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I didn't know how long I was staring at nothing.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I thought I saw the hazy outline of Zach. Sighing, I slowly rolled onto my side. I was back in my cage and next to mine was Zach where Keisha was thrown into before.

Keisha...I killed her.

I closed my eyes, trying to clear my thoughts but every time I did, I saw the image of Keisha's lifeless body. No tears streamed down my face. I felt nothing but a dark, deep void of pain. It was strange really. I hated her at the same time, I wished I had enough time to know the mystery that was Keisha Deshayes.

My heart ached as I finally got a good look at Zach's face. His whole body sagged with exhaustion and he had dark circles under his eyes. His hands were painted red, the skin underneath rubbed raw from the ropes. He looked unconscious when I was looking at him but as if knowing someone was staring, his eyes opened.

"How are you feeling?" He whispered.

"Just breathing," I whispered back, ignoring his knowing gaze. We were here but Mikhail was nowhere to be found. I didn't know what happened to him. When Sage knew that I didn't have any strength left, he snatched Keisha's body only to hand it to one of his people. I tried to stop him but whatever he chanted, it knocked me out in a second. The next I opened my eyes, I was already here beside Zach.

"Where's Mikhail?"

"They took him. I don't know where but I tried to fight. I swear! I wanted a way to end all of this but that bastard..." He trailed off rubbing the pale line in his wrist. "Sage saw the trinket on my wrist and put two and two together. So he gathered that taking my lost souls would be the best way to punish me. Now, my bindings, all I ever had is gone. Just like that."

Mikhail was gone and Zach didn't have any soul in him...

"Does that hurt? Without them binding to you?"

"Hurts?" He laughed, clutching his stomach. "What hurts more is that if I ever get out of this alive then I'll be put in a trial. You know, by the King of Hell? And trust me, that guy is way worse than a thousand Sages combined."

So without the trinket, he was practically fired from his job.

"Where are they?" The numbness was creeping into my bones.

"The moment he took the trinket, it became his. I can't believe my own bindings are his now. He had no right to do that. I would be happily dead if he rather killed me."

When I didn't answer, he grabbed my hand through the bars and I let him. He looked at me like the night of Samara's death. "When everything ends, I want you to know something. I never meant to hurt you the way I did in that sanatorium. I was so confused, hurt and betrayed. Everyone I knew had moved on with their life. Our friends were finishing college where I was just a guy that was killed by his crazy girlfriend."

I didn't know what to say.

I thought back to all the things we did together and the years in that sanatorium. I couldn't blame him for the voices and I also couldn't support his actions.

"I never knew who killed you really. Was it Emie or Keisha?" No matter how many times I said it wasn't me, he was hell-bent on telling me that it was me that killed him. But he had to have known the truth now.

"I...I was killed by your sister but it was Keisha's fault. Your mother told me in the middle of an argument. I didn't know you had a twin sister so I assumed it was you. And I knew of Roth before. That's why I started to avoid you, I needed solid proof that she was not the mother you knew her as."

Emie? Emie killed him? My fists tightened but in a minute it uncoiled thinking of what Hannah told me before. It was unenviable.

"Tell me everything you know, Zach."

"I-I accidentally saw the powers Roth held. I was so freaked out, I mean, wouldn't you? I was just a human, how the fuck would I react if I saw the mother of my girlfriend shifted into something else other than a human?" I could just imagine him pacing around in his room with a shocked look on his face.

Fuck, this was the reason he was avoiding me all those times?

"Dammit, Zach. Why didn't you tell me?"

He chuckled. "You think I didn't try? Hell, even if you would have paged me as a lunatic, I was ready to tell you everything. But every time I tried, Roth was mysteriously there to send you away. Remember the misunderstandings we were having? She was the one doing it. Google wasn't exactly helping either. I met with so many fake people who claimed to know about Hellhounds until I found someone who would help me in real but I needed to give them something about your bloodline in return."

"Who?"

"They made me swore an oath for protecting you. And that's what I broke. Guess hell didn't give me a joyful ride for that." When I didn't laugh he made a huffing sound.

"Look it's all over and old news now. But what's important right now is..." He trailed off with a frown. "Mikhail told me something recently. Something you said to him about me. You said you loved me, with all your heart. More than you can ever try to love him. Is it true? It was too damn hard not to fall for you before, Lana Deshayes, same goes for the second time."

His bluntness made me steel in shock. He couldn't be serious. When I didn't say anything, he hurriedly moved over to break the silence. "Fuck, I knew it was stupid. I was just trying to..."

"I have a beloved, Zach. Someone fate chose for me. Doesn't matter if his heart wants me or not."

He lowered his gaze. "I understand, Lana-I guess, Mikhail is one hell of a lucky guy, huh?"

"No!" I closed my eyes before opening them. "I love you, Zach. I always will. I can't lose you just like I can't lose him. So call me a selfish bitch but when it's all over? We will figure it out, together."

I had so much more to say but I saw some of Sage's people walk into the room and open Zach's cage. He looked around in alarm and tried to block them but he groaned loudly as one of them struck him across the face with a dagger.

I wanted to scream. Desperation clung uncomfortably to my skin as I willed for something, anything to happen. This was like a nightmare that I desperately wanted to wake up from. My Reaper side was practically begging me to let go.

And suddenly, the man who had hit Zach was thrown across the room. My eyes followed him as he slammed into the wall with a loud thud and fell to the ground. My hands raised and another jolt left from my hands. Some of the hellhounds obviously didn't know where to aim. Uncertainty was etched on their faces as they realized how useless their powers were against me. I didn't know how I was doing what I was doing and I didn't even care.

"Did you do that?" A cold voice asked from the shadows and my eyes snapped at him...Sage. "It's interesting. How did you do it? You don't have any magic. Is your Reaper gene developing by itself?"

"What do you want now! Didn't you do enough already!?"

"I want you to help me open the gate. I told you before. Now answer me." Hearing him, I balled my fists in anger. He would die painfully, I would see to that. Before I could rile him up something hit me on the shoulder making me scream. I realized it was a dart gun in Sage's hands.

"Now would you like to answer?"

I gritted out, trying to stop the pain. "I don't know!"

"It's not worth it. Not right now." Zach whispered and I signaled him to shut up. I was so tired of this shit. I needed to come up with a plan and fast.

"Fine, don't answer, you'd be a slice of dead meat in an hour anyway. It's time to open the gate. Let's go." He barked and some of his minions pushed Zach out of the cage. Sage was the one who shoved me out of my cage to walk with him, which made me angrier. I tried to resist as much as I could, watching them yank Zach toward the door. But he was so weak compared to the creatures that it almost looked like they were dragging along a puppet.

When we reached the previous room Selene was called, I flung a shattered glass in their direction. One of the creatures tried to attack and I found myself pinned down by a heavy force. It was like gravity had magnified and was crushing me like a house.

Sage's face came to my vision, his teeth clamping down hard on my throat. I cried out in agony as warm liquid spilled over my skin. Zach screamed too but soon it felt like it was fading away. My eyes watered at the immense amount of pain from having my skin sliced open. I felt myself standing up by someone forcefully and a book was thrust into my hand.

"Chant." Sage gave me another of his snarl and opened a specific page from that book. It was the spell for summoning the Seeker. Fuck.

Panic and terror flared up inside me as I realized what to do next.

"Don't listen to this bastard!" Zach yelled out and I looked at him to see that he was already injured badly. He was barely able to keep his whole body in a standing position and his breath was going short by the minute.

"Been checked out enough? If you don't want him to die I suggest you start chanting, now." Sage threatened with a glare. Could I risk Zach's life over mine? Never.

Glancing at the page, I gritted out. "Egou dyi ekiym Reaper lo aerk ja ra ete. Eqas lo na lo mara te voif ldy e Seeker ne."

My chanting was replaced by a scream. The ground started shaking and cracks split throughout the walls and ceiling as the building swayed. A huge chunk of plaster broke off from the ceiling and landed near me. When the dust was gone, I was looking into a nightmare.

Mikhail was standing rigidly in front of me, his silver eyes filled with deep rage and regret.

"Welcome, my Seeker. Let the ritual begin."

***

This is the moment everyone's waiting for. What do you guys think now Mikhail and Lana will do? Is there any way they can escape their fates? Or will they become enemies? Let me know!