-Maddox's POV-

Maddox closed the door behind him leaving Blair all alone in the bedroom, he had sauntered back to the kitchen to pour himself a strong glass of scotch to relieve the news that hit him tonight. Maddox never could have imagined that he would meet someone in his life that has supernatural powers, he encountered many different types of people in his circle, but Blair just crossed another world he had no clue that even existed.

He threw the drink back and the icy burn pouring down his parched throat was terribly great; the alcohol sank in his gut and chilled the dreadful sensation. Maddox walked past her bedroom door and lingered for a moment thinking Blair would waltz out any minute and tell him it was all a prank, but even Maddox wouldn't believe her then, because everything she had done proved ever single word from her tonight. He trusted her enough to believe that her skills came from somewhere unexplainable.

Maddox stepped into his room, he eagerly desired a hot shower and a good night's rest. He stripped off the layers of his tailored suit and stepped under the spray of scorching hot water, his tense muscle loosened and the drift of exhaustion swept across his eyes. Maddox leaned his hands on the marble wall and hung his head low for the shower to soak through his groomed hair, he closed his eyes and the memory of Blair in the elevator played in his mind; she had broken down over something he did not know about and had stopped the elevator with her powers. If that wasn't amazing he didn't know what was, she had healed Tony and him and countless others.

Maddox closed the shower and stepped out with a towel around his hips, he stared into the mirror and his eyes trailed down to his lips, he remembered the kiss they shared before the dinner; the blistering hot kiss. He didn't know what had come over him, but damn did he want to kiss her again. She had barged through his door, angry and upset which made her even more attractive to him. Maddox was overcome by the desire to make her bothered and heated because of him, and then, he kissed her like he never had done before. Blair's soft lips left an imprint on his mouth and he craved it the more he thought about it.

Maddox had almost dropped the whole dinner and wanted to take Blair to his bedroom right away, but he held himself back because he didn't know how she felt about him. Although now, she not only told him her secret but also kissed him back with the same carnal heat and possession.

Maddox slipped on a pair of slacks and drew the covers over his body, he laid under the dark roof for a moment and played with the ring on his pinky. He thought about what would happen tomorrow, and with lingering thought and feelings, he drifted off into the overwhelming sleep, which he supposed he had to thank Blair for again.

Blair's sore eyes opened with the blue shards of light blaring on top of her face, she rolled over and the clock told her it was just before sunrise. She pushed the blankets off and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, but it felt like an eternity. She laid her bare feet on the floor and sauntered into the bathroom with a heavy heart, her magic couldn't settle the wave building the burden of dread in her body.

Blair sluggishly brushed her teeth and took a shower, she grabbed her bag and closed the door of the tidied bedroom behind her. She didn't sense any other energy other than her own so she guessed that Maddox hadn't awakened yet, she sort of relaxed but something held her back to feel fully relieved.

Before leaving, she went back to the newly refurbished office which was still missing the last piece that would hang over the fireplace. She grabbed the photo from the second floor that had turned into another seating area rather than a bedroom, she slipped the photo into her bag. Blair closed the door of the office behind her and a dark scent basked over her and she knew that Maddox had arrived.

"You're leaving?" He asked as he was still dressed in silk briefs and a cotton shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and muscular arms.

"I have some final touches to add to the office," she told him. "But I would like to freshen up at my house first." Blair avoided his smouldering gaze that bore into her not matter where she moved, her feet briskly took her to the front door, with her heart in her throat and her body aching to shed off this wavering despair, she hastily reached for the front door's knob to leave eagerly.

"Will you be done with the renovations today?" His question stopped her.

"Yes," she told him. "I will return this afternoon with a few things. And then maybe we can discuss when you'd like to see your office."

"Alright," was all he said before he returned to his bedroom.

That was strange, she thought. He didn't bring up anything from last night, she wondered if he had forgotten or maybe he didn't believe her so he just pretended to act ignorant. But Blair hadn't sensed any confusion in his heart or suspicion on his mind, in fact, he was calm which made her even more confused. She wondered if Maddox had pretended to not know about her powers, he openly ignored what she had told him and that sickened Blair. This is what everyone did, everyone she had told her secret ignored her or despised her. Why did she think that Maddox would any different? she reprimanded herself. Blair left his apartment behind her and returned to her own house to freshen up and talk to that crow spirit that had presented her with this problem in the first place.

Magic swam through the strong gust of wind; the magic was the colour of liquid gold with flecks of amber topaz. The magic had no haste in its speed, but it had a destination, and it would make sure to reach it no matter what happened. An ancient spell casted by the Lightwood ancestors voyaged high above the clouds for the one that it seeked to see. This spell would aid their young and extremely talented Lightwood to enter the spirit realm and speak to the one who disguised himself as the crow, which have been the sacred companion of witches for generations.

As Blair drove over the long streets, she could sense the change in the air. The clouds rolled in fiercely carrying the ominous warning that a storm brewed; it wasn't any storm though, this was deliberately sent to her home by her family, so the events that would occur at her house wouldn't cause any suspicion around town. A mighty rumble roared over the town sending a chill down Blair's body, but it wasn't from fear, instead it was the power of her family that awakened her own magic. Blair arrived at her house and she rushed inside wasting no time to uncover the secrets of this mysterious spirit.

She ran up the stairs when the first bolt of violet lightning struck through the dark black clouds, she swore she felt her windows rattle at the sheer force of nature. Blair opened the door to the small dark room that had no seats, no bed, just a plain floor with a sea of thick white candles swarming the room, variety of crystals hung around the windows and walls, books and family heirlooms were stored in locked trunks and she had studied and cherished every single one. With the flick of her wrist the candles flickered alive and a small flame danced on each and every candle-wick, she closed the door and sat in the middle of the consecrated space.

"Thank you for the power," she spoke to her family around the world and the ones that had passed away to another realm, she knew they could hear her every word because of the small rose mark on the back of her neck, which all Lightwood family members had. "I will not waste this opportunity and will try my best to help the one who requires it." The sky rumbled again and the room flashed bright purple, she inhaled the energy and summoned the crow spirit to her side.

A deep breath in and out, she continued until the chant spilled out of her mindlessly. "I, Blair Lightwood summon the spirit that has bound itself to this physical realm," she spoke in the realm that no human could go, only the witches travelled this far into the mouth of the dead. "Spirit, hear my voice and my call. Come to me on your own free will... It is time for your suffering to end." Thunder rumbled over her house again, the wind howled through massive trees that battled the strong breeze, rain started to pour heavily against the windows, her heart raced but her body stayed locked in its position not losing any focus. Lightning ripped through the clouds and thunder roared, when air was stolen from her lungs and a sharp burn jolted down the back of her neck, she knew she had returned to the room and the spirit had followed her through the portal her family kept open.

Blair seated in the middle of the candles opened her eyes, a long dark figure stood in front of her. She could neither see a face or a body, just a long shadow and piercing gold eyes. "Hello," she greeted the spirit with a smile. "I am Blair Lightwood, what can I help you with?" The spirit's golden gaze was eerily familiar, the specks of honey shimmered along the rich gold colour were strikingly sharp.

"I need you to protect my son," the spirit spoke with a deep, reverberating voice. "Keep him safe, keep all of them safe."

"Your son?" puzzled Blair when it clicked. "Maddox."

"He's in trouble," he said urgently.

Blair could sense the deep resolve and panic in the spirit. "Who harms your family?" she asked Maddox's father.

"You know," he said. "You've met him once already."

"Alexander Ainsley," she spoke that name with distaste. "I have spoken to that man and I'm quite sure myself that he's trouble."

"He's not just trouble," the spirit's anger rose, "he's evil, and will do anything to my son to gain what he desires."

"Is this what triggered your return to this realm?" asked Blair. "You returned to this realm because Maddox was in danger."

"Yes," he said. "And then I saw you."

Blair tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"There are many who talk about you here," said Maddox's father. "They claim to be your family."

Blair smiled broadly at the fond memory of her grandparents. "They lead you to me," she stated.

"Yes," he said. "And something else pulled me to you one day, it was formless but it eagerly wanted me to find you."

Blair put her hand around the locket that rested between her breasts, the magic that had locked itself into her locket led Maddox's father straight to her. The spell that bound her family, her legacy with Maddox's was beyond her power, the ancient magic wove an intricate web to tie her to Maddox but first she must save this family.

"I need you to make my son realize that Ainsley is evil," he said. "Can you do that?"

Blair locked her gaze with the spirit of Maddox's father. "I will," she promised. Blair closed her eyes and concentrated on the simple pull that bound Maddox's father to her body, she read those energy signals and sank deeper into the memory of Roman Steele. "If you don't mind, how did you die?" she asked Maddox's father, but instead of telling her- he showed her.

A lonely car drove over the curve of a rising hill, the night was dark and the moon was hidden behind the thick clouds that were ready to drop the first snowfall on Christmas day. Blair sat in the car with a young man driving with excitement and an older man seated on the passenger side.

"Make sure to keep your eyes on the road, Maddox," said Roman.

"I know, dad," Maddox had a smug grin. "I've been practicing with mom all week." Maddox's father seemed distracted like he was in deep thought, but Maddox broke the frown on Roman's face. "So, will you buy me a car next year?"

Roman laughed. "If only you can get me to the company in one piece," he bargained.

Maddox glimpsed at his father. "Why are you going to work this late?" he asked. "I thought you were off for the holidays."

"Some complications came up, son," said Roman. "I need to straighten them out before they harm our company."

"I'm surprised mom let you go especially on Christmas night," said Maddox.

Roman chuckled. "Your mom can be pretty scary but she understands my responsibilities towards my work and employees," he said tenderly and Maddox agreed with his father whole-heartedly.

Blair had never experienced parental love quite like this one. Her parents were sickened by her gift and demanded that she never use her powers in front of them, but that was harder said than done. She was just a kid when her parents dropped her off at her grandparent's house and never returned. Blair didn't hold any grudge because her grandparents, uncles and aunts and cousins had proved to be more of a family than anyone could wish for, she had seen love from all of them and they had accepted their own gifts and hers with open hearts.

Although lost in thought, Blair was ripped out when a blinding light steered the car off route, the car jerked and spiralled down the icy road, the tires screeched as young Maddox tried to stop the car but the car spun more out of control and slammed into the mountain rock. Blair lifted her head, the horrid sight of the crashed car terrified her, she had the greatest desire to grab Maddox and see if he was alright, she rushed over and found Roman's body shielding Maddox.

"Dad," cried Maddox. "Dad!"

There was no answer. Blair didn't have her voice where she could scream and tell Maddox to get out of the car and save himself, suddenly something exploded in front of the car and caught fire, the hungry flame grew and ate the crushed metal rapidly.

"Maddox," Roman cried out. "Get out, son."

"No," cried Maddox. "I won't leave you."

Roman's bloody arm reached over and opened the door. "I love you and your sister, Maddox." Roman shoved his son outside the car, and Blair sighed from relief, but the tragedy about to take place in front of her she wasn't ready to see. The car's engine exploded with a loud bang. "I love you now and forever, Elle." Blair heard his last words when both of them were engulfed in flames. Her body burned terribly, her skin boiled and she screamed from the unbearable trauma, she cried to escape this memory and her whole body was devoured by the flames, she could feel the flames grow thicker and feed on Roman's flesh and bone. Blair gasped and opened her eyes just in time to find herself back in her house.

"I'm so sorry," hot tears fell from her eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Roman's shadow wavered. "Why are you sorry, it's not your fault."

"No one should go through something like that," she wiped the tears and fixed her dishevelled state.

"Will you protect my son?" he asked again.

Blair nodded. "I will make sure Alexander Ainsley doesn't touch your family," she said. "You have my word."