced, "You love her and she loves you. Surely, you must be thinking about a potential courtship."

I sighed. Yes, there had been plenty of times when I was envisioned Caddie in a white dress walking down an aisle towards me but I was starting to realize that those dreams would never come to be. It was rather heartbreaking to watch a dream die but even more so, to know all along that it would never live.

"I do not believe that will be in our future. I'm not sure Caddie is planning on staying."

Adeline cocked her head to the side. She looked like a kitten, with her little nose wrinkled and lips pursed. "She plans on leaving Nox Haven."

"Yes." And life, I mentally added but didn't dare say out loud.

Adeline's eyes grew sullen as she peered up at me. I knew she could feel my utter devastation but I didn't feel motivated to try and hide it. It was nice to have someone to talk to, someone who could understand all that I was going through. Though Roberto wasn't dead, yet, he still wasn't hers and that would always give her pain. Even while she was still in the delusional stage about his feelings.

"You must do something, Aleksander. Do something or give her something that could stop her from ever wanting leave."

I tried to smile but fell flat. "That's a nice thought Adeline but I have nothing to offer her."

Pulling her hand out of mine, Adeline stood in the middle of dancing crowd with a determined glint in her sapphire eyes. Several curious glances were shot our ways from the dancing couples, as they maneuvered around us. I, too, gave Adeline my own look of curiosity as she reached up to touch the ruby pendant, hanging from her neck and unclasped it. Without a moment of hesitation, Adeline placed her one true sign of Roberto's affection in my hand. My fingers curled around the gem, feeling the pulsing heat of magic swirl within it. It felt just as it did a month ago, when Caddie and I were fighting over it in the present.

"Are you sure?" I asked, even though as I spoke, I was pocketing the necklace.

"Be happy, Alek." Adeline patted my hand and then walked off, leaving me stranded in a sea of swaying bodies.

Navigating my way through the crowd of people, I noticed the heaviness in my shoulders seemed to dissipate with every step I took. A smirk was toying at the edge of my lips, as I felt the ruby pulse in my pocket. It wouldn't be long now, I thought, everything was falling into place. Jaxon was standing on the fringe of people, wearing a smirk similar to mine. He said nothing when I approached him but the look in his eyes told me everything I needed to know- we did it. Now all we needed to do, was find Caddie and get to the dungeons.

"Alek! Jaxon!"

My slackened posture became rigid as I felt an unhealthy dose of anxiety dilate Caddie's pure emotions. She was running towards us, her golden locks had slipped free from the confines of her crown, making her look as disheveled as she felt. I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms but the look in her eyes kept me rooted in place. She was afraid. Whatever Caddie had just witnessed or came in contact with, terrified her. I had never felt so much fear come from her before. There had been plenty of times when a situation warranted for her to be scared, like the night she saved me, the day Dmitri died or even at Chernobyl- but she remained unfazed. Now, for some inexplicable reason, things had changed.

"What happened?" Jaxon asked.

"I met my ancestor," Caddie croaked. She was rubbing her throat as if it hurt but there were no visible marks.

"Elizabeth?" I asked.

Caddie nodded solemnly, a scowl marred her beautiful face. "The bitch almost killed me," she growled.

Fury tore through me like a raging tornado. I would kill her, I vowed. I was going to rip her to shreds and set her on fire. Nobody is going to hurt Caddie nobody is going to take her from me. Not if I can do anything about it.

"Aleksander relax," Jaxon read my thoughts, "We need her alive to ensure Caddie's existence."

That calmed me down enough to stop my plans of murder but that didn't mean torture was out the window.

"Jaxon is right," Caddie said even though she didn't look happy about it, "Elizabeth is powerful if you try to fight her, she will kill you, Aleksander. She doesn't give a damn about who gets hurt as long as she gets her way."

"And what is it that she wants?" I said through gritted teeth.

"I believe we have a common enemy. She knew about the vampire and Roberto and she knows about us, where we're from and what we're here to do. From what it sounds like, she's giving us no choice but to follow our plan and get home."

"Do we even know why she's doing this Caddie? This could be a trap, she could be working for Roberto."

Caddie's blond curls bounced as she shook her head, "No, but she said I'll find out soon."

We were as good as dead, I realized in that moment. Elizabeth Moyer was supposed to be our one last hope and now that was ruined. It was just another dead dream that I could add to the pile. Caddie noticed the resigned look on my face and took a step towards me. She cupped my cheek and pulled my head down to hers. We couldn't kiss in public, but it was nice just to be held for a moment. I knew that when our love was nothing more than ashes scattered across a snow covered clearing, it would be these brief, silent moments I would cherish the most. Loving Caddie Böse was never meant to be easy- she was my calm before the storm and the storm itself- but whether she was tearing me apart or building me back up, she was still the love of my life.

"We'll have to go to Alix," Jaxon murmured when Caddie and I broke apart.

"She's the only one who could possibly have an answer," Caddie agreed.

Jaxon and I grabbed Caddie's hands. We were ready to teleport back to Nox Haven when the sound of a booming voice and shimmering light appeared in front of the statue of Allaki. The music had stopped upon hearing the voice and the dancers, who seemed to be under a spell- forcing them to twist and turn into an eternity of dancing, stopped moving. They turned their attention to the statue, as an anxious tension arose in the air. My six foot stature, gave me the ability to peer over the heads in front of us and see what had commanded everyone's attention. Standing there, at the feet of the statue, were the six Council and six heirs plus additional woman in a stiff black dress that I had never seen before. The woman herself made me do a double take, not because I found her beautiful but because I found that her cold, silver eyes were staring directly at us.

"Caddie, what did Elizabeth look like?" I asked.

"Black hair, silver eyes. She's in this monster of a dress, it's all black, kind of hard to miss. Why?"

"She's standing up there with the heirs and council members. For what reason I have no idea."

Caddie stiffened, her hand subconsciously crept towards her neck. Turning to her, my gaze softened, as I took her hand in mine. I placed chaste kiss on her knuckles before returning her hand to her side and looking back at the statue. When I looked back, Elizabeth was still staring at us but her lips were moving a mile per second as she whispered something to Roberto. I doubted it was anything in our favor because the moment she started to talk, Roberto's eyes stare narrowed into a glare towards us.

He opened his mouth to tell her something when the Head Minister stepped forward. "Thank you all for coming today. I am sure you all had a wonderful celebration and I hope the music and food was too your likings but I know that you did not come here tonight just for the refreshments. Tonight is a momentous occasion that only occurs once a year, it is the night where all supernatural creatures can come together and honor the spirits who have blessed us with powers that are on unthought of in the mortal realm. We may be different but we all share a common Goddess and tonight as a united front we shall thank her for the faith she placed in us. Tonight, the Lunation chant shall be led by Princess Elizabeth Moyer, sister of the future Dark Warlock."

Claps and cheers arose from the crowd as Elizabeth stepped away from her brother to join the Head Minister in front of the statue. They bowed to each other briefly before the Head Minister returned to the flanks of the Council Members.

"It is an honor to join you all tonight as it is an honor to speak the ceremonial words that have been spoken since the beginning of time. And now we shall call upon the Moon Goddesses one more time for a night of freedom from these mortal bounds," Her voice was raspy and infused with fake enthusiasm.

"Appellamus dea lunae et mari." A cool breeze ruffled the trees.

"Nos liberi petere libertatem." A spark ignited in my veins. I could feel the gentle thrum of magic flow through my body, without even calling upon it

Te rogamus, ut nos exaltaret suscitare vinculis mortalitatis fines horum bentes." One by one, each person in the crowd began to illuminate from the inside out.

And then, I blacked out.

**Aleksander better get used to the changes that are coming because they are indeed coming. He's being a bit of a pessimist but to be fair, he's under the distinct impression that the girl he loves is going to kill herself so I feel like he's room to be internally whiny. Also Alix isn't here, so someone has to be the pessimist of the group. Next chapter there will be one or two revelations but then we get to my favorite parts of these books and it's going to be the action scenes. Consider the last twenty chapters the calm before the storm. For any of you who are curious about when the book will be finished, we still have to get through the action in 1816 and then there will be a just a few probably max, three chapters in the present plus an epilogue. I can't give you an official day yet but at least you all have an idea.

Thank you all for staying dedicated to Caddie's story, it really does mean the world to me. I appreciate every vote you give me and I love your comments. It's always so nice to see what you guys have to say about the story and my writing in general- so thank you!

Remember to be kind and love everyone!
XOXO,
Ro.

Lunation Chant: We call upon the goddess, of the moon and the sea. We, her children, ask for for freedom and liberty. We ask you to lift these chains of mortal bounds and to raise us off of these low grounds.