I slip my fingers through his hair and tug on the roots, causing him to moan and start backing us up somewhere. Clothes come off on our way down the hallway, pants, boxers, panties, most of which gets torn to shreds. My nails scratch at his skin, claw at his back, as he bites at my lips, my neck, groaning over and over again, leaving teeth marks on my body that leave a wonderful ache along my skin. The twisted part of me hopes they’ll leave scars, that way I can at least have a reminder of this when I’m full of emptiness again.

We continue to kiss and tear each other apart, never making it to the bed. Instead he picks me up as soon as we step into the nearest room and slams me into the wall so hard I’m sure I’m going to have a bruise. But I don’t care—I don’t care about anything at the moment as I fastened my legs around him, allowing him to rock his hips and thrust deep inside me.

“Oh God.” My head tips back and I moan louder than I ever have as my fingernails dig even deeper into his flesh, cutting it open and causing blood to trickle out. Thankfully he’s a Keeper, otherwise he’d have scars all over his body. I wish everything was that way—that if we were strong enough we’d escape getting scars, outside and in. Maybe then I could erase the scars of life. Maybe then I would know that when this moment is over and I know I can’t have it anymore, my heart and soul won’t be scarred.

But I know that’s not the case. I realize as Alex kisses me, slipping in and out of me, touching me more than anyone ever has, that I feel more for him than I’ll ever let myself admit.

Then I ever can admit.

After we both come together, we relax and finally make it to the bed. Naked. Sweaty. And exhausted. Alex is lying next to me, one hand to his side, the other in his hair as he smiles contently at the ceiling. I lie on my side and stare at him, the elation and bliss he instilled inside me rapidly dissipating.

“That was…” he searches for words, catching his breath.

“Amazing,” I finish for him only my deflated tone doesn’t match my word.

He picks up on my depressed vibe and frowns at me. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head, trying to keep my lips sealed, telling myself that it’s okay to keep the secret just a little bit longer. But suddenly my conscience takes over and everything comes spilling out. Everything that happened to me over the last few days, or didn’t happen anyway, but I dither around the most major revelation of all, at least when it comes to us.

When I finish, Alex eyes are enlarged, his mouth hanging open, flabbergasted. “So what you’re saying is that right now we’re technically in the past.”

I prop up on my elbow and rest my cheek against my hand, ignoring how his gaze sweeps across my naked body and causes my skin to swelter. “I don’t think so. I think the days I spent possessed have been erased since I can remember them. I think that maybe somehow my father erased and recreated some of the events of my life, so that I would end up back here in this point of time… with you… fully alive.” I move to pull the sheet over my body, but Alex snags my hand and stops me.

He bites his bottom lip, reflecting. “And so that my father never got a hold of you and you were possessed?”

“That too.” I blow out a tense breath, knowing I’m going to have to tell him the rest soon. “He only told me he erased a vision once and recreated it to change the outcome of the world’s future… changed it so that the world would end the way I saw it in my ice vision.” Tears sting at my eyes. When my father had told me, it didn’t seem as bad, but I think I might have been in some kind of semi-subdued state, or shock, because now it is really kicking in and I feel like I’m about to lose it.

“Hey, we’ll figure this out.” Alex tucks a strand of my hair out of my eyes. “Everything will be okay. I promise.”

“I know, but my father… I just can’t believe he did that.” I suck back the tears. “And he’s trapped at that place.”

“Where exactly was he?” he asks, resting his hand on the curve of my hip.

“He wouldn’t tell me exactly where he was. He wouldn’t tell me anything really, other than I have to save the world somehow. And that everything I needed to know about saving the world was inside in my head and that crystal ball.”

Alex massages my hip absentmindedly. “It’s so strange, though. I’ve always been told that Foreseers aren’t supposed to control how the future turns out or recreate visions how they want them. They’re just supposed to see—not touch.”

“Yeah…but I don’t know…it seems like it could be possible. I mean, look at me. I can travel around wherever I want by using my Foreseer ability, without the aid of a crystal ball, which isn’t really a normal Foreseer thing either.”

“Yeah, but you are…” He trails off as I give him a cold stare because he was about to say different, and I really dislike being called that. “Unique,” he finishes, with a teasing smile that focuses all of my attention on his lips.

My heart sinks inside my chest, though, at the thought of kissing him. I’ll never be able to kiss him again unless I figure out a way to get rid of the star's power, without killing myself of Alex.

“Gemma, I can tell there’s something else bothering you,” Alex says. “I can feel it…” His forehead creases as if the revelation has baffled him as well as me. “So please just tell me.”

“You can feel it?”

He gives a one-shoulder shrug. “Sometimes when you’re really upset… I know… but don’t ask me how because I have no idea.” He pauses. “But quit changing the subject and please for the love of God, tell me what’s eating at you because it’s starting to eat at me.”

I grow quiet, trying to figure out how to explain that we can’t be with each other anymore; at least not in a way that will cause us to develop feelings of love toward one another. That the Blood Promise we made to be together forever is meaningless.

“I have to tell you—” I finally work up the strength, but am interrupted by the sound of the front door slamming and then Aislin calling out, “Hello?!”

I instantly spring from the bed, searching the floor for my clothes, while Alex lazily gets to his feet as if nothing’s wrong, as if we weren’t just having hot, intense sex in probably the worst moment possible.

I get some jeans and a fresh t-shirt out of the dresser and start to get dressed.

“What’s the rush?’ Alex asks amusedly as he takes his time putting his jeans back on.

“Nothing.” I tug the white shirt over my head in a hurry, then comb my fingers through my long brown hair in a lame attempt to tame the chaos of my tangled locks. “I just don’t want her thinking that we’re in here fooling around when we should be looking for Laylen.”

There is a hint of annoyance in his eyes as he picks up a shirt that’s on the floor and pulls it on. “But that’s exactly what we were doing.”

“I know but…” I trail off as Aislin calls out again and head out of the room, Alex slowly following behind me.

Aislin’s in the living room, cheeks pink, her golden-brown hair is frizzy from the moisture of the spring air, and her shorts and t-shirt are stained with dirt as if she’s been grave digging. I can tell immediately that something’s up, something is upsetting her.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as I straighten up my shirt.

Aislin shakes her head, pressing her lips together as if stifling a cry. “Laylen…Lay…” Suddenly she bursts into sobs, her head falling into her hands as she sinks onto the nearest chair.

I hurry over to her. “What happened to Laylen? And where’s my mom?” I’m painfully reminded that reality that saving the world and staying away from Alex isn’t my only responsibility. I also need to save a vampire who, at least from the last time I saw him, was dealing with blood thirst issues that I caused by begging him to bite me so he wouldn’t die.