As it humiliatingly turned out, I was wrong to think so lowly of the Saints. They had actually made something of themselves through the years, as evidenced by the tall edifice we entered. The big sign that read Saint Society glimmered against the sun. Their sigil was everywhere we turned. On walls, on the carpets, and even on people's uniforms.

As they ushered me to a spacious room with marble floors, the thoughts of where they were taking me and the fact that I saw my lifelong nemesis in the crowd earlier and how he even got here instantly vanished as I felt an intense need to drink water.

"I'm thirsty."

"You're what, darling?" Spinett asked.

"Thirsty," I said, clearing my throat. I reached up to feel my forehead. "And feverish."

He turned his head to look at me. "You look pale. You must be tired."

"I don't. I feel sick."

He held me by the arm and urged me on. "This is the last schedule for the day. Once we see this through, we'll go back to Windsor."

I took in a deep breath. "Can't this wait?"

Brenna, who was walking head of us, stopped and turned to me with a smile I learned to despise. "Aster, the Council has been nothing but patient. They will not take much of your time."

Well, I could not possibly throw a fit. I barely had the energy. Spinett touched my forehead with concern, but he murmured for me to walk again. I swayed on my feet, closed my eyes and asked if we could wait a little while. Brenna's impatience was palpable, but they waited anyway. When I opened my eyes again, I felt slightly better. But the burning was still there.

"Water."

In no time, they were pressing glass against my lips. I held it and downed the content. It helped, but not quite enough.

"Just a few minutes, Aster, and we'll go home."

I swallowed and nodded again.

Inside the large room were more people in white, looking as excited as the crowd gathered in the large hall earlier. They stared at me like I was the most important thing in the world. Thing because that's how I felt. I felt like the artifact they called me. Not someone to worship, but something that would bring them salvation. Like a cup for their tea, or the spoon for their soup. The verses for their spell. The poppet for their curse.

Brenna and Spinett bowed before a group of nine men and women seated behind a high table on a raised platform. Behind them was a giant, glowing circle.

"It's true," said the man in the center, looking down at me with curious eyes. "You're really alive."

Saying nothing, I took note of every face. All of them were looking at me with wonder, except the lady with the white hair. It was as if she knew something was wrong with me. Or that I was lacking and a waste of her time.

"Welcome to Genesis City, Aster Byrne," said one woman, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth. "Waking up is perhaps the greatest thing you've ever done for our society. Your works have been tremendously helpful in building this society. And now, you've just proven that your greatest experiment would lead us to greater success."

I honestly didn't know what to say. If I remembered correctly, I had given up on many of my works, immortality included.

But at that moment, whether or not I liked it, I was quite important to these people. I didn't know where my family's riches were, or if there was any left to begin with. I had just woken up. I was yet to discern if I woke up in a bloody nightmare.

"My name is Petros Saint," the man in the middle spoke.

"You woke up at the perfect time, Aster," the youngest man in the group added, his intense gaze drawing me in. "This world is far different from what you know of it. I'm sure you've already noticed."

"I have," I said, clearing my throat because my voice cracked, the burning growing stronger.

"In Genesis City, witches are not on the run. We rule," Petros Saint proudly said. I noted the same slender nose of his ancestors, the high cheek bones, and even the large ears. "Because of the great Augustus Saint, we have finally risen above all."

"You're a celebrity now," said another woman, her smile gentle, her face beautiful, hair certainly horrid. "Everyone knows your name not just in Genesis City, but also across the world. No other witch has ever accomplished what you have."

"From this moment on, you'll be given the Council's protection. You'll be treated like every other Astral."

I felt Spinett stiffen just a little beside me. I turned to him and his lips twitched in an attempt to return my smile.

"Astral?" the woman with white hair asked, eyes never leaving me.

"Of course, Glinda. She has long proven her Astral capabilities and only a fool will question that."

The young man spoke again, a smile of interest on his face. "But Astrals require a long training period to be worthy of their function, don't they?"

"Aster has had two-hundred-years to prove her worth, Cedric."

Glinda's brow twitched just ever so slightly. "It will be unfair for the other Astrals."

Petros's jaw tightened, but he turned to Glinda anyway and inquired, "And what do you suggest?"

"I suggest she proves to us first that she indeed has the capabilities of an Astral."

I swallowed. Never have I ever been in this situation where my position had to be judged based on my capabilities. Ever since I held my first stone, I was unquestionably revered.

The tense silence was broken by Petros. "We'll schedule an assessment in two weeks," he said, eyes on me.

"The other Astrals should be present," Glinda said, as if she could sense my unease and enjoyed it. "If they see her adequately fit their function, I will not contest."

The smile Petros gave me was a confident one. "I can't wait for you to astound us all with your gift, Aster."

"Me, too. I've heard great things about you, Aster Byrne," said the young man named Cedric. The way he looked at me, it was almost as if I was being stripped. This was someone I could use, but I had to be wary. I knew men like him, had handled a few quite well. Mostly, they would succumb with just a smile. I gave him that. I smiled at him shyly and looked away, knowing full well I had solidified his interest. Now, he would do anything to have another dose of that smile in hopes of more. He would want to be closer.

"She is documented, I'm sure?" Glinda asked Brenna.

"Yes."

"What does that mean?" I asked. I put on a smile, the sweetest I could muster. They must think I was too innocent. Which was quite true, considering how ignorant I was of almost everything.

Petros' patient smile lingered on me for a moment before he turned to Brenna with a look of stern inquiry.

"We had been doing a lot of work—" Brenna started, faltered, then squared her shoulders. "It's our fault. We apologize."

She turned to me, but before she could start, Cedric rose and walked closer. His blue eyes never left mine, his smile growing sultry as he neared. Ah... He could not help it. He needed to be near me. This witch is quite easy, I thought. "Being documented means having a halo," he said.

"What is that?"

He looked at Spinett, who dutifully turned his back to me. Cedric pointed at the perfect white circle stamped on his neck. "The Saint Spell. It makes everyone fall asleep." His voice was low, as if he only meant for me to hear it. "Everyone sleeps at the same time in Genesis City, Aster. All at midnight."

I stiffened. That was the moment I understood the missing and confusing hours. "Why?"

He stepped closer. Too close for my comfort. "To make sure that everyone is safe. By sleeping, we allow the halo to review our day," he said. "Everything we do is stored in one system. As we sleep, the system syncs all our halos and analyzes the data all at once. Within six hours, it detects threats we may have encountered throughout our day. By morning, we eliminate those threats."

I tilted my head and looked into his eyes. "You mean I'm being watched."

"Not just you. Everyone in the city has a halo. Even the Archaics." Harald Evensen's face flashed in my head at that moment. Why did he allow these bastards to put a spell on a powerful vampire such as himself? How was that even possible?

Before I could move away, his soft fingers touched my nape with a secret caress. He leaned closer and whispered, "Our privacy, however, is not compromised. We can still be with whoever we please. Do whatever that brings us pleasure. So long as it's before midnight, of course." As he pulled away, his lips brushed lightly against my cheek. Loudly, he continued, "The halo only reports threats. It doesn't care what you ate for breakfast or who you've been with." He paused to let me absorb the last words. "But it will report if your activities were a threat to you or if you had been with someone that may endanger you or the society. It makes a perpetrator easier to track."

"You mean ferals."

He smiled. "We have had no ferals in Genesis City since the halo. But we can never let our guard down, yes?"

I frowned as he talked because I could not grasp the absurdity of it all. My hand went behind my nape where he touched it. My finger felt nothing there, but inside, I felt utterly violated. These people dared imprint me with a spell! A hot fury was gurgling up my throat.

"You will not even feel it happening," said Brenna, stepping between me and Cedric. "You'll sleep peacefully and wake up like everyone else—utterly safe."

I stopped myself from throwing a magnificent fit. This was not the time to lose control. I didn't know what else these people could do to me.

"Soon, you'll forget you even have it," Cedric said before he turned and walked back to his chair.

I swallowed. What did they expect me to do? Be submissive? Obedient? I was neither of those. But I could pretend. As long as these fools thought I was eating everything they fed me, I'd be safe.

"Is there anything more that was not shared with you?" Petros asked, stealing Brenna and Spinett a look.

Lifting my chin, I stared at Petros Saint. They waited as I moistened my lips. "I don't remember much of the night I fell asleep."

As Petros eyed Brenna, Spinett sputtered, "We decided it's best that she learns it from the great Council."

Petros did not look pleased, but he leaned back and clasped his hands together before veering his gaze back to me. "There was a fire."

"I remember that. I was trapped."

"You were, but not for long. Somehow, you escaped."

I frowned and blinked a few times. "I remember thinking of an escape, but there was no way out."

"No. You got out, Aster. You were the only one who survived that tragic fire. They later found you in a room, half of your body burnt."

The hairs on my arms stood as I felt a chill surge up my spine.

"They thought you were dead like everyone else until they realized you were still breathing. Your remaining family members—your sister and a few cousins—all kept you in the same circle until they found a safer place for you."

"Circle?"

"The one you must have drawn to protect yourself."

"My spell."

"Yes. Whatever you did that night saved you for the next two centuries." Petros lifted his chin, looking down at me over his crooked nose. "Your body healed itself. You stayed young while everyone around you started dying, and it had always been a great mystery. For two centuries, the Byrnes," he said, motioning at Brenna, "and the Saints," motioning at himself, "have fought hard to keep you safe because we've always believed you'll someday return to us to share your secrets. And you did."

"And she did," one council member said, clutching her chest.

"We'll need to know how you did it," Petros continued. "How you made the spell work. We've went through your notes but never got far. It's the only spell of yours that we weren't able to replicate."

Suddenly, I felt feverish. Sweat dampened my temples, and the room started to turn. I fought the urge to ask for water again. "Who caused it? The fire?"

The entire council looked at each other. "We never found out, but we had our suspicions."

"Who?"

Petros clasped his hands together. "The vampires. But not all of them. After the fire, some of them helped the Saints turn their vision of a peaceful society into reality. We had to fight for it, but we eventually triumphed because of the good men and women who placed their faith in us. Everyone worked together for a new society. They selflessly shared everything they knew." He smiled and patiently said, "And we will be very grateful if you share your secret with us."

He meant my spell, the one that kept me alive for two-hundred years. That might be a problem. I didn't remember ever doing that spell.

I closed my eyes and swayed. Gripping Brenna's arm, I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel well."

"She needs more rest," explained Brenna, grabbing me by the arm to keep me on my feet.

"Has she been sleeping well?"

"Her REM is shorter than we want, but she's sleeping longer than—"

"Then she will make it to her assessment?" the woman with white hair asked, voice cold.

"Of course," Spinett replied. "She will be ready in two weeks."

"You may all be excused," Petros Saint finally announced.

"See you again, Aster," Cedric said.

As Brenna and Spinett guided me out of the room, I knew I was in trouble.

These people expected two things from me: my spell and my powers. Both of which presented three problem.

First problem: I had not the faintest idea what spell they were talking about.

Second problem: I could not perform magic without my stone.

Third problem: The said stone was bloody missing.