"What?" 

I etched to just yell at Allegra but it came out as more of a whisper. I couldn't believe my own ears. I always had my doubts but to actually hear it from someone else...

Allegra shrugged, not that interested to see the turmoil in my eyes. "Yes. She told me that she remembers some things from the past like how Hannah let her stay in the shop and oh, she remembers Keisha." 

Just with those words, my blood ran cold. She remembered that bitch.

"Just how much?" I spat out. 

She actually winced. "I don't know how much but she thought her mother was still after her. I had to let her know about Keisha's death status and only then she relaxed. Are you angry about Emie not being able to remember?"

"Of course I am!" I snapped at her as if she was to blame. In a way, she was the one giving my little soul the potions so she should've made sure to let her remember the important details.

Like ME!

"You know I can't do anything about it if she doesn't remember on her own." Dammit. 

"Fine! What about her marks? How's that coming along? How long do you think she'll need the potions?" 

Again, she winced. "For a normal being, she should be fine by now but Demos is more powerful than we are, Darkness. His hold on her is too much to ignore and even now...unconsciously she does things that scream the Demon King's influence."

"So, what do I do? Wait for centuries to pass before she becomes my little soul?" The words were as bitter as I felt inside. Perhaps she would never remember. Or she'd remember only to walk away and I wouldn't even be surprised. 

"I can't tell you what to do with that but I have an interesting question for you. When she was telling me about the nightmares as she refers to them, she saw you deny that you two were beloved. Why is that?"

Did I deny that? Since when-

"Shit." I cursed aloud. "I told her we were nothing because that was the truth. I didn't know yet."

"You didn't know? What on earth..."

"Until I married her officially I didn't know that we were beloved." I clarified with a sigh of my own. "Besides, the prophesy clearly said that she'd die by my hand. I didn't think that a woman who was meant to be dead by my own hands would turn out to be my beloved."

"That's freaky."

"Yeah. So, if that's all, I should go and see how she's doing." I turned to leave but Allegra had me stop by calling my name.

"Yes?" 

"I've been meaning to talk about something else. There's been a problem going on in the Coven and all of us Volkios are worried..." She paused, looking up to me with hope glinting in her gaze. 

It was her Coven and I wasn't her member. So it really shouldn't be any of my business. Then again, where was Zed when he was needed? At least my master would've helped the Volkios just fine. 

"Look, Allegra, I appreciate your hospitality so far but I don't think I'll be of any help. You can just ask Emie or Lana." 

She shook her head. 

"I know but I don't want them to know." I had to lift an eyebrow in interest. "There were some people that should have been dead but their family said that they saw them alive. It's just not here, it's happening all around the world. It can't be a coincidence."

My heart skipped a beat. "What are you trying to say?"

"I am trying to say that the dead has risen again and they are picking out witches from their home for the last few weeks, surprisingly right about the time Emie appeared. Now between all of us, who has the power to awaken the dead?"

Emie.

"You can't be sure. She would have said something if it was true!"

"That's what I am trying to find. Also, there's a rumor that they are joining a rebellion against the devil."

A rebellion? Now that was interesting.

"So where do I come in?" At my question, she pulled out a file from her desk.

"I have been tracking those people but every time we were late to catch them. From what we gathered lately, those dead people can't use the magic of their own so they are taking in witches to help them and still they hadn't succeeded in taking down the devil. Raphael thinks it's because they can't function properly without their leader. Darkness, I haven't told you or the girls but we've seen those witches Emie brought back. They looked so confused and utterly difunctional without Emie. We had to banish them in last resort. The same thing will happen here. Soon enough they would try to search the person who made them alive." Her gaze met my own in an unknown emotion. "You know who the person would be."

Hell, no.

"You mean to say that as Emie has the power of necromancy, she has brought back some dead people to take the devil down? Wonderful. I thought being unpredictable was my thing." My sarcastic response did nothing to stop her. 

"Or maybe the demon King told her to do so? That's why I need your help, Darkness. I'm kinda desperate here as you can see. I need to find the truth. As much as I want to suspect her, there are still some things that don't make sense."

I couldn't hide my surprise. "You mean to say there's another suspect?"

"Yes. Have your friend ever told you anything about prophecy?" 

"Who are you talking about?"

"Zedkiel." She hesitated only for a second before continuing. "Did he mentioned anything about prophecy recently?"

Prophecy? There was another prophecy?

"You got to be kidding me." I practically growled in frustration. "What has fate done now? Who is the new victim of this...prophecy?"

"That's the thing. There's been no sign of any prophecy since you ended Emie's."

I shrugged in relief. "As far as I am concerned, that's what's best for everyone else anyway."

"If you say so." She gave in. "But Zedkiel might know more about it since I saw him study in the library all day and night. So if you know even a thing from him-"

"Dear master is just paranoid. But if anything comes up, I'll let you know." I found myself amused by the way relief flashed through the Volkios's face. But I soon got to know that I wasn't done yet.

"So, about the rebellion problem, will you help?" If little soul wasn't involved, I wondered if Allegra would have gotten on her knees to beg for help. She looked that desperate. For the heck of it, I took a minute to answer, to wait it out. Only when I saw her eyes flash in irritation that I smiled.

"Of course, I will help you. I have to defend my wife's actions after all. As I'm basically a shadow, I can blend in with your members and take any information that sounds important." 

She looked guilty as hell as she suddenly cleared her throat. "You see, um...you alone wouldn't be strong enough to help. But your soul? It's basically a danger magnet. I need your soul to do the ritual."

Hell no. I could only utter those words as my glare cut through her. Nobody could ever take my soul for a ritual. Not even Keisha who basically had to force it out of my body back then. I was not about to hand my precious soul to her. Nope, No way. In fact, that thing was only reserved for my little soul!

"I...I don't think I can help you with that." I immediately took a defensive step back.

"I know you love your soul to an extreme level but I already told Emie and she told me that she'll help. Both of you bound together is all I need. You can't even do that for her?"

"I thought you said nothing about this to her?" I narrowed my eyes. The idea of calling on my soul made my skin crawl.

"I didn't tell her the reason. Look maybe by doing this we can get some answers. I don't want to risk the Coven or Emie."

I didn't want to do this, I really didn't but what was my other option? Where were the loopholes? As for now, there was none. Besides, Allegra was one stubborn woman and if Emie was ready to bare her soul then so could I. 

With a sigh, I nodded. "Fine. Tell me when."

"Today midnight. The fewer people know, the better. Not even Zedkiel." It was surprising that she didn't want Zed to know but one secret wouldn't hurt him. He was an annoying ass anyway.

"If you insist." I tried to grin instead. But the moment she walked out, closing the door behind her that my grin vanished. 

It was going to be one hell of a midnight.

***

A pounding at my door forced me upright. Outside, it was pitch black through the windows. As if to taunt me of what was coming, the clock on the bedside table now showed 2:40 a.m. Shit, I didn't even realize when my eyes dropped on their own. 

"Come in!" 

I yelled out, trying to pull my hair into a ponytail. The door slowly opened to reveal Emie in the doorway, some candles and a book in her hand. Her expression was guarded when she entered the room but the moment her eyes found me, they widened.

"Put some clothes on for God's sake!"

I looked down to see I forgot to wear a shirt. Who wore one to bed anyway? "My naked body won't kill you, little soul."

"J-Just do it." She stuttered, color flashing over her cheeks.

Despite wanting to provoke her, I picked up a blue one from the chair. Buttoning it up with a smirk, I couldn't help but watch her fidget. "Fine, I'm decent. Way to make me believe I'm hideous."

"You are not-" She bit her lower lip hard to stop herself from finishing the sentence. Instead of continuing to hold the conversation or handing me the book as I thought, she walked over and put it on the table. Just as quickly she came, she returned to her previous spot near the door.

At my questioning gesture, she shrugged. "I'm waiting for Allegra to return."

Liar. She was terrified of me. I could taste the fear in her soul. 

"OK."

She nodded but didn't move or say anything else. I could tell by her expression that there was something else she wanted to tell me but she just stood there, watching me. What was she waiting for me to do?

Try to kill her? Of course, she was still clinging to the memories of me trying to take her soul.

I forced a smile onto my face. "So, do you know what we're going to do?"

"Allegra said she needs my soul for some ritual and yours too. But there's a..." She hesitated for a moment before shying away from any conversation. I would have none of it. I needed to hear her voice. Again and again.

Every minute of my life. 

"There's a what?" I pushed with a gentle tone.

"You told me that we are beloved, soulmates. And to truly share the soul we had to...you know sleep together? So, did we?" She trailed off, scratching her neck.

Fuck.

"No!" She jumped at my voice. "I mean, no, we didn't. There wasn't much time left for us. We only got married and everything went downhill pretty quickly."

"Oh. Talk about having an unhealthy marriage..." She let out an anxious chuckle where I couldn't meet her gaze. 

"Hey, you all ready?" The voice had me sigh in relief. 

Allegra.

"Yes, I'm ready. What about you, Emie?" She nodded with a small smile. I could basically feel her fear from our connection so I tried to be strong for the both of us. I really wanted to comfort her but she'd kill me if I even tried to touch her. If she felt my emotions, at least that would put her to rest.

"Come with me, both of you two. We need to go to the basement." Allegra announced, taking the ingredients with her. We both followed her to the lower staircase and finally in the open basement.

It was a cemetery for witches.

I could feel her shivering with unknown thoughts so without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her body. Thanks, devil, she didn't push me away but tightly held onto me. Only when her trembling stopped that she stepped back from me. Dejected, I turned back to where Allegra was working.

A dozen candles were now lined on both sides of graves with the book open in the middle of a gravestone and some herbs mixed in a plate.

Allegra started lighting the candles. "This is going to be easy. But you two need to relax. Leave every negative thought and think positive."

"Why this creepy basement?" I asked, looking around. Call me crazy but graves always reminded me of my own thousands of years of living in one. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Emie trying to hide a smile and Allegra rolling her eyes.

"So that souls won't get too far from here, Darkness. At least for your soul's sake." She pointed out with a raised eyebrow. Ok, she got me there. 

"What do you want us to do?" Emie asked next, trying to keep the fear she was feeling from showing.

Allegra gestured at the ground. "Lie down there. Both, side by side."

She started sprinkling some blood from her palm on the ground around the gravesite. I watched along with Emie as she chanted some more ancient spells to which a breeze passed by. When she came to take my blood, I spoke quietly. "I trust you won't let any harm come near her soul." 

Her expression turned sullen. "I won't but what about yours? What if I can't handle your soul and it got trapped with the souls here? You know you are not quite alive."

I wanted to laugh. Wasn't she the one telling me that nothing would happen?

"I don't care, just take care of her." She nodded, proceeding to do the same with little soul.

"Both take each other hands and close your eyes. Remember, relax."

"You can do it." 

I whispered to Emie who had her eyes shut tightly. They suddenly opened and it was filled with anger. "And what if you're wrong? What if something goes wrong?"

My shoulder tensed, the thought of not being able to help her burning through my veins. "Trust me, she won't let any harm come to your soul."

At least I hoped that she won't. Or I would have to recreate her Coven and that won't be nice considering who I was or how much damage I could cause. 

"E ra ke la nyisk bina lij dekha pi wo na re ke."

I flinched when Allegra's hands circled around my body. I was the first one then. She started to chant loudly now as my eyes closed on their own. My lungs were bursting with the need to breathe. Even then I could feel Emie looking at me in horror. I just hoped that she didn't stand up in fear.

There was a burning in my chest and my eyes clouded with shadows-the desire to escape, to be free, was so strong that I could feel it pulsating through my whole being. My thoughts turned to the terrible burning that was consuming my body. I could feel her spells crushing my soul, biding it to come forward. 

Then there was nothing. No pain.

Just a feeling of another soul meeting mine.

It was done.