Raven's P•O•V

Akantha dragged me out of the shadows and lead me to the castle. I followed reluctantly, wanting nothing more than to hurry into the castle and scream for Alec to run. But of course Akantha's spell wielded me incapable of doing that.

Before we were into the lit up courtyard, Akantha rammed her foot into my shin. My leg buckled underneath me and I hissed in pain. Akantha let me fall to the ground before tugging me to my feet.

"What was that for?" I growled. I knew she wasn't a vampire, but hell could she kick.

"Can't have you looking unscathed, now can we?" Akantha answered in a sickly-sweet voice, her eyes shifting into the red of a Vampire's eyes. I wanted to vomit as she wrapped her arm around my waist and placed my arm around her shoulders, as if to show that she was helping me.

She basically dragged me as I limped through the court yard. We neared the back doors and Akantha pushed them open. I wondered where all the guards were.

The doors shut behind us with a loud bang that echoed. I flinched as we made our way out to the main double stair casings that were on either side. I briefly remembered the time I was introduced to the kingdom and I first met this wicked Akantha.

"Anyone?! Please, we need help!" Akantha called dramatically. I nearly rolled my eyes at her acting so afraid and frantic.

Guards came from the main hall and saw us. They came over quickly to assess our situation. As they came closer, they all recognized my face and stared in surprise.

"It's the Heir's Bride!" One exclaimed. I sucked in a harsh breath as they approached.

I wanted to see Alec. Anxiousness settled in my stomach as I waited for him, yet I feared for his arrival. I could only imagine the pain I would endure if I tried to disobey the obedience spell.

"Where's Alec and Zachariah?" Akantha asked the guards, feigning her worry. The urge to roll my eyes was so tempting, but I kept a subtle expression.

Just as she said that, movement was caught out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head to look up the left staircase and saw Alec standing there with his Uncle Zachariah behind him. Irina, Dimitri, and Piper appeared behind them, all looking sleepily dazed. They saw Akantha and I and looked in shock. I gasped, wanting nothing more than to run into his arms, no matter how much pain my leg was causing.

"Raven." I heard Alec breathe and in a second he was in front of me. Tears welled up in my eyes as overwhelming emotions filled me. So much of me wanted to be in his arms, but my conscience was screaming for me to shove him away and tell him to run.

He pulled me out of Akantha's grip and embraced me. I clung to him like a lifeline. His one hand held my waist, while the other wound around my neck and his fingers wove through my hair. I breathed in the familiar scent of him.

No matter what, he was my calm and he was my hope. Even under these circumstances.

Alec pulled away from me. Once he did so, I unconsciously went to stand by Akantha. My heart raced at the involuntary act. First I was a prisoner, now I'm a puppet? Is that how it is?

I caught Irina and Piper looking at me oddly. I hadn't even went over to them. Yet, I went over to the mistress of Dimitri's brother. Which she was practically a stranger to me.

Alec didn't seem to notice, but internally I was screaming for him to save me, that I didn't want to be by this vile woman, that she wasn't who they thought she was.

But I didn't say a single word.

"What happened?" He decided to ask. I could only imagine the thousands of questions he wanted to ask.

Akantha sighed.

"DeMalo took me the night of the ceremony. Once he got me, he left and I knew he was going to get Raven. Oh, hearing her screams was so dreadful." She laid her head in Zachariah's shoulder pitifully. My eyes burned as I looked at her. I never screamed. Her lies made me sick. Also, she was never taken. She had been sneaking away on and off to where they had taken me in order to formulate their plan. And once they were ready to get me, she stayed as part of the story. As part of the act.

"It took me a week to break out of the room he held me in. I knew I had little time but I couldn't bear to leave her there. I had to help her escape as well." Akantha regained herself to make it sound like she was the hero. I wanted to scoff but my throat tightened, prohibiting me to do so. I swallowed hard and kept my mouth shut.

"What would DeMalo possibly need with you?" Zachariah asked her, concerned.

Maybe because she was a witch and she could do his dirty work-

"I have no idea," she remarked scornfully. "He told me of his plan to steal Raven, but he never did explain why he needed me."

I stared intensely at Alec, begging him with my eyes to see me, to watch my eyes and read the pain in them. He was too lured into Akantha's story to see me at first. Finally, he saw me looking at him.

He had no idea what was really going on.

Beside us, Akantha told of her made up heroism and went into detail of how she fought off DeMalo. Zachariah and the guards listened intently, like it was some story time at school. But it seemed as though Alec and I both weren't listening and had tuned her out.

Tears streamed down my face as I was unable to speak. It felt like all the words I wanted to say had my lips sewn shut. A suffocating sensation hit me as I tried to speak at least one little word.

Hell did it hurt.

Alec saw the pain in my face and stepped over to me. He gripped me again.

"It's alright Raven, you're safe now. You're here with me." He murmured reassuringly. I shook, my body buzzing as I tried to force the words out.

I calmed down, breathing in deep against his chest. I decided on one word to say instead of trying to break myself with a whole defiant sentence. Who knew what would happen to me if I actually broke the obedience spell in the slightest way.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his head beside mine. I kissed his cheek lightly and felt the fire dwell in my throat as I whispered in his ear shakily,

"Wit-" I murmured and the last bit of the word came out as a silent syllable. He knew what I had said as Akantha grabbed the back of my sweater and yanked me away from him.

The burning in my throat felt like someone was holding a red, hot brand down my throat. I breathed heavily, feeling it burn. The pain seemed to subside into a harsh sting, which somehow relieved me even though it still hurt horribly. The pain silenced me effectively.

Everyone seemed to go silent as they stared at Akantha like she was crazy for handling me like that. Quite frankly, she was. But none of them knew her to the extent that I did.

"Is everything alright Akantha?" Zachariah questioned.

Alec started to eye Akantha up and down, trying to figure her out. He already knew something was off. She was clenching onto me tightly like she was unwilling to let me go.

Alec looked to me and my eyes watched him intensely as I barely shook my head. My expression screamed to him not to trust her, and to my relief, he knew that.

"You didn't actually escape did you." Alec observed, now standing tall and looking over Akantha with a profound distrust. I could feel Akantha grow tense behind me, knowing she was caught.

Alec stepped forward and for a moment I could see in his eyes that he was about go for her.

That was ... until a voice echoed over the room.

"My, my. Isn't my brother smart." DeMalo's voice rang out over all of us. Everyone looked around for him but Akantha had her eyes set upwards to the balcony looking over the two staircases.

We all followed her gaze and saw the black silhouette of a cloaked man. He pulled his hood back and the pale whiteness in his face almost shone as the light hit it.

"DeMalo." Alec faced him in disgust.

"I would greet you Brother, but I believe I wouldn't be so warmly greeted in return." DeMalo observed. Alec clenched his fists.

"What do you intend to get out of this whole rogue scheme, DeMalo? What do you really believe will come of this?" Alec asked him, his voice booming. Everyone tensed as DeMalo jumped over the ledge and landed on bent knee before Alec.

He rose, stood tall and faced his brother with the defiance of a stubborn child. Except, in a way more threatening manner...

"You know well enough what I want Alec." DeMalo taunted, looking to me with dark red eyes. I gulped and watched him.

Before Alec could reply, Akantha had let go of me and summoned Alec to his knees. His legs buckled beneath him and he fell. She spoke in a language that I didn't understand, her eyes now flaring purple. I looked to see her fiddling with her Ruby necklace that was now glowing.

The guards lunged at her, only for her to send them flying. They all slammed against the wall with a clatter of metal armor clashing against the stone.

Piper and Irina gasped. Dimitri looked at Akantha in shock, as she had managed to get his heir and a group of five guards under her control in under ten seconds. He snapped out of it and stormed towards her. She held out her other hand, now dropping the pendant from her grip and growled a mantra of words.

Dimitri froze in his spot. Not as in frozen like ice. Frozen as in time had stopped him and he was paralyzed; a statue.

"Come any closer and you two will be the same." Akantha growled to Piper and Irina, who stayed back.

Zachariah stepped back in fear of his Mistress, looking at her in betrayal.

Akantha saw his face and scoffed.

"Oh don't give me that look Zachariah. You know I never loved you." She mocked him. He didn't say a word. Part of me pitied him as he looked at her with a hurt shock.

Alec grunted, his veins sticking out of his neck as he struggled against Akantha's wicked hold over him.

"You see, I don't just want your beauty of a Bride," DeMalo spoke, circling around Alec. No one moved to attack him. Zachariah stepping back and the guards were held against the wall. Everyone was now under the controls of fear or Akantha's powers. Both seemed to effectively keep us all in our place. I stood in my spot, feet planted to the ground in obedience.

DeMalo stopped pacing around Alec and squatted in front of him, pulling his brother's face up to look at him. Alec gritted his teeth, his eyes glaring daggers at DeMalo.

"I want it all." DeMalo whispered tauntingly. Alec lurched at him, slamming his forehead into DeMalo's. The force of the blow sent the sound of a loud crack around the room. I gasped at the loudness.

DeMalo staggered back, now on his feet.

"You shouldn't have done that, Brother." He growled and looked to Akantha. She released Alec from her magic hold. His muscles relaxed and he got to his feet, huffing like a bull.

DeMalo shed off his cloak and threw it across the room.

"If you insist on taking what's mine," Alec paused to step forward, "then come and get it." He said dauntingly through gritted teeth and lunged at his twin.

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