He pulled up a chair and sat down.

Why are you up so early? Nightmares again? Or is Nicholas bothering you?

It s the nightmare again. I can t stop dreaming about it no matter what I do.

He frowned.

Is it still the same one?

It s always the same one.

We sighed at the same time. Then he draped an arm around my shoulder and tugged me close to him.

I won t let it happen. You re not going to die anytime soon.

I rested my head on his shoulder, wishing he was right.

Nobody can control the future.

I gestured at the boarded back door.

Otherwise stuff like that happens.

A scream rippled from outside, adding a dramatic effect to my point.

We re going to fix it,

he said, squeezing my shoulder.

I smiled, but it was a fake smile. My heart actually hurt when I thought about it. People were dead because I d changed the world s future.

He dropped his hand and leaned back in his chair, nibbling at his lip ring.

So have you &

I fiddled with the ceramic cow in the center of the table, avoiding his gaze as thoughts of Alex swarmed my mind. The electricity was gone, but sometimes, when I thought about him, I could almost feel the sensation on my skin.

Heard anything?

He bit at his lip and shook his head, his blue-tipped bangs falling into his eyes.

I m sure he s fine, though. He s always been good at taking care of himself.

I never said it aloud, but sometimes I thought about going to Alex, using my extraordinary power to foresee my way to wherever he was. If I closed my eyes and pictured his face, I might be able to pull it off. But deep down I knew he left for a reason. We couldn t be together. If we were, we d die. Still, occasionally my emotions got the best of me, and I d stir in anger over his abandonment.

I think we should

A bang on the back door cut me off. We were on our feet, the chairs tipping back and slamming against the tile. Laylen took a sharp knife out of the drawer while I hurried to the side of the back door and peeked out through a small gap in the board.

It looks like witches,

I whispered.

But I m not one-hundred percent sure. It s too dark to get a good look at their marks.

Laylen cursed under his breath and then stepped cautiously for the door, the knife gripped in his hand.

What do you think? Wait it out? Or get Aislin?

I stared at a tall woman with wavy black hair and green eyes standing on the bottom of the back porch. Witches were the worst. Their magical powers gave them the upper hand. Unlike the vampires and faeries, they didn t even have to touch you to harm you.

The witch glanced back, flittering her eyes at a group of bodies dressed in black, her hands sparkling with purple magic.

Go get Aislin,

I ordered quickly and he took off, his feet thudding up the stairs.

It was strange calling orders. I d spent so much of my life as a nobody, and now here I was a Keeper preparing to take on a group of witches. So weird.

I searched the drawers for another knife and picked up a small but razor-sharp blade. I touched the tip with my finger.

This is all your fault,

I mumbled as Laylen and Aislin came barreling down the stairs.

Aislin s golden hair was a disheveled mess, her green eyes blinking with grogginess.

How many are there?

she asked, her voice croaking.

I don t know,

I said and peeked behind the board.

Five or maybe six.

She nodded and cracked her knuckles.

Who s going to open the door?

Laylen opened his mouth, but I cut him off.

I got it.

I grabbed the doorknob, my pulse erratic and my hands a little unsteady.

On the count of three & one & two & three.

I flung the door open, catching the witch by surprise. She jumped back, but her hands were already out, her lips uttering a chant under her breath.

I wasted no time, charging out the door and ramming my body into hers. She fell to her back and we tumbled in the cold, stinging snow, Laylen and Aislin close by. My elbow and the witch s head smacked against the ice. She let out a cackle as I slammed my fist into her face.

Another cackle and her mouth spread into a grin.

Nice try.

She broke off my necklace and a purple ball of fire glowed in her hand.

Animam tuam.

The ball lifted from her grasp and slammed into my middle.

I buckled back, trying not to panic as my stomach glowed like a night light. Aislin and Laylen had three of them down, Aislin working quickly to remove the Mark of Malefiscus from their wrists. I blinked crazily, waiting for the spell to do something. But the witches face dropped as I remained the same, unchanged, but still glowing. She gripped my arm and I pressed my fingers into her hands, digging my nails in deep.

You re the one,

she uttered under her breath, her green eyes glittering with light.

It s you.

She knew I was the star and I had to act fast. No one knew for sure what kind of connection the witches held with Stephan, but we always had to be careful. I swung back my fist, working up as much force as I could, before slamming into her head. My knuckles cracked as her eyes rolled back, her lips parting, as she slipped into unconsciousness.

I scurried to my feet, glancing around and was grateful that Aislin had gotten the marks off the others, who were wandering away, confused how they got here. It would take a second for the spell to wear off and then they would return to their normal lives with a guilty conscience.

I dusted the snow off my clothes as I stared at the unconscious witch.

This one knows who I am,

I told them, picking up my locket.

I ll make sure to erase her mind then,

Aislin said, coming over to the witch.

I nodded, but felt guilty. I always did when it came to erasing someone s mind. Good or bad, having my own mind stolen from me gave me a soft spot for anyone else who had to endure it. But these were hard times. Drastic measures had to be taken.

The removed marks slithered away like tiny snakes. I retreated, not wanting to watch as Aislin slipped her hands inside the witch s head and extracted her memories.

Laylen followed me inside, grabbing my hand and turning me to him.

It has to be done,

he said.

They can t know where you are.

I nodded. But, if I hadn t messed around with visions, then this mess wouldn t exist. I kept this to myself though, because I knew he d try to convince me this wasn t my fault. He d feel bad because I felt bad and I didn t want that. I wanted him to be happy.

I rubbed my stomach, which wasn t glowing, but burned like I was hungry.

She threw a spell in me after she broke off my locket.

What kind of a spell?

Aislin asked as she came inside and shut the back door. She locked the dead bolt and then the other three locks.

I searched my brain for the words the witch uttered.

Animam tuam, I think.

Aislin s eyes popped wide.

Oh…

What is it?

I touched my stomach again, wondering if I was going to explode or something.

What d she do to me?

I don t & It s just that &

Her gaze was everywhere but on me.

Just spit it out,

Laylen said sharply.

Aislin swallowed hard.

She took your life.

Chapter 3

(Alex)

I hated the smell of these places. Everyone smelled like they d just rolled out of a gutter, and then dug around in a garbage can.

You seem down, sweetie,

the woman with long skinny legs said. Her blonde hair was way too thin for her round face. Her teeth were cracked and stained a yellowish-brown. She stuck her hand out, her sharp, yellow-stained nails sliding up my chest.

Maybe I can help you with that.