Alec and I checked into a nearby hotel. Standing at the front desk, Alec shoved his hand into his pocket and paid the hotel with his card. The lady at the front desk checked us in and handed us the room keys.

"You will be on the fourth floor in room 482. We serve breakfast from 6 am to 10 am. Check out time for our guest is at 11 am. Enjoy your stay."

Alec took the cards and put a hand on my elbow as he guided me to the elevator. When we were alone in the elevator, he let go of my arm and leaned back against the wall of the elevator.

"This is fucked up," he whispers under his breath.

I turn to look at him. He looks up at me.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this."

The elevator door opened before I could respond. He grabs my elbow and leads me down the corridor to our room. All the while, he looks up and down from every direction.

When we got into our room, he threw the backpack onto one bed. The room has two queen size beds next to each other. To our left was the bathroom.

"Sleep. We are going to need it."

I got onto the opposite bed and crawled beneath the covers. How was I supposed to sleep in this condition?

Alec kept the light on in the bedroom and I couldn't be more thankful. Last thing I wanted was to be immersed in darkness. He fell onto the bed without getting under the covers. I turned onto my side to look at him and he had one arm over his forehead.

"Alec?" I whisper his name.

"Yea?" he responds.

"What's happening?"

He didn't respond for a full minute. I thought he might not want to tell me yet, but he speaks up at the last second.

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Why were those people after us?" I question.

"Lucy and you are not who you think you are. You're royalty. The last royal bloodlines of Spellers. Two decades ago, our realm was invaded. In order to save you, your parents put you in the care of Iris and Jacob. They were guards from a secret service. The best of the best-"

"Wait." I stopped him. "You're telling my parents aren't my parents?"

"No, they aren't. They are your real parents' guards."

"How do you know all of this?"

He turned onto his side with his arms crossed, he gazed at me with those piercing light gray eyes.

"Because I am one of your personal guards. Kian and I were raised to protect you and Lucy."

"Kian is a part of this?"

"Kian is like me. Remember the day your parents brought us home?"

An image of two little boys our age walked into my parents' home. My parents told me they had adopted them and we should trust them with our lives.

"What are Spellers?"

"They are superior beings that have an inner power inside of them. For some Spellers, they are able to create powerful things. Others, they are able to bring life to the world. You can do almost anything with the power that you harvest inside of yourself."

"I have powers?"

Alec's face fell and a shadow fell over his face. I said something that made him upset.

"You do not—at least not yet. I am not sure what's going on. Usually, your powers should be coming in, but I haven't felt yours."

"And Lucy?"

"Lucy—she has harvested her powers early. She's been training vigorously and enhancing her strength. We've been practicing for two years now."

My heart drops because that was the time Alec stopped spending time with me completely. He put his sole focus on Lucy. Pain clenches at my heart teasingly and I turn onto my back and gaze at the ceiling.

"What if I don't have powers?"

"That's not possible-"

I wouldn't say impossible. With me, anything is possible.

"What if I don't though?"

"You'll still be royalty and will be welcome into our world."

That didn't make me feel any better. I pull the cover higher to my neck.

"What are our plans for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow we will meet Kian and Lucy at the promised location. From there, we will have to relocate to another location where no one will be able to find us again."

"Why don't we just go back to our world?"

"It's dark there and it is not safe. They will be waiting for us."

"What do they want with us?"

Alec's silence forces me to turn to look at him. He was back on his back again.

"They want to drain your powers. With your powers, they can do unimaginable things. It would be the end for everything alive."

A shiver crawled through my spine and suddenly, I couldn't stop shaking. It was the adrenaline. It has worn off and now I'm left with the after effect. Everything hit me at once.

"Alec?" I whisper.

"Yea?" he replies.

"Could you sleep with me tonight?" I ask nervously.

He didn't say anything, but stood up and walked to my side of the bed. He crawls over to lie down next to me on top of the covers. I turn over and scoot closer to him.

It didn't take long before I fell asleep.

In my dreams, I dreamt about going back to my home to check on my parents. Inside the home, I saw two unrecognizable and charred bodies next to each other. Shocked at the sight, I whimpered and cried. Crawling over to the bodies, I sobbed.

It wasn't until I heard Alec's voice calling out to me that I slowly pulled out of the dream. When I opened my eyes, I saw him staring at me. Sleep still shadowed his eyes and voice.

"Are you okay?" he asks me.

It was then I realized I had been crying. A flash of my parents' bodies appeared in my mind and I whimpered out loud. Alec rubs my back.

"You are safe, Firefly."

"Alec, I think my parents are dead," I whispered. Pain filled my voice, but as soon as I said those words, I knew it to be true. I don't know how or why, but I just knew. I felt it.

That was it. These words hit me so hard, I broke into a sob. I threw my arms around him and cried into his chest. I cried until I was exhausted from crying. I fell asleep holding onto Alec again.

When I woke up, I found myself sleeping alone in bed. I heard the shower running in the bathroom. I looked down at my body and realized that I was still in my rubber duck pajama shorts and yellow rubber duck t-shirt. Standing up, I walk over to the mirror.

My messy hair is all over the place. I have dark circles under my eyes. They were puffy from all the crying.

The shower stopped and a minute later, Alec came out with a towel still wrapped around his waist. My eyes roam his stacked and very naked torso. His broad and ripped body has beads of water trailing down.

I need to stop looking. I turned to the bed and pointed to the backpack.

"Are there any clothes in there for me to change into?"

Alec nods his head before walking to the backpack. He pulls out a plain black t-shirt and jeans for me to put on. He also put a Ziploc bag filled with undergarments. I checked the clothes to see if they fit and surprisingly they were my size. How did he have my size?

"These were Lucy's. They should fit you though."

Right, Lucy.

I took the items and hurried into the shower.

After a good shower, I changed into the clothes. I brushed my teeth with an unopened traveling toothbrush that was on the sink counter.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, Alec was already waiting for me at the edge of the bed. He had his cellphone pressed to his ear. When no one answered, he grew frustrated and ended the call.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I haven't been able to reach Kian or Lucy."

I don't know how to help with this matter, and so, I didn't respond. I stuff the toothbrush into the backpack. Alec stands up and hands me the bag.

"Wear it. We'll have breakfast before leaving."

I nod my head and put on the backpack. Together, we head downstairs to the dining area of the hotel. I grabbed myself some eggs, sausage, and butter biscuits before sitting down. Alec came after with a glass of orange juice for me.

We were midway in finishing our food when I saw someone approaching us from the corner of my eye. I lifted my head and saw a middle aged man. He wore an olive green t-shirt and dark denim jeans.

"Hey, I am sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I really don't know who to ask. My grandma is paraplegic and I need help carrying her into my car."

"Ask a staff," Alec replies.

"C'mon, man. It's just my grandma. I just need some help-"

"We don't have the time."

"Alec, please. I think we could-"

"No," he interrupts and stands up to look the stranger in the eyes.

All of a sudden, the stranger threw a punch at Alec. Alec caught his arm and twisted the man over his body. The man fell hard onto the breakfast table. I fell backward. Alec ran to me and grabbed me by the arm. He lifts me up.

"We need to go."

Another stranger launches herself at Alec. Alec pushes me away toward the exit and blocks the hit with his forearm. From his free hand, a stream of bright light flew and hit the woman. She flew back and against the wall.

People were shouting and screaming. Many ran out of the room in panic. Alec rushes to me and grabs my wrist. We ran out into the lobby, but the man before stopped us. I watched in panic as Alec fought the man—tables, chairs, and glass broke. The woman joins in taking Alec down. She manages to kick Alec. He flips and flies across the room and hits the wall. They made a move toward me and I stumbled backwards.

I heard Alec shouts before a bright light cuts between us and hits the two strangers. They went flying back. The light wrapped itself around them and tightened. I could hear them scream as if they were being burned alive. I turned to Alec and saw his light gray eyes light up and not even a second later, the two people who attacked us exploded in front of us.

Alec rushes over to me.

"We need to leave now."

I nod my head. I wasn't going to argue with him. Before we zipped out of the hotel, I saw security guards rounding corners of the hallways into the lobby. We ran with the mass of people.

Alec tosses me a helmet while he fastens his. He got on the bike and I followed right after. Putting my arms around him, we got out of the place as best we could.

"The meeting place is about a hundred miles out. We should make it before noon."

There was a strong part of me that couldn't wait to see my sister again. I don't know what it was. It might be the fact that I can't mourn my dead parents properly or the fact that all of this still feels like a dream to me. Either way, I just want this to be all over with.