Recap:

"I need to go home," I said in response, "I need to stop this from happening."

Aleksander stood up with me. Though he too saw the horror that was my Aunt, he was more reserved. "Caddie you can't stop a whole army."

"Watch me," I told him. My voice didn't waver once. If there was one thing I was good at, it was killing Dark Ones. Aunt Heidi had another thing coming for her if she thought I was just a weak little brat.

Whether Elizabeth was just tired of us screwing up the timeline or actually wanted to help, I would never know. Either way, she wanted to go send up back to the present and that was what really mattered. "Give me the amulet," she told Aleksander. He did as she said but I could feel tension radiating off of. Neither him nor I really trusted Elizabeth but was our only way home.

"What about Alix and Jaxon?" I asked.

"They will return as well. My magic is nothing if not thorough." I swallowed her statement and nodded. Taking Aleksander's hand in mine I waited for the spell to start.

It began much like teleportation. A wind whipped around us, cocooning us in a tight space. And then, the darkness started to descend upon us. The world between time and space sucked us into a dark void. I could feel myself losing consciousness as the wind continued to howl in my ears but very faintly just before I passed out with Aleksander's arms wrapped around me, I swear I heard Elizabeth whisper, "Good luck."

Whether she actually said it or not I would never know but the luck was something I knew I was going to need.

----------------

I awoke alone, in a deserted hallway. Nox Haven looked exactly the same in the present as it did in the 1800s. Except, the lights dangling from the chandeliers were powered by electricity instead of fire. And though there was a similar smell of dust and baking goods from the cafeteria, there were no lingering smells of feces. Nox Haven was an ageless beauty, but there were some things that needed to stay in the past. A certain raven haired vampire, included.

Standing to my feet, I was astounded to find that I was back in my knit sweater and holey pair of jeans. It took every bit of strength that I had within me, to not stop and shriek with joy. There were more important things that I needed to attend to. Like an evil, conniving Aunt who spent the past two years trying to ruin my life. Saying, I was pissed was an understatement. I skipped right past denial and sadness in the five stages of grief and went right to the part where I wanted to rip off her head. She was the reason Aleksander was kidnapped, she was the reason Cam died and came back crazy and the reason why Dmitri had to play a hero and sacrifice himself. I had been certain that my mother was the wicked witch of my family but no, that title belonged to Heidi and Heidi alone.

I remembered the way back to Heidi's office like I remembered the back of my hand. Though I had spent a year away from Nox Haven, I still knew where everything was. Some of my best and worst memories were here. Though the bad have greatly outweighed the good, I can't help but be thankful for Nox Haven. It turned me into the girl I am. The debate is still open whether I am good or not. But one thing I learned from Nox Haven, is that I am strong. I am the Dark Witch. Not my aunt, or Roberto or their followers. The magic that Elizabeth entrusted to my ancestors two millenniums ago now resided within me. Stopping in front of the large mahogany door, I allowed my magic to awaken in my veins. I could feel the gentle thrum of energy throughout my body. It sizzled underneath my skin, hissing dark promises. I raised my hand to open the door, when a loud thud sounded on the other side of the room followed by a scream.

"Roberto!" Heidi screamed.

It would appear, that karma finally caught up with my great uncle. Now, it was time for karma to meet my aunt. Throwing open the door, I had to hold back a laugh as my Aunt, who was crouched over Roberto's ashes, fell to the floor. Her coal black eyes were wide and her face turned white. One would have thought she was looking at a ghost. And maybe she thought that she was. I was never one for theatrics but in that moment, I would have dressed up in a Grim Reaper costume and played creepy organ music. She deserved every bit of the heart attack after everything she had put me through.

"Caddie? You're alive." Heidi's eyes narrowed.

"Yes I am. No thanks to you though," I hissed. Sparks ignited in my palm, the magic was begging to be released but I knew I had to be careful. Heidi was smart.

"You know," she stood to her feet.

"Know what?" I scoffed, "That you're a psychotic, traitorous evil b- I mean- witch. Yeah I know that." 

An inhuman sounding hiss escaped her lips in a fit of rage. Her fists were curled, lips twisted into a snarl. The look of hate on her face did hurt, I had to admit. After idolizing and caring for her for so long, it was hard to swallow the truth of her actual feelings towards me.

Heidi took notice to my hesitation and used it as her chance to escape. Black smoke seeped out of the cracks of the room and cocooned around her body. Propelling my body forward, I grabbed her by the arm. The darkness molded around my body and took me to her desired destination. I had a strong inkling that same destination was the place where Roberto and she were hiding their evil army. After a quick moment of tumbling and twirling through the black abyss, the darkness gave away to a bright light. Momentarily blinded by the change of light, Heidi was able to shake off my grip. Stumbling backwards, I fell onto my butt and onto a large pile of snow. I had no idea where Heidi had transported us to, maybe Greenland or Alaska. It had be a snow ridden landscape, with ten feet pine trees scattered across the plains. We were standing in the middle of a clearing, just like in Alix's dream. The only things missing were the corpses and blood stains to mar the purity of the snow.

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" I stood to my feet, causing Heidi to take a cautious step back. "We could have done this in your office. Just a nice little family reunion."

"No reason for all of Nox Haven to know," Heidi said, leaving out the second half of that statement. No reason for all of Nox Haven to know, that I killed you. She planned on killing me here, in the middle of the woods without any witnesses and leaving me to rot. That would not happen, I vowed, she could not win.

With that thought in mind, I snapped and pounced on her. The woman was only practiced in black magic and never had to take a self-defense like I did. I went straight for the easy kill- her neck but she anticipated my attack and stepped out of the way. I fell face first into the snow. Spitting out chunks of frozen water, I glared through the sopping wet strands of hair that hung in front of my face. Heidi stood above me, smirking. Her bun, designer pantsuit and heels were completely untouched by the winter weather. Reaching down, Heidi went to pick me up by my sweater but I grabbed her arm, jumped to my feet and twisted it behind her back. I had to hold back a smirk as I kicked her to the ground. Her perfection melted away as soon as she hit the snow. Her bun came undone, and suit wrinkled where is was wet.

"You little-" I cut her off.

"What? You little witch? Yeah you have only yourself to thank for that." Throwing out my hand, I allowed the sparks fly freely from my palm. Her body convulsed on the snow, as if had tasered her.

I was fully prepared to attack her again when I noticed the shadows in the forest move. One by one the Dark Ones appeared from their hiding places. Their vicious smirks and animalistic prowess reminded me of their late leader- Roberto. Though he was dead, his spirit lived within each of their demented souls. There were hundreds of them or more; I couldn't take them all out. Not without using black fire. But I had never used black fire on such an epic scale of proportion, even in the dungeons I had a better grip on my magic and it was in an enclosed space charmed with magic. There could be other innocent people living in those woods or close to the woods and they would die because of me.

"Y-you're outnumbered Caddie," laughed Heidi.

"But not matched in power," I retorted.

I gritted my teeth as I matched my aunt's glare. There were not even words in the world that could express my hate for her, but I could settle. "You killed Dmitri and Cameron. You took Cam's soul away and made him you're puppet. I can imagine you've done other stuff too and for that you will pay."

Choices, I realized, it was all about choices. And I was running out of them. Save the world or save my life. It was in impossible choice for one to make until they were were faced with such dire circumstances. I chose to fight, I chose to save other lives. Dmitri and Cam died to save others, they died to give others the chance to be better people than they were and I would do the same thing. A ball of black fire festered in the palm of my hand, it was small but I only had one target in mind. I flung my hand back and launched the ball into the air. Heidi tried to run but she could not outrun her destiny. Her eyes were wide with fear- not the kind of fear a child felt before boarding a roller coaster but the all possessing kind of fear that one only felt when they were going to die. In the blink of an eye she was there, scared and very real and then she was nothing more than a pile of ash. For some reason, her death did not weigh on me but freed me. All of her criticism and subtle reminders that I was evil and unlovable, they ceased exist the moment I removed her existence.

An enraged roar, tore through the army of Dark Ones. To them, she was their martyr- their valiant leader was slayed and now they must get revenge. Their anger however, could not match my own. All I could see was red as I fought in a fit of rage. Witch after witch tried to attack me but each attack was deflected and returned at full force. Bodies and ashes fell to the ground. The blood of my opponents freckled my face and stained the snow.

The adrenaline would not stay forever though. There were more Dark One's coming for me and the fight was draining from my system. I was not going to survive. In a brief moment of panic, my eyes flickered to the ground. Lying there, attached to the hip of a lifeless victim, was a silver dagger. Alix's vision, I remembered it in detail. We had reached the climax. I knew the outcome, it was clear that my own self-hatred had not pushed me into this position. Sure, I had done plenty vile, awful things that reserve me a very special place in hell but I was still loved. Alix and Jaxon loved me. In their own different ways but they were still the siblings I had always wanted. Kimone, Ryder, and Maddox were the friends I had dreamed about having. And Aleksander- he was quite literally my dream boy- but he was also the Prince Charming I never I'd get. Picking up the dagger, I gripped it tightly and stared at the advancing troops. I was not going to give those monsters the luxury of killing me,

I held the dagger in front of face. I was prepared to do it when lightning sliced through the sky. The bleary, gray sky quickly darkened and turned tumultuous. Every single Dark One dropped to the ground, the bodies slowly deteriorated away, revealing the organs and bloodied bones before turning to ashes on the ground. I was shocked- that was not my doing. But before I could even question the strange occurrence, another bolt of lightning cracked. This time, the bolt was aimed at me. The sheer force of the sent me soaring through the air. When I landed my charred body convulsed uncontrollably. I tried to hold onto my life, remembering all the people I loved and the wonderful times I shared with them.

Alix.

"I'm Alix Slade, but you probably already knew that. Right?" She questioned with her lips pursed. The question almost sounded like a challenge. It sounded like she was daring me to disagree.

Shame twisted bitterly in my stomach as I shook my head. Her name seemed oddly familiar but I couldn't remember where I had heard it before. I balled my fists when she held out her hand for me to shake. I couldn't remember the last time someone offered to shake my hand. Or the last time someone willingly introduced their-self. My thoughts drifted to Marcy I wondered if she was going to work today or if she chose to stay home with the baby. She was the only person who had ever tolerated my presence.

Unfurling my fists, I hesitantly slipped my hand into Alix's, "I'm Caddie Jones."

She jerked her hand away suddenly, her eyes glazed over momentarily. I gasped and took a few steps away. My eyes averted to my palms, they seemed like normal hands. When I looked back at my roommate she looked perfectly normal.

"Is everything okay," I asked hesitantly.

Alix's lips curled into half smile; I amused her, "Everything's clear now. It's nice to finally meet you."

Jaxon.

"Hey..." I said awkwardly, glancing towards the boy standing next to Alix. He was handsome with his dark hair and chiseled features but his eyes were the same emerald shade of Alix's.

Alix cleared her throat, and signaled for him to introduce himself.

He didn't smirk like Aleksander but actually smiled. He bowed to me, it was a little over dramatic and kissed the top of my hand. "I am Jaxon Slade, your majesty. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I was horrified not only by the title but by the sudden physical contact. Alix shot me a guilty look but I shrugged her off. It was fine, I wasn't going to explode just because he touched me. I just didn't expect it.

"Yeah. Sadly, that bumbling buffoon is my brother." Alix said. "Come on. If we leave now, we can still make it to first period."

Ryder, Kimone and Maddox.

I fidgeted nervously, keeping my eyes downcast. "Well you all knew about me before I even knew about you," I started, "I didn't know witches existed until yesterday. When my mom died I was cut off from the magical world. My dad was a mortal, so he never understood why his daughter was so weird. I hadn't discovered my other powers, but I could still feel the emotions of others. The doctors said I had Borderline Personality Disorder: I'm happy to hear that wasn't true."

I snuck a quick glance at Kimone, Ryder, and Maddox. Their faces held similar looks of shock and pity. I quickly looked down and twiddled my thumbs.

"I was raised in a small town in Virginia," that's all I had to say about my previous home. "I didn't have any friends, unless you count my cat, Ebony. People didn't want to befriend a crazy girl, so most people avoided me."

I decided there wasn't much else to say. After five minutes of silence the heirs realized I didn't have anything else to say.

Ryder cleared his throat, gaining my attention. He patted my knee awkwardly and gave me a kind smile, "Tell your cat to move to the side because now you have four new friends."

Kimone and Maddox nodded eagerly. Aleksander sat quietly, his emotions were numb. It was almost like he was a shell of the person. I ignored his odd behavior and smiled at my four new friends. Maybe the royals weren't so bad....

Dmitri.

Dmitri wrapped his arms around my waist and smirked. "Have you ever been to Romania?"

"Romania!" I shrieked as Murphy accelerated.

Falling forward, I wrapped my arms around Murphy's neck and closed my eyes. I had a feeling I didn't want to know how Murphy was getting us out of the castle. It was crazy enough that I was riding a dragon, as I flew to Romania to question an evil vampire gang leader- my life didn't need to get any stranger. Dmitri let out several adrenaline induced hoots, as Murphy's speed increased to a dangerous level. The wind howled in our ears, as the dragon took us on a roller coaster ride. Puke burned in the back of my throat when I heard A sickening crunch and the sound of tumbling boulders. I was about to express my need to expel my body waste when Murphy began to slow down.

My skin prickled when I felt Dmitri's mouth come in contact with the curve of my ear. "Open your eyes," he whispered.

Should I trust him? There was a good chance that we were about to plummet to our death and Dmitri was feeling particularly sadistic. I decided I was being completely irrational. If Dmitri felt like being sadistic he would have pushed me off of Murphy. Opening one eye slowly, I tested the atmosphere. The only thing I could clearly see was Murphy black wing flapping effortlessly through the clouds. That didn't look too scary, I thought and mentally prepared myself of the full view of the situation.

"Wow..." I said breathily as I stated at the sensational sight.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Dmitri asked.

I could only nod as my eyes stared up at the night sky. The sky was a painted a dark blue color, nearly black. Twinkling stars illuminated the night while the crescent moon stayed hidden behind passing clouds. The quaint towns of Germany turned into blurred shadows as we flew above them. It was like we popped into the painting Starry Night.

Cam.

He snapped back to reality and pulled a silver chain out of his pocket. There was a small diamond encrusted locket hanging off of the simple chain. The diamonds sparkled in the light and I was enchanted by that little heart.

"This was my mother's. My dad had given it to her on their first date. She told me to give this to somebody that I cared for," He explained, looking down at the locket with affection.

His voice was thick with raw emotions. I could feel the sorrow that was crashing into him like a tidal wave. He cleared his throat and looked back at me.

"You're the only person that I've cared about . . . in a long time. I couldn't think of a better time to give it to you," He said and paused waiting for my response.

I had no idea what to say. I was so overcome with joy and sorrow for him that I couldn't speak. He deserved somebody that could love him and be with him without sneaking around. Avoiding Cam was one of the most painful things that I had to do.

He was the kind of boy that I had hoped that I would end up. When I was young, most girls dreamed of growing up to marry a prince. I just wanted to find someone that would love me for who I was.

"It's beautiful." I commended myself for not choking on my words.

"I'm glad that you said that because it's yours—if you want it?"

I swore that I saw a ghost of a genuine smile on his face. I could feel how much this meant to him, and I refused to be like everyone else in his life. I didn't want to abandon him.

"I would love to wear it tonight." I smiled when his eyes sparkled with happiness. "Can you put it on me?"

He nodded and walked towards me. I felt the contrast of the cold metal against his warm hands as he brushed away a few loose strands of hair and slipped the necklace around my neck.

My fingers grazed the top of the locket. Tears burned in the back of my eyes. I painfully swallowed and offered him a weak smile. His hands fell from my neck to my waist, and he turned me around so I was staring up into beautiful golden eyes.

Aleksander.

I sat on a stool and watched him sleep. Yeah, because this isn't creepy at all, I told myself. The sane part of me knew I should just leave, but the other side just wanted to be near him. His muscular chest heaved with every breath he took, his mesmerizing face looked peaceful asleep. His piercing blue eyes were closed and the rest of his chiseled features were serene. The pull towards him was undeniably strong, it made me weak in the knees. I stood up and turned to leave before I did something stupid. A large hand grasped my wrist, sparks traveled through my arm. I gasped and staggered backwards.

His hooded eyes fluttered open revealing his hypnotizing blue eyes. He opened his kissable lips and managed to say, "Thank you Caddie."

Everything about him was so intoxicating. I tried to leave but instead I said, "I got you."

A dazzling smile broke across his face, "you'll always get me."

He fell back asleep and I stood there, stunned. Those words were so familiar to me. I remembered the dream from my childhood. Aleksander and I were frolicking in a meadow when we were children, we had recited those exact words.

"What's wrong?" He, too, was staring at my lips with a burning desire.

"I-I want to kiss you, but I'm afraid."

Aleksander didn't laugh at my second confession. The air seemed to get thicker as heat continued to lick at our limbs. Hearing my confession only intensified the smoldering look in Aleksander's eyes, but he knew we couldn't treat the situation lightly. I was trusting him with my an entire being not to abuse his power. I knew he was changing, but he could always change back.

"I don't want to make people fall in love with me anymore Caddie. You have always been the most honest and genuine person I know- I don't want to change that."

Hesitantly wrapped my arms around his neck, I straddled his waist, my eyes were focused on his lips. Lying to an empath was impossible, I knew he was being sincere but that didn't make it any less nerve wracking. Luckily, Aleksander read my body language and didn't wait for me to make the first move. Static electricity filled through the room when our lips first touched. I could feel a current of energy running through my body, it felt like an adrenaline rush but more addictive. Our innocent little pecks became deeper and more passionate. We fed into our temptation until our oxygen starved lungs cried for release.

"You deserve all the happy endings."

A faint smile touched the corner of my lips as I stared up at him. Tears still sparkled in my eyes but they weren't from pain. My fingers toyed with the fray of his hair on his neck as I pulled myself closer to him. "You speak of happy endings as if they were as easy to get as a bouquet of flowers."

"Maybe their not as easy to get as flowers" He agreed, "But I think that only adds to the happiness. I would do anything, no matter how hard, to get you that rare bouquet of happy endings. As many variations as your little heart could desire."

My eyes were wide as I stared at him. All other feelings faded away, as I felt that one special emotion that made my world stop. Love. He loved me. Aleksander Volkov, the King of broken hearts loved me and I loved him too. I loved him so much it actually hurt to think about.

"You are my happy ending," I told him.

They were all my happy ending. Everyone from Alix to Cam taught me something new about myself. Sure, I had learned many things from Nox Haven. I learned how to speak Ogre, create poisonous potions, masterfully craft spells out of thin air and make people disappear permanently but the most important things I learned while there was from my friends. They taught me how to love. They taught what it was like to suffer through loss and hate and yet still smile the next day. They taught me how to be good person, a hero even. And they taught me how to accept fate.

I am the Dark Witch and this, I thought as light started to fade, was my destiny.

**Before everyone starts attacking me in the comments, let me remind you guys that there is an epilogue for a reason. This is not the last part, there will be more and I think you guys will be happy with how that goes. But yes, at the moment, Caddie is technically dead. On the bright side, so is Heidi and Roberto and the Dark Ones so the world is saved. Now Alix can go off and finally fall in love (Celestial Sisters). Dmitri and Cam have been avenged and the others can rule peacefully. Please tell me what you think will happen in the Epilogue. Is Caddie going to come back, will there be a funeral, is Aleksander going to move? I want to hear all of your theories.

Thank you everyone for bearing with me and supporting my books. It really means everything to me!
XOXO,
Ro.**