" "A mate " he started, his breath ragged "Is your other half, your soulmate, your companion for life, someone you're willing to catch a grenade for, someone you want to wake up to for eternity, someone you don't want to share with others! someone you love endlessly! and someone you do this to passionately! "

He sealed her lips with his as soon as the words left his mouth. Lia was wide-eyed, she didn't know how to respond, he took her by surprise.

When he didn't get a response from her, he growled and bit down on her lower lips. She winced from the pain but at least it reminded her what they were in the middle of doing.

Lia began to kiss him back with a passion she didn't know she had in her. The kiss wasn't slow nor sweet, it was hot and demanding, the both couldn't get enough of each other.

"You're my mate, aren't you?" Lia asked as soon as she came up for air.

He replied with a growl "Just shut up and kiss "

Lia made a low sound of pressure when he pressed her to his body, he was standing in between her legs since she was still sitting on his desk.

She found herself wrapping her legs around him as their lips moved in sync once more."

"What are you thinking? " Lawrence asked her and she blinked, the unexpected memory trailing away.

Lia shook her head with a fake smile "Nothing, just a useless imagination "

But of course how could Lawrence believe her, everyone under his compulsion was connected to him so he could feel when any of them were drifting away.

He had felt when a foreign presence accessed her mind, thankfully his distraction broke the link.

Out of all the people he put under his control, Lia and her brother weared him out the most, they were always struggling to remember something.

Lia was confused, that memory felt so real yet , she couldn't remember doing any of it.

Besides who was that guy, though his face was blurry but she strangely felt connected, more like drawn to him.

Her insides were in a turmoil, as if something was warning of danger but each time she tried to move, something kept pulling her back.

"Stop thinking" Lawrence told her and clasped her face towards him when he felt that strange intrusion probing her mind again.

"Is not real, he's just trying to mess with your mind " he told her, looking her straight in the eyes just as his eyes flashed green.

Lawrence sneered inwardly, no matter how much he persisted, he would not let her give him the access he wanted.

"He's not real, he's just trying to mess with my mind " Lia chanted robotically before she forcefully shut that foreign presence out of her mind.

"That's my girl " Lawrence smiled, he then lowered his head and kissed her and she responded with the same passion as him.

But suddenly she groaned and drew away as if repulsed, causing his brows furrowed.

Lia clutched her stomach as a sudden, sharp pain made her double over while her fangs ached.

"Why are your eyes blue? " Lawrence questioned, confusion crossing his features. Throughout her stay with him, her eyes remained magenta but why did her eyes suddenly switch colour ?

Lawrence began to search the boy's memories, it seems he had dared to keep something from him. He felt Ben fight his intrusion but as usual he overpowered his consciousness and in mere seconds, got what he wanted.

"No matter how much you struggle, you can't defeat me cause I am now you " he told Ben smugly and jerked back to reality.

He looked towards the sky, soon the sun would go down and the moon would come up and he would break free of all the shackles; he would be free and so would the rest of his powers!

"Come " he commanded, gesturing to her to come to him and she obeyed without resistance.

As soon as lia was in his arms, he lifted her chin and said to him " Just like a coin, you have two sides and the reason you've been so powerless is because you depended on one side so much it's destroying you. "

He bent and whispered into her ear

"It's time to become stronger cause the battle is beginning soon " his gaze then moved to the setting sun.

Meanwhile :

" What are you doing? " Sabrina asked Asher who sat on the bare floor , leg crossed and eyes closed.

"Shhh" Daniel hushed her the moment she tried to speak again.

Sabrina looked on confused "What is he doing? "

"He tapped into the matebond. Something I tried earlier but didn't succeed since I couldn't sense her, but it seems he has caught onto something " Daniel explained, watching Asher with rapt attention.

Unlike vampires and werewolves, witches fall in the normal range of human relationships and do not have to wait a century or decade just to meet that chosen one.

If it wasn't for the fact that Dan's mate was late, Sabrina wouldn't have bothered to glance twice at him, talk more of dating him?

Getting involved with a bonded creature when clearly not the mate often gets complicated, messy and heated when the mate finally arrives.

But just because Sabrina didn't get to experience the matebond or whatever doesn't mean she wasn't interested in whatever was going on.

She watched Asher interestedly until blood suddenly began to drip from his nose and ears leaving her flabbergasted.

A hint of panic in her voice,she asked "What's going on? "

"I think something is blocking him "

"Or maybe someone " She altered.

Asher gasped and his eyes snapped open, he rose to his feet and looked around before he pressed a hand on his forehead.

"What happened? " Daniel inquired curiously.

"I sent a memory to her mind through the matebond and I really felt things were going well until she abruptly kicked me out of the bond and no matter how much I try to get in,my attempts proved abortive - I can't even feel her " Asher complained.

" I've come up with a theory " Sabrina began, drawing their attention

"I think Lawrence's evil eye works like some sort of virus - no parasite - it takes over the body and bends it to his will without the host gaining anything. But the main precaution should be never looking him in the eye "

Raphael who had been strangely quiet all this time released a mocking laugh, " How in the world are we supposed to defeat something we can't see? "

"Stab out your eye, you will heal anyway " Daniel replied sarcastically, he had officially met someone he hated more than Asher - the fact the both were half-brothers irked him anyway

Flashback :

Stomping her feet , Sabrina exasperated "Why Raphael?"

"Who is Raphael? " Daniel asked and the both of them gave him a deadpan look before realizing their mistake.

They forgot werewolves tend to live reclusively - no wonder he had no clue about Raphael's brotherhood with Asher - they couldn't blame him exactly, such news was not something to be proud of.

"He's my half-brother " he disclosed.

"H-half-brother? " his eyes widened "You have a half-brother ? why didn't you tell me? Does our mate know? "

" Yes " Asher answered and opened the door to his private prison, letting them in.

Daniel's mouth quirked up, he was the only one left in the dark? Well, who cares - it hurts though.

"By the way what are we doing here? " came Daniel's question as he took in the strange hallway.

" Going to see my brother? " Asher replied and moved to lead the way.

His brows lifted " You had your brother locked up? "

"Why? Cruel? I heard you murdered that relative of yours that poisoned you by feeding him to the wild wolves " Asher insinuated he was no better than him.

Daniel tried to keep a neutral expression but his mask somehow cracked, an arrogant smirk tugging Asher's lips.

"And my dear little brother still has his ever sharp tongue " a voice came from one of the prison room which they approached swiftly.

"I wasn't expecting your visit this early or did you miss me so much you came with friends just to entertain your elder brother ? " Rapheal jibed.

Asher's jaw ticked and his fist clenched at his sides but he slowly contained his anger ; Raphael was born to ruffle his feathers.

"We - I need your help " he gritted.

Raphael laughed, mockingly " You need my help? " he asked pointing at his chest " Me? "

"Yes you "

"Let me guess " his eyes twinkled

"Your strange girlfriend is in trouble? "

Asher's head jerked up while Daniel glanced up surprised " He knows about Lia too? How could you tell him that when you know the more people knows, the easier for the council to discover her identity? "

Raphael's eyes narrowed as he picked up something strange " Why does this werewolf sound so concerned over your girlfriend?"

Asher tensed up, he remembered his brother still doesn't have an idea Lia possesses two mates.

" He's her friend "

"That would be my fee for helping you in whatever suicidal mission I'm about to take on "

Their eyes met and held, Asher told him straightforwardly " I can't tell you that "

Raphael pursed his lips in a nonchalant manner " Then go find help another vampire, I can't help you "came his conclusion

"I'm her ex-boyfriend " Daniel announced out of nowhere and all attention focused on him.

Raphael released a hearty laugh " How interesting " but the laughter came to a sudden halt while his expression changed to a serious one " Unfortunately I wasn't born this morning, so the truth or no help "