It was late afternoon by the time I woke up. A heavy arm was draped across my waist, and somewhere in the middle of the night I'd started using him as a body pillow. I lay there for a while in comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth radiating off him.

He looked so much younger while sleeping, his hard features relaxed and open. There was a vulnerability in his expression which disappeared the moment he woke up.

I sighed. I wished I could stay here forever, wrapped in the safety of his arms, but my life had never been that simple. Somehow, I had a feeling it never would be either.

" Are you staring at me, Naomi?" He mumbled, flipping over and nuzzling into my neck.

" Maybe," I replied, grinning," We should probably get out of bed."

Just like that, his eyes shot open and he peeled the blankets off. Leaping to his feet, he picked up his shirt from the floor and tugged it on, smiling briefly when I pouted.

" Krishna told me there was a Portal here which can get us back to the Enchanted Forest," He said, his Protector mask slipping back on. He was all business now.

" How?" I asked, frowning. I'd heard of Portals before; they were common items used to transport anyone to another pre-determined location. The issue with using these were that the user had to know the object in their hand was a Portal.

" The curse isn't perfect. It created two portals. The Queen has been using one, which is how she keeps visiting this world when necessary." His expression darkened at the mention of her name, and I realized with a pang he had been forced to live with her this whole time.

" What- what did she do to you when you two were together?" I asked hesitantly, and immediately regretted it.

He froze for a moment, a tirade of emotions playing across his face. I looked down at my hands, feeling read-hot jealousy spike through me. Had he been forced to touch her, the way he touched me?

When I looked back up he was the picture of calmness, his expression wiped blank.

" That isn't important," He replied evenly," Not now."

" So you'd be okay with killing her if necessary?"

He picked up his dagger and slid it into his pocket," I would do anything to protect you, Naomi."

Electricity crackled through the air as we stared at each other, my gaze falling to his lips. I swung my legs off the bed and got up, stretching my back. I really needed to focus on the task at hand, not get carried away by how much his presence affected me.

" So what's the plan?" I asked.

" We have to find both the Portals and escape with them, leaving her stuck here with no way out."

" She tried to kill us!" I protested," Why are we sparing her life?"

He lowered his gaze to meet mine," If we kill her, how are we any different from her?"

That shut me up. Blushing, I suddenly realized I had another major problem. My ripped dress lay on the floor, and there was no way I was wearing high-heeled boots to battle.

" Evan," I said, feeling my cheeks turn red," I don't have any clothes to wear."

That got a huge laugh from him, but he didn't seem particularly regretful about tearing my dress apart. He tugged his shirt off and threw it to me; pulling it on gratefully, I was relieved to find it hit my knees. As for the shoes, well, maybe I'd just bring barefoot back in fashion.

" What are you going to do about the shirt?" I asked.

Shrugging, he opted to go for the bare-chested look. He pulled on a leather jacket but left it unzipped. Not that I was complaining. A giggle rose up in my throat as I realized how ridiculous our clothing attire might look to someone else.

Once we left the cabin, Evan and I discussed what the possible Portal-objects might be. The outskirts of Siwan had always been deserted and quiet, but today felt different. It was as if the entire town was just waiting for a battle to explode.

We held hands, knowing we could do so for only a small, precious amount of time.

We had barely reached the highway when I spotted them. An army of the dead, approaching us from the opposite end of the road, barely two-hundred meters away. Even from afar, I was certain that everyone I had ever known in this town was a part of the army.

I could fight Damoris and evil Queens no problem, but my friends and my family? How could I possibly fight them?

Maybe that's why when the first attack fell upon us, my sword slipped from my hand and clattered to the ground. If it weren't for Evan, I would have died. He whipped around gracefully and embedded his sword in the woman's shoulder.

She screamed with pain. " Akira! How can you let him do this to me?"

Her voice was horribly, achingly familiar. Tears streaked my cheeks as she fell to her knees. Akira's mother, who had never hurt a fly, was now staring at me with burning hatred in her eyes.

" I loathe you," She spat.

Evan stepped back, but there was a sense of urgency in his voice when he spoke," Naomi, if you were forced to become the Queen's mindless soldier, would you want to live a life serving her with no real will of your own?"

" No," I rasped instantly," I'd rather die. I would want someone to kill me."

He gently pressed the sword into my palm," Exactly. She would have wanted the same thing."

Akira's mother- my mother- looked up at me in shock as the sword left my hand. I closed my eyes when I heard the dull thud of the weapon finding its mark.

The thing was, when Evan Gold was your instructor, you never missed.

I didn't really remember the rest of the fight. My emotions shut down as I took down one person after the other, sometimes crying when I had to injure my classmates. I could tell Evan was feeling the same way; he would do anything to protect me, but it killed a part of him to fight these people who were completely innocent.

" No!" I screamed finally when I saw someone approach me, someone I knew I couldn't hurt. Maybe I would just die here instead.

Her hair was still stick-straight and perfect, a quality Akira had always envied. The wind whipped my curls into my face as she stepped forward, her arms raised.

" Hi, sis," Kayal said innocently," You would never hurt me, would you?"

Before I could reply, the strangest thing happened. She doubled over, clutching her stomach. Something flickered in her eyes, an emotion I couldn't decipher for a second, and then it struck me.

Recognition.

Not recognition as someone she had to kill. No, Kayal knew who I was. What I had meant to her.

Emotion swelled in my chest as I leaned forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. " Kayal?"

She trembled," Why am I here? Why am I fighting you?"

The empty sockets melted away, and I noticed with relief that warm caramel eyes replaced them. Akira's sister had broken free of the Queen's control and, although I had no clue how, I knew she'd have to have some pretty amazing willpower to do so.

I gathered her up in my arms and pressed my face into her hair. She smelled the same, like shampoo and sunlight.

" You're going to be okay," I murmured," I'm going to make sure of that."

" Thanks," She whispered back, and then laughed shakily," Hey, sis, where'd you learn to fight like that?"

I tweaked her nose, grinning despite myself," That's a secret."

Kayal started to smile, but then she  noticed something over my shoulder which made her eyes grow wide with fear," Akira! Look out!"

Whirling around instinctively, I grabbed my dagger and looked up at my attacker. I faltered at the sight of those familiar silver eyes.

Kayal inhaled sharply behind me, but I couldn't find any words to reassure her. Hell, I needed someone to reassure me.

" No," I breathed," No way. You can't be on her side."

Aidan smiled at me and calmly drew out a weapon. Since he seemed perfectly conscious of all his movements, it definitely meant the Queen hadn't used any magic to control him.

It had been his choice to side with her. Just like it was his choice right now to attack me.

All my training kicked in as I raised my head and faced him. I would not allow myself to feel sympathy for somebody who chose to be evil. Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.  As I looked into those silver eyes, eyes Akira had loved, I felt a small part of me shrivel up and die. What the hell had the Queen told him?

" Aidan-" I began.

He attacked, but he didn't send the sword spinning towards me. He directed it at Kayal. Not even pausing to think, I launched myself in front of her.

The sword sliced through my skin.

I screamed.