...It was 3 AM, and Shadow lay awake, unable to sleep. She couldn't shake the memory of the night Blaze was kidnapped, even though it had been a year. People told her to move on, but she couldn't let go....

...Her alarm clock beeped insistently, and her mom's voice echoed down the hall. "Shadow, get up and get ready for school or you're going to be late!"...

..."I'm already up, Mom!" Shadow replied, her frustration clear in her voice....

...In the bathroom, Shadow located her razor and made a few new cuts on her arm. After cleaning them, she showered and dressed in her usual attire: washout jeans, a red tank top with an oversized hoodie, and black pumps....

..."Shadow, hurry up! You're late for school!" Her mom's voice came from the other room....

..."I don't care if I'm late for school," Shadow snapped back, feeling annoyed....

..."Young lady, your friends are already here. Now go or else you're in trouble."...

..."Fine, I'm going. See you after school, mom."...

...As Shadow descended the stairs, she felt something hot dripping from her fingertips. She looked down and saw that her cuts had reopened. She hurried to Alice's car, knowing that Alice was aware of her self-harming....

..."Alice, my cuts are bleeding," Shadow said, her voice shaking....

...Alice looked worried. "Shadow, you really need to stop cutting yourself. Do you think Blaze would want this for you? He loves you so much that he'll fight to break free just for your love."...

..."Do you really believe that?" Shadow asked, sounding uncertain. "Maybe I should try to move on. My life is already stupid enough, and my sister thinks it's funny to make me cry."...

..."Well, I have a surprise for you, but it's out of town, and we're skipping school today."...

..."What? Are you serious? What is it?" Shadow asked eagerly....

..."I can't tell you yet. It won't be special if I spoil it now. Let's go."...

..."Thank you for being there for me after Blaze's kidnapping," Shadow said, climbing into the back seat....

...Alice smiled. "That's what friends are for. Now you can take a nap in the back seat. It's going to be a long ride."...

...As Shadow drifted off to sleep, Alice's phone vibrated in her pocket. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was Blaze....

..."Hello, Blaze. We're on our way, and Shadow is asleep."...

..."Good. And thanks again, Alice. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for what you've done for Shadow."...

..."Well, you can start by letting me take care of those idiots who took you away from Shadow. We're about an hour away. See you then."...

..."Okay, you can take care of them. See you soon, my wonderful sister. Love you."...

...As Alice hung up, a sense of satisfaction filled her. She couldn't wait to get her revenge....

...Fifteen minutes later, Alice noticed that her car was running low on gas. She pulled into the nearest gas station and filled up the tank, ready to continue the journey....

..."Well, well, well, look what we have here. Alice on her way to see her big brother Blaze with his little soulmate."...

..."Please, Lucas, leave us alone. We didn't do anything wrong, and she misses him like hell. I'm only doing it for them. Just leave, please."...

..."No can do, Alice. Damon wants her to be his soulmate, not Blaze's soulmate. For that, I must snap your little neck so we can take her to Damon."...

..."Lucas, you're alone. You can't beat me. I'm faster and stronger than you, and you know it."...

..."Well, Alice, I'm not alone, but look, Shadow is gone. She's not in the car. I'll see you again when you start looking for Shadow, not that you'll ever find her," he said in a cold tone that scared me a bit....

..."What do you mean she's not in the car? She's fast asleep. Wait, you said that you're not alone? That means you brought Damon with you, didn't you? You can't take her. Please, I'll do anything, and you know it. Please, just give her back, Lucas!"...

..."Alice, just because you're my mate doesn't mean I would listen to you. You rejected me years ago, and I'm not giving you up. But I must leave now, or Damon will kill me along with you. And if you want her back, you mustn't tell Blaze about this little conversation we had, or else she might just be marked. She'll be Damon's new soulmate, or he'll just kill her. Easy as that. Bye, Alice. Nice talking to you. See you soon."...

..."Lucas, wait!"...

..."What do you want now? Remember, I have a job to do."...

..."Never mind. Bye, Lucas. I'll see you sooner than the night says goodbye."...

...*...Alice's POV...*...

... Damn, what am I going to tell Blaze? He's so gonna kill me....

...I pulled up to his mansion somewhere in the woods. I wasn't even sure how I knew where he lived....

..."You can do this, Alice," I repeated to myself as I walked to his door....

... Knock-knock....

..."Alice, you're here! I can't believe it."...

...*italic* And here it comes. *italic*...

..."Alice, you know I love you, right? And I won't hurt my own flesh and blood. But where is Shadow?"...

..."Blaze, before you do something you'll regret, I have an explanation for this."...

..."Which is?"...

..."Lucas and Damon were there when I pulled over for some gas. Lucas said that if I keep my mouth shut, I might get her back for you. He said something about Damon wanting Shadow to be his mate, and he's maybe gonna mark her." I said the last part so fast that he couldn't understand me....

..."Say that last part again, Alice, but slowly."...

..."Okay, here goes nothing. He's maybe gonna mark her, and there's the other part. He also maybe gonna kill her."...

..."It's fine, Alice. Do you know where they might be now?"...

..."Yes, I do. Let's go, or else it might be too late."...

..."Now let's kick some butt!"...

...As we drove, I picked up the most wonderful scent of my mate. It smelled almost like French lavender, and just then, I saw Shadow tied to a tree, with Damon and Lucas staring at us with wide eyes....

..."See, Lucas? I told you I'd find her...

..."Alice its too late, her heartbeat is gone, she has only an hour left to live. Bye losers."...

...With that they were gone....

..."Blaze, the only option is to turn her. I know you don't want to, but its the only way that she'll survive to see tomorrow"...

..."That what I thought. Let's just do and get over it."...

...As Blaze gave her his blood to drink I knew she must drink for at least five minutes. He took his arm away from her mouth and she open her eyes, they were black....